XMinder

An Obsidian plugin for reading, writing, and embedding XMind files directly inside your vault. Powered by mind-elixir.

中文

Introduction

XMinder brings full XMind mind map support to Obsidian. Open .xmind files as interactive, editable mind maps without leaving your note-taking workflow. Changes are auto-saved back to the original .xmind format, keeping your files compatible with the XMind desktop application.

Features

• File Explorer integration — .xmind files appear in Obsidian's file tree; click to open
• Interactive mind map editor — add, edit, delete, and drag-and-drop nodes with full undo/redo support
• Multi-sheet support — switch between multiple canvases within a single .xmind file via a dropdown selector
• Canvas panning — toggle drag mode from the left toolbar to pan the canvas with left-click
• Auto-save — changes are written back to the .xmind file after a configurable debounce delay (default 500 ms)
• Manual save — Ctrl/Cmd + S saves immediately
• Markdown embed — use ![[diagram.xmind]] to render a read-only interactive preview inline in any note
• Markdown link — use [[diagram.xmind]] to create a clickable link that opens XMind view
• Export to Mermaid mindmap — export mind map as Mermaid format copied to clipboard (can be pasted directly into notes for rendering)
• Open with XMind app — right-click menu option to open .xmind files with external XMind application (configurable in settings)
• Theme follow — automatically switches between light and dark themes with Obsidian
• Responsive layout — automatically re-fits the view when splitting or resizing panes
• XMind format compatibility — supports both content.json (XMind 8+ / ZEN) and legacy content.xml formats
• Cross-platform — works on macOS, Windows, Linux, and Obsidian Mobile

Usage

Opening an XMind file

• click any .xmind file in the file explorer
• Right-click a .xmind file → Open as XMind (opens with external XMind app, configurable)
• Right-click a folder → Create New XMind Mindmap (creates a new XMind file in the selected folder)
• Run the command: XMinder: Create new XMind file

Embedding in a Markdown note

# Inline read-only preview (click to open full editor)
![[my-diagram.xmind]]

# Clickable link that opens the XMind view
[[my-diagram.xmind]]

Export to Mermaid Mindmap

The exported Mermaid mindmap format can be pasted directly into notes, and the Mermaid plugin will automatically render it as a visual mind map:

mindmap
  root(("Central Topic"))
    Main Topic 1
      Subtopic 1
      Subtopic 2
    Main Topic 2
      Subtopic 3

Toolbar

Left toolbar (top-left corner):

Button	Description
Hand / Pointer	Toggle canvas drag mode
Crosshair	Center and focus on root node
Question mark	Show keyboard shortcuts

Right-bottom toolbar:

Button	Description
Zoom out	Decrease zoom level
Zoom in	Increase zoom level
Reset	Fit diagram to view and center
Fullscreen	Toggle fullscreen mode

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Tab	Add child node
Enter	Add sibling node
Ctrl+C	Copy
Ctrl+V	Paste
Ctrl+Z	Undo
Ctrl+S	Save

Commands (Command Palette)

Command	Description
XMinder: Create New XMind File	Creates a new blank .xmind file and opens it
XMinder: Export XMind as Mermaid Mindmap	Exports as Mermaid mindmap to clipboard (can be pasted directly into notes for rendering)
XMinder: Fit XMind View	Resets zoom and centers the diagram
XMinder: Save XMind File	Saves immediately

Settings

Open Settings → Community Plugins → XMinder:

Setting	Default	Description
Auto-save Delay	500 ms	Time to wait after the last edit (milliseconds) before auto-saving the .xmind file. Set to 0 to disable auto-save.
Embed Preview Height	320 px	Height of embedded mind map previews (in pixels) when using ![[file.xmind]] in notes.
Show "Open with XMind" menu	On	Show "Open with XMind" in the file context menu to open .xmind files with the external XMind application. Recommended if XMind app is installed.

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Build & Deployment

Prerequisites

Tool	Minimum version
Node.js	16.x
npm	7.x

Project Structure

obsidian-xminder/
├── src/
│   ├── main.ts                  # Plugin entry point
│   ├── settings.ts              # Settings definition and UI tab
│   ├── xmind/
│   │   ├── types.ts             # Internal type definitions
│   │   ├── parser.ts            # .xmind → XMindData (ZIP + JSON/XML)
│   │   └── serializer.ts        # XMindData → .xmind (ZIP)
│   ├── views/
│   │   └── XMindView.ts         # FileView with mind-elixir renderer + custom layout
│   └── markdown/
│       └── EmbedProcessor.ts    # ![[]] / [[]] post-processor
├── dist/                        # Production build output
│   ├── main.js
│   ├── manifest.json
│   └── styles.css
├── styles.css                   # Source stylesheet
├── manifest.json                # Obsidian plugin manifest
├── package.json
├── tsconfig.json
└── esbuild.config.mjs           # Build configuration

Install Dependencies

npm install

Development Build (watch mode)

npm run dev

To test with Obsidian, symlink the plugin folder into your vault:

ln -s /path/to/obsidian-xminder \
  "/path/to/your/vault/.obsidian/plugins/obsidian-xminder"

Then enable the plugin in Settings → Community Plugins and reload Obsidian after each change (Cmd+R / Ctrl+R).

Production Build

npm run build

Output in dist/:

dist/
├── main.js        # Bundled plugin (all dependencies inlined)
├── manifest.json
└── styles.css

Clean build (removes dist/ first):

npm run build:clean

Deployment (Manual Install)

1. Build the plugin:

   npm install && npm run build
   

2. Copy to your vault:

   mkdir -p "<your-vault>/.obsidian/plugins/obsidian-xminder"
   cp dist/{main.js,manifest.json,styles.css} \
     "<your-vault>/.obsidian/plugins/obsidian-xminder/"
   

3. Enable the plugin in Settings → Community Plugins

Key Dependencies

Package	Purpose
mind-elixir	Interactive mind map renderer
jszip	Read/write .xmind ZIP archives
obsidian	Obsidian plugin API
esbuild	Bundler
typescript	Type checking

Platform Support

Platform	Status
macOS	✅ Fully supported
Windows	✅ Fully supported
Linux	✅ Fully supported
Obsidian Mobile (iOS / Android)	✅ Supported

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XMind File Format

.xmind files are ZIP archives. This plugin reads and writes:

Entry	Format	Version
content.json	JSON array of sheets	XMind 8+ / ZEN (preferred)
content.xml	XML document	Legacy (read-only)
metadata.json	JSON	Written on save

Files in content.xml format are upgraded to content.json on first save.

License

MIT