obsidian-plugin-dev

Comprehensive skill for Obsidian plugin development with TypeScript. Covers plugin lifecycle, CodeMirror 6 editor extensions, React/Svelte integration, Vault API patterns, settings with migration pipelines, SecretStorage, CSS theming, CLI debugging workflow, testing, CI/CD, and community plugin submission. Trigger on: create obsidian plugin, obsidian plugin dev, obsidian API, obsidian editor extension, obsidian CM6, obsidian view, obsidian modal, obsidian settings, obsidian command, obsidian manifest, obsidian publish, obsidian submit plugin, obsidian plugin test, obsidian vite config, obsidian react, obsidian theme, obsidian CLI debug.

Obsidian Plugin Development

When This Skill Applies

Use this skill when the user is:

• Creating a new Obsidian plugin from scratch
• Implementing plugin features (commands, views, modals, settings, editor extensions)
• Debugging plugin issues or unexpected behavior
• Configuring build tools (Vite, esbuild, rollup)
• Writing tests for Obsidian plugins
• Setting up CI/CD and release workflows
• Preparing a plugin for community submission
• Working with CodeMirror 6 editor extensions
• Integrating React/Svelte/Vue into Obsidian views

Critical Rules (Always Follow)

#	Rule	Why
1	Never use global app — use this.app	Global app breaks in multi-window; submission rejected
2	Never use innerHTML/outerHTML — use createEl(), createDiv(), setText()	XSS vulnerability; instant rejection
3	Use registerEvent() for all event subscriptions	Auto-cleanup on unload; prevents memory leaks
4	No default hotkeys — let users configure	Hotkey conflicts with other plugins
5	Use requestUrl() over fetch()	Bypasses CORS; works on mobile
6	Use normalizePath() for user-provided paths	Handles cross-platform path differences
7	Prefer vault.process() over vault.modify()	Atomic operation; safe with concurrent edits
8	Use FileManager.processFrontMatter() for YAML	Never parse/serialize YAML manually
9	Use Sentence case for all UI text	Obsidian convention; submission requirement
10	Use setHeading() not <h1>/<h2>	Semantic; supports RTL; submission requirement
11	Import only what you use — no unused classes	Cleaner code; easier audits; submission reviewers check this
12	Use checkCallback when command depends on context	callback = always available; checkCallback = conditionally shown; editorCallback = needs editor
13	Always provide .theme-dark / .theme-light CSS variants	Obsidian CSS vars auto-adapt, but explicit theme blocks ensure edge cases render correctly; submission reviewers check this
14	No regex lookbehind — (?!...) OK, (?<=...) NOT OK	Breaks on iOS Safari < 16.4; submission rejected
15	All interactive elements keyboard accessible	Tab navigation + Enter/Space; submission requirement
16	ARIA labels on all icon-only buttons	Screen reader support; submission requirement
17	Touch targets ≥ 44×44px	Mobile usability; submission requirement
18	Use vault.configDir not .obsidian	Cross-platform compatibility; submission requirement
19	Use fileManager.trashFile() not vault.delete()	Respects user trash settings
20	Use AbstractInputSuggest not TextInputSuggest	Built-in API; Liam's copy-pasted implementation is banned
21	Create versions.json — maps plugin version → min Obsidian version	Submission bot checks for it; auto-reject if missing
22	Version your settings schema — _settingsVersion field	Enables migration pipeline on upgrade; prevents data loss

Quick Reference

Plugin Lifecycle

import { Plugin } from 'obsidian'

export default class MyPlugin extends Plugin {
  async onload() {
    // 1. Load settings FIRST
    await this.loadSettings()
    // 2. Add settings tab
    this.addSettingTab(new MySettingTab(this.app, this))
    // 3. Register commands
    this.addCommand({ id: 'my-command', name: 'My command', callback: () => {} })
    // 4. Register views
    this.registerView(MY_VIEW_TYPE, (leaf) => new MyView(leaf))
    // 5. Register editor extensions
    this.registerEditorExtension(myExtension)
    // 6. Register events
    this.registerEvent(this.app.vault.on('modify', (file) => {}))
    this.registerDomEvent(document, 'click', (evt) => {})
    this.registerInterval(window.setInterval(() => {}, 1000))
  }

  async onunload() {
    // Resources registered with register*() are auto-cleaned
    // Manual cleanup needed for: MutationObserver, React root, vault.on() in React
  }
}

