Slidev for Obsidian

Preview Markdown presentations from your Obsidian vault with Slidev. The plugin opens the active note in an embedded presentation view and keeps the displayed slide aligned with your cursor.

Requirements

• The desktop version of Obsidian. The plugin starts a local Node.js process and does not support mobile Obsidian.
• Node.js compatible with the version of Slidev used by your project. The plugin does not install or update Node.js.
• For Set up Slidev, npm installed alongside Node.js, network access to the npm registry, and write access to the vault root.
• For an existing project, @slidev/cli installed locally in that project's node_modules directory. A global slidev command is neither required nor used.
• Write access to the Slidev project while a presentation starts. The plugin creates a hidden temporary entry and bridge configuration there so Slidev can use that project's themes, addons, and components with notes stored elsewhere.

Quick setup installs a small, version-pinned Slidev starter only after you select Set up Slidev. It never changes a project you configured manually.

Install the plugin

Community plugins

1. Open Settings → Community plugins in Obsidian.
2. Select Browse, search for Slidev, and select Install.
3. Enable Slidev.

BRAT (beta releases)

1. Install and enable BRAT from the Obsidian Community Plugins directory.
2. In BRAT settings, select Add beta plugin.
3. Enter https://github.com/nirtamir2/obsidian-slidev and add the plugin.
4. In Settings → Community plugins, enable Slidev.

Manual installation

1. Open the latest GitHub release.
2. Download main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css.
3. Create <your-vault>/.obsidian/plugins/slidev/ and place the three files in that directory.
4. Restart Obsidian, then enable Slidev under Settings → Community plugins.

Set up Slidev

The quickest path is built into the presentation view:

1. Open a Markdown note.
2. Run Slidev: Open presentation view from the command palette, or select the presentation icon in the ribbon.
3. Select Set up Slidev.
4. Keep Obsidian open while the plugin creates <your-vault>/.slidev/, downloads its dependencies with npm, verifies the result, and saves it as the active Slidev project.

You can run the same setup from Settings → Slidev → Quick setup. If an installation is interrupted, select Retry setup; the plugin reuses its generated project and asks npm to finish installing it.

Use an existing Slidev project

To use custom themes, addons, components, or a project stored outside the vault, create and install a Slidev project by following the official getting-started guide. For example:

pnpm create slidev
cd <your-slidev-project>
pnpm install

Then open Settings → Slidev:

1. Set Slidev project folder to the project directory containing node_modules/@slidev/cli/package.json.
2. Leave Node.js executable empty to use node from Obsidian's inherited PATH. If Obsidian cannot find a shell-managed Node.js installation, enter the absolute path to the executable.
3. Keep the default Port (3030) or choose a free port from 1 through 65535.
4. Select Verify beside the project folder and resolve any reported issue.

Entering a project folder disables quick setup; the plugin does not modify or install dependencies in that project.

The other settings are optional:

• Show slide numbers in reading view labels Slidev separators with the number of the following slide.
• Debug mode adds server controls and process output to the presentation view.

Present a note

1. Open an existing Markdown note stored in a local vault.
2. Run Slidev: Open presentation view from the command palette, or select the presentation icon in the ribbon.
3. Complete Set up Slidev if prompted. Once configured, the view starts or connects to Slidev automatically.

The plugin connects to an existing server on the configured port when one is available. Otherwise, it launches the configured project's local Slidev CLI for the active note. Closing the view stops only the process started by that view. Changing the active note restarts that owned process for the new note.

Use standard Slidev Markdown in the note, including --- slide separators. The buttons above the embedded deck open the current slide in a browser or open Slidev's presenter view.

If startup fails, see Common problems.

Disclosures

Slidev preserves Obsidian's offline-first model, with the following local access required for its core functionality:

• Network use: After you explicitly select Set up Slidev, the plugin runs npm to download the pinned starter dependencies from npm's configured registry. During presentations, it requests and embeds the local Slidev server at http://localhost:<port>/. That local Vite server may serve requested assets under the vault root so note-relative media works. The generated bridge blocks direct access to .obsidian, unrelated Markdown/Canvas files, and common configuration-data formats. The plugin includes no telemetry. npm, a presentation, a theme, or a Slidev dependency may make its own network requests.
• Files and ownership: Quick setup creates <your-vault>/.slidev/ with a marked package.json, npm's lockfile, and node_modules. It refuses to use a symlink or an existing unmarked .slidev directory and never deletes the generated project automatically. A manually configured Slidev project may be outside the vault. The plugin reads that project's @slidev/cli package metadata and executable files, but does not install or change its dependencies. At launch it creates a temporary .obsidian-slidev-<id>.md entry and matching .obsidian-slidev-<id>/ bridge directory in the configured project. Both are removed when the owned process exits or the view restarts/closes. Matching leftovers after an abrupt shutdown may retain vault paths and deck headmatter but are safe to delete after stopping Slidev.
• External processes: Quick setup starts the configured Node.js executable with npm's CLI and fixed install arguments, without a shell. npm dependency install scripts may execute as part of the installation. When a presentation needs a server, the plugin starts the same Node.js executable with the project-local Slidev CLI and the temporary entry as separate arguments, also without a shell. The plugin stops only presentation processes it started; it does not stop a server that was already running.
• Trusted content: Slidev presentations and npm dependencies can compile or execute JavaScript and read files available to them. Only set up maintained dependencies and launch notes, themes, addons, and project code you trust.

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md for the full development and pull request guide. The quick setup is:

git clone https://github.com/nirtamir2/obsidian-slidev.git
cd obsidian-slidev
pnpm install
pnpm test
pnpm run type-check
pnpm run build

Useful commands:

Command	Purpose
pnpm dev	Watch source files and rebuild in development mode
pnpm test	Run the Vitest test suite once
pnpm run lint	Check supported repository files with ESLint
pnpm run format:check	Check formatting with Prettier
pnpm run type-check	Check TypeScript without emitting files
pnpm run build	Create a production build
pnpm run verify:build	Verify the generated plugin artifacts
pnpm run ci	Run the complete local CI pipeline

Production builds are written to dist/. To build directly into a development vault, set OUT_DIR to the vault's .obsidian/plugins/slidev directory in .env.development.local, then run pnpm dev:

OUT_DIR=/absolute/path/to/vault/.obsidian/plugins/slidev

Do not commit that machine-specific environment file. See Common problems if the output is not where you expect.

Credits

• Advanced Slides
• Slidev and Slidev for VS Code
• Solid
• Vite starters: Obsidian Enhancing Export and Obsidian Svelte Plugin
• Execute Code
• Obsidian Pandoc