ChatGPT Sidebar

pending

by Ahmad Hajji

ChatGPT-style vault sidebar assistant with AGENTS.md-aware chat.

Updated 25d agoMITDiscovered via Obsidian Unofficial Plugins
View on GitHub

ChatGPT Sidebar

ChatGPT Sidebar is an Obsidian desktop plugin that brings a ChatGPT-style assistant into the vault sidebar. It is local-first, scoped to the currently open vault, and designed around Codex CLI rather than a hosted multi-provider setup.

This project is derived from takeshy/obsidian-gemini-helper, with the product surface intentionally narrowed and reworked for a Codex-first Obsidian workflow.

Features

  • Vault-scoped chat in an Obsidian sidebar
  • Codex CLI as the only supported backend
  • Automatic vault-root AGENTS.md loading by default
  • Active-note and vault-file context integration
  • @file.md references for vault files
  • /model, /fast, and /status chat commands
  • Structured thinking/progress display with a clearly separated final answer
  • Desktop-only runtime with local CLI execution

Scope and Requirements

  • Obsidian desktop 1.10.0 or newer
  • A working local codex installation
  • A vault where you want the assistant confined to the current workspace

This plugin is intentionally desktop-only and local-first. It does not use a localhost bridge in the active runtime path, and it does not expose the broader Gemini Helper feature surface such as Gemini API, Claude CLI, Drive Sync, RAG, or workflow-first UI.

Install

Manual install from GitHub releases

  1. Download main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css from the latest GitHub release.
  2. Create this folder in your vault:
.obsidian/plugins/chatgpt-sidebar/
  1. Copy those release files into that folder.
  2. In Obsidian, open Settings -> Community plugins.
  3. Reload plugins and enable ChatGPT Sidebar.

Local development install

npm install
npm run build

Then copy:

  • main.js
  • manifest.json
  • styles.css

into .obsidian/plugins/chatgpt-sidebar/ in a test vault.

Usage

  1. Open the ChatGPT sidebar from the command palette or ribbon.
  2. Confirm the plugin can find your codex executable in settings.
  3. Optionally add an AGENTS.md file to the vault root for durable vault instructions.
  4. Start chatting about the current vault.

Useful chat affordances:

  • @some-note.md to reference a vault file
  • /model <name> to set the current runtime model
  • /fast to toggle the fast-mode shortcut
  • /status to show the current Codex runtime state

Attribution

This repository builds on the upstream architecture and earlier work in takeshy/obsidian-gemini-helper. The fork keeps that project’s useful Obsidian plugin foundation while changing the runtime model, branding, and product direction for a vault-scoped Codex assistant.

This project is not affiliated with Obsidian, OpenAI, or the upstream project maintainer.

Development

npm install
npm run build
npm test

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md.

License

MIT. See LICENSE.

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