ObDrawIO

Edit and manage draw.io diagrams (.drawio / .dio files) directly inside Obsidian with a fully functional embedded editor.

Features

✨ Full draw.io Editor — All draw.io features available directly in Obsidian (flowcharts, UML, wireframes, ERD, etc.)

🎨 Theme Sync — Automatically matches Obsidian's light/dark theme

💾 Auto-save — Changes are automatically saved to your vault as you edit

🔗 Easy Linking — Insert diagram links into your notes with a built-in picker

⚙️ Customizable — Configure draw.io server URL, theme, language, and more

📱 Cross-platform — Works on desktop (tested) and mobile browsers

Installation

From Obsidian Community Plugins (Coming Soon)

1. Open Settings → Community plugins
2. Search for "ObDrawIO"
3. Click Install and enable

Manual Installation

1. Download main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css from the latest release
2. Create folder: <YourVault>/.obsidian/plugins/obdrawio/
3. Place the three files in that folder
4. Reload Obsidian and enable the plugin in Settings → Community plugins

Usage

Creating a New Diagram

Option 1: Ribbon Icon

• Click the workflow icon in the left ribbon

Option 2: Command Palette

• Press Cmd/Ctrl + P and search for "New diagram"

Option 3: File Menu

• Right-click on any folder in the file explorer and select "New diagram"

Editing Diagrams

• Simply click any .drawio or .dio file in your vault to open it in the editor
• The editor loads with your current diagram
• Edit freely — changes auto-save by default (configurable in settings)
• Close the tab when done

Inserting Diagram Links

1. While editing a markdown note, press Cmd/Ctrl + P
2. Search for "Insert diagram link into note"
3. Select a diagram from the searchable picker
4. The link [[diagram-name.drawio]] is inserted

Opening in New Tab

• Right-click a .drawio file and select "Open in diagram editor"
• Or use Command Palette → "Open diagram in new tab"

Settings

Access settings via Settings → Community plugins → ObDrawIO

Setting	Default	Description
Draw.io server URL	https://embed.diagrams.net	URL for the editor (use a self-hosted instance for offline use)
Follow Obsidian theme	✓	Auto-switch editor theme when Obsidian theme changes
Auto-save	✓	Automatically save changes as you edit
Default diagram folder	(vault root)	Folder where new diagrams are created
Language	(browser default)	Editor language code (e.g., zh, de, es)

File Format

.drawio files are standard XML-based diagram files compatible with:

• diagrams.net web editor
• draw.io desktop
• Any draw.io compatible tool

Supported Extensions

• .drawio (standard)
• .dio (alternate)

Tips & Tricks

Offline Use (Self-Hosted)

1. Set up a self-hosted draw.io instance
2. Update the "Draw.io server URL" setting to point to your instance
3. All editor features remain available without internet

Language Support

The plugin respects your browser's language settings. To override, set the Language setting to:

• zh for 中文
• de for Deutsch
• fr for Français
• es for Español
• See all supported codes

Linking Diagrams in Notes

After inserting a link like [[my-diagram.drawio]], clicking the link opens the diagram in edit mode. You can also view backlinks in the diagram's own sidebar.

Keyboard Shortcuts

All draw.io shortcuts work in the editor. Common ones:

Shortcut	Action
Cmd/Ctrl + S	Save (if not auto-saving)
Cmd/Ctrl + Z	Undo
Cmd/Ctrl + Y / Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + Z	Redo
Del / Backspace	Delete selected
Cmd/Ctrl + A	Select all
Cmd/Ctrl + G	Group
Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + U	Ungroup

Troubleshooting

Plugin doesn't load after installation

• Ensure main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css are in <Vault>/.obsidian/plugins/obdrawio/
• Reload Obsidian: Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + I on desktop or close/reopen on mobile
• Check Settings → Community plugins that ObDrawIO is enabled

Editor doesn't respond

• Ensure you have internet access (required for default embed.diagrams.net)
• For offline use, configure a self-hosted draw.io URL in settings
• Try reloading the tab or restarting Obsidian

Changes not saving

• Verify Auto-save is enabled in settings
• Manually save with Command Palette → "Open diagram in new tab" and back
• Check that the file permissions allow write access

Theme not switching

• Ensure Follow Obsidian theme is enabled in settings
• Restart the editor tab to force theme refresh

Development

Building from Source

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Development build (watch mode)
npm run dev

# Production build
npm run build

# Lint
npm run lint

Project Structure

src/
├── main.ts              # Plugin entry point
├── settings.ts          # Settings UI and defaults
├── types.ts             # TypeScript types and constants
├── view/
│   └── DiagramView.ts   # Main diagram editor view
├── commands/
│   ├── index.ts         # Command registrations
│   └── newDiagram.ts    # "New diagram" modal
└── utils/               # Utility functions

License

MIT License — See LICENSE file for details

Credits

• Built with Obsidian Plugin API
• Uses draw.io by JGraph
• Icons from Obsidian's built-in icon set

Feedback & Issues

Found a bug or have a feature request? Please open an issue on GitHub.

Support

If you find this plugin useful, consider:

• ⭐ Starring the GitHub repository
• 💬 Sharing feedback and suggestions
• 🐛 Reporting bugs with details
• 📝 Contributing improvements via pull requests