Obsidian Focus Lens

A distraction-free reading and writing experience for Obsidian. Focus Lens highlights the active paragraph or block you are currently reading/writing and gently fades or blurs the rest of the document.

Features

• Dynamic focus: Automatically tracks your scroll position or cursor to keep the active block in focus
• Live Preview & Reading Mode support: Works with standard text, tables, callouts, and other widgets in both editing and reading views
• Two focus modes:
  • Viewport center: The focus is always locked to the center of your screen
  • Click to focus: The focus follows the paragraph you click on or navigate to with your keyboard
• Customizable effects: Choose between a smooth blur effect or a simple opacity dimming for the unfocused text
• Zen Mode: Toggle a completely distraction-free user interface (hides sidebars and ribbons) with a single command

Installation (Beta)

Note: The plugin is currently in beta and not yet available in the community store or releases page.

To test it locally:

1. Clone or download this repository
2. Run pnpm install and pnpm run build
3. Copy main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css to your vault's .obsidian/plugins/obsidian-focus-lens/ folder
4. Reload Obsidian and enable Focus Lens in Settings → Community plugins

Pre-Release Checklist

Pending tasks before the first official release:

• Test across different operating systems and devices (desktop/mobile)
• Verify compatibility with popular themes and other plugins
• Hunt for edge-case bugs in Live Preview and Reading Mode
• Monitor CPU/Performance impact during fast scrolling or in very large notes
• Add screenshots or a GIF demonstrating the plugin in action
• Finalize versioning and release assets

Usage

• Use the eye icon in the left ribbon to quickly toggle the focus overlay on or off
• Use the maximize icon in the left ribbon to toggle Zen mode
• Open the Command Palette (Ctrl/Cmd + P) to access:
  • Toggle overlay: Turns the focus effect on/off
  • Toggle zen mode: Hides the Obsidian UI for maximum focus. When active, a floating '×' button appears to easily exit the mode
  • Next line/block & Previous line/block: Navigate focus manually (great for "Click to focus" mode)

Settings

• Enable focus: Master switch for the plugin
• Focus band (vh): Adjusts the height of the clear, focused area in the center
• Focus intensity: Controls how aggressively the unfocused text fades or blurs
• Focus mode: Choose between "Viewport center" and "Click to focus"
• Focus effect: Choose between "Blur surroundings" and "Dim surroundings" (opacity only)