Seam — Frictionless Note Organization for Obsidian

English · Português

Capture thoughts, tag naturally, and let Seam organize your vault quietly in the background.

Seam is a lightweight Obsidian plugin that organizes notes through tags. Inspired by the Zettelkasten method and apps like Apple Notes and Bear, it uses a simple workflow built around Fleeting, Permanent, and Archive. Add #permanent or #archive to move a note, and use the Universal Palette to search your vault. Spend less time managing files and more time writing.

Why Seam?

Seam keeps organization simple and stays out of your way:

Traditional Workflow	With Seam
❌ Move files between folders by hand	✅ Add #permanent to file a note automatically
❌ Leave completed notes mixed with active work	✅ Add #archive to move them out of the way
❌ Switch between different search tools	✅ Search notes, content, tags, and commands in one palette
❌ Maintain a deep folder hierarchy	✅ Use a simple workflow guided by tags
❌ Depend on desktop-only features	✅ Use Seam on desktop and mobile

How Seam Fits into Your Workflow

1. Capture Without Friction (Fleeting Notes)

Open the Universal Palette from the command palette or with your chosen shortcut, then type a note title. If the note does not exist, press Enter to create it in Fleeting/. You can also use a template for your preferred properties and headings.

Universal Palette → "Meeting with Design Team" → [Create new note]

2. File Permanent Notes (#permanent)

When a note is ready to keep, add #permanent in the note body or properties.

Seam will:

1. Move the note to your Permanent/ folder.
2. Remove the #permanent action tag.
3. Remove any additional tags or properties you chose in settings.

3. Archive Completed Work (#archive)

When a project, task, or meeting note is complete, add #archive.

1. The note moves to your Archive/ folder.
2. Seam removes the #archive action tag.
3. Seam can add #archived so the note remains easy to find.

4. Search and Filter with Live Tag Chips

Open the Universal Palette:

• Search notes and content: Find matches in titles, paths, and note text.
• Filter by tag: Type # to browse tags, then press Enter to add one.
• Combine filters: Add multiple tag chips and remove them with Backspace or ×.
• Open in a new tab: Press Cmd + Enter on macOS or Ctrl + Enter on Windows and Linux.

Key Features

Hands-Off Tag Routing

Seam reads action tags from the note body or properties. It creates destination folders when needed, avoids overwriting files, and removes action tags only after a successful move. If a note has both #permanent and #archive, Seam leaves it in place.

Universal Palette

Search and act from one place:

• Find notes by title, path, tag, or content.
• Preview matching text before opening a note.
• Create a fleeting note when no result matches.
• Type > to run Seam commands.

Automatic Cleanup on Move

Choose which temporary tags and note properties Seam removes after a successful move. For example, you can clear #todo, #review, or a status property.

Fleeting Note Templates

Choose a template note, such as Templates/Fleeting Note. New notes created from the palette will start with its content and properties.

First-Class Mobile Support

Seam uses Obsidian's public APIs and no desktop-only code. It works on desktop, iPhone, iPad, and Android.

Settings

Customize Seam under Settings → Community Plugins → Seam:

• Folders: Set your preferred paths for Fleeting/, Permanent/, and Archive/ folders.
• Fleeting template: Choose a template for notes created from the palette.
• Automation: Turn automatic processing on or off and choose when it runs.
• Archive behavior: Choose whether archived notes receive the #archived tag.
• Move cleanup: Choose which temporary tags and properties to remove after a move.
• Universal Palette: Assign a keyboard shortcut and show or hide icons.
• Advanced: Set how often Seam checks for notes it may have missed.

Installation

From Obsidian Community Plugins

1. Open Settings → Community plugins in Obsidian.
2. Turn off Restricted mode if needed.
3. Click Browse and search for Seam.
4. Click Install, then Enable.

Manual Installation

1. Download the latest release (main.js, manifest.json, styles.css) from the Releases page.
2. Create a folder named obsidian-seam inside your vault's plugin directory: <vault>/.obsidian/plugins/obsidian-seam/.
3. Copy the downloaded files into that folder.
4. Reload Obsidian and enable Seam under Settings → Community plugins.

Keyboard Shortcuts & Commands

Command	Shortcut / Action	Description
Open Universal Palette	Assigned shortcut or command palette	Search notes, tags, content, and commands
Open in new tab	Cmd + Enter / Ctrl + Enter	Open the selected note in a new tab
Filter by tag	#<tag>	Filter notes with interactive tag chips
Command mode	>	Browse and run Seam commands
Archive current note	Command palette	Archive the open Markdown note
Move to Permanent	Command palette	Move the open Markdown note to Permanent/
Archive all notes	Command palette	Process every note tagged with #archive

Languages

Seam follows Obsidian's language setting. It currently supports:

• English (US)
• Portuguese (BR)

Other languages use English by default.

Contributing Translations

Want to use Seam in another language? Contributions are welcome:

1. Create a new locale file in src/i18n/locales/<locale-code>.ts (e.g., es.ts, fr.ts, de.ts) implementing the Translations type.
2. Register the new locale in src/i18n/index.ts.
3. Open a Pull Request on GitHub.

Support the Project

Seam is free and open source. If it saves you time, consider supporting its development:

Pix

Development

For developer instructions, Spec-Driven Development (SDD) guidelines, and release procedures, see README.dev.md.

License

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0.

Built with

Seam was built with the help of AI agents. Each iteration was guided and documented with plain-text specifications written by me.

Crafted with care by William A. Costa (@WillACosta).