note-deep-researcher

Simple “Deep Research” runner for Obsidian notes.

This plugin lets you manually run a Gemini-based deep research workflow against the currently active note and save the resulting research report into your Vault.

The plugin name is note-deep-researcher.

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Overview

• Trigger
  • Ribbon icon
  • Command palette command: Run Deep Research on active note
• Target
  • The currently active note (Markdown file)
• Output
  • A Markdown report saved under a folder named after the active note

This README describes the intended behavior and user-facing configuration.

Long-running research is handled via Gemini background execution. The plugin stores the active interactionId so it can resume result collection after Obsidian restarts.

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Scope

In scope	Out of scope
Manually run research for the active note
Ribbon icon + command palette entry	Coupling to any other plugin/workflow
Web sources only (Gemini Deep Research)	Searching across your Vault
Save a Markdown report into noteBaseName directory in the Vault
Single active run at a time (simplify UX/implementation)	Managing multiple concurrent runs

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Requirements

• Obsidian
  • Desktop app (recommended).
• Gemini API credentials
  • Provided via environment variables (see below).
• Prompt file
  • A Vault-relative Markdown/text file used as a fixed instruction prompt.

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Inputs

• Deep Research instructions
  • The content of the file configured by deepResearchPromptPath (fixed prompt).
• Note context
  • The full body of the active note.

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Outputs

• Directory: <noteBaseName>/
  • <noteBaseName>: active note filename without extension
  • If the directory does not exist, the plugin creates it.
• Report file: <noteBaseName>_deep_research.md
  • Full path: <noteBaseName>/<noteBaseName>_deep_research.md
• Report header template:

  # <noteBaseName> deep research report
  ## <timestamp>
  

  • <timestamp>: ISO 8601 format (e.g., 2025-01-15T10:30:00+09:00)
• Overwrite behavior
  • Re-runs overwrite <noteBaseName>_deep_research.md.
• Prompt scope
  • Global only (no per-note overrides).

Run concurrency

• Only one Deep Research run can be active at a time.
• If a run is already in progress and the user triggers the command again, the plugin proceeds Reset / Abandon the current run. See below for details.

Example

If the active note is my-note.md, the report is saved to:

my-note/my-note_deep_research.md

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Settings (NoteDeepResearcherSettings)

Name	Type	Default	Description
deepResearchEnabled	boolean	false	Enable/disable this feature
deepResearchPromptPath	string	-	Vault-relative path to a prompt file used for Deep Research
deepResearchNoticeIntervalSec	number	5	How often to show “in progress” notices (seconds)
deepResearchCheckIntervalSec	number	60	How often to poll interactions.get() for the active run (seconds)
deepResearchEnvFilePath	string	-	Absolute path to an external .env file (outside the Vault)

Prompt file format (recommended)

The prompt file can be plain text or Markdown. Keep it stable and version-controlled.

Example:

You are a research assistant.

Read the provided note context and produce a deep research report.

Constraints:
- Focus on web sources.
- Provide citations/links.
- Return Markdown.

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Environment variables (Gemini-only)

The plugin reads credentials from an external .env file configured via deepResearchEnvFilePath. This file must be outside your Vault (so secrets are not stored in your notes).

Example .env

Create a file outside the Vault, for example:

• Linux: /home/<user>/.config/note-deep-researcher/.env
• macOS: /Users/<user>/.config/note-deep-researcher/.env
• Windows: C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\note-deep-researcher\\.env

Contents:

LLM_PROVIDER=gemini
GEMINI_API_KEY=...
GEMINI_AGENT=deep-research-pro-preview-12-2025

Behavior

• If LLM_PROVIDER != gemini, the run is blocked (Notice + log).
• If GEMINI_API_KEY is missing, the run is blocked (Notice + log).
• GEMINI_AGENT is optional. If not set, the plugin uses deep-research-pro-preview-12-2025.

Security

• Never write GEMINI_API_KEY to logs.
• Do not store credentials in the Vault.
• Keep the .env file readable only by your OS user when possible.

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Installation

Manual install (developer build)

1. Build the plugin bundle:
   • npm install
   • npm run build
2. Copy the release artifacts into your Vault:
   • <vault>/.obsidian/plugins/note-deep-researcher/
   • Required files:
     • main.js
     • manifest.json
     • styles.css (if present)
3. In Obsidian, enable the plugin:
   • Settings → Community plugins

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How to use

1. Open the note you want to research.
2. Trigger the plugin:
   • Click the ribbon icon, or
   • Run the command: Run Deep Research on active note
3. Wait until the plugin completes.
4. The report will be created/updated under <noteBaseName>/<noteBaseName>_deep_research.md.

