File System View

An interactive, collapsible file system tree inside any Obsidian note.

Like Dataview, but for files and folders anywhere on your Mac — not just inside your vault.

Desktop only. Requires Obsidian 1.4+. Uses Node.js and Electron APIs.

---

What it does

Write a fenced code block tagged fsview, point it at any folder on your machine, and fsview renders a live collapsible tree of matching files and folders with clickable links that open them in Finder.

```fsview
path: ~/Documents/Projects
type: folders
recursive: true
sort: name
```

Clicking ▶ / ▼ → expand or collapse a folder inline.
Clicking a folder name → opens it in Finder.
Clicking a file name → reveals it highlighted in Finder.
Clicking the header path → opens the root folder in Finder.

Folders are loaded lazily — only scanned when you expand them. Pointing at large directories like ~/ is safe and instant.

path can also point directly at a single file, in which case fsview renders just that file instead of a listing:

```fsview
path: ~/Documents/Projeto/file.extension
```

---

Inline mentions

Any path written as inline code that starts with ~/ or / and actually exists on disk is turned into a clickable mention — no code block needed:

See `~/Documents/Projeto/file.extension` for details.

Clicking it opens the folder (or reveals the file) in Finder, same as the code block. Paths that don't exist are left as plain inline code. Works in both Reading View and Live Preview — move your cursor into it to edit the raw path.

---

Installation

From the Community Plugin browser

1. Open Obsidian → Settings → Community Plugins → Browse
2. Search for fsview
3. Click Install, then Enable

Manual installation

1. Download the latest release and unzip it.
2. Copy the obsidian-fsview folder into your vault's plugin directory:

   <your-vault>/.obsidian/plugins/fsview/
   

   The folder must contain main.js and manifest.json.
3. Open Obsidian → Settings → Community Plugins → enable fsview.

Build from source

cd obsidian-fsview
npm install
npm run build

---

Options reference

All options are key: value pairs inside the code block, one per line.

Key	Values	Default	Description
path	Any absolute or ~/… path	—	Required. The directory to scan, or a single file to display.
type	all · files · folders	all	Which entries count as leaves — folders stay visible either way so you can navigate into them. folders hides all files; files shows both.
recursive	true · false	false	Allow expanding subfolders.
depth	Integer	0 / ∞	Maximum expandable depth. Overrides recursive.
sort	name · modified · created · size	name	Sort field. Applied per level — siblings are sorted independently.
order	asc · desc	asc	Sort direction.
group	true · false	Global setting (true)	Keep folders together above files, regardless of sort.
ext	.pdf, .fig, .sketch	—	Filter files by extension (comma-separated). Folders are exempt so you can browse into them.
pattern	Any regex string	—	Filter files by filename, case-insensitive. Folders are exempt so you can browse into them.
collapsed	true · false	Global setting (true)	Start folders collapsed (lazy) instead of pre-expanded.
limit	Integer	500	Maximum entries shown per expanded folder.
hidden	true · false	false	Include hidden files/folders (those starting with .).

---

Examples

Collapsible folder tree, all subfolders

```fsview
path: ~/Work/Clients
type: folders
recursive: true
sort: name
```

Start collapsed — expand only what you need

```fsview
path: ~/Work/Clients
recursive: true
collapsed: true
```

Most recently modified files, newest first

```fsview
path: ~/Desktop
recursive: true
sort: modified
order: desc
limit: 50
```

Figma and PDF files only

```fsview
path: ~/Documents
recursive: true
ext: .fig, .pdf
sort: modified
order: desc
```

Files matching a naming pattern

```fsview
path: ~/Documents/Finance
pattern: ^Invoice
ext: .pdf
sort: created
order: desc
limit: 20
```

Two levels deep, everything visible

```fsview
path: ~/Projects
type: all
depth: 2
sort: modified
order: desc
```

---

Tree behavior

• Folders always appear before files, for every sort field — turn it off per block with group: false.
• Sorting is applied per level — siblings within the same parent are sorted independently.
• Folders are lazily loaded: a directory is only scanned the first time you expand it. Re-expanding is instant (result is cached in the DOM).
• Expand/collapse state is in-memory per render. Switching notes and returning resets to the default state.

---

Global settings

Go to Settings → fsview to configure defaults for all blocks:

Setting	Description
Recursive by default	Allow expanding subfolders unless overridden per block
Show hidden files	Include dotfiles globally
Max results	Default cap on entries per expanded folder (overridable with limit)
Start collapsed	Render all folders collapsed by default unless overridden per block
Group folders before files	Keep folders above files regardless of sort field, unless overridden per block

---

Notes

• sort: created uses birthtime, falling back to mtime on file systems that don't track creation time.
• Results are read at render time. Switch notes and return to refresh.
• Symlinks are stat'd but not recursed into.
• Paths with spaces and special characters (including iCloud paths) are fully supported.

---

License

MIT