GitHub - wrale/obsidian-plugin-sync: A tool for syncing Obsidian plugin development files to your Obsidian vault

2 min read Original article ↗

Obsidian Plugin Sync

A command-line tool for syncing Obsidian plugin development files to your Obsidian vault.

Features

  • Syncs your plugin's development files to your Obsidian vault with a single command
  • Automatically detects plugin ID from manifest.json
  • Optional build step before syncing
  • Watch mode for automatic syncing on file changes
  • No dependencies for basic functionality (watch mode requires the watchdog package)

Installation

Option 1: Clone and use directly

git clone https://github.com/wrale/obsidian-plugin-sync.git
cd obsidian-plugin-sync
chmod +x obsidian-plugin-sync.py

Option 2: Install to ~/bin

curl -o ~/bin/obsidian-plugin-sync.py https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wrale/obsidian-plugin-sync/main/obsidian-plugin-sync.py
chmod +x ~/bin/obsidian-plugin-sync.py

Usage

Basic Usage

./obsidian-plugin-sync.py --source /path/to/plugin/dev --vault /path/to/vault

Build Before Syncing

./obsidian-plugin-sync.py --source /path/to/plugin/dev --vault /path/to/vault --build

Specify Plugin ID Manually

./obsidian-plugin-sync.py --source /path/to/plugin/dev --vault /path/to/vault --plugin-id your-plugin-id

Watch for Changes

First, install the watchdog package:

Then run with the --watch flag:

./obsidian-plugin-sync.py --source /path/to/plugin/dev --vault /path/to/vault --build --watch

This will continuously watch for changes in your plugin files and automatically sync them to your Obsidian vault.

How It Works

The tool performs the following steps:

  1. Reads the plugin ID from manifest.json (or uses the one provided)
  2. Optionally builds the plugin using npm run build
  3. Copies the necessary files (main.js, manifest.json, styles.css) to your Obsidian vault's plugins directory
  4. In watch mode, it continuously monitors for changes and repeats steps 2-3 when files are modified

Benefits Over Manual File Copying

  • Time-saving: No need to manually navigate directories and copy files
  • Consistency: Always copies all required files
  • Automation: Combined build and copy process
  • Continuous development: Watch mode makes the development cycle faster

Requirements

  • Python 3.6 or higher
  • For watch mode: watchdog package

License

MIT