Quick PARA Plugin for Obsidian

Automate the PARA method in your Obsidian vault. Quick PARA handles folder provisioning, automatic tagging, template management, task cancellation for archived notes, and project update generation.

Features

Setup wizard

A guided, three-step wizard creates your PARA folder structure and optionally deploys starter templates. It detects existing folders and never overwrites your vault structure.

Automatic PARA tagging

• Sets a para frontmatter property (inbox, projects, areas, resources, archive) based on which PARA folder a note lives in.
• Extracts subfolder names as persistent tags (e.g., a note in 1 - PROJECTS/Work/ gets the tag work).
• Subfolder tags persist when notes move between PARA locations, preserving historical context.
• Fires automatically on file create, move, and rename.
• Bulk-update command to tag every note in the vault at once.
• Tracks created and archived dates, and optionally records a para_history of location changes.
• Skips files in the TEMPLATES folder to keep templates clean.
• Adds a universal all tag to every note for easy filtering.

Example frontmatter:

---
tags:
  - all
  - work
para: projects
created: 2025-11-05
---

Template management

• Six built-in PARA templates (default, inbox, projects, areas, resources, archive).
• One-click deployment to a TEMPLATES folder.
• Never overwrites user-edited templates; only creates missing ones.
• Optional timestamped backup before overwriting.
• Templater syntax support for dynamic variables.
• Auto-generates a Resource Index .base file for the Obsidian Bases plugin.

Task cancellation

When notes are archived, their open tasks are usually no longer relevant. This feature converts open tasks (- [ ], * [ ], + [ ]) to cancelled (- [-]).

• Works on the entire Archive folder or the current file.
• Preview (dry-run) mode shows exactly what would change before modifying anything.
• Optional automatic cancellation when files are moved into Archive.

Project update generation

• Parses a Project Dashboard kanban board to extract project status.
• Generates weekly sections with active projects, blocked items, recently completed tasks, and priority items.
• Preserves manual notes outside <!-- AUTO-MANAGED --> markers.
• Embeds Tasks plugin queries for recent completions, upcoming due dates, recurring tasks, and inactive projects.

Dependency checking

• Verifies required plugins (Templater, Tasks) and optional plugins (Kanban) are installed and enabled.
• Shows a modal with installation links for any missing dependencies.

Commands

Command	Description
Run PARA setup wizard	Launch the three-step folder and template setup
Update PARA tags for current file	Tag the active note based on its PARA location
Update PARA tags for all files	Bulk-tag every markdown file in the vault
Deploy PARA templates	Create missing templates in the TEMPLATES folder
Clean PARA properties from template files	Strip PARA tags from template files
Check plugin dependencies	Verify Templater, Tasks, and Kanban status
Cancel all open tasks in Archive folder	Bulk-cancel tasks in all archived notes
Cancel all open tasks in current file	Cancel tasks in the active note
Preview archive task cancellation (dry run)	See what would change without modifying files

Installation

Manual installation

1. Download main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css from the latest release.
2. Create a folder at <your-vault>/.obsidian/plugins/quick-para/.
3. Copy the three files into that folder.
4. Open Obsidian, go to Settings > Community plugins, and enable Quick PARA.

From source

git clone https://github.com/MarkOnFire/obsidian-quick-para.git
cd obsidian-quick-para
npm install
npm run build

Copy main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css to your vault's .obsidian/plugins/quick-para/ directory, then enable the plugin in Obsidian.

Getting started

1. Enable the plugin and click the grid icon in the left ribbon (or run Quick PARA: Run PARA setup wizard).
2. Walk through the wizard to create folders and deploy templates.
3. Install Templater and Tasks when prompted — both are required for full functionality.
4. Configure folder names, tagging behavior, and template options in Settings > Quick PARA.

Dependencies

Plugin	Required	Purpose
Templater	Yes	Template variable substitution
Tasks	Yes	Task management and queries
Kanban	No	Project Dashboard board for project updates

Default folder structure

0 - INBOX/
1 - PROJECTS/
2 - AREAS/
3 - RESOURCES/
4 - ARCHIVE/

All folder names are customizable in settings.

Troubleshooting

Tags not updating — Make sure the file is inside a PARA folder. Check your folder mappings in settings and try running "Update PARA tags for current file" manually.

Templates not deploying — Verify the TEMPLATES folder exists and check the Obsidian developer console (Ctrl+Shift+I / Cmd+Option+I) for errors.

Project updates not generating — Confirm the Kanban plugin is installed, and that the Project Dashboard path in settings points to an existing kanban board file.

Development

npm install
npm run build    # production build
npm run dev      # watch mode with auto-rebuild

Project structure

src/
├── index.js              # Main plugin entry point
├── settings.js           # Settings tab UI
├── tagging.js            # PARA tagging logic
├── provisioning.js       # Setup wizard and folder creation
├── templates.js          # Template management
├── agenda.js             # Project update generation
├── tasks.js              # Task cancellation
├── dependencies.js       # Plugin dependency checking
└── performance-profiler.js  # Diagnostic profiling

Contributing

1. Fork the repository.
2. Create a feature branch.
3. Make your changes and run npm run build to verify.
4. Submit a pull request.

License

MIT — Copyright (c) 2026 Mark Riechers