Tiny Dragger

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Tiny Dragger is an Obsidian desktop plugin that rearranges Markdown blocks inside the current file. Hover a block to show a gutter handle, drag to move or nest it, and click the handle for convert / copy / cut / delete. It does not drag between files.

Block detection, moves, indent, and basic type conversion use the MIT md-dragger engine (the same domain as Dragger). Handles, menus, native multi-block selection, settings, and translations are implemented in this plugin.

• Display name: Tiny Dragger
• Plugin ID: tiny-dragger
• Minimum Obsidian version: 1.13.0
• License: GPL-3.0 (the md-dragger dependency is MIT)
• UI language: Follows the Obsidian app language. Codes starting with zh show Simplified Chinese. All other languages show English.

Install

In Obsidian, open Settings → Community plugins, search for Tiny Dragger, then install and enable it. Desktop only.

To skip the community directory or install a development build, see “Build from source” at the end.

Usage

Works in Source mode and Live Preview. Reading view has no handles.

Handle

Hover a block. A four-dot handle appears over the left gutter (it does not shrink the text column):

• Click the dots to open the block menu. The handle stays on that block until the menu closes.
• Press and drag the dots to move the block.

Drag

• Single block: do not select text. Hover the four dots, hold the left button, and drag.
• Multiple blocks: select the text of several blocks with the editor’s native selection, then drag from the four-dot handle of a block inside that selection. Dragging from a handle outside the selection moves only that one block.
• Lists: each list row moves on its own. Nested children are not taken unless you select those rows too. Selecting several nested rows (for example three indented items) moves them together.
• Nesting: while dragging lists, quotes, or callouts, move horizontally to change indent. The drop guide shifts with the target indent. A mostly vertical drag keeps the original indent.
• Press Escape to cancel.

Block menu

Click the four dots (without dragging) to convert, copy, cut, or delete. Convert targets are paragraph, H1–H6, bulleted / numbered / task list, quote, [!info] / [!warning] / [!danger] / [!example], code block, or math block — with copy / cut / delete below a separator. Same-type conversions do nothing. When a multi-block native selection includes the gripped block, these actions apply to that whole payload (same rules as drag); otherwise they apply only to the gripped block.

Settings

Under Obsidian Settings → Tiny Dragger:

Setting	Description	Default
Handle color	Theme accent, or a custom color picker	Theme
Handle size	12–28 px, step 2	20
Handle horizontal offset	−20 to 20 px	0

Known limits

• Desktop only. No handles in reading view or on mobile.
• Block boundaries follow md-dragger and may not match Live Preview widgets exactly.
• Inline $…$ math is not a block. YAML frontmatter is not draggable.
• No cross-file or cross-pane dragging.

Development

For people who change the code, install locally, or publish a release. Plugin users can skip this chapter.

Build from source

Requires Node.js. On Windows, run this in Git Bash or WSL (PowerShell cannot run ./build.sh directly).

git clone https://github.com/exbob/obsidian-tiny-dragger.git
cd obsidian-tiny-dragger
npm install
./build.sh

Then copy tiny-dragger/ into the vault at .obsidian/plugins/tiny-dragger/. That directory contains main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css. Enable Tiny Dragger under Settings → Community plugins.

./build.sh clean only deletes main.js, main.js.map (if present), and ./tiny-dragger/. It does not build. ./build.sh and bash build.sh are the same.

Develop and check

npm run dev       # watch source and rebuild
npm test          # unit tests
npx tsc --noEmit  # typecheck
npm run build     # production build (writes main.js at the repo root only)
./build.sh        # production build and write tiny-dragger/

Publish a new version

Bump version in manifest.json and package.json, add the mapping in versions.json, push, and create a GitHub Release from tiny-dragger/’s main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css. The release tag must match the version exactly (for example 1.0.0, with no v prefix). See the Obsidian plugin publishing docs.

Project layout

build.sh
esbuild.config.mjs
manifest.json
styles.css
tiny-dragger/          # install directory to copy into a vault
src/
  main.ts
  settings.ts
  constants.ts
  i18n/
  engine/              # md-dragger wrappers
  services/            # editor host, drag session
  ui/                  # gutter, menu, settings
tests/
docs/superpowers/specs/