Protobuf and Nanopb Highlighting

Syntax highlighting for Protocol Buffers and nanopb code blocks in Obsidian. Supports Reading view, Live Preview, and Source mode, using your active theme's code colors. No configuration required.

Repository name: obsidian-protobuf-nanopb · Plugin ID: protobuf-nanopb

Features

• Protocol Buffers keywords, scalar types, declarations, strings, numbers, and comments.
• Inline nanopb extensions such as (nanopb).max_length and (nanopb).max_count.
• Separate nanopb .options blocks with field patterns, wildcards, and # comments.
• Copy button for code blocks in Reading view.
• Local processing without network requests or changes to vault files.

Usage

Add a supported language identifier to a fenced Markdown code block:

```proto
syntax = "proto2";
import "nanopb.proto";

message Sensor {
  optional string name = 1 [(nanopb).max_length = 32];
  repeated float values = 2 [(nanopb).max_count = 8];
}
```

For separate nanopb options:

```nanopb-options
Sensor.name max_length:32
Sensor.values max_count:8
Sensor.* type:FT_STATIC
```

See examples/demo.md for more examples.

Installation

Requires Obsidian 1.8.7 or later. The plugin is not yet listed in the official Community directory.

From a GitHub release

Once a release is available:

1. Download main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css from the repository's GitHub Releases page.
2. Create the folder .obsidian/plugins/protobuf-nanopb/ inside your vault.
3. Copy all three files into that folder.
4. Reload Obsidian.
5. Open Settings → Community plugins, disable Restricted mode if necessary, and enable Protobuf and Nanopb Highlighting.

From source

Requires Node.js 22 and npm. In a local checkout of obsidian-protobuf-nanopb, run:

npm install
npm test
npm run build

Then follow the manual installation steps above using the generated main.js and the repository's manifest.json and styles.css.

Development

Reading view renders code as DOM text nodes. A CodeMirror 6 extension adds editor highlighting. Markdown is parsed when the document changes; tokenization is limited to code blocks intersecting the visible editor area.

Before releasing, use examples/demo.md to check Reading view, Live Preview, Source mode, light and dark themes, editing, scrolling, and disabling the plugin in Obsidian. Automated tests do not replace these UI checks.

Scope

This plugin provides syntax highlighting. It does not validate or compile Protocol Buffers, provide code completion, or register standalone .proto files as a new Obsidian file type. It uses no desktop-specific APIs; mobile behavior should be verified separately before release.

Publishing

Release notes are maintained in CHANGELOG.md. The current release version is 0.1.2.

The Release GitHub Action runs when manifest.json or the release workflow changes on main. It installs dependencies, runs tests, builds the plugin, validates version consistency, and publishes a GitHub release tagged exactly like the manifest version, without a v prefix. The release includes main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css as individual assets. Already published releases are left unchanged.

To publish a new version:

1. Update the version in manifest.json, package.json, and package-lock.json, and add the minimum Obsidian version to versions.json.
2. Add release notes to CHANGELOG.md and test the plugin in Obsidian.
3. Commit the changes and push to main.
4. Wait for Actions → Release to finish and verify the published release and its three assets.

You can also run Actions → Release → Run workflow on main to retry publication. The workflow uses GitHub's built-in token with repository contents write permission; no personal access token is needed.

For the first Community directory submission, sign in at community.obsidian.md, link your GitHub account, and submit the repository. Commit the current manifest to the default branch and publish the matching release before requesting review.

See the official submission guide for the publication process and requirements.

References

• Obsidian Plugin API
• Prism language definitions
• Nanopb options reference

License

MIT.