Obsidian Plugin Development

Comprehensive guidelines for Obsidian.md plugin development including ESLint rules, TypeScript best practices, and submission requirements.

Prerequisites

• •TypeScript knowledge
• •Familiarity with Obsidian.md
• •Node.js environment

Instructions

Core Principles

1. •Memory Safety: Prevent leaks through proper resource management
2. •Type Safety: Use proper type narrowing, avoid unsafe casts
3. •API Best Practices: Follow Obsidian's recommended patterns
4. •User Experience: Maintain UI/UX consistency
5. •Accessibility: Keyboard and screen reader support (MANDATORY)

Top 10 Critical Rules

1. •Plugin ID: No "obsidian", can't end with "plugin"
2. •Use registerEvent() for automatic cleanup
3. •Use instanceof instead of type casting
4. •Sentence case for all UI text
5. •Use requestUrl() instead of fetch()
6. •Use Obsidian CSS variables for theming
7. •Keyboard accessible - all interactive elements
8. •No innerHTML - security risk (XSS)
9. •No regex lookbehind - iOS < 16.4 incompatible
10. •Remove all sample code - MyPlugin, SampleModal, etc.

Essential Do's

// Use registerEvent for cleanup
this.registerEvent(this.app.vault.on('create', callback));

// Use instanceof for type checking
if (file instanceof TFile) { ... }

// Use Editor API for active file
editor.replaceSelection(text);

// Use Obsidian helpers
containerEl.createDiv({ cls: 'my-class' });

Essential Don'ts

// Don't store view references
this.myView = view; // Memory leak!

// Don't use type casting
const file = item as TFile; // Use instanceof

// Don't use fetch
fetch(url); // Use requestUrl()

// Don't use innerHTML
el.innerHTML = html; // XSS risk

Accessibility (MANDATORY)

• •All interactive elements must be keyboard accessible
• •Provide ARIA labels for icon buttons
• •Define focus indicators using :focus-visible
• •Minimum touch target: 44×44px

Guidelines

1. •Use registerEvent(), addCommand(), registerDomEvent()
2. •Use this.app not global app
3. •Use Vault.process() for background file modifications
4. •Use normalizePath() for user paths
5. •Test on mobile if not desktop-only

Notes

• •Based on eslint-plugin-obsidianmd
• •Boilerplate generator available: /create-plugin
• •Always test with keyboard navigation

Source: gapmiss/obsidian-plugin-skill