Dynamic Lock for Obsidian

한국어

Open Markdown notes in Reading or Editing mode based on their properties, folder, or age. Switch modes freely, or keep selected notes in Reading mode.

Keep reference notes ready to read and working drafts ready to edit, without switching modes every time you open them.

When it's useful

• Open notes in References/ in Reading mode and notes in Drafts/ in Editing mode.
• Open finished notes with status: done in Reading mode.
• Open journal entries older than 30 days in Reading mode, based on their creation date.

By default, you can switch any of these notes to Editing when you need to make a change. Enable Keep Reading mode on a Reading property or folder rule to switch back to Reading whenever Editing is selected. This controls the Obsidian view; it does not make files read-only or block external tools from updating them.

Quick start

1. Open Settings → Dynamic Lock and find Folder rules.
2. Select Add folder rule, choose your reference folder, and set its mode to Reading.
3. Leave the global mode on Auto, then open a note in that folder.
4. Switch it to Editing using Obsidian's normal mode toggle whenever you need to write. Switching tabs preserves your choice.

By default, there are no rules, and Default mode is Keep current. Add a rule or choose a default mode to start changing how notes open.

Rules and global modes

Folder and property rules can select either Reading or Editing mode. Age rules select Reading mode after the configured number of days, using the file's creation or last modified date.

Select the status bar item to cycle through the global modes, or use the command palette:

Status bar label	Behavior when opening a note
Auto	Apply rules. If none match, use Default mode.
Locked	Open in Reading mode, regardless of rules. You can still switch to Editing afterward.
Editing	Apply rules first; open in Editing mode if none match.

When several rules apply, the first match in this order decides the mode:

1. Global Locked mode → Reading.
2. Frontmatter rules → the first matching property rule in the settings list.
3. Folder rules → the most specific matching folder, including its subfolders.
4. Time-based lock → Reading if the note is older than the configured period.
5. Global Editing mode → Editing.
6. Default mode → Keep current, Reading, or Editing.

Keep selected notes in Reading mode

Reading property and folder rules have a Keep Reading mode toggle, off by default for both existing and new rules. Only the winning rule above controls whether Reading is maintained; a more specific folder or a property rule can provide an exception. Global Locked mode takes priority and retains its existing behavior of allowing manual switching.

Turn the toggle off to edit normally. Choosing Editing for the rule hides the toggle and clears it. Age rules and the default mode do not enforce Reading.

What happens after opening a note?

Unless the winning rule has Keep Reading mode enabled, your manual Reading/Editing choice is preserved when switching tabs or updating note properties. If you haven't switched modes manually, a change to the matching rule can update the view mode.

Opening another file in the tab, reopening a note, or reloading the plugin applies the configured modes again. Changing a plugin setting or selecting a global mode also reapplies the configuration to all open Markdown notes.

The status bar shows the global mode. A lock icon on a note's tab shows that the note is currently in Reading mode, including when you selected Reading manually.

Installation

Requires Obsidian 1.4.10 or later.

1. Open Settings → Community plugins and turn off Restricted mode if needed.
2. Select Browse and search for Dynamic Lock.
3. Select Install, then Enable.

Manual installation

1. Download main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css from the latest release.
2. Create <vault>/.obsidian/plugins/dynamic-lock/ and copy the three files into it.
3. Reload Obsidian and enable Dynamic Lock in Settings → Community plugins.

Commands

You can assign hotkeys to these commands in Settings → Hotkeys.

Command	Action
Cycle global mode	Cycle through Auto → Locked → Editing.
Set global mode to auto	Apply rules and the configured default mode.
Set global lock (reading)	Apply Reading mode to open notes and use it for newly opened notes.
Set global mode to editing	Apply rules, with Editing as the fallback.

After using these commands, manual switching is allowed unless the winning rule has Keep Reading mode enabled.

Translations

Settings, commands, status bar text, and notices follow the Obsidian app language. English and Korean are included. On older Obsidian versions without the language API (before 1.8.7), the plugin uses English.

To add a language, copy src/i18n/locales/en.json to <language-code>.json in the same folder, then translate the values without changing the keys. Use lowercase Obsidian language codes, such as ja.json or pt-br.json. Run npm run build: all locale JSON files are discovered automatically and included in main.js; no import list or separate translation files are needed for installation. After installing the rebuilt plugin, reload it.

Regional translations fall back to the base language and then English. Missing, empty, or non-string values also fall back. Translations only change display text; saved rule values, command IDs, mode values, and existing hotkeys stay the same. Reload the plugin after changing the Obsidian language to update command names.