Block Step Reader

Block Step Reader（渐读）

中文名：渐读 · 英文名：Block Step Reader · 中文说明

Fork and continuation of Galacsh/obsidian-reading-view-enhancer (upstream unavailable). Original block navigation by Galacsh (MIT). Additional maintenance and reading-position features by gorf.

Block Step Reader improves reading in Obsidian's reading view, with a focus on Reader-like step reading:

• Keyboard block navigation (J / K or arrow keys)
• Highlight the current block
• Auto-center the current block when moving with the keyboard
• Reading progress bar and remaining-time estimate
• Reading library sidebar with filters and sorting
• Mark notes as read / unread
• Remember and restore reading position per user in note frontmatter (shared-vault friendly)
• Multi-language UI: English, 简体中文, 繁體中文

Quick start

1. Install main.js and manifest.json into .obsidian/plugins/block-step-reader/
2. Enable Block Step Reader in community plugins
3. Open a note in reading view
4. Turn on Enable Block Selector in plugin settings
5. Set your User ID if the vault is shared with others
6. Click the library ribbon icon or run Open reading library
7. Use J / ↓ for next block, K / ↑ for previous block

Reading library

Like Readwise Reader's library, the sidebar view supports:

Sort by:

• Recently updated
• Progress (low → high / high → low)
• Title
• Date finished
• Time remaining

Click a note to open it in reading view. Use the search box to filter by title or path.

Settings under Reading experience:

• Include all vault notes — list every markdown file as unread, or only notes with saved progress
• Library default filter / sort

Shared vaults & frontmatter

Reading progress and read status are stored in each note's frontmatter under bsr.<userId>:

---
bsr:
  alice:
    progress: 0.42
    lineStart: 15
    scrollRatio: 0.35
    read: false
    finished: null
    totalWords: 3200
    wordsRead: 1344
    updatedAt: 1718880000000
  bob:
    progress: 1
    read: true
    finished: "2026-06-20"
---

Set User ID in plugin settings so each person keeps their own progress in the same note.

Language

Set Language under Reading experience:

• Auto — follows Obsidian's language
• English — plugin name: Block Step Reader
• 简体中文 — plugin name: 渐读
• 繁體中文 — plugin name: 漸讀

Support

If this plugin helps your reading workflow, consider buying me a coffee on Ko-fi.

The same link appears in plugin settings under Support, and in Obsidian's plugin directory via fundingUrl.

Publish to the community plugin marketplace

See PUBLISHING.md for the full checklist and submission steps.

Install

Community plugins (after approval)

Search for Block Step Reader in Obsidian → Settings → Community plugins.

BRAT

1. Install Obsidian42-BