Markdown to JSON (Obsidian Plugin)

Copy a note written in Obsidian (Markdown) into structured JSON blocks, optimized to be pasted into the companion Figma plugin that generates separate text layers for fast case study page layout.

• Command: Copy Markdown as JSON blocks
• Plugin ID: md-to-json
• Author: Meghan Lendhe — https://meghan-lendhe.github.io/

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What it does

• Adds a command in Obsidian’s Command Palette to export the current note as JSON.
• Converts Markdown into ordered blocks:
  • Headings (# … ######) → h1–h6
  • Body → each non-empty line becomes its own block
  • Bullets (-, *, +) → each bullet becomes its own block

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Companion plugin (Figma)

This exporter is intended to be used with:

• JSON to Text (Figma Plugin): https://github.com/meghan-lendhe/json-to-text

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Output format

The plugin copies JSON like:

[
  { "type": "h1", "level": 1, "text": "Title", "id": "h1-0" },
  { "type": "h2", "level": 2, "text": "Overview", "id": "h2-1" },
  { "type": "body", "text": "Problem: ...", "id": "body-2" },
  { "type": "body", "text": "Time: 14 weeks", "id": "body-3" },
  { "type": "list", "text": "A bullet item", "id": "list-4" }
]

Block fields

• type (required): h1–h6 | body | list
• level (optional): 1–6 (for headings)
• text (required): string content for that line/item
• id (required): identifier generated during export (useful for ordering and potential “update” flows later)

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How to use

1. Open your case study note in Obsidian.
2. Press Ctrl + P to open Command Palette.
3. Run: Copy Markdown as JSON blocks
4. Open Figma → run the JSON to Text plugin.
5. Paste JSON into the plugin UI and click Import.

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Installation (manual)

1. Build the plugin (see Development).
2. Copy the built files into your vault:

<YourVault>/.obsidian/plugins/md-to-json/

Files needed:

• manifest.json
• main.js

This matches the common layout used by the Obsidian sample plugin template.

3. In Obsidian: Settings → Community plugins → enable Markdown to JSON.

If .obsidian/plugins doesn’t exist yet, create it.

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Development

This project was bootstrapped from the Obsidian sample plugin template (TypeScript → compiled main.js).

Prerequisites

• Node.js + npm
• Obsidian desktop app

Install

npm install

Dev build (watch)

npm run dev

Production build

npm run build

After rebuilding, reload the plugin in Obsidian (toggle it off/on) to pick up changes.

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Parsing rules (current)

• Headings: #{1,6} Heading → a heading block (h1–h6)
• Body: each non-empty line that isn’t a heading or list item → body
• Lists: - item / * item / + item → list
• Empty lines are ignored

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Known limitations

• Markdown styling isn’t preserved (bold/italic/links are exported as plain text).
• Tables, callouts, embeds, and images aren’t converted.
• IDs are generated during export; editing the note can change ordering/IDs.

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