Auto Close Tabs

Automatically close inactive tabs after a configurable period. Keep your workspace clean by treating unpinned tabs as "fleeting", inspired by the Fleeting Tabs feature in the Arc browser.

Current version: 1.1.1

✨ Features

• Auto-close inactive tabs: Automatically closes tabs that haven't been touched for a set time (default: 1 day).
• Pinned tabs are safe: Pinned tabs are never closed, making them "permanent."
• Configurable timeout: Set your own inactivity threshold (e.g., 5 minutes or 2 hours).
• History logging: Keep a log of all closed tabs to review what was cleaned up.
  • View history in a modal.
  • Export history to the developer console.
  • Optionally write history to a markdown file in your vault (e.g., system/auto-close-tabs-history.md).

💡 Inspiration

This plugin was inspired by the Fleeting Tabs feature in the Arc browser.

I tend to open tabs very freely, which leads to a cluttered workspace full of files I'm no longer using. I wanted a way to be deliberate about what stays open:

• If I want to keep a file, I pin it.
• If I don't pin it, it's fleeting and will disappear when I'm done with it.

This plugin brings that "fleeting" workflow to Obsidian, helping you keep your digital garden tidy automatically.

🚀 Installation

1. Open Settings → Community plugins in Obsidian.
2. Search for Auto Close Tabs.
3. Click Install and then Enable.

Alternatively, for manual installation:

1. Copy main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css into Vault/.obsidian/plugins/auto-close-tabs/.
2. Reload Obsidian and enable the plugin.

🧭 Usage

1. Pin important tabs: Right-click a tab and select "Pin" (or use a hotkey) to keep it safe.
2. Let it run: Work as usual. Tabs you leave unpinned will automatically close after they've been inactive for the configured time.
3. Review history:
   • Use the command palette (Cmd/Ctrl + P) and search for "Auto Close Tabs: View closed tabs history".
   • Or check the log file if you've enabled file logging.

⚙️ Settings

Setting	Default	Description
Enable auto-close	On	Toggle the entire plugin on or off.
Inactive timeout	1440 min (1 day)	How many minutes a tab must be inactive before closing.
Check interval	60 sec	How often the plugin checks for inactive tabs.
Enable history logging	On	Track closed tabs in an internal log.
Max history entries	1000	Limit how many entries are kept in history.
Write to file	Off	Also append closed tab logs to a specific markdown file.
Log file path	system/...	The path to the log file (if "Write to file" is on).

🪲 Troubleshooting

• "My tab closed while I was reading it!"
  The plugin tracks activity (clicking, typing, scrolling). If you stare at a static page for longer than your timeout (e.g., 30 mins), it might close. Consider increasing your timeout or pinning reference material.
• "It's closing sidebars!"
  Version 1.0.0+ explicitly ignores sidebar panels (like File Explorer or Search) and only closes actual editor tabs in the main workspace.

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please see AGENTS.md for developer notes and build instructions.