Obsidian Plugin Development Guidelines

Follow these comprehensive guidelines derived from the official Obsidian ESLint plugin rules, submission requirements, and best practices.

Getting Started

Quick Start Tool

For new plugin projects, an interactive boilerplate generator is available:

• Script: tools/create-plugin.js in the skill repository
• Command: Invoke create-plugin using your agent's method (/create-plugin, $create-plugin, or @create-plugin)
• Generates minimal, best-practice boilerplate with no sample code
• Detects existing projects and only adds missing files

Recommend the boilerplate generator when users ask how to create a new plugin, want to start a new project, or need help setting up the basic structure.

Rules Reference (eslint-plugin-obsidianmd v0.4.1)

Submission & Naming

Memory & Lifecycle

Type Safety

UI/UX

Note (v0.4.0): ui/sentence-case is now enabled (warn) and enforced on inline UI strings — it was disabled in v0.3.0. Use the recommendedWithLocalesEn config to also check English locale files (rules 12–13).

| 14 | Command names | Omit "command" in command names/IDs | Include "command" in names/IDs | | 15 | Command IDs | Omit plugin ID/name from command IDs/names | Duplicate plugin ID in command IDs | | 16 | Hotkeys | No default hotkeys | Set default hotkeys | | 17 | Settings headings | Use .setHeading() | Create manual HTML headings; use "General", "settings", or plugin name in headings |

Declarative Settings (1.13.0+)

All four settings-tab rules ship as warn in recommended. Rules 17a/17c/17d read minAppVersion from manifest.json; 17b is not version-gated.

Detection caveat: these rules match a bare extends PluginSettingTab only. extends obsidian.PluginSettingTab is out of scope and won't be flagged — but the underlying guidance still applies.

API Best Practices

Popout Window Compatibility

Note (v0.4.0): prefer-active-doc remains disabled by default — the only Obsidian rule shipped as off. Enable it manually for popout window support.

Note (v1.13.0): Settings now open in a new window. activeDocument from settings callbacks points to the settings window, not the main vault. Use this.app.workspace.containerEl.ownerDocument to target main workspace UI.

Note: activeDocument/activeWindow are dynamic getters that track the focused window. A listener added via activeDocument.addEventListener() at setup cannot reliably be removed via activeDocument.removeEventListener() at cleanup. Prefer registerDomEvent() (rule 6a), which captures the target at registration.

Event Handling

Styling

Security & Compatibility

Accessibility (MANDATORY)

Code Quality

Detailed Guidelines

For comprehensive information on specific topics, see the reference files:

[Memory Management & Lifecycle](reference/memory-management.md)

• Using registerEvent(), addCommand(), registerDomEvent(), registerInterval()
• registerDomEvent() vs manual addEventListener (and the activeDocument drift bug)
• Avoiding view references in plugin
• Not using plugin as component
• Proper leaf cleanup

[Type Safety](reference/type-safety.md)

• Using instanceof instead of type casting
• Avoiding any type
• Using const and let over var

[UI/UX Standards](reference/ui-ux.md)

• Sentence case enforcement (TypeScript, JSON locale, TS/JS locale modules)
• recommendedWithLocalesEn config for locale file checks
• Command naming conventions (no "command", no plugin name, no plugin ID)
• Settings and configuration best practices
• Declarative settings API (1.13+): migration paths, control types, pitfalls

[File & Vault Operations](reference/file-operations.md)

• View access patterns
• Editor vs Vault API
• Atomic file operations
• File management
• Path handling

[CSS Styling Best Practices](reference/css-styling.md)

• Avoiding inline styles
• Using Obsidian CSS variables
• Avoiding !important (use specificity or CSS variables)
• Avoiding :has selector (toggle classes from TypeScript instead)
• Scoping plugin styles
• Theme support
• Spacing and layout

[Accessibility (A11y)](reference/accessibility.md)

• Keyboard navigation (MANDATORY)
• ARIA labels and roles (MANDATORY)
• Tooltips and accessibility
• Focus management (MANDATORY)
• Focus visible styles (MANDATORY)
• Screen reader support (MANDATORY)
• Mobile and touch accessibility (MANDATORY)
• Accessibility checklist

[Code Quality & Best Practices](reference/code-quality.md)

• Removing sample code
• Security best practices
• Platform compatibility
• API usage best practices
• Async/await patterns
• DOM helpers
• Deprecated/replaceable packages (e.g., builtin-modules → node:module)

[Plugin Submission Requirements](reference/submission.md)

• Repository structure
• Submission process
• Semantic versioning
• Testing checklist
• Additional resources and important notes

[Community Plugin Scanner](reference/community-scanner.md)

