Code Converter
xiaosong858413 downloadsDetects non-UTF-8 encodings in your vault and safely converts them to UTF-8 with automatic backup. Repairs double-encoded mojibake, exports conversion logs, and supports 10 UI languages.
- Overview
- Scorecard
- Updates2
An Obsidian plugin that detects non-UTF-8 files in your vault and converts them to UTF-8 with safety protection, plus an experimental mojibake repair command for double-encoded text already baked into valid UTF-8 content.
Chinese version: README.zh-CN.md
Obsidian reads every note as UTF-8. Once a vault contains legacy-encoded files (GBK, Big5, Shift-JIS, UTF-16, ...), they open as garbage. This plugin provides the full detect → backup → convert → strip BOM loop with multiple safety valves so a false positive can never corrupt your notes irreversibly.
Features
- Strict UTF-8 validation — valid UTF-8 files, including pure ASCII, are left untouched. Zero risk.
- BOM detection — UTF-8, UTF-16 LE/BE, and UTF-32 byte order marks are trusted directly.
- Scored encoding detection — decodes are scored across 22 candidate encodings covering 10 script families.
- Confidence protection — anything below the threshold (80% by default) is never converted silently; you confirm each file.
- Automatic backup before conversion — roll back at any time.
- Mojibake repair (experimental) — fixes double-encoded text such as
ÖÐÎÄor涓枃using a triple quality gate, line-by-line repair, and a before/after preview. - U+FFFD damage detection — counts replacement characters and tells you plainly that the bytes are gone and cannot be recovered automatically. It never invents content.
- 10 UI languages with RTL — Simplified Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, Russian, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic. The first 4 are free; the last 6 require VIP.
- Conversion log export — JSON or Markdown.
- VIP (optional) — offline Ed25519 activation codes (universal or device-bound) unlock folder batch conversion, the last 6 interface languages, and editing the file extension whitelist; they also hide the supporter banner.
- Privacy — no network requests and no telemetry at all.
Install
- Open Settings → Community plugins → Browse and install Code Converter.
- Enable the plugin.
Alternatively, download the main.js, manifest.json, and versions.json attachments from a GitHub release, or build from source:
git clone https://github.com/xiaosong8584/code-converter.git
cd code-converter
npm install
npm run build # produces main.js
Then copy the folder (or symlink it) into your-vault/.obsidian/plugins/code-converter/ and enable it. Full instructions and troubleshooting: User guide (currently Chinese only).
Commands
Open the command palette (Ctrl/Cmd + P) and pick one of:
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
| Convert current file to UTF-8 | Converts high-confidence files directly; asks for confirmation below the threshold |
| Scan and convert current folder (non-UTF-8 → UTF-8) (VIP) | VIP feature — converts every non-UTF-8 file in the current folder whose extension is in the whitelist (default md;h;hpp;cpp;c;cc;py;txt) |
| Detect encoding of current file (report only) | Reports encoding, BOM, confidence, and a preview without touching the file |
| Repair mojibake in current file (double-encoded repair, experimental) | Shows a before/after preview of the repair before writing anything |
| Export conversion log (JSON) / (Markdown) | Exports the conversion record in either format |
Key settings under Settings → Code Converter: auto-convert on import (on by default, permanently free — this is the plugin's core safety net against Obsidian silently saving a GBK file back as UTF-8 mojibake), file extension whitelist (default md;h;hpp;cpp;c;cc;py;txt, editing requires VIP), confidence threshold, auto backup and backup directory, strip UTF-8 BOM, write UTF-8 BOM, log file, damage warning threshold, interface language (last 6 are VIP), and VIP status.
VIP
The core features are free forever: single-file conversion, encoding detection, mojibake repair, conversion log export, backups and rollback, and the first 4 interface languages.
Three features require a VIP activation code:
- Scan and convert current folder (batch conversion) — marked (VIP) in the command palette; without VIP it only prompts and opens the activation dialog.
- The last 6 interface languages (Russian, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic) — marked (VIP) and disabled in the settings dropdown.
- Editing the file extension whitelist — folder batch conversion is a VIP feature, so without VIP the field is disabled and always holds the default list. Note: auto-convert on import is not a VIP feature (see above) and works with the default whitelist for everyone.
VIP codes are offline Ed25519-signed codes. They are obtained by supporting the author through GitHub Sponsors or 爱发电 (afdian.net) — pricing is shown on those pages. There is no account, no subscription and no online check; the activation state is stored locally in
data.json.
Documentation
- Users: USER_GUIDE.md — installation, commands, settings, real-world cases, capability boundaries, rollback, and VIP.
- Developers and maintainers: development documentation lives in the
docsdirectory (architecture, encoding pool, i18n/RTL, logging, the repair algorithm, building and versioning), along with the changelog and the contribution guide.
Disclosure
- No network use. No telemetry. No data collection. The plugin runs fully offline.
- Static supporter banner inside the plugin's own interface. Without an active VIP, the plugin may show a static banner supporting the author once per day after startup. It can be dismissed and will not reappear that day. It never loads remote content.
- Payment required for some features. Folder batch conversion, the last 6 interface languages, and editing the file extension whitelist require a VIP activation code (see VIP). Single-file conversion, encoding detection, mojibake repair, log export, and backups are free forever. No account or subscription is involved.
- No file access outside the vault.
License
MIT (see LICENSE)