Pixel

Deng's

A paper-and-pixel Obsidian theme for focused writing and knowledge management, with Light/Dark desktop and iOS support.

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Overview
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English · 中文

Pixels on paper · Focused writing
A distinctive Obsidian theme for long-form writing and knowledge work

0.9.6 OBSIDIAN 1.12+ LIGHT / DARK DESKTOP / iOS

Pixel Boy · Feature map · Gallery · Installation · Development

_{Desktop Light / Dark and iOS · Composed from real Obsidian captures}

Pixel gives Obsidian a calm paper workspace, a crisp pixel identity, and a clear signal system for navigation and focus. It is not a retro filter: body text stays comfortable for long sessions, native interactions remain intact, and personality is concentrated where it helps orientation.

Desktop and iOS are the priority platforms. Both receive purpose-built layouts for Markdown, properties, navigation, Bases, Canvas, Graph, PDF, and the small states that make a workspace feel coherent.

Pixel Boy

A new tab with somewhere to go

A blank tab becomes a pocket console. Obsidian's native Create, Open, and Close actions stay fully functional inside a dot-matrix display, while the shell, D-pad, face buttons, power light, and speaker complete the handheld.

LIGHT · PAPER SHELL	DARK · OBSIDIAN SHELL

_{Native actions · Responsive geometry · Light / Dark palettes · Accessible fallback modes}

The console contracts for narrow panes without turning decoration into an interaction layer. Keyboard shortcuts, pointer targets, forced colors, and reduced-motion preferences continue to belong to Obsidian.

Feature map

PAPER-FIRST WRITING A quiet surface hierarchy, readable body stack, and `72ch` default measure keep long Markdown documents spacious without making the interface anonymous.	SIGNAL-LED NAVIGATION Cyan marks the current path and keyboard focus, amber carries context, and brick identifies warning or danger. State is reinforced by geometry, not color alone.
KNOWLEDGE SURFACES Properties, Bases, Canvas, Graph, PDF, embeds, tables, code, tags, and tasks share one visual grammar while preserving their native behavior.	POCKET INTERFACE iOS navigation, drawers, properties, safe areas, and touch targets are rebalanced for the device instead of being a shrunken desktop layout.
CLAUDIAN INTEGRATION The assistant conversation, composer, context chips, sessions, and settings tabs receive a focused Pixel treatment with narrow-pane and keyboard support.	NATIVE CONTRACT Pixel does not replace Obsidian's editing, folding, scrolling, gestures, drawers, icons, or media controls. Familiar mechanics remain familiar.

Gallery

Desktop · one continuous work surface

Navigation lives on the left, the note keeps the center, and context settles on the right. The compact status pod follows the live right-dock width so the workspace reads as one deliberate console rather than a stack of panels.

Open the complete Light and Dark comparison

LIGHT	DARK

Visual language

Role	What it communicates
Paper	Notes, menus, settings cards, and primary reading surfaces.
Canvas	The cool workspace around content and secondary regions.
Cyan	Active navigation, links, caret, controls, and keyboard focus.
Amber	Properties, attached context, emphasis, and attention.
Brick	Errors, warnings, destructive actions, and the Pixel Boy controls.
4 / 6 / 10px radii	Pixel structure at small sizes and comfortable touch geometry at larger sizes.

Light and Dark use independently tuned semantic colors rather than simple inversion. Normal text, secondary text, focus indicators, and meaningful control boundaries are designed against accessible contrast targets.

Built across Obsidian

Markdown writing

Consistent heading rhythm across Source, Live Preview, and Reading modes.
Links, emphasis, lists, quotes, tasks, continuous tag capsules, highlights, footnotes, math, and comments.
Local overflow for code, tables, embeds, and media without compressing the full note.
Clear selection, caret, active line, folding, and indentation states.

Knowledge management

File navigation, tags, search, bookmarks, outline, backlinks, and outgoing links.
Note properties and property suggestions, including iOS editing states.
Global and Local Graph controls and semantic states.
Canvas cards, groups, media, edges, selection, and editing.
Bases tables, lists, cards, filters, sorting, and property editing.
PDF chrome, sidebar, thumbnails, search, and selection while preserving document pixels.

