Vault Spotlight

A Raycast-style command center for Obsidian: find notes fast, reopen recurring work instantly, and act on results — all without leaving the keyboard.

Vault Spotlight is a keyboard-first command center for three jobs:

• Search — fuzzy-find any note, command, heading, link, folder, or open editor in one launcher.
• Workflows — save a search and bring back the same project, meeting, or follow-up context in one keystroke.
• Actions — open, copy, rename, batch-edit, export, or preview results without breaking flow.

Free is genuinely useful on day one. Pro adds deeper search, unlimited workflows, and batch actions for people who live in the launcher.

Search

Find the right note, command, or vault object fast.

• Fuzzy launcher — partial names, initials, and light typos; recent files and open editors are boosted automatically.
• Modes without menus — Tab/Shift+Tab (or a configurable prefix) cycles files, commands (:), symbols ($), open editors (=), and folders (/).
• Tag & property filters — narrow with #work, @status:done, or a name plus metadata filters.
• Content & heading search (Pro) — search inside note bodies (>) and jump to any heading (^); browse backlinks/outlinks with links mode (~).

Workflows

Reopen repeated work in one keystroke.

• Save the current search — mode + query (+ optional ranking and scope) — with Cmd/Ctrl+S, then re-run it from the Browse screen.
• One saved object — pin the ones you use daily. Free includes 2; Pro is unlimited and can seed curated starters.

Actions

Do useful work immediately after finding something.

• Action palette (Free) — press Cmd/Ctrl+K on any result to open it, copy a Markdown link or path, or rename it.
• Batch actions (Pro) — select a working set with Cmd/Ctrl+Space, then open, tag, set a property, move, or turn results into a map-of-content note.
• Export (Pro) — copy selected results as Markdown links, or create a search-results note for handoff.
• Starred pins (Pro) — Cmd/Ctrl+D keeps high-value files at the top of Browse.

Quick actions

Instant tools from the input bar — no mode-switching.

• Calculator & converter (Free) — 1234*0.19, 20% of 250, 10 km to mi, 40 USD to EUR; Enter copies, Shift+Enter inserts. Offline rates you control.
• Date jump (Free) — today, next friday, or an ISO date opens (or creates) that day's daily note.
• Quick capture (Free) — press +, jot a thought, and Enter appends it to today's daily note without opening it.

Free vs Pro

Pro ($8 one-time) turns Spotlight into a reusable work cockpit — repeated leverage, richer actions, and deeper search. Basic file operations stay free.

Area	Free	Pro
File launcher, commands, symbols, editors, folders	Yes	Yes
Tag / property filters in file search	Yes	Yes
Calculator, converters, date jump, quick capture	Yes	Yes
Ranking controls & match-reason badges	Yes	Yes
Action palette (Cmd/Ctrl+K): open, copy, rename	Yes	Yes
Saved workflows	2	Unlimited + starters
Body content search (>) and heading search (^)	No	Yes
Links mode, live preview pane	No	Yes
Batch actions, export, starred pins	No	Yes
Snippets, capture to inbox / under a heading	No	Yes
Workflow scope, aliases & advanced query (OR, filters)	No	Yes
Canvas / PDF / Bases discovery & search	No	Yes

Purchase: Buy Me a Coffee — Vault Spotlight Pro. License keys are verified offline (Ed25519) — no account, server, or subscription.

Advanced & automation

Power-user depth — the advanced query language (Boolean OR, filters), aliases, workflow scope, ripgrep acceleration, Canvas/PDF/Bases, integrations, the URL scheme, and the global API — lives in docs/advanced.md.

Privacy & data

Vault Spotlight never phones home. All state lives in the plugin's local data.json (settings plus ranking data). Because that includes note paths and query text, add .obsidian/plugins/vault-spotlight/data.json to .gitignore if you commit your .obsidian folder.

Install

Manual: copy main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css into .obsidian/plugins/vault-spotlight/, then enable Vault Spotlight in Settings → Community plugins. Open from the ribbon icon or bind a hotkey to Open spotlight (no default hotkey, per Obsidian guidelines).

Community directory: search Vault Spotlight in Settings → Community plugins.

Activate Pro

1. Purchase on Buy Me a Coffee.
2. Your license key is emailed to you automatically, within seconds — delivery is fully automated, no waiting.
3. Obsidian → Settings → Vault Spotlight → paste the key. Pro unlocks immediately (offline verification).

Development

npm install
npm run build
npm test        # typecheck + lint + full suite, incl. the fixture-vault & modal harnesses

Listed as Optional payments in the Obsidian Community directory (free core + paid Pro unlock). Issues and feature requests welcome on GitHub.