Domain First File Allocator

An Obsidian plugin that files notes into folders according to a domain property in their frontmatter, and can also work the other way round.

A note's domain is the full, vault-relative path of a folder, for example Areas/Finance or Areas/Finance/2026. The domain and the folder are the same thing, so there is no separate name-to-folder mapping to keep in sync. Each subfolder is its own domain, and two folders with the same name in different places are different domains.

It works on desktop and mobile, and uses only the Obsidian API.

What it does

The two filing commands are separate on purpose: when a note's folder and its property disagree, you decide which one is correct.

Hotkeys. The plugin sets no default hotkeys, in line with Obsidian's guidelines, so nothing clashes with your own. To add one, open Settings → Hotkeys, search for "Domain First File Allocator", and assign a key to File note by domain (or either of the other commands).

Automatic filing

On by default. Type a domain into a note and, a couple of seconds later, the note moves to that folder, with no command to run. It only ever acts on domains you have registered, so it does nothing until you set some up.

To switch it off, use the Automatic filing tab, or select the lightning-bolt icon in the left ribbon, which toggles it on and off. The icon is highlighted while it is on, and dimmed while snoozed. On mobile it is in the ribbon menu. Right-click the icon (or long-press, where your device supports it) for Snooze for 15 minutes, Snooze for 1 hour and Resume now.

How it works, step by step:

1. A note is checked when you change its domain property (typing it, pasting it, or using the Properties panel), when you create it, and when you open a note whose domain property is present but empty.
2. The plugin waits for the delay after your last change, so a half-typed value is ignored. The delay is 2 seconds by default; the slider's first stop is 500 ms, then 1 to 60 seconds. A newly created note waits a little longer, so a template can fill it in first.
3. It checks the value. If it is a registered domain that is switched on and not set to Manual only, the note moves to that folder and the property is tidied to the folder's real spelling.
4. If the note has no domain (the property is missing or empty), it goes to the fallback folder, but only once you switch away from it, never while it is open, because the domain may simply not be typed yet.
5. If the value is not usable (not registered, switched off, Manual only, or a list of several), the note stays put and a notice says why, once per note and value. You can then register the domain, or run File note by domain for the full set of choices.
6. The move is recorded, so Undo last allocation reverses it.

It is deliberately cautious: it never opens dialogues, never replaces a note, skips excluded folders and opted-out notes, and leaves a note alone if the destination already has one with the same name.

• It reacts to changes to the property, new notes, and opening a note whose domain property is empty, never to where a note sits. A note you move by hand is not moved back.
• It acts only on a value that matches a registered, enabled domain that is not set to Manual only. Unknown, disabled, multi-value and invalid values are left alone, with one notice, and no dialogue opens.
• A name clash leaves the note in place and shows a notice. It never replaces or renames anything.
• Excluded folders and the opt-out property are respected.
• Never move the open note (off by default) holds back a note that is open in the editor even after you type a domain, and files it once you switch to another note. Leave it off if you want the note you are typing in to move as soon as the domain is typed. A note with no domain always waits until you leave it, whatever this setting says.
• Only file notes in the fallback folder limits automatic filing to an inbox-style folder.
• Also file notes with no domain (on by default) sends a new note, a note whose domain was removed, and a note you open whose domain property is present but empty, to the fallback folder. The move happens when you switch away from the note, never while you are in it. A note with no domain property at all is only moved when it is newly created, never just because you opened it. Turn this off if you create notes in folders where they should stay.
• Quiet moves hides the notice for a successful automatic move. Skips and errors are still shown.
• Snooze pauses automatic filing for a while. Changes made while paused are not filed afterwards, and a restart ends the snooze.
• Each automatic move can be reversed with Undo last allocation, up to the undo depth you choose.

New notes

Add the domain property to new notes (General tab, off by default) adds an empty domain property to every note you create, so it is ready to fill in. It waits about a second and a half first, so that a template has time to run, and then:

• if the note already has the property, whatever its value and however it is capitalised, it is left exactly as the template made it;
• otherwise the property is added with an empty value (domain: "").

Notes in excluded folders, and notes with the opt-out property, are skipped. Only notes created while Obsidian is running count, not notes that already exist or that arrive by sync.

Together with automatic filing, a new note gets its empty property and falls to the fallback folder; filling in a domain then moves it to that domain's folder.

The plugin also watches for folder changes:

• When you rename or move a domain folder, the registry follows it, and you are offered a preview of the notes whose domain property should be rewritten to match.
• When you move a note by hand into a domain folder and its property differs, the plugin asks (or updates, or ignores, depending on your setting) whether to update the property.

