Obsidian Local Dev Loop
Overview
Set up a fast, reproducible local development workflow for Obsidian plugins with hot-reload and testing.
Prerequisites
- Completed
obsidian-install-authsetup - Node.js 18+ with npm/pnpm
- Code editor with TypeScript support
- Obsidian desktop app
Instructions
Step 1: Configure Development Vault
For full implementation details and code examples, load:
references/implementation-guide.md
Output
- Dedicated development vault with test data
- Symlinked plugin for instant updates
- Hot-reload via BRAT or file watching
- Watch mode build with source maps
- Fast iteration cycle
Error Handling
| Error | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Plugin not reloading | BRAT not configured | Install and enable BRAT plugin |
| Symlink not working | Permission denied | Run as admin (Windows) |
| Build not triggering | Watch mode not started | Run npm run dev |
| Source maps not working | Disabled in config | Set sourcemap: "inline" |
| TypeScript errors | Missing types | Run npm install |
Resources
Next Steps
See obsidian-sdk-patterns for production-ready code patterns.
Examples
Basic usage: Apply obsidian local dev loop to a standard project setup with default configuration options.
Advanced scenario: Customize obsidian local dev loop for production environments with multiple constraints and team-specific requirements.