• What the scanner runs (ESLint rule sets + checks beyond ESLint)
• Scorecard system (Health, Review, Disclosures, improvement tips)
• Version-stamped — the single file to update as the scanner evolves

[ESLint Setup Guide](reference/eslint-setup.md)

• Complete ESLint config for community scanner compliance
• Why typescript-eslint recommendedTypeChecked is required
• Common violations and fixes (floating promises, require imports, etc.)
• Popout window compatibility rules

Plugin Submission Validation Workflow

Before submitting a plugin, follow this sequence:

1. Run ESLint — npx eslint . using eslint-plugin-obsidianmd; fix all errors AND warnings (warnings affect your Scorecard)
2. Validate manifest — Confirm id, name, description, version, and minAppVersion meet naming and formatting rules (rules 1–5)
3. Check LICENSE — Copyright holder must not be "Dynalist Inc." and the year must be current
4. Test on mobile — Verify no regex lookbehind, no fetch(), and touch targets ≥ 44×44px (skip only if plugin is declared desktop-only)
5. Keyboard accessibility audit — Tab through all interactive elements; confirm focus indicators and ARIA labels are present
6. Create GitHub Release — Tag must match manifest.json version; attach main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css (optional)
7. Submit via community.obsidian.md — Sign in, link GitHub account, navigate to Plugins → New plugin, enter repository URL, review Developer policies, and submit

If ESLint reports new errors after fixing, re-run from step 1.

Scorecard System

Published plugins receive a Scorecard visible on community.obsidian.md. The Scorecard affects user trust and discoverability — a poor score deters users from installing.

Key points:

• Aim for 90%+ overall score
• Fix ALL ESLint warnings, not just errors — warnings are publicly visible
• Use typescript-eslint/recommendedTypeChecked for type-aware checks
• Add GitHub artifact attestation to releases

See [Community Plugin Scanner](reference/community-scanner.md) for full details on scanner checks, Health metrics, Review checks, common warnings, and improvement tips.

When Reviewing/Writing Code

Use this checklist for code review and implementation:

1. Memory management: Are components and views properly managed?
2. Type safety: Using instanceof instead of casts?
3. UI text: Is everything in sentence case?
4. Command naming: No redundant words?
5. File operations: Using preferred APIs?
6. Mobile compatibility: No iOS-incompatible features?
7. Sample code: Removed all boilerplate?
8. Manifest: Correct version, valid structure?
9. Accessibility: Keyboard navigation, ARIA labels, focus indicators?
10. Testing: Can you use the plugin without a mouse?
11. Touch targets: Are all interactive elements at least 44×44px?
12. Focus styles: Using :focus-visible and proper CSS variables?
13. Settings: Using declarative getSettingDefinitions() on 1.13+? All saved data co-located in plugin.settings?

Common Patterns

Proper Command Registration

// ✅ CORRECT
this.addCommand({
  id: 'insert-timestamp',
  name: 'Insert timestamp',
  editorCallback: (editor: Editor, view: MarkdownView) => {
    editor.replaceSelection(new Date().toISOString());
  }
});

Safe Type Narrowing

// ✅ CORRECT
const file = this.app.vault.getAbstractFileByPath(path);
if (file instanceof TFile) {
  // TypeScript now knows it's a TFile
  await this.app.vault.read(file);
}

Keyboard Accessible Button

// ✅ CORRECT
const button = containerEl.createEl('button', {
  attr: {
    'aria-label': 'Open settings',
    'data-tooltip-position': 'top'
  }
});
button.setText('⚙️');

button.addEventListener('keydown', (e) => {
  if (e.key === 'Enter' || e.key === ' ') {
    e.preventDefault();
    performAction();
  }
});

Declarative Settings (1.13+)

// ✅ CORRECT — getSettingDefinitions() replaces display() on 1.13+
getSettingDefinitions() {
  return [
    {
      name: 'Mode',
      control: {
        type: 'dropdown',
        key: 'mode',
        defaultValue: 'fast',
        options: { fast: 'Fast', thorough: 'Thorough' },
      },
    },
  ];
}

Themed CSS

/* ✅ CORRECT */
.my-plugin-modal {
  background: var(--modal-background);
  color: var(--text-normal);
  padding: var(--size-4-4);
  border-radius: var(--radius-m);
  font-size: var(--font-ui-medium);
}

.my-plugin-button:focus-visible {
  outline: 2px solid var(--interactive-accent);
  outline-offset: 2px;
}

When helping with Obsidian plugin development, proactively apply these rules and suggest improvements based on these guidelines. Refer to the detailed reference files for comprehensive information on specific topics.