Bring to Front

English | 中文

Description

When Obsidian is in the background and a modal or notice appears, this plugin automatically brings the window to the foreground. Zero configuration needed — install, enable, and it just works. Optionally filter by keywords and watch scope to trigger only on specific content.

Desktop only (Windows / macOS / Linux). Requires Electron APIs for window management.

Key Features

• Auto bring-to-front: When Obsidian is in the background, automatically brings the window to front on new modals or notices
• Keyword filtering: Optional comma-separated keywords to trigger only on specific content
• Flexible watch scope: Monitor modals, notices, both, or custom CSS selectors
• Cooldown protection: Configurable minimum focus interval to avoid focus thrashing
• Bilingual UI: Full English/Chinese support with auto detection

Installation

Method 1: Manual Installation

1. Download the latest release from GitHub Releases

2. Extract the downloaded files

3. Copy the plugin folder to your vault's plugins directory:

   YourVault/.obsidian/plugins/bring-to-front/
   

4. Restart Obsidian or reload plugins

5. Enable the plugin in Settings -> Community Plugins

Method 2: Using BRAT (Beta Reviewers Auto-update Tool)

1. Install the BRAT plugin
2. Open BRAT settings and click Add Beta Plugin
3. Enter the repository: rockbenben/bring-obsidian-to-front
4. Click Add Plugin and enable it

Configuration

Open Settings -> Community Plugins -> Bring to Front.

Settings

Setting	Description	Default	Range
Language	Interface language	Auto-detect	Auto / English / 中文
Keywords	Comma-separated keywords to filter triggers, case-insensitive (empty = match all)	Empty	Any text
Watch scope	Which DOM elements to monitor	Modals & Notices	Modals / Notices / Both / Custom
Custom CSS selector	Custom selector (only when scope = Custom)	Empty	Valid CSS selector
Focus cooldown	Minimum seconds between focus actions (0 = no cooldown)	5 seconds	>= 0
Debug mode	Log matching details to console	Disabled	On / Off

Usage Examples

Use Case	Keywords	Watch Scope
Any modal/notice	(leave empty)	Both
Reminder popup	Snooze, Done	Modals
Error alerts	error, failed	Notices
Specific plugin	(leave empty)	Custom: [data-type="my-plugin"]

Tips

• Shorter focus cooldown (1-30 s) = for frequent triggers
• Longer focus cooldown (>= 120 s) = less intrusive

How It Works

1. MutationObserver: Watches the DOM in real time for new elements matching the configured scope
2. Keyword matching: If keywords are configured, the element's text content is checked against them
3. Cooldown check: Ensures minimum interval between consecutive focus actions
4. Bring to front: Raises the Obsidian window via Electron APIs (restore, show, alwaysOnTop trick, focus)

Troubleshooting

Issue	Possible Cause	Solution
Too frequent focusing	Focus cooldown too short	Increase focus cooldown
Not detecting	Wrong scope or keywords	Check settings; try empty keywords with "Both" scope
Language not switching	Cache/reload issue	Restart Obsidian after changing language

Debug Steps

1. Enable debug mode in settings
2. Open devtools console (Ctrl+Shift+I)
3. Trigger the condition you expect to match
4. Check console for [Bring to Front] log messages
5. Verify the CSS selector matches by running document.querySelector("your-selector") in console

Development

git clone https://github.com/rockbenben/bring-obsidian-to-front.git
cd bring-obsidian-to-front
npm install
npm run dev    # Dev build with hot reload
npm run build  # Production build

License

MIT

Support

If you encounter any issues or have suggestions, please open an issue on GitHub.