Essential API Cheatsheet

Need	API
Get active file	this.app.workspace.getActiveFile()
Read file	this.app.vault.cachedRead(file)
Modify file (background)	this.app.vault.process(file, (data) => data)
Modify file (editor)	editor.replaceSelection(), editor.getRange()
Create file	this.app.vault.create(path, content)
Delete file	this.app.fileManager.trashFile(file)
Rename file	this.app.fileManager.renameFile(file, newPath)
Read frontmatter	this.app.metadataCache.getFileCache(file)?.frontmatter
Write frontmatter	this.app.fileManager.processFrontMatter(file, (fm) => {})
Show notification	new Notice('message', duration)
Open modal	new MyModal(this.app).open()
Get active editor	this.app.workspace.activeEditor?.editor
Platform check	Platform.isMacOS, Platform.isMobile, Platform.isDesktop
Network request	requestUrl({ url, method, headers, body })
Persist data	this.loadData() / this.saveData(data)
Secure storage	this.app.secretStorage.setSecret(id, value) (v1.11.4+)
Detect theme	document.body.classList.contains('theme-dark')

Command Callback Decision Tree

Does the command need an active editor?
├─ YES → editorCallback
│        (automatically hidden when no editor; gives you editor + view)
│
└─ NO → Does it need any context to run? (active file, leaf, etc.)
         ├─ YES → checkCallback
         │        (return true when available; run action on !checking)
         │
         └─ NO → callback
                  (always visible, always runs)

Examples:

// Always available — no conditions
this.addCommand({
  id: 'open-settings',
  name: 'Open plugin settings',
  callback: () => { this.openSettings() }
})

// Needs active file — use checkCallback
this.addCommand({
  id: 'copy-stats',
  name: 'Copy note statistics',
  checkCallback: (checking) => {
    const file = this.app.workspace.getActiveFile()
    if (file) {
      if (!checking) this.copyStats(file)
      return true
    }
    return false
  }
})

// Needs editor — use editorCallback
this.addCommand({
  id: 'wrap-callout',
  name: 'Wrap selection in callout',
  editorCallback: (editor) => {
    const sel = editor.getSelection()
    editor.replaceSelection(`> [!note]\n> ${sel}`)
  }
})

Import Hygiene

Only import what you actually use. Submission reviewers flag unused imports.

// Good — only what's needed
import { MarkdownView, Notice, Plugin, PluginSettingTab, Setting } from 'obsidian'

// Bad — unused imports
import { App, Editor, Modal, Notice, Plugin, PluginSettingTab, Setting } from 'obsidian'
//      ^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^^^^ — never used

Common Pitfalls

1. Storing view references → use getLeavesOfType() on demand
2. Passing plugin as Component → use this.addChild() instead
3. Detaching leaves in onunload → they reinitialize on update
4. Not removing sample code → MyPlugin, SampleSettingTab must be renamed
5. Using vault.modify() on active file → use Editor API instead
6. Manual YAML parsing → use processFrontMatter() instead
7. fetch() for API calls → use requestUrl() instead
8. Hardcoded colors in CSS → use var(--text-normal), etc.
9. navigator.platform → use Platform.isMacOS instead
10. var declarations → use const/let instead
11. Promise chains → use async/await instead
12. console.log in production → remove or use console.debug with conditional
13. Regex lookbehind (?<=...) → breaks on iOS Safari < 16.4; use alternative patterns
14. Object.assign(defaults, saved) → mutates defaults; use Object.assign({}, defaults, saved)
15. Hardcoded .obsidian path → use this.app.vault.configDir instead
16. Shallow merge for nested settings → use deep merge; shallow merge loses nested defaults
17. vault.delete() for removing files → use fileManager.trashFile() to respect user settings
18. Liam's TextInputSuggest → use built-in AbstractInputSuggest instead
19. Missing styles.css → create empty file if no styles (submission bot checks for it)
20. Missing versions.json → create with { "1.0.0": "1.0.0" } (submission bot checks for it)
21. No settings version tracking → add _settingsVersion to settings interface for migration support

Detailed References

Topic	File	When to Load
Lifecycle & Core API	reference/lifecycle.md	Always; building any plugin feature
ESLint Rules (28 rules)	reference/eslint-rules.md	ESLint setup, pre-submission audit, rule reference
Accessibility (MANDATORY)	reference/accessibility.md	Keyboard nav, ARIA labels, focus indicators, touch targets
CodeMirror 6 Editor Extensions	reference/editor-extensions.md	Editor decorations, syntax highlighting, live preview
React / Svelte / Vue Integration	reference/frameworks.md	Using React/Vue/Svelte in views or settings
Vault & File Operations	reference/vault-operations.md	File CRUD, frontmatter, events, caching
Settings & Data Migration	reference/settings-migration.md	Settings UI, load/save, deep merge, migration pipelines
Security & SecretStorage	reference/security.md	API keys, credentials, XSS prevention, network requests
CSS Styling	reference/css-accessibility.md	Theming, CSS variables, scoping, mobile styles
Dev Workflow & CLI	reference/dev-workflow.md	Build, hot-reload, CLI debugging, Obsidian CLI, ESLint config
Testing	reference/testing.md	Unit tests, mocking Obsidian API, Jest/Vitest
CI/CD & Release	reference/cicd-release.md	GitHub Actions, version bump, community submission