Settings and accessibility

Independent setting cards, stable hover and focus feedback, compact native controls, and a circular accent-color well.
Normal text targets at least 4.5:1 contrast; meaningful icons and control boundaries target at least 3:1.
Keyboard focus uses outline, surface, and position cues instead of color alone.
Reduced motion, forced colors, and increased contrast preferences are supported.
User fonts, font sizes, accent, selection, and caret settings remain authoritative.

Installation

Pixel entered public beta with 0.9.0. Once the official directory review is complete:

Open Settings → Appearance in Obsidian.
Select Manage under Themes.
Search for Pixel, install it, and select Use.

Future public versions are delivered through Obsidian's built-in theme updater from matching GitHub Releases.

Manual installation

Download manifest.json and theme.css.
Create .obsidian/themes/Pixel/ in the target Vault.
Put both files in that directory.
Restart Obsidian if necessary, then select Pixel under Appearance.

For a synced Vault on iOS, wait for .obsidian/themes/Pixel/ to finish syncing before restarting Obsidian.

Customization

Pixel respects Obsidian's own appearance settings without requiring a companion plugin:

Light or Dark mode
Text and interface fonts
Base font size
Accent color

Pixel does not currently expose custom Style Settings controls. The Style Settings plugin is optional and is not required to install, use, or customize the theme.

Fusion Pixel is embedded for identity headings. Code and technical status use Obsidian's configured monospace font with system fallbacks, while body text uses the user's text font and operating-system fallback for uncommon characters.

Pixel includes focused visual integrations for Claudian, Project Manager, and Project Manager Insights. Other plugins that use official Obsidian variables and Setting components generally inherit the theme naturally, but individual community plugins are not compatibility commitments unless named here.

Compatibility

Item	Current information
Current version	`0.9.6`
Obsidian requirement	`1.12.0` or newer
Priority platforms	Desktop / iOS
Verified desktop environment	Obsidian `1.13.4` / macOS
Appearance modes	Light / Dark
Installable files	`manifest.json`, `theme.css`
Theme license	MIT
Embedded font license	SIL Open Font License 1.1

Development

Pixel requires Node.js 24 and npm:

npm ci
npm run build
npm test
npm run check

npm run build compiles theme.css and optionally deploys to the dedicated development Vault.
npm run dev watches Sass sources.
npm test runs structural, compatibility, and release-contract tests.
npm run check verifies that generated output matches the source without modifying it.

src/scss/index.scss is the only Sass entry point. Edit sources under src/; do not edit generated theme.css directly.

For guarded deployment, see the Chinese development details.

Releasing

manifest.json is the authoritative current version.
versions.json permanently maps every published theme version to its minimum Obsidian version.
Only an unprefixed x.y.z annotated tag triggers release CI.
A verified release publishes only theme.css and manifest.json, with GitHub build provenance attestations.
Public tags, Releases, and assets are immutable; regressions are fixed forward with a new PATCH.

See the complete release and Obsidian community update guide.

Feedback

Use GitHub Issues for public feedback. Include Pixel and Obsidian versions, operating system, Light or Dark mode, reproduction steps, screenshots, and any enabled CSS snippets or community plugins.

License

Pixel is released under the MIT License. The embedded Fusion Pixel font retains its SIL Open Font License 1.1 terms; source, checksum, and license details are available under src/assets/fonts/.

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About

Use Pixel to give Obsidian a paper-like interface for long-form writing and knowledge management, pairing pixel-styled headings with readable body typography. Apply coordinated light/dark desktop and iOS schemes, semantic cyan/amber/brick signals for focus and context, and native behavior across Markdown, Graph, Canvas, Bases and PDF workflows.

Details

Current version

0.9.6

Last updated

4 hours ago

Created

2 weeks ago

Updates

7 releases

License

MIT

Author