Project Pulse

Score your projects across custom dimensions (1–5) and visualize trade-offs — right inside Obsidian.

Inspired by The Staff Engineer's Path by Tanya Reilly, but generalized for anyone who juggles multiple projects.

Features

• Scoring modal — Cmd/Ctrl+P → "Score this project" → rate each dimension with sliders (1–5). Scores save to YAML frontmatter.
• Dashboard sidebar — Sortable table of all scored projects with dot scores (●●●●○ 4/5), summary cards, and folder filtering.
• Radar chart comparison — Select 2–3 projects in the dashboard to overlay their scores on a radar chart.
• In-note scorecard — Add a ```pulse code block to any scored note to display its scores inline.
• 6 built-in presets — Default, Software Engineer, Freelancer, Student, Creator, Manager — or define fully custom dimensions.
• Frontmatter-based — All data lives in your notes as standard YAML. No external database, no lock-in.

Installation

Manual

1. Download main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css from the latest release.
2. Create a folder project-pulse inside your vault's .obsidian/plugins/ directory.
3. Copy the three files into that folder.
4. Open Obsidian → Settings → Community plugins → Enable "Project Pulse".

Usage

Score a project

1. Open any markdown note.
2. Cmd/Ctrl+P → "Project Pulse: Score this project".
3. Adjust the sliders for each dimension, then click Save.

Your scores are stored in the note's frontmatter:

pulse:
  preset: default
  scores:
    energy: 4
    impact: 5
    learning: 2
    enjoyment: 3
    growth: 4
  last_updated: 2026-03-03

Dashboard

Open via Cmd/Ctrl+P → "Project Pulse: Open dashboard" or click the activity icon in the ribbon.

• Sort by any column (click headers)
• Filter by folder
• Check 2–3 projects to compare them on a radar chart

In-note scorecard

Add this code block to any scored note:

```pulse
```

It renders a vertical scorecard with dot indicators for each dimension.

Configuration

Go to Settings → Project Pulse:

• Preset — Choose from Default, Software Engineer, Freelancer, Student, Creator, Manager, or Custom.
• Custom dimensions — Define your own dimensions when "Custom" is selected.
• Target folders — Limit the dashboard to specific folders (comma-separated). Leave empty to scan all.

Support

If you find this plugin useful, consider supporting its development:

License

MIT