Concept

            frontmatter                          vault
        ┌───────────────────┐              ┌──────────────────┐
        │ domain:           │  File note   │ Areas/           │
        │  Areas/Finance    │ ───────────► │   Finance/       │
        │                   │  by domain   │     Note.md      │
        │                   │ ◄─────────── │                  │
        └───────────────────┘  Set domain  └──────────────────┘
                               from folder

   Registry (settings)  ──  which folders count as domains, and are they on?
   Fallback folder      ──  where notes go when no enabled domain matches
   Excluded folders     ──  never touched, including their subfolders

Mobile

The plugin is not desktop-only. It uses only the Obsidian API (no Node or Electron code), so it loads on iOS and Android. Things to know on a phone or tablet:

• The settings categories become a dropdown at the top, and sliders and dropdowns sit on their own line below their text.
• The lightning-bolt icon is in the ribbon menu. There is no right-click, so start and stop Snooze from the Automatic filing tab.
• Hidden folders such as .domain may not sync between devices (Obsidian Sync skips them by default). Use a data folder name that is not hidden if you want the same settings everywhere, or set the plugin up on each device.
• Import uses the device's own file picker. Export writes a dated file beside the data file.

It has been built for mobile but checked only against the desktop app so far. To try the phone layout on a computer, open the developer console (Ctrl+Shift+I, or Cmd+Option+I on a Mac) and run app.emulateMobile(true); run app.emulateMobile(false) to go back. Real-device results are welcome: the mobile checklist is in TESTING.md.

Requirements and disclosures

• Requires Obsidian 1.6.6 or later. Works on desktop and mobile.
• No network access. The plugin makes no web requests, has no telemetry or analytics, and shows no ads. Nothing leaves your vault.
• What it changes in your vault. It moves notes between folders (using Obsidian's own file manager, so links are updated), edits the domain property in a note's frontmatter, and creates folders when needed. It never deletes a note, except that Replace (always confirmed first) sends the note being replaced to the trash, following your Obsidian "Deleted files" setting.
• Automatic filing is on by default. Typing a domain into a note moves it for you. It only acts on domains you have registered, and every move can be undone. Switch it off on the Automatic filing tab or with the ribbon icon.
• It reads your vault's file list. To count notes per domain, find the notes affected by a folder rename and find notes with an empty domain, the plugin lists the files in your vault and reads each note's domain property from Obsidian's metadata cache. This listing is read-only and happens on your device, and nothing is sent anywhere.
• One hidden file. The plugin keeps a copy of its settings in .domain/folder.json at the root of your vault, so they can be backed up and shared. A hidden folder is not part of Obsidian's note index, so this one file is read and written through the vault adapter instead of the usual vault API. You can rename the folder on the Data and sync tab.

Install

Manual install:

1. Build the plugin (see below), or download main.js, manifest.json and styles.css from a release.
2. In your vault, create the folder .obsidian/plugins/domain-first-file-allocator/.
3. Copy main.js, manifest.json and styles.css into it.
4. In Obsidian, open Settings → Community plugins, refresh the list and enable Domain First File Allocator.

No keyboard shortcuts are set by default. Assign them in Settings → Hotkeys by searching for "Domain First File Allocator".

Build

You need Node.js 18 or later.

npm install
npm run build     # type-check, then produce main.js
npm test          # run the unit tests (vitest)
npm run lint      # ESLint
npm run dev       # rebuild on change

The pure logic lives in src/core/ with no Obsidian imports, and is covered by the tests in tests/.

Settings reference

The settings screen has five tabs, listed down the left (a dropdown at the top on a phone).

General

Domains

A list of registered folders, with a search box, a sort order (path, enabled first, order added), and a note count for each. Every domain has a mode: Manual and automatic, Manual only (never filed by automatic mode) or Off (treated as unknown, so its notes go to the fallback). Turn all on and Turn all off act on the domains matching the search. A warning icon marks a domain whose folder no longer exists; it is kept in case the folder comes back.

New domains are added with a searchable folder picker, never by typing. Add subfolders registers the subfolders of a folder in one go: you see the list first, can include nested folders, and excluded or already registered folders are skipped. A folder path can appear only once.

Prompts and confirmations

A preset sets all the popup choices together: Cautious (ask about everything, the default), Balanced (create and register folders automatically, ask the rest) and Hands-off (automate everything that is safe). Changing any single choice shows the preset as Custom.

Some confirmations are never switched off: Replace (needs a second confirmation), Import (shows the changes and saves a backup first) and overwriting a damaged data file (never done).

Automatic filing

Data and sync

Per-note opt-out

Add skip-allocator: true to a note's frontmatter and the plugin ignores that note entirely. The property name can be changed on the General tab.

How the domain value is read

• A single string is trimmed, backslashes become forward slashes, and leading and trailing slashes are removed. Matching ignores case, and the stored value uses the folder's real casing.
• Numbers and booleans are treated as text.
• A list with more than one value asks you which to use, then writes that value back as a single string.
• Objects and nested lists are reported and left alone.

The folder.json file

The settings are mirrored to <data folder name>/folder.json in the vault root (by default .domain/folder.json), and created automatically if missing.

