Show HN: Obsidian Aside

Aside - Obsidian Plugin

Aside

vicky469728 downloads

Side comments for humans and agents.

Add to Obsidian

Overview

Scorecard

Updates74

Aside

Side note index

Agent reply

Aside is a tool for thought. It helps you capture, connect, and go deeper into your knowledge. Optionally, AI agents can assist you along the journey. For durable storage and sync across devices, use Aside with [Obsidian Sync](https://obsidian.md/sync).

Features

Uses a dedicated sidebar for drafting, editing, resolving, reopening, and deleting comments.

Adds page notes to markdown and PDF files. Text-anchored notes stay markdown-only.

Supports Obsidian-style [[wikilinks]] inside side comments to link existing notes or create new markdown notes.

Type # in a side note to search existing tags or add a new one.

Type @todo to mark follow-ups that appear in the Todo index tab.

Browse, filter, and batch-apply local side-note tags from the active note sidebar.

Keeps resolved comments archived instead of removing them.

Generates Aside index.md as a vault-wide comment index.

Lets the index sidebar switch between the comment list and a thought-trail graph built from side-note wiki links. The graph follows those links across connected markdown files, so it can show multi-step trails instead of only direct one-hop links.

Built-in local agent replies on desktop Obsidian. Type @codex or @claude in a thread, watch the reply stream in the sidebar, and keep the final answer in the same thread.

How to Get Started

Install Aside settings -> install community plugins -> type aside

Install and sign in to the local agent CLI you want to use on the same machine.

For @codex, open Terminal in your vault or project folder and run codex.

For @claude, open Terminal in your vault or project folder and run claude.

Install the Aside skill for better assisting agent workflows.$skill-installer install https://github.com/vicky469/aside/tree/main/skills/aside

Workflow

Open a markdown or PDF file.

Add a side note. In markdown, select text and right-click Add comment to selection, or use the sidebar for a page note. In PDFs, use the sidebar to add a page note for the whole PDF.

Write your comment in the sidebar. Type @todo for follow-ups, @codex if you want Codex to take the task, or @claude if you want Claude to take it.

Save the note.

Aside runs the selected local agent and appends the reply back into the same thread.

Glossary

thread One Aside discussion attached to one target. A thread can have one first entry and later replies.

entry One message inside a thread. The first saved entry creates the thread. Later child entries are replies in the same thread.

page note A thread attached to the whole file, not to a text selection. Page notes work on markdown files and PDFs.

anchored note A thread attached to a specific text selection in a markdown note. PDFs support page notes only.

orphaned note An anchored thread whose original text can no longer be matched in the file. The thread still exists; its anchor is just currently missing.

resolved note A thread that has been archived instead of deleted.

Aside index.md The generated vault-wide index note. It is derived output, not the source of truth.

thought trail The graph view built from [[wikilinks]] inside side-note threads.

Writing in Side Notes

Action How it works

Save draft Click Save.

Insert a newline Press Enter.

Mark a todo Type @todo in the note.

Ask a local agent from a side note Type @codex or @claude in the note, then save it.

Link a note Type [[ to open note suggestions and insert an Obsidian wikilink.

Add a tag Type # to open tag suggestions and insert a tag.

Reopen link or tag suggestions Press Tab while the cursor is inside an unfinished [[... or #... token.

Bold or highlight text Use the sidebar B and H buttons to wrap the current selection with bold or ==highlight==.

Cancel a draft or edit Press Esc.

Settings

Index header image URL

Index header image caption

Command

Aside: Add comment to selection

Reporting Bugs

Open a GitHub issue using the bug report template:

https://github.com/vicky469/aside/issues/new?template=bug_report.yml

For suspected vulnerabilities or other sensitive security issues, do not file a public issue. Email [email protected] instead.

License

MIT

Keep Aside brewing.

HealthExcellent

ReviewSatisfactory

AnnotationSidebarAI

Details

Current version

2.0.86

Last updated

3 days ago

Created

3 months ago

Updates

74 releases

Downloads

728

Compatible with

Obsidian 1.12.7+

Platforms

Desktop, Mobile

License

MIT

Report bugRequest featureReport plugin

Sponsor

Buy Me a Coffee

Author

vicky469

vicky469

Related plugins

HiNote

Add comments to highlighted notes, use AI for thinking, and flashcards for memory.

Claude Sidebar

Run Claude Code in your sidebar.

OpenClaw

Chat with your OpenClaw AI agent in a sidebar. Your vault is the agent's workspace.

HiWords

Effortlessly grow your vocabulary as you read, with automatic highlighting and translation of unfamiliar words.

Notebook Navigator

A better file browser and calendar inspired by Apple Notes, Bear, Evernote and Day One.

Smart Connections

Find related notes and excerpts while writing. Your AI link building copilot displays relevant content in graph + list view. A local embedding model powers semantic search. Zero setup. No API key.

Recent Files

Display a list of recently opened files.

Claudian

Embeds Claude Code/Codex as an AI collaborator in your vault. Your vault becomes agent's working directory, giving it full agentic capabilities: file read/write, search, bash commands, and multi-step workflows.

Copilot

Your AI Copilot: Chat with Your Second Brain, Learn Faster, Work Smarter.

TagFolder

Show tags as folder.