Scratchpad

Scratchpad

Scratchpad is an Obsidian plugin that provides a simple space in the sidebar for quick text notes and freehand drawings — perfect for jotting down ideas while working across multiple notes.

Features

• A text input area for quick notes
• A canvas for freehand drawing with customizable brush color and size
• Content can be saved to disk
• Lightweight and distraction-free

Installation

1. In Obsidian, open Settings → Community Plugins.
2. Make sure Safe Mode is turned off to enable plugin installation
3. Click Browse, then search for "Scratchpad" or open directly:
   obsidian://show-plugin?id=scratchpad
4. Click Install, then Enable the plugin.

Usage

1. Open the command palette (Ctrl/Cmd + P) and search for Scratchpad, or click the notebook-pen icon in the left ribbon.
2. The plugin opens in the right sidebar.
3. The top section is a text area where you can type quick notes (Markdown is not rendered).
4. The bottom section is a canvas where you can draw using your mouse or stylus.
5. Use the toolbar to:
   • Pick brush color
   • Adjust brush size
   • Clear the canvas
   • Save the content

[!NOTE]

• This is a temporary note — your content is stored in memory and will be lost when the app is closed unless you manually save it to disk.
• Scratchpad does not support multiple notes.

Read the blog at https://bit.ly/4exb8PZ.

License

MIT