Obsidian Nova

A desktop-style interface for Obsidian: grid-based layout, widgets, apps, multiple pages, and full keyboard control. Built for power users who want a hacker-friendly dashboard inside their vault.

Plugin ID: obsidian-nova

• Repository: github.com/infinition/obsidian-nova
• ObsidGet (for imported widgets): github.com/infinition/obsidian-obsidget

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Features

• Desktop view — Wallpaper, taskbar, dock. Place widgets and apps on a configurable grid.
• Multiple pages — Swipe or use arrow keys to switch pages. Optional page names and atlas (grid of pages).
• Local widgets — Built-in widgets: Clock, Quick Note, Mini MD (markdown editor with preview), Pomodoro, 2048, Snake, Tic-Tac-Toe, Chess AI, Calculator, System info, BTC ticker, Ping, Video, YouTube, IDE. All run inside Nova; no external runtime.
• ObsidGet widgets — Import widgets from the ObsidGet plugin (gallery). Kanban, Code Garden, Tamagotchi, etc. Local widgets and ObsidGet widgets are clearly separated in the Widget Gallery (tabs: All | Nova | ObsidGet).
• Apps — Finder (vault file browser, open notes), Web (in-app browser). Both open in panes or fullscreen.
• Grid engine — Logical grid (default 36×36, configurable 12–64). Drag to move, resize from bottom-right handle. Widgets can auto-grow when content changes (ObsidGet: optional allowGrowBeyondTemplate per widget).
• Themes — Dark, Light, Obsidian (native CSS vars), Cyberpunk, Forest.
• Persistence — Layout, config, and widget state saved in Obsidian’s plugin data.

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Installation

1. (Optional) Install ObsidGet from the community plugins if you want to use widgets from its gallery.
2. Install Nova from the community plugins or from github.com/infinition/obsidian-nova (copy main.js, manifest.json, styles.css into .obsidian/plugins/obsidian-nova/).
3. Enable both in Settings → Community plugins.
4. Use the ribbon icon (monitor) or the command Open Nova to open the Nova view.

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Keyboard Shortcuts

Global (Nova view focused)

Key	Action
Tab	Toggle page atlas (grid of pages).
Arrow keys	Change page: Left/Right = previous/next page; Up/Down = previous/next page (if vertical swipe not locked).
Page Up	Increase grid density or widget/icon scale (see Settings).
Page Down	Decrease grid density or widget/icon scale.
Home	Increase UI scale (taskbar, menus).
End	Decrease UI scale.
Escape	Close modal (e.g. atlas, gallery, settings).

When dragging an item, arrow keys move between pages (e.g. drag to next page with Right).

Page atlas (when open)

Key	Action
Tab	Open page under focus.
Enter / Space	Open page under focus.
Escape	Close atlas.
Arrow keys	Move focus between page cells.

Widget Gallery

• Tab — Switch focus; search field is focused when the gallery opens.
• Filter by name; switch tabs All | Nova | ObsidGet to see only local or only ObsidGet widgets.

Mini MD widget (built-in markdown editor)

Key	Action
Ctrl/Cmd + B	Bold.
Ctrl/Cmd + I	Italic.
Ctrl/Cmd + K	Link.
Ctrl/Cmd + S	Save.
Ctrl/Cmd + F	Search.
Ctrl/Cmd + P	Toggle view (editor/preview/hybrid).
Ctrl/Cmd + Z	Undo.
Ctrl/Cmd + Y / Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + Z	Redo.
Shift + Enter (in search)	Previous match.

Browser app

• Alt + Left — Back.
• Alt + Right — Forward.

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Obsidian command

• Open Nova — Opens the Nova desktop view in the current leaf. You can assign a hotkey in Obsidian: Settings → Hotkeys → search “Nova”.

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Settings (gear icon on taskbar)

General

• Bar position — Taskbar/dock: Top, Bottom, Left, Right.
• View mode — Desktop (grid) or Grid (legacy).
• Theme — Dark, Light, Obsidian (native), Cyberpunk, Forest.
• Lock vertical swipe — Disable Up/Down for page change (only Left/Right).
• Swipe threshold — Pixels for horizontal swipe to change page.
• Transparent ObsidGet widgets — Use transparent background for widgets imported from ObsidGet (when not in edit mode).
• Fullscreen widget transparent — Transparent background when a widget is fullscreen.
• Page dots — Position (top/center/bottom), size, duration, blur bubble.
• Debug widget dimensions — Log cols/rows and position to console on resize/move (for devs).

Appearance

• UI scale — Scale for taskbar, menus, modals (50–150%). Also: Home / End keys.
• Widget scale — Scale for widgets and icons on the desktop (50–150%). Also: Page Up / Page Down (if “Page Up/Down changes grid density” is off).
• Grid density — Grid size (e.g. 36×36). Higher = smaller cells, more precision. Range 12–64. Can be changed via Page Up / Page Down if “Page Up/Down changes grid density” is on.
• Page Up/Down changes grid density — When on, Page Up/Down change grid density; when off, they change widget/icon scale.

Wallpapers

• Wallpaper — URL or vault path (e.g. folder/image.png). Supports images and video (e.g. .mp4).
• Built-in presets (Unsplash) + vault images listed when you type a path.

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Widgets: Local vs ObsidGet

Local (Nova)

• Shipped with Nova. No extra plugin.
• Nova tab in the Widget Gallery.
• Examples: Clock, Quick Note, Mini MD, Pomodoro, 2048, Snake, Tic-Tac-Toe, Chess AI, Calculator, System, BTC, Ping, Video, YouTube, IDE.
• Rendered by Nova; state stored in Nova’s plugin data.

ObsidGet

• Require the ObsidGet plugin (obsidian-obsidget).
• ObsidGet tab in the Widget Gallery.
• Loaded from ObsidGet’s gallery (HTML/CSS/JS). Nova runs them in a sandbox and syncs size (resize handle bottom-right).
• Optional template fields: cols, rows (initial size), allowGrowBeyondTemplate (if true, widget can grow beyond that size; e.g. Kanban).
• State is stored per widget by ObsidGet/Nova.

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Grid and layout

• Logical grid — e.g. 36×36 by default; configurable 12–64 in Settings.
• Placement — Items have x, y, cols, rows in grid units. No overlap; other items shift when needed.
• Resize — Drag the bottom-right handle (visible in edit mode or when holding Alt). Some ObsidGet widgets report size so the cell grows/shrinks with content.
• Edit mode — Click the edit (pencil) icon on the taskbar to move, resize, or delete items. Click an item to open its edit modal (title, position, etc.); use the delete button there to remove it. Click the pencil again to lock layout.

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Files and data

• Nova state: Plugin data (Obsidian) → obsidian-nova (items, config, windows, widget state).
• No reference to any other product name in saved data; plugin name is obsidian-nova.

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Requirements

• Obsidian 1.5.0 or later.
• Optional: ObsidGet for ObsidGet widgets.

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Author and license

Author: infinition
Nova: github.com/infinition/obsidian-nova
License: MIT