Analysis updated 2026-05-18
Keep an always-visible map of how your notes connect while working in other apps
Focus on one note's local neighborhood of links instead of the full vault graph
See which notes were edited in the last week highlighted in a different color
Package the widget as a Windows or macOS installer for personal use
| adityagahlot/obsidian-desktop-widget | rusty4444/now-showing-ha | ahouseofbards/bonfire-jellyprofiles | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stars | 53 | 53 | 54 |
| Language | JavaScript | JavaScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | easy | moderate | moderate |
| Complexity | 2/5 | 2/5 | 3/5 |
| Audience | general | general | ops devops |
Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.
Needs Node.js 18+ and npm install before npm start, point it at your vault folder on first run.
Obsidian is a note-taking app that stores notes as Markdown files in a local folder called a vault. One of its popular features is a graph view that shows how notes link to each other as a web of connected nodes. This project adds that graph view as a floating widget that lives on your desktop, separate from the Obsidian app itself. The widget is built with Electron, a framework that lets web-based code run as a standalone desktop app. It sits transparently on top of whatever else is on your screen. By default, mouse clicks pass through it so it does not interfere with other apps, but you can switch to interact mode when you want to drag nodes or use the controls. The widget has three modes: a full graph of all notes in the vault, a local graph showing one selected note and its direct connections, and a focus mode that shows the current note alongside its backlinks and recently edited files. Nodes are color-coded by type: grey for regular notes, blue for tagged notes, and green for notes modified in the last seven days. Hovering over a node shows a tooltip with link count, recent activity, and tags. The app reads your vault folder directly by scanning Markdown files for wikilinks (the double-bracket link format Obsidian uses) and hashtag-style tags. All data stays on your machine and no internet connection is needed. To run it, you need Node.js version 18 or newer. Clone the repository, run npm install, then npm start, and point the app at your vault folder when prompted. Installer builds for Windows and macOS are also available via npm build scripts.
A floating, click-through desktop widget that shows your Obsidian notes as a live, always-on-top graph.
Mainly JavaScript. The stack also includes Electron, JavaScript, Node.js.
Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 30min to a first successful run.
Mainly general.
This repo across BitVibe Labs
Verify against the repo before relying on details.