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Edit your Obsidian notes in Neovim, inside an Obsidian tab. You get your own Neovim config, plugins and LSP.
Set a hotkey after you install. The plugin has no default hotkey. See Set a hotkey.
Neovim saves the note to disk. Obsidian sees the change, as with any external editor.
Requirements
- Obsidian 1.13.0 or newer, on desktop (macOS, Windows, Linux). Mobile is not supported.
- Neovim 0.10 or newer, installed on your computer.
Install
- In Obsidian, open Settings → Community plugins.
- If Restricted mode is on, select "Turn on community plugins".
- Select "Browse" and search for "Neovim View".
- Select "Install", then "Enable".
Set a hotkey
The command "Neovim View: Toggle Neovim for current file" switches the current note between the Obsidian editor and Neovim. It has no default hotkey.
- Open Settings → Hotkeys.
- Search for "Toggle Neovim".
- Select the
+icon and press the keys that you want, for exampleCmd+Shift+E(Ctrl+Shift+Eon Windows and Linux).
This hotkey also works while Neovim has focus.
Usage
Open a note in Neovim
| Method | Result |
|---|---|
| Toggle hotkey in a note | The same tab changes to Neovim with this note |
| Header button (terminal icon) in a note | Same as above |
| Ribbon icon (left sidebar, terminal icon) | Opens the active note in Neovim. If no note is active, opens an empty Neovim tab |
| File explorer → right-click → "Open in Neovim" | Opens the file in a new Neovim tab |
| Command palette → "Neovim View: Open Neovim" | Opens an empty Neovim tab in the vault folder |
Return to the Obsidian editor
| Method | Result |
|---|---|
:q, :wq, :x |
The tab shows the note in the Obsidian editor again |
| Toggle hotkey in a Neovim tab | Same. If you have unsaved changes, a dialog asks: Save all / Discard |
| Header button "Back to Obsidian editor" | Same as the toggle hotkey |
Close the tab (x) |
Closes Neovim. The same dialog asks about unsaved changes. Esc in the dialog saves |
If Neovim cannot save (for example, a new buffer has no file name), Neovim stays open and a notice tells you why. Fix it in Neovim, then try again.
If you open another note in Neovim (:e other.md), the tab title changes. When you quit, the Obsidian editor shows that note.
Keyboard
- While Neovim has focus, it gets all keys, including
Cmd+W,Cmd+O,Ctrl+TabandEsc. - Exceptions: the toggle hotkey, and the keys in the "Obsidian hotkeys to keep" setting (default:
Cmd+P, the command palette). Cmd+<key>goes to Neovim as<D-key>, so you can map it. Example:vim.keymap.set("n", "<D-s>", "<cmd>w<cr>").Cmd+Vpastes from the system clipboard.- Accents and input methods work (
´+a=á, Japanese and Chinese input). - The Option key types characters by default (
@ [ ] { }on Spanish keyboards). To use it as Meta (<M-x>), turn on "Option key as Meta".
Mouse
Click, drag to select, right-click and scroll work. Neovim must have the mouse option set (it is on by default).
Settings
Open Settings → Neovim View.
| Setting | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Neovim path | nvim |
Where Neovim is. Use the full path if Obsidian cannot find Neovim |
| Start through login shell | on | Starts Neovim with your shell settings, so it finds your tools (LSP, rg, node). Not used on Windows |
| Shell | empty | The shell for "Start through login shell", for example /bin/zsh. If empty, the plugin uses your default shell ($SHELL). If that is not set, it uses the first of zsh, bash and sh that it finds |
| Font family | "JetBrainsMono NFM", "Symbols Nerd Font Mono", Menlo, monospace |
The font. Use a Nerd Font to see icons. A guifont set in your Neovim config wins |
| Font size | 14 |
Size in pixels |
| Line height | 1.2 |
Space between lines |
| Option key as Meta | off | See Keyboard |
| Extra arguments | empty | More options for Neovim. See Use a separate Neovim config |
| Obsidian hotkeys to keep | Mod+P |
Hotkeys that go to Obsidian, not Neovim. One per line, for example Mod+Shift+X. Mod is Cmd on macOS, Ctrl on other systems |
Keyboard settings apply at once. Other settings apply to Neovim tabs that you open after the change.
Use a separate Neovim config
Use "Extra arguments" for this. Examples:
| Goal | Extra arguments |
|---|---|
Use the config in ~/.config/nvim-obsidian |
NVIM_APPNAME=nvim-obsidian |
| Use one config file | -u ~/.config/nvim/obsidian.lua |
| Start Neovim with no config and no plugins | --clean |
You can also change your normal config only when it runs inside Obsidian:
if vim.g.obsidian_neovim_view then
vim.opt.wrap = true
vim.opt.linebreak = true
end
More options: docs/neovim-config.md.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| "Cannot start Neovim" | Set "Neovim path" to the full path. To find it, run which nvim in a terminal (where nvim on Windows) |
| LSP or other tools are not found | Turn on "Start through login shell". Your PATH must be set in a login shell file (~/.zprofile or ~/.zshrc for zsh) |
| Icons show as boxes | Install a Nerd Font and put its name in "Font family", for example JetBrainsMono NFM |
| A key goes to Obsidian, not Neovim | Remove it from "Obsidian hotkeys to keep". Click the Neovim tab to give it focus (the cursor is a filled block) |
@, [, ] do not type |
Turn off "Option key as Meta" |
| Neovim does not show changes to a note | Save your changes in Neovim first. Neovim only reloads notes with no unsaved changes |
| Something else | Open an issue |
Limits
- Desktop only.
- No font ligatures.
- Each Neovim tab is a separate Neovim. Tabs do not share buffers or registers.
- If Neovim waits at a "Press ENTER" prompt when you close the tab, it closes after 1 second without the save dialog. Use the toggle hotkey or
:qto be safe.
Privacy and file access
- The plugin starts Neovim on your computer as a separate program.
- Neovim can read and write files outside your vault. It reads your Neovim config (for example
~/.config/nvim), and it can open any file that you open with:e. Your Neovim plugins can also do this. - The plugin itself does not use the network and collects no data. Your Neovim plugins can use the network.
For developers
License
MIT. See LICENSE.
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About
Edit notes in Neovim inside an Obsidian tab while keeping your Neovim config, plugins, and LSP active. Save changes to disk so Obsidian detects edits like any external editor, and toggle back to the Obsidian editor seamlessly.Details
Current version
0.0.1
Last updated
Last week
Created
Last week
Updates
1 release
Downloads
38
Compatible with
Obsidian 1.13.0+
Platforms
Desktop only
License
MIT