Auto Glossary

Obsidian Auto Glossary

Auto Glossary is an Obsidian plugin that automatically generates and updates a MOC (Map of Content) / Index, a Glossary with embedded note previews, or a combined Overview from any folder in your vault.

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Features

• Index (Links only / MOC): Creates a list of wikilinks ([[Note]]) to all notes in the selected folder.
• Glossary (Note embeds): Creates a document embedding (![[Note]]) all notes in the selected folder, formatted with headers and dividers.
• Combined Index & Glossary: Creates an index with anchor links at the top pointing directly to each note's embedded section in the glossary below.
• Sub-directory Hierarchy: Automatically organizes nested subfolders into markdown section headings (### Subfolder) with files sorted neatly under their parent directory.
• Non-Markdown File Inclusion: Optionally index and embed non-markdown files and attachments (PDFs, images, canvas files) with a configurable extension whitelist.
• Empty Folder Options: Option to include or omit empty folders in generated indexes.
• Flexible Sorting: Sort notes and folders by:
  • Default (Vault order)
  • Modification time (Newest to oldest / Oldest to newest)
  • Creation time (Newest to oldest / Oldest to newest)
  • Alphabetical (A-Z / Z-A)
• Smart Exclusion: Avoid infinite loops by automatically ignoring previously generated auto-glossary files (customizable in settings).
• Custom Templates: Define markdown templates for index, glossary, or combined notes with metadata/frontmatter (e.g. aliases, tags) and layout customization.
• Metadata Preservation on Refresh: Re-generating or overwriting an existing glossary/index preserves custom frontmatter properties without wiping them out.
• Desktop & Mobile Support: Fully compatible with Obsidian on desktop (macOS, Windows, Linux) and mobile (iOS, Android).
• Command Palette & Context Menu: Trigger quick generation directly via right-click on any folder in the File Explorer or use the Advanced modal.

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How to Use

1. Context Menu (Quick & Advanced)

• Right-click on any folder in the Obsidian File Explorer.
• Choose from:
  • New index (links): Creates <FolderName>_Index.md in the folder.
  • New glossary (embeds): Creates <FolderName>_Glossary.md in the folder.
  • New combined index & glossary: Creates <FolderName>_GlossaryIndex.md in the folder.
  • Advanced options: Opens a dialog to customize the destination folder, target filename, template file, sorting order, file type, and overwrite preferences.

2. Command Palette

• Press Ctrl/Cmd + P and search for Auto Glossary: Create index or glossary.
• Choose your desired settings and generate the file.

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Templates

You can create custom templates in your vault to format generated files and include custom metadata.

Supported Placeholders

• {{content}}: Full generated content (Index, Glossary, or Combined).
• {{index}}: The generated Index list.
• {{glossary}}: The generated Glossary embeds.
• {{folder}} / {{name}}: Name of the source folder (e.g. Projects).
• {{folderPath}}: Vault path of the source folder (e.g. Work/Projects).
• {{title}}: Name of the generated note.
• {{date}}: Current date (YYYY-MM-DD).
• {{time}}: Current time (HH:mm).

Example Template

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aliases:
  - "{{folder}} Overview"
  - "{{folder}} MOC"
tags:
  - moc
  - dashboard
---
# {{folder}} Navigation

Last updated on {{date}} at {{time}}.

{{content}}

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Settings

• Include Auto Glossary files: Toggle whether to include previously generated Auto Glossary files in newly created indexes and glossaries.
• Include subfolders: Toggle whether to recursively index subdirectories with section headings.
• Include empty folders: Toggle whether to include empty subfolders in generated indexes as list items.
• Include non-markdown files: Toggle whether to index and embed non-markdown attachments and files.
• Allowed non-markdown extensions: Comma-separated list of allowed file extensions (e.g. pdf, png, jpg, canvas).
• Same destination as folder: Set whether files are created in the target folder or a global custom destination.
• Default Destination Folder: If custom destination is enabled, choose the folder where generated files are saved.
• Overwrite existing files: Set default behavior when a file with the same name already exists.
• Default File Order: Choose your preferred default sorting mode.
• Filename Patterns: Customize default filenames for generated notes using the {{folder}} placeholder (e.g. +{{folder}}_Index, -{{folder}}_Glossary, or {{folder}} MOC):
  • Index filename pattern: Pattern for index files (default: {{folder}}_Index).
  • Glossary filename pattern: Pattern for glossary files (default: {{folder}}_Glossary).
  • Combined filename pattern: Pattern for combined overview files (default: {{folder}}_GlossaryIndex).
• Templates: Configure default template files from your vault for Index, Glossary, and Combined files.

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Installation

From Obsidian Community Plugins

1. Open Settings > Community plugins.
2. Turn off Restricted mode.
3. Click Browse and search for Auto Glossary.
4. Click Install, then Enable.

Manual Installation

1. Download main.js and manifest.json from the latest release.
2. Copy the files into <vault>/.obsidian/plugins/auto-glossary/.
3. Reload Obsidian or reload plugins in Settings.

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License

This plugin is licensed under the MIT License.