Auto Refresh Explorer

approved

by mathieubonvaletpro-commits

This plugin has not been manually reviewed by Obsidian staff. Automatically refreshes the file explorer when external sync tools create new files in the vault.

↓ 46 downloadsUpdated 25d agoMIT
Install in ObsidianView on GitHub

Auto Refresh Explorer

An Obsidian plugin that automatically refreshes the file explorer when new files arrive from external sync tools (Syncthing, Dropbox, rsync, etc.).

Why this plugin?

Obsidian's built-in file watcher sometimes fails to detect files created by external sync tools, especially on Windows. You close a note on your phone, it syncs via Syncthing, but the file doesn't appear in Obsidian's sidebar until you manually reload the vault.

This plugin detects those changes in ~3 seconds and injects the new files directly into Obsidian's index — no reload needed.

How it works

  1. Polls watched folders (00 INBOX, 01 PROJET, 02 CAPS by default) every 3 seconds using low-cost adapter.stat() calls
  2. Detects changes — when a folder's modification time changes, something new arrived
  3. Finds missing files — compares disk contents with Obsidian's internal index
  4. Injects TFile objects — creates proper TFile instances with correct parent folders and fires vault.trigger('create') so the file explorer and metadata cache pick them up instantly

Installation

Manual (BRAT or folder)

  1. Download main.js and manifest.json
  2. Copy them to .obsidian/plugins/auto-refresh-explorer/ inside your vault
  3. Enable Auto Refresh Explorer in Settings → Community Plugins

From Obsidian Community Plugins (soon)

Once approved, search "Auto Refresh Explorer" in Settings → Community Plugins → Browse.

Configuration

No settings UI yet. To change watched folders or interval, edit the constants at the top of main.js:

const DEFAULT_WATCHED_FOLDERS = ['00 INBOX', '01 PROJET', '02 CAPS'];
const DEFAULT_INTERVAL_MS = 3000;

Compatibility

  • Desktop: Windows, macOS, Linux
  • Mobile: Android, iOS (via manual install or BRAT)
  • Obsidian: v0.15.0+

Works with any sync tool that writes files directly to the filesystem: Syncthing, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, rsync, etc.

Performance

  • Zero impact on vault loading — plugin initialises after layout is ready
  • O(1) detection — only checks folder mtimes, never lists full directory contents
  • 1-second timeout on file listing to prevent freezes on large vaults
  • Debounced — won't refresh the same folder twice simultaneously

Support

Made with ❤️ by Mathieu BONVALET.

If this plugin saves you time:

☕ Buy Me a Coffee

Or just star the repo and tell your friends.

License

MIT

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