Synced Block Buddy is a plugin for Obsidian that allows you to sync blocks between your notes. Create a block once, reference it in multiple places, and when you update it in one location, all instances stay synchronized automatically.
Features
- Create synced blocks: Define reusable content blocks that can be shared across multiple notes
- Automatic synchronization: Changes to a synced block in one location automatically update all other instances
- Easy insertion: Quickly insert existing synced blocks into any note
- Block management: View and manage all your synced blocks from a central location
- Index building: Scan your vault to rebuild the synced blocks registry
- Interactive tutorial: Built-in onboarding to help you get started
- Cross-platform: Works on desktop and mobile devices
Installation
From Obsidian
- Open Settings → Community plugins
- Make sure Safe mode is off
- Click Browse and search for "Synced Block Buddy"
- Click Install
- After installation, click Enable to activate the plugin
Manual Installation
- Download the latest release from the Releases page
- Extract the files and place them in your vault's
.obsidian/plugins/synced-blocks/ folder:
main.js
manifest.json
styles.css (if present)
- Reload Obsidian
- Enable the plugin in Settings → Community plugins
Usage
Creating a New Synced Block
- Open the command palette (
Ctrl+P / Cmd+P)
- Run "Create new synced block"
- Enter a name for your block
- Add the content you want to sync
- Click Create
The synced block will be inserted at your cursor position in the format:
%% synced-block-start {"id":"unique-id", "name":"Your Block Name"} %%
Your content here
%% synced-block-end %%
Inserting an Existing Synced Block
- Open the command palette (
Ctrl+P / Cmd+P)
- Run "Insert existing synced block"
- Select the block you want to insert from the list
- The block will be inserted at your cursor position
Managing Synced Blocks
- Click the refresh icon in the left ribbon to open the main synced blocks manager
- View all your synced blocks and their locations
- See which files contain each synced block
Right-click on a synced block in your notes to access quick actions:
- View block details
- Navigate to other instances of the block
Commands
The plugin provides the following commands (accessible via Ctrl+P / Cmd+P):
- Create new synced block: Create a new synced block with a name and content
- Insert existing synced block: Insert an existing synced block into the current note
- Show onboarding tutorial: Re-open the interactive tutorial
Settings
Access plugin settings via Settings → Synced Block Buddy:
- Build Index: Scan all files in your vault and rebuild the synced blocks registry. Useful if you've manually edited synced blocks or imported notes with synced blocks.
- Show tutorial again: Re-open the onboarding tutorial to learn how to use the plugin
How It Works
Synced blocks use Obsidian's comment syntax to mark block boundaries. Each synced block has:
- A unique ID that identifies the block across all instances
- A name for easy identification
- Content that is synchronized across all instances
When you edit a synced block in one location, the plugin automatically updates all other instances of that block throughout your vault.
Requirements
- Obsidian version 0.15.0 or higher
- Works on desktop and mobile
Support
Development
If you want to contribute or build from source:
# Install dependencies
npm install
# Build for production
npm run build
# Development mode with watch
npm run dev
# Lint code
npm run lint
License
This project is licensed under the 0-BSD license.
Changelog
1.5.0
1.4
- Improve sentence case consistency and simplify UI text
1.3
- Fix async/await issues, sentence case, and ESLint configuration
1.2
1.1
- Fix description alignment with community plugin listing
1.0.0
- Initial release
- Create and manage synced blocks
- Automatic synchronization
- Interactive onboarding tutorial
- Block index building
- Cross-platform support