Development Workflow

Quick Dev Loop (with Obsidian CLI)

# Build and hot-reload
npm run build && obsidian plugin:reload id=<plugin-id>

# Check for errors
obsidian dev:errors

# Inspect DOM
obsidian dev:dom selector=".my-plugin-view"

# Take screenshot
obsidian dev:screenshot

# Evaluate JS in Obsidian context
obsidian eval code="app.plugins.plugins"

Without Obsidian CLI

# Build and copy to test vault
npm run build && cp main.js manifest.json styles.css /path/to/TestVault/.obsidian/plugins/<plugin-id>/
# Then reload in Obsidian: Ctrl+P → "Reload app without saving"

Pre-Submission Checklist

Before creating a release or submitting to community plugins, verify:

Submission Validation (Bot checks — will auto-reject if incorrect)

• id in manifest.json does not contain "obsidian"; doesn't end with "plugin"; lowercase only
• name does not contain "Obsidian"; doesn't end with "Plugin"; doesn't start with "Obsi" or end with "dian"
• description does not contain "Obsidian" or "This plugin"; must end with .?!) punctuation; max 250 chars
• manifest.json id, name, description match submission entry in community-plugins.json
• LICENSE file present; copyright holder ≠ "Dynalist Inc."; year is current
• styles.css exists (empty if no styles)
• versions.json exists with correct version mapping
• GitHub release has main.js, manifest.json, styles.css attached

Code Quality

• All sample/template code removed (MyPlugin, SampleSettingTab, SampleModal)
• No innerHTML/outerHTML anywhere in code
• No default hotkeys set
• No console.log in production (remove or use conditional console.debug)
• No unused imports
• setHeading() used instead of <h2> in settings
• Sentence case for all UI text (run ESLint to verify)
• this.app used everywhere (not global app)
• All resources cleaned up in onunload()
• No Object.assign(defaults, saved) — use Object.assign({}, defaults, saved)
• Use fileManager.trashFile() not vault.delete()
• No regex lookbehind ((?<=...)) — breaks on iOS
• Use vault.configDir not hardcoded .obsidian

Accessibility (MANDATORY)

• All interactive elements keyboard accessible (Tab, Enter, Space)
• ARIA labels on all icon-only buttons
• :focus-visible styled with Obsidian CSS variables
• Touch targets ≥ 44×44px
• Can use entire plugin without a mouse

ESLint & Release

• ESLint passes with eslint-plugin-obsidianmd (npx eslint .)
• manifest.json version correct, minAppVersion set
• isDesktopOnly: true only if using Node/Electron APIs

Reference Source Tracking

Reference File	Primary Sources	Last Verified
lifecycle.md	obsidian API docs, gapmiss/obsidian-plugin-skill	2026-03
eslint-rules.md	obsidianmd/eslint-plugin v0.1.9, gapmiss/obsidian-plugin-skill	2026-03
accessibility.md	gapmiss/obsidian-plugin-skill, obsidian plugin guidelines	2026-03
editor-extensions.md	CM6 docs, @codemirror/view source	2026-03
frameworks.md	Leonezz/obsidian-plugin-dev-skill, React docs	2026-03
vault-operations.md	obsidian API docs, official plugin guidelines	2026-03
settings-migration.md	Leonezz/obsidian-plugin-dev-skill	2026-03
security.md	gapmiss/obsidian-plugin-skill, obsidian developer policies	2026-03
css-accessibility.md	davidvkimball/obsidian-dev-skills, obsidian sample theme	2026-03
dev-workflow.md	adriangrantdotorg/Obsidian-Skills, obsidian CLI docs	2026-03
testing.md	Leonezz/obsidian-plugin-dev-skill	2026-03
cicd-release.md	Leonezz/obsidian-plugin-dev-skill, obsidian submission docs	2026-03

To update references: check each source for new content, cross-reference with obsidian developer docs changelog.

Design Decisions

1. SKILL.md stays under 500 lines — quick reference + links to detailed docs
2. Reference files are topic-based — load only what you need
3. Code examples are real — from actual plugin patterns, not toy demos
4. Do/Don't tables — clear before/after comparisons