TranMD

Copy note content as clean, standard Markdown — stripping Obsidian-specific syntax so it renders correctly in MarginNote 4 and any other Markdown app.

Why TranMD?

Obsidian has many features that are not part of standard Markdown. When you copy a note into MarginNote 4 (or a plain Markdown editor), syntax such as [[wikilinks]], ![[embeds]], > [!note] callouts, YAML frontmatter, %%comments%%, inline #tags, ==highlight==, ~~strikethrough~~, footnotes and block references either does not render or leaks content that was meant to stay hidden. TranMD converts a note — or just the selected text — into clean, portable Markdown and copies it to your clipboard.

Features

• Copy the current selection, or the whole note when nothing is selected
• Works in both editing and reading mode
• Desktop and mobile (iOS / iPadOS) support
• Code blocks, inline code and $$math$$ blocks are protected from conversion
• Available from the command palette, the ribbon, the editor context menu and the file explorer context menu

Conversion rules

Obsidian syntax	TranMD output
[[note|alias]], [[note]]	alias, note (plain text)
[[note#heading]]	heading
![[image.png|300]]	image.png
> [!note] Title	> Title (kept as a blockquote)
YAML frontmatter	removed
%%comment%%	removed
inline #tag	tag (hash removed)
^blockid	removed
==highlight==	<mark>highlight</mark>
~~strikethrough~~	strikethrough (MN4 has no strikethrough)
[^1] footnotes	reference removed, definition becomes - footnote: ...
fenced code / inline code / $$math$$	left untouched

Installation

Community plugins

Search for TranMD in Settings → Community plugins → Browse.

Manual

1. Download manifest.json and main.js from the latest release.
2. Create the folder <vault>/.obsidian/plugins/tranmd/.
3. Put both files inside it.
4. Enable TranMD in Settings → Community plugins.

Usage

• Command palette (Ctrl/Cmd+P):
  • Copy selection as MarginNote Markdown — copies the selection, or the whole note if nothing is selected
  • Copy note as MarginNote Markdown — copies the whole note
• Ribbon: the clipboard icon copies the whole note
• Editor context menu: right-click a selection → Copy as MarginNote Markdown
• File explorer: right-click a .md file → Copy as MarginNote Markdown

Then paste into MarginNote 4 and turn on the Markdown toggle in the card's text field.

Mobile (iOS / iPadOS)

The plugin is not desktop-only and includes a native clipboard path, so it also works on Obsidian mobile:

• Select text → open the selection / ⋮ menu → Copy as MarginNote Markdown
• Or add the command to the mobile toolbar: Settings → Mobile → Manage toolbar options
• Or run it from the command palette

Known limitations

• Inline $...$ math is not individually protected ($$...$$ blocks are). A == or ~~ inside inline math could be converted.
• Standard Markdown links to local .md files are kept as-is; they will not navigate inside MarginNote.
• Nested callouts keep their indentation; only the type marker is removed.

Development

npm install
npm run build   # bundle src/ into main.js
npm test        # run the conversion tests
npm run dev     # watch build

License

MIT