Sidecar

Sidecar

A simplified Obsidian popout window for navigating and editing project notes while the main window stays untouched. Perfect for parking next to your web browser.

Window creation uses Obsidian's own popout API (the same mechanism behind "Open in new window"); the plugin's job is to give that window a clean, narrow, minimal look and a sensible default size and position.

A nice way to use it: keep a hand-maintained index note full of [[links]] to your projects, set it as the default note, and open it in a Sidecar with one keystroke. The Sidecar becomes a self-curated project browser you can use alongside other apps more easily than the main Obsidian interface.

How it works

• Open a note in a Sidecar via a command, a ribbon icon, a file-tree right-click, or the action button in any note's toolbar.
• There are two targets: the current note (whatever's active) and a configurable default note. The default note has its own command, ribbon button, and a button in the left sidebar's tab bar — open your index from anywhere with one click (or a hotkey you assign).
• Opening a note that's already open in the main window closes the main-window copy first (pop-out mode), so you're never looking at two copies of the same note at once.
• The note opens as a real Obsidian MarkdownView, so you get live preview, your theme, and your other plugins — full editing, not a stripped-down textarea.
• In the popout only, the native chrome (tab bar, view header, status bar, ribbon) is hidden and replaced with a minimal top bar. Your main window is never affected.
• The top bar can show, depending on your settings:
  • Back / forward buttons to move through the note's navigation history — handy when you click a [[link]] and want to get back.
  • A home button that returns the Sidecar to your default note.
  • A pop-in button that returns the note to a new tab in the main window and closes the Sidecar.
  • A pin button that keeps the window above all other apps (handy next to a browser). Available when Obsidian's Electron remote API is reachable.
• Open as many Sidecars as you like — each is independent.
• The window opens at a configurable width and height (both set in settings), offset from your main window's top-right corner. Resizing a Sidecar by hand doesn't change the saved size — the next one still opens at the configured dimensions.

Settings

Leaving a width or height field empty resets it to the default.

Install (manual)

Not in the community store yet. To install:

1. Download main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css from the latest release (or build main.js from source — see Development).
2. Copy all three files into your vault at: <your vault>/.obsidian/plugins/sidecar/
3. In Obsidian: Settings → Community plugins, make sure Restricted mode is off, then enable Sidecar.

Use

Open the current note in a Sidecar any of these ways:

• The command "Open current note" (command palette).
• The ribbon icon (arrow-up-right) in Obsidian's left ribbon.
• Right-click a .md file in the file tree → "Open in Sidecar".
• The action button (arrow-up-right) in any note's editor toolbar.

Open your default note in a Sidecar:

• The command "Open default note" — assign a hotkey to it in Settings → Hotkeys if you like (no default is set).
• The ribbon icon (file-text) in Obsidian's left ribbon.
• The left-sidebar button (file-text) in the sidebar's tab bar, next to Files/Search (handy if you keep the ribbon hidden).

If no default note is configured, these fall back to opening the current note.

From the Sidecar (buttons appear per your settings):

• Back / forward (arrow-left / arrow-right) to walk the note history.
• The home button (file-text) to jump back to your default note.
• The pop-in button (arrow-down-left) to return the note to a new tab in the main window and close the Sidecar.
• The pin icon to toggle always-on-top.

Development

npm install        # install dev dependencies
npm run dev        # watch build → rebuilds main.js on change
npm run build      # typecheck + minified production build
npm run typecheck  # type-check only

The build output is main.js in the repo root (git-ignored); manifest.json and styles.css are checked in. For live testing, copy main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css into your vault's .obsidian/plugins/sidecar/ folder and reload the plugin in Obsidian (Cmd+P → "Reload app without saving") after each rebuild. You can confirm the live build by opening the popout's developer console and reading document.body.dataset.sidecarBuild.

Releases are published automatically by .github/workflows/release.yml when a version tag (matching the manifest version, no v prefix) is pushed — it builds, attaches build-provenance attestations, and uploads main.js + manifest.json + styles.css.

isDesktopOnly: true — popout windows are a desktop-only feature.

License

MIT