Obsidian Canvas

Obsidian Canvas

Reference for creating .canvas files — Obsidian's visual workspace format. Use for spatial layouts, relationship maps, content planning boards, and visual architecture diagrams.

File Format

A .canvas file is JSON with two arrays: nodes and edges.

{
  "nodes": [],
  "edges": []
}

Node Types

Text Node

Inline markdown content rendered on the canvas.

{
  "id": "a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8",
  "type": "text",
  "x": 0,
  "y": 0,
  "width": 400,
  "height": 200,
  "text": "# Heading\n\nMarkdown content here.\n\n- Bullet points\n- **Bold text**",
  "color": "1"
}

File Node

Embeds a vault file on the canvas.

{
  "id": "b2c3d4e5f6g7h8i9",
  "type": "file",
  "x": 500,
  "y": 0,
  "width": 400,
  "height": 400,
  "file": "OpenEd Vault/tasks/some-task.md",
  "subpath": "#Context"
}

• file — path relative to vault root
• subpath — optional heading or block to embed (e.g., #Heading or #^block-id)

Link Node

Embeds a web page.

{
  "id": "c3d4e5f6g7h8i9j0",
  "type": "link",
  "x": 1000,
  "y": 0,
  "width": 400,
  "height": 300,
  "url": "https://example.com"
}

Group Node

Visual container that groups other nodes.

{
  "id": "d4e5f6g7h8i9j0k1",
  "type": "group",
  "x": -50,
  "y": -50,
  "width": 950,
  "height": 500,
  "label": "Phase 1: Research",
  "color": "2",
  "background": "path/to/image.png",
  "backgroundStyle": "cover"
}

• backgroundStyle — cover, ratio, or repeat

Edges (Connections)

{
  "id": "e5f6g7h8i9j0k1l2",
  "fromNode": "a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8",
  "toNode": "b2c3d4e5f6g7h8i9",
  "fromSide": "right",
  "toSide": "left",
  "fromEnd": "none",
  "toEnd": "arrow",
  "color": "3",
  "label": "feeds into"
}

• fromSide / toSide — top, right, bottom, left
• fromEnd / toEnd — none or arrow
• label — text displayed on the edge (optional)

IDs

All IDs are 16-character hex strings. Generate with:

// In a script
crypto.randomUUID().replace(/-/g, '').slice(0, 16)

Or for Claude: generate 16 random hex chars (0-9, a-f).

Colors

Both nodes and edges accept a color property:

Custom hex colors also work: "#FF5733"

Positioning

• x, y — top-left corner of the node (can be negative)
• width, height — size in pixels
• Canvas is infinite in all directions
• Obsidian's default grid snaps to ~20px intervals
• Convention: arrange left-to-right or top-to-bottom for flow

Layout tips:

• Standard node: 400w × 200-300h
• Small card: 250w × 150h
• Wide overview: 600w × 400h
• Vertical spacing: 50-100px between nodes
• Horizontal spacing: 100-150px between columns

Complete Example: Content Pipeline Canvas

{
  "nodes": [
    {
      "id": "a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8",
      "type": "text",
      "x": 0,
      "y": 0,
      "width": 300,
      "height": 150,
      "text": "# Source Content\n\nPodcast episodes, interviews, research",
      "color": "1"
    },
    {
      "id": "b2c3d4e5f6g7h8i9",
      "type": "text",
      "x": 450,
      "y": -100,
      "width": 300,
      "height": 120,
      "text": "## Newsletter\nDaily (Mon-Thu) + Weekly (Fri)",
      "color": "4"
    },
    {
      "id": "c3d4e5f6g7h8i9j0",
      "type": "text",
      "x": 450,
      "y": 50,
      "width": 300,
      "height": 120,
      "text": "## Social Posts\nLinkedIn, X, Instagram",
      "color": "5"
    },
    {
      "id": "d4e5f6g7h8i9j0k1",
      "type": "text",
      "x": 450,
      "y": 200,
      "width": 300,
      "height": 120,
      "text": "## Blog / SEO\nLong-form articles",
      "color": "6"
    },
    {
      "id": "e5f6g7h8i9j0k1l2",
      "type": "group",
      "x": -50,
      "y": -150,
      "width": 850,
      "height": 520,
      "label": "Hub-and-Spoke Pipeline"
    }
  ],
  "edges": [
    {
      "id": "f6g7h8i9j0k1l2m3",
      "fromNode": "a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8",
      "toNode": "b2c3d4e5f6g7h8i9",
      "fromSide": "right",
      "toSide": "left",
      "toEnd": "arrow"
    },
    {
      "id": "g7h8i9j0k1l2m3n4",
      "fromNode": "a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8",
      "toNode": "c3d4e5f6g7h8i9j0",
      "fromSide": "right",
      "toSide": "left",
      "toEnd": "arrow"
    },
    {
      "id": "h8i9j0k1l2m3n4o5",
      "fromNode": "a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8",
      "toNode": "d4e5f6g7h8i9j0k1",
      "fromSide": "right",
      "toSide": "left",
      "toEnd": "arrow"
    }
  ]
}

Tips for This Vault

1. Use file nodes to embed task files, project docs, or MOC notes directly on canvases
2. Groups for project phases, content pipelines, or team areas
3. Color-code by area: Red = urgent, Green = OpenEd, Purple = CIA, Cyan = Personal
4. Edges with labels document relationships ("blocks", "feeds into", "depends on")
5. Canvas files can live anywhere — consider views/ folder alongside .base files