XMinder

An Obsidian plugin for reading, writing, and embedding XMind mind maps directly inside your vault.

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Introduction

XMinder brings full mind map support to Obsidian. Create or open .xmind files as interactive, editable mind maps without leaving your note-taking workflow. All changes are auto-saved back to the original .xmind format, keeping your files compatible with the XMind desktop application.

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Key Features

Feature	Description
File Explorer integration	.xmind files appear in Obsidian's file tree — click to open
Interactive editor	Add, edit, delete, and drag-and-drop nodes with full undo/redo support
Multi-sheet support	Switch between multiple canvases within a single .xmind file
Canvas panning	Toggle drag mode from the left toolbar to pan with left-click
Auto-save	Changes are written back to the .xmind file after a configurable debounce (default 500ms)
Manual save	Ctrl/Cmd + S saves immediately
Markdown embed	Use ![[diagram.xmind]] to render a read-only interactive preview inline (Reading & Live Preview modes)
Markdown link	Use [[diagram.xmind]] to create a clickable link that opens the XMind view
Export to Mermaid	Export mind map as Mermaid format to clipboard (paste directly into notes for rendering)
Open with XMind app	Right-click menu option to open .xmind files with external XMind application
Theme following	Automatically switches between light and dark themes with Obsidian
Responsive layout	Auto re-fits the view when splitting or resizing panes
Internationalization	Full support for English and Chinese (auto-detected from Obsidian settings)
Format compatibility	Supports both content.json (XMind 8+ / ZEN) and legacy content.xml formats
Cross-platform	Works on macOS, Windows, Linux, and Obsidian Mobile

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Create & Open

Opening an XMind File

Method	How
Click	Click any .xmind file in the file explorer
Context menu	Right-click a .xmind file → Open with XMind App (opens in external app)
Context menu	Right-click a folder → Create New XMind Mindmap
Command	Run XMinder: Create new XMind file

Embedding in a Markdown Note

# Inline read-only preview (click to open full editor)
![[my-diagram.xmind]]

# Clickable link that opens the XMind view
[[my-diagram.xmind]]

Exporting to Mermaid Mindmap

The exported Mermaid format can be pasted directly into notes where the Mermaid plugin renders it as a visual mind map:

mindmap
  root(("Central Topic"))
    Main Topic 1
      Subtopic 1
      Subtopic 2
    Main Topic 2
      Subtopic 3

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Features & Shortcuts

Toolbar

Left toolbar (top-left corner):

Button	Description
Hand / Pointer	Toggle canvas drag mode
Crosshair	Center and focus on root node
Question mark	Show keyboard shortcuts

Right-bottom toolbar:

Button	Description
Zoom out	Decrease zoom level
Zoom in	Increase zoom level
Reset	Fit diagram to view and center
Fullscreen	Toggle fullscreen mode

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Tab	Add child node
Enter	Add sibling node
Ctrl/Cmd + C	Copy
Ctrl/Cmd + V	Paste
Ctrl/Cmd + Z	Undo
Ctrl/Cmd + S	Save immediately

Command Palette

Command	Description
XMinder: Create New XMind File	Creates a new blank .xmind file and opens it
XMinder: Export XMind as Mermaid Mindmap	Exports as Mermaid mindmap to clipboard
XMinder: Fit XMind View	Resets zoom and centers the diagram
XMinder: Save XMind File	Saves immediately

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Settings

Open Settings → Community Plugins → XMinder:

Setting	Default	Description
Auto-save Delay	500 ms	Time to wait after the last edit before auto-saving. Set to 0 to disable.
Embed Preview Height	320 px	Height of embedded mind map previews when using ![[file.xmind]].
Show "Open with XMind App" menu	On	Show "Open with XMind App" in file context menu.
Enable Clipboard Export	On	Enable copying mind map as Mermaid format to clipboard. Disable to remove clipboard access.

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Project Info

Project Structure

obsidian-xminder/
├── src/
│   ├── main.ts                        # Plugin entry point & lifecycle
│   ├── settings.ts                    # Settings definition and UI tab
│   ├── i18n.ts                        # Internationalization (en/zh)
│   ├── xmind/
│   │   ├── types.ts                   # Internal type definitions
│   │   ├── parser.ts                  # .xmind → XMindData (ZIP + JSON/XML)
│   │   ├── serializer.ts              # XMindData → .xmind (ZIP)
│   │   └── canvas.ts                  # Export to Obsidian Canvas format
│   ├── views/
│   │   ├── XMindView.ts               # FileView with mind-elixir renderer
│   │   └── LayoutEngine.ts            # Custom layout engine for node positioning
│   └── markdown/
│       ├── EmbedProcessor.ts          # ![[]] / [[]] post-processor (Reading mode)
│       └── LivePreviewProcessor.ts    # CodeMirror extension (Live Preview mode)
├── .github/
│   └── workflows/
│       └── release.yml                # CI/CD workflow with artifact attestation
├── styles.css                         # Source stylesheet
├── manifest.json                      # Obsidian plugin manifest
├── package.json
├── tsconfig.json
└── esbuild.config.mjs                 # Build configuration with dependency bundling

Environment Requirements

Tool	Minimum Version
Node.js	16.x
npm	7.x

Install Dependencies

npm install

Development Build (watch mode)

npm run dev

To test with Obsidian, symlink the plugin folder into your vault:

ln -s /path/to/obsidian-xminder \
  "/path/to/your/vault/.obsidian/plugins/obsidian-xminder"

Then enable the plugin in Settings → Community Plugins and reload Obsidian after each change (Cmd+R / Ctrl+R).

Production Build

npm run build

Output in dist/:

dist/
├── main.js        # Bundled plugin (all dependencies inlined)
├── manifest.json
└── styles.css

Clean build (removes dist/ first):

npm run build:clean

Manual Deployment

1. Build the plugin:

   npm install && npm run build
   

2. Copy to your vault:

   mkdir -p "<your-vault>/.obsidian/plugins/obsidian-xminder"
   cp dist/{main.js,manifest.json,styles.css} \
     "<your-vault>/.obsidian/plugins/obsidian-xminder/"
   

3. Enable the plugin in Settings → Community Plugins

GitHub Actions CI/CD

The repository includes a release workflow that:

• Triggers on any git tag push
• Builds the plugin with npm run build
• Generates GitHub artifact attestations for build provenance
• Creates a GitHub Release with main.js, styles.css, and manifest.json

To publish a release:

git tag -a v1.0.8 -m "Release v1.0.8"
git push origin v1.0.8

Key Dependencies

Package	Purpose
mind-elixir	Interactive mind map renderer
jszip	Read/write .xmind ZIP archives
obsidian	Obsidian plugin API
esbuild	Bundler
typescript	Type checking

Platform Support

Platform	Status
macOS	✅ Fully supported
Windows	✅ Fully supported
Linux	✅ Fully supported
Obsidian Mobile (iOS / Android)	✅ Supported

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XMind File Format

.xmind files are ZIP archives. This plugin reads and writes:

Entry	Format	Version
content.json	JSON array of sheets	XMind 8+ / ZEN (preferred)
content.xml	XML document	Legacy (read-only)
metadata.json	JSON	Written on save

Files in content.xml format are upgraded to content.json on first save.

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License

MIT