Custom Sidebar Width

Set the width of the left and right sidebars per note, based on a note's frontmatter properties or tags. Useful when some notes need a wide file explorer or a roomy right sidebar while others should stay compact.

How it works

You define rules in the plugin settings. Each rule has:

• a property name and/or a tag — the trigger that makes the rule match,
• a left and/or right width in pixels — leave a side empty to not touch it.

When you open a note, the plugin checks it against your rules from top to bottom and applies the first one that matches.

What makes a rule match?

A rule matches a note when either is true:

• the note's frontmatter contains the property key, or
• the note carries the tag.

[!IMPORTANT] For a property, only the key has to exist — its value is irrelevant. home_sidebars: (empty), home_sidebars: false or home_sidebars: anything all match equally. You do not need to set it to true.

Example

In the plugin settings, add a rule: property home_sidebars, left 400, right empty. Then add that key to any note's frontmatter — no value needed:

---
home_sidebars:
---

Opening that note widens the left sidebar to 400 px. Notes without the key keep whatever width they had.

Prefer tags? Use a rule with a tag instead — e.g. #wide applies to every note carrying that tag.

Behavior when no rule matches

The When no rule matches setting controls what happens on notes that don't match any rule:

• Restore previous width (default) — remembers the sidebar width from before a rule was applied and puts it back when you leave a matched note.
• Reset to default width — snaps back to the width of the rule you marked with the star button. (The star only designates this fallback width — it has no other effect.)
• Leave width unchanged — the sidebar keeps whatever width it has.

Installation

From the Community Plugins browser

1. Open Settings → Community plugins.
2. Disable Restricted mode if needed.
3. Click Browse, search for Custom Sidebar Width, and install.
4. Enable the plugin.

Manual installation

1. Download main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css from the latest release.
2. Copy them into <your vault>/.obsidian/plugins/custom-sidebar-width/.
3. Reload Obsidian and enable the plugin under Community plugins.

Notes

This plugin is desktop-only, because mobile sidebars behave as overlays rather than fixed-width panes.

Development

npm install
npm run dev    # watch build
npm run build  # production build + type check

License

MIT