FolderMate

approvedunreviewed

by droidstream

Color a folder and all its subfolders in the file explorer, as text color or as fading background bands.

↓ 87 downloadsUpdated 6d agoMIT
Install in ObsidianView on GitHub

FolderMate

Color your folders. Find anything at a glance.

A big vault turns the file explorer into a wall of identical grey rows. FolderMate lets you give a folder a color, and every subfolder and note inside it follows along. Right-click, pick a color, done.

Folders in the Obsidian file explorer picking up colors one by one, then switching between background bands, text mode and a light theme

FolderMate coloring folders in the file explorer

What it does

  • Right-click to color. Set folder color sits in the folder menu. Pick from your own palette.
  • Subfolders follow along. Everything inside a colored folder takes its color. Give a subfolder its own color and it starts a new group.
  • Two looks. Color just the folder names (text mode), or draw rounded background bands that fade a little with each level.
  • Notes sit on their folder's color. An optional soft block behind a folder's contents shows what belongs where.
  • Make it yours. Your own palette, depth fade, bold folder names, indent lines, file name color and active-note colors.
  • Works with light and dark themes.
  • Searchable settings. Find any FolderMate option from Obsidian's settings search.

Right-click a folder, pick a color

Subfolders inherit their parent's color, or start their own group

Text mode, background bands, and a light theme

FolderMate settings: palette, fade and active-note colors

How to use

  1. Install FolderMate from Settings > Community plugins and enable it.
  2. Right-click any folder in the file explorer and choose Set folder color.
  3. To switch looks or edit the palette, open Settings > FolderMate.
  4. To take a color off, right-click the folder and choose Remove folder color.

If you use another plugin that colors the file explorer, turn it off. Both would style the same rows.

Privacy and safety

  • Your notes never change. Colors live in the plugin's own data.json. Rename or move a folder and its color goes with it.
  • No network, no telemetry. It also has no runtime dependencies.
  • Folder paths only. It reads folder paths and never opens a note's contents.
  • Checked colors. A color must be a valid #RRGGBB value before it reaches the page.
  • Desktop only. Needs Obsidian 1.13 or later.
  • Signed releases. Every release is built by GitHub Actions from this repository and carries a build provenance attestation.

Support

If FolderMate makes your vault a little nicer, you can buy me a coffee. Thank you!

Develop

npm ci, npm test, npm run lint, npm run build (installs into ../test-vault), npm run obsidian:check (live checks in a real Obsidian), npm run showcase (store screenshots), npm run ship.

MIT licensed. Made by Droid.

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