CSV TSV Viewer

CSV TSV Viewer is a read-only plugin for browsing .csv and .tsv files as tables. It is built for AI-generated data files, exports, logs, datasets, and quick inspection of delimited text without leaving the vault.

Features

• Opens .csv and .tsv files in a dedicated view.
• Shows a table by default.
• Provides a source view with line numbers and lightweight delimiter highlighting.
• Filters visible rows by searching across cells.
• Shows sticky column headers and row numbers.
• Displays row count, column count, delimiter, and render cap status.
• Detects comma and semicolon CSV files.
• Uses tab as the delimiter for TSV files.
• Parses quoted fields, escaped quotes, and multiline fields with Papa Parse.
• Reports parse warnings, uneven row lengths, byte order marks, and large-file render caps.
• Stays read-only by design: it never writes back to data files.

Large files

CSV and TSV files can become large quickly. CSV TSV Viewer parses the file and renders the first 10,000 rows to keep the view responsive. Additional rows are counted and reported in the warning area.

Privacy and security

CSV TSV Viewer does not make network requests and does not send vault content to external services. It does not use the system clipboard. It reads files through the vault API and renders a local view.

Why read-only?

CSV editing is more complex than it looks: quotes, escaped quotes, multiline cells, delimiters, and line endings can all be damaged by a casual edit flow. CSV TSV Viewer intentionally avoids writing to disk in v0.1.

Installation

Community plugin directory

CSV TSV Viewer is ready for Community plugin directory submission. Once accepted, it can be installed from Settings -> Community plugins -> Browse.

Manual installation

Until the community directory submission is accepted:

1. Download main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css from the latest release.
2. Create this folder in your vault: .obsidian/plugins/csv-tsv-viewer/.
3. Put the downloaded files in that folder.
4. Reload the app.
5. Enable CSV TSV Viewer in Settings -> Community plugins.

BRAT installation

For beta testing, install the plugin with BRAT using this repository URL:

https://github.com/viggomeesters/obsidian-csv-tsv-viewer

Usage

Open any .csv or .tsv file in your vault. The file opens with CSV TSV Viewer.

Use the toolbar to:

• filter visible rows
• switch between table and source views
• refresh the file after external changes

Development

npm install
npm run build
npx tsc --noEmit
npm test

For local development, copy or symlink this repository into .obsidian/plugins/csv-tsv-viewer/ inside a test vault.

Release process

Community plugin files are installed from GitHub releases. For each release:

1. Update manifest.json, package.json, and versions.json.
2. Run npm install, npm run build, npx tsc --noEmit, and npm test.
3. Create a GitHub release whose tag exactly matches manifest.json.version.
4. Attach main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css as release assets.

The repository includes a GitHub Actions release workflow with artifact attestation support. If GitHub Actions is disabled for the owner account, manual releases are still usable, but automated review may show a recommendation about missing artifact attestations.

Community directory submission

The repository is prepared for Community plugin submission. The remaining submission step must be completed by the repository owner because it requires signing in, linking GitHub, and confirming the developer policies/support commitment.

Submit this repository URL:

https://github.com/viggomeesters/obsidian-csv-tsv-viewer

Steps:

1. Sign in to community.obsidian.md.
2. Link the GitHub account that owns this repository.
3. Open Plugins -> New plugin.
4. Enter the repository URL above.
5. Confirm the developer policies and submit.
6. Address any automated review feedback.

The current release is ready for review:

• root README.md, LICENSE, and manifest.json exist
• manifest.json.version is 0.1.0
• GitHub release 0.1.0 exists
• release assets include main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css
• versions.json maps supported app versions

Official references:

• Submit your plugin
• Obsidian releases repository
• Papa Parse documentation

License

MIT