Reset / Abandon

• This plugin does not guarantee Gemini-side job cancellation.
• Instead, it provides a single Reset / Abandon action that clears the locally stored pending run (so you can start a new one).

How users invoke Reset / Abandon

• Command palette
  • Deep Research: Reset / Abandon current run
• Ribbon icon while running
  • If a run is already in progress and the user clicks the ribbon icon, show a confirmation UI:
    • Message: Deep Research is running for <note name>. Abandon it?
    • Buttons: Abandon / Keep running
  • If the user selects Abandon, clear the local pending state and show a Notice.

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Processing flow

flowchart TD
    A[User triggers from ribbon / command palette] --> B[Resolve active note]
    B --> C{Active note exists?}
    C -->|No| D[Abort]
    C -->|Yes| E[Validate settings]
    
    E --> F{deepResearchEnabled?}
    F -->|false| G[Abort with Notice]
    F -->|true| H{deepResearchPromptPath exists?}
    H -->|No| I[Abort with Notice]
    H -->|Yes| J{deepResearchEnvFilePath exists?}
    J -->|No| K[Abort with Notice]
    J -->|Yes| L[Read environment]
    
    L --> M{LLM_PROVIDER = gemini?}
    M -->|No| N[Abort with Notice]
    M -->|Yes| O{GEMINI_API_KEY exists?}
    O -->|No| P[Abort with Notice]
    O -->|Yes| Q[Extract context - Note body]
    
    Q --> R[Read prompt file]
    R --> S[Call Gemini Deep Research]
    S --> T[Show periodic 'in progress' Notice every N seconds]
    T --> U[Write report to noteBaseName/noteBaseName_deep_research.md]
    U --> V[Show completion Notice]
    V --> W[End - Do not auto-open report]

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Logging / reasons

Each run should emit a single “result” log entry with a reason code. Keep logs non-sensitive.

Log destination: <vault>/.obsidian/plugins/note-deep-researcher/note-deep-researcher.log

reason	説明
DR_DISABLED	Aborted because feature is disabled
DR_PROMPT_PATH_MISSING	deepResearchPromptPath not set
DR_ENV_PATH_MISSING	deepResearchEnvFilePath not set
DR_INIT_FAILED	Provider initialization failed
DR_PROMPT_READ_FAILED	Failed to read prompt file
DR_NOTE_READ_FAILED	Failed to read the active note
DR_STARTED	Started a run and stored the interactionId
DR_ABANDONED	User abandoned the current run (local state cleared)
DR_REQUEST_FAILED	Gemini request failed or the run failed
DR_WRITE_FAILED	Completed but failed to write report
DR_OK	Success

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Error handling expectations

• The plugin should fail fast on configuration/credential issues.
• Network/API failures should produce a clear Notice and a single non-sensitive log entry.
• If writing the report fails, the plugin reports the error and clears the run state.

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Implementation notes

Provider interface

Define a provider interface to keep the orchestration testable:

• DeepResearchProvider.run(params) -> markdownReport

Gemini implementation

Implement GeminiDeepResearchProvider to call the Gemini API.

Important constraints:

• Do not log prompts, note contents, or API responses verbatim unless explicitly enabled for debugging.
• Consider rate limits, latency, and potential costs.
• Prefer a local Reset / Abandon command over “cancel,” since Gemini-side cancellation may not be available.

Orchestration

Create src/deep_research.ts to:

• validate inputs/settings
• assemble context
• call provider
• write output

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Development checklist

1. Add settings: deepResearchEnabled, deepResearchPromptPath, deepResearchNoticeIntervalSec
2. Add ribbon icon via addRibbonIcon
3. Add command: Run Deep Research on active note
4. Implement DeepResearchProvider
5. Implement GeminiDeepResearchProvider
6. Implement orchestration in src/deep_research_simple.ts
7. Integrate with existing logger + Notice patterns
8. Manual QA for each reason case

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Privacy & security

• This feature sends (parts of) your note content to an external LLM provider (Gemini).
• Avoid running on notes that contain secrets.
• Make it explicit in UI/README that note content may be transmitted to Gemini.
• Ensure logs never include:
  • API keys
  • full note contents
  • full model responses

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Acceptance criteria

• Can run Deep Research on the active note via ribbon/command.
• If Gemini credentials are missing, abort with Notice + log.
• On success, create/update the Markdown report and show a completion Notice.
• Logs must not contain sensitive information.

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Attribution and license

This plugin is based on the official Obsidian sample plugin and is distributed under the 0BSD license. See LICENSE for details.