{
  "version": 1,
  "updatedAt": "2026-10-07T12:00:00.000Z",
  "propertyName": "domain",
  "fallback": { "enabled": true, "folder": "Inbox" },
  "excludeFolders": ["Templates", ".domain"],
  "folderMovePrompt": "ask",
  "automatic": {
    "enabled": true,
    "delaySeconds": 2,
    "includeNoDomain": true,
    "onlyInFallback": false,
    "skipOpenNote": false,
    "quiet": false
  },
  "prompts": {
    "unknownDomain": "ask",
    "multipleValues": "ask",
    "registerFolder": "ask",
    "createFolder": "ask",
    "renamePreview": "ask",
    "nameClash": "ask",
    "previewThreshold": 1
  },
  "notices": "all",
  "optOutProperty": "skip-allocator",
  "writeCanonicalCasing": true,
  "addPropertyToNewNotes": false,
  "conflictPolicy": "newest",
  "undoDepth": 1,
  "domains": [
    { "folder": "Areas/Finance", "enabled": true },
    { "folder": "Areas/Private", "enabled": true, "allowAuto": false }
  ]
}

Everything after folderMovePrompt is optional, so files written by earlier versions still load, with the defaults shown, and the version stays 1. A domain's allowAuto is written only when it is false (Manual only). Allowed values:

A value outside these makes the file unusable, and it is then left untouched, never overwritten.

Sync rules:

• The settings and the file each carry updatedAt. By default the most recently updated one wins, and a notice says which side was used. If they differ but have the same timestamp, the settings win. You can instead choose to always use your settings, always use the file, or be asked each time (the policy is your own local choice, and the one stored in the file is not used to decide).
• When you are asked and choose Decide later, nothing changes and you are not asked again until one side changes.
• Syncing happens when the plugin loads, when you change a setting, when the app window regains focus, and when you press Sync now.
• If the file is malformed or has an unknown version, the plugin never overwrites it. It shows a notice, keeps your current settings, and offers to export a fresh file under a different name.
• Duplicate domain entries in the file are merged, and reported when you press Sync now.

Obsidian Sync does not sync hidden folders such as .domain by default. If you use the file to share settings between devices, either choose a data folder name that is not hidden (for example Domain settings, which is excluded from filing automatically) or check your sync tool's settings.

Safety

• Moves use Obsidian's own file manager, so links are updated.
• Frontmatter is edited with Obsidian's own YAML handling, never by string manipulation.
• Anything that touches more than one note shows a preview first and runs as one undoable action.
• Replace (in the name clash dialogue) needs a second confirmation. It sends the existing note to the trash following your Obsidian "Deleted files" setting. Undo cannot bring that note back; restore it from the trash yourself.
• Undo keeps the last 1, 5 or 10 actions (your choice) in memory only. They are lost when Obsidian restarts.

Troubleshooting

Nothing happens when I run a command. The commands appear only when a Markdown note is active. Click into the note first.

"Left alone" notice. The note is in an excluded folder (including the data folder), or has skip-allocator: true.

The note went to the fallback folder. Its domain is empty, not registered, or disabled. Register or enable the domain in settings, or use the unknown-domain dialogue's Add this domain button.

"The data file is unusable" notice. folder.json is not valid JSON, or its version is not 1. The plugin has left it alone. Fix it by hand, or press Export a fresh file in the notice and replace it.

My settings changed by themselves. The data file was newer than your settings, so it was applied. The notice said so when it happened. Use Export before editing the file by hand if you want a restore point.

Edits to .domain/folder.json are not picked up. Hidden files do not raise change events. Switch away from and back to Obsidian, or press Sync now.

A domain has a warning icon. Its folder no longer exists, perhaps because it was renamed while the plugin was disabled. Remove the domain and add the folder again.

The folder-move prompt stopped appearing. You chose "Don't ask again". Set Note moved by hand into a domain folder back to Ask on the Prompts and confirmations tab.

A popup I expect does not appear. A preset or an individual choice on the Prompts and confirmations tab may be set to automatic. Choose the Cautious preset to ask about everything again.

A note with an empty domain did not go to the fallback. Check that automatic filing and Also file notes with no domain are on, that the fallback folder is turned on, and that the note is not in an excluded folder or opted out. An existing note is only checked when you open it, and only if the domain property is present but empty; a note with no property at all is only moved when it is created. You can always run File note by domain.

New notes are not getting a domain property. Turn on Add the domain property to new notes on the General tab. Notes that already have the property (for example from a template) are left alone on purpose, and notes in excluded folders are skipped.

I do not see notices any more. Check Notice level on the General tab. Errors are always shown.

A note was not filed automatically. Automatic filing may be switched off (check the ribbon icon, which is highlighted when on, or the Automatic filing tab). The domain may be unknown, off, or set to Manual only; a notice normally says which. The note may be open in the editor while Never move the open note is on (it is filed when you switch away); it may be outside the fallback folder while Only file notes in the fallback folder is on; or automatic filing may be snoozed.

I updated the plugin and automatic filing is still off. The new defaults apply to a fresh install. If you saved settings before, your earlier choice is kept: turn on File notes automatically and turn off Never move the open note on the Automatic filing tab, or select the ribbon icon.

Reset removed my domains. Reset also clears the registry. A backup named folder-backup-<date>.json was saved beside the data file; use Import to bring it back.

Licence

MIT. See LICENSE.