SQLite to Markdown

An Obsidian plugin that runs SQLite queries against local databases and renders the results as tables in reading view. Write SQL in a fenced code block, get a live table.

Usage

Add a fenced sql (or sqlite) code block to any note:

```sql
db: /var/lib/jellyfin/data/jellyfin.db
SELECT name, department, salary
FROM employees
WHERE department = 'Engineering'
ORDER BY salary DESC;
```

Or use an ODBC-style connection string with an ObsSync block:

```ObsSync
DRIVER=sqlite;DATABASE=/var/lib/jellyfin/data/jellyfin.db;QUERY=SELECT name, department, salary FROM employees WHERE department = 'Engineering' ORDER BY salary DESC
```

Switch to reading view — the code block is replaced with a rendered table:

name	department	salary
Eve Johnson	Engineering	140000
Carol Davis	Engineering	130000
Alice Chen	Engineering	125000
Hank Brown	Engineering	115000

A footer row shows the database filename, when the data was retrieved, and the row count. Click 📂 or 🔄 in the footer to manually refresh.

Block Formats

sql / sqlite

db: /absolute/path/to/database.db
SELECT ...;

• db: — path to the SQLite database file. Absolute paths or vault-relative paths.
• Query — any read-only SQL: SELECT, WITH ... SELECT, or EXPLAIN QUERY PLAN.
• Write operations (INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, DROP, etc.) are blocked.

ObsSync (ODBC-style)

DRIVER=sqlite;DATABASE=/absolute/path/to/database.db;QUERY=SELECT ...

• DRIVER= — optional, defaults to sqlite. Currently only sqlite is supported.
• DATABASE= — path to the SQLite database file. Absolute paths or vault-relative paths.
• QUERY= — must be last; its value extends to end of the block, so semicolons inside the SQL are safe.

Features

• Live query — reads the database from disk each time the note is rendered (desktop).
• Cached fallback — after a successful query, results are cached inside the code block. If the database is unavailable, the cached result is shown with a ⚠️ cached indicator.
• Mobile support — on mobile, cached data is displayed read-only. Open on desktop first to populate the cache.
• Refresh modes — control when queries re-run via the REFRESH: directive (see below).
• Timed auto-refresh — REFRESH:15m re-runs the query every N time units while the note is open.
• Interactive footer — 📂 and 🔄 in the footer row are clickable; they trigger a live refresh on desktop or show a notice on mobile.
• Copy as Markdown — button below each table copies the result as a pipe-delimited markdown table.
• Index support — uses sql.js (SQLite compiled to WebAssembly), so all SQLite features work including indexes, joins, CTEs, and window functions.
• Read-only by design — the database is loaded into memory as a read-only snapshot. No changes are ever written back.
• Instructional messages — clear guidance instead of cryptic errors when something is misconfigured.

Refresh Modes

Add a /* REFRESH:... */ comment anywhere in the block to control when the query runs:

Value	Behaviour
(omitted)	Auto — query runs on every render (default)
REFRESH:AUTO	Same as default
REFRESH:MANUAL	Show cache on render; live query only on 🔄 click
REFRESH:15m	Auto on render + re-query every 15 minutes

Time units: ms · s / sec(s) / second(s) · m / min(s) / minute(s) · h / hr(s) / hour(s) · d / day(s). Decimal values (1.5h) are valid.

Examples:

```sql
db: /var/lib/jellyfin/data/jellyfin.db
SELECT Type, count(*) FROM BaseItems GROUP BY Type;
/* REFRESH:5m */
```

```sql
db: /path/to/large.db
SELECT * FROM expensive_view;
/* REFRESH:MANUAL */
```

How Caching Works

After a successful query, the plugin writes a /* REFRESH:... | CACHE:{...} */ comment to the end of the code block. This is invisible in reading view but preserved in the markdown source:

```sql
db: /var/lib/jellyfin/data/jellyfin.db
SELECT Type, count(*) FROM BaseItems GROUP BY Type;
/* REFRESH:5m | CACHE:{"columns":["Type","count(*)"],"rows":[...],"dbName":"jellyfin.db","timestamp":"2026-06-08 14:00:00","rowCount":7} */
```

The cache is updated on each successful query. When the database is unreachable, the last cached result is displayed. If no REFRESH: directive is present, the comment is just /* CACHE:{...} */ (backward compatible).

Installation

From source

npm install
npm run build

Copy main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css into your vault:

.obsidian/plugins/obs-sqlite-md/
├── main.js
├── manifest.json
└── styles.css

Enable the plugin in Settings → Community plugins.

Development

npm run dev    # watch mode — rebuilds on file changes

Requirements

• Desktop — live queries use Node.js fs to read database files from disk. Absolute paths and vault-relative paths both work.
• Mobile — displays cached data only. Open the note on desktop first to populate the cache; subsequent mobile views show the last cached result.
• Databases can live anywhere the desktop OS user has read access (inside or outside the vault).

Technical Notes

• Uses sql.js v1.14+ — SQLite compiled to WebAssembly via Emscripten.
• The WASM binary (~644 KB) is embedded into main.js at build time. No separate .wasm file to manage.
• Databases are read into memory as a Uint8Array. Large databases (hundreds of MB) will use proportional memory.
• Registers sql, sqlite, and ObsSync as code block languages.
• Node.js fs is required dynamically at runtime (never at module load), so the plugin loads safely on mobile without crashing.
• Timed refresh uses a window.setTimeout chain; the chain stops automatically when el.isConnected is false (note closed or navigated away).
• See ARCHITECTURE.md for full design details.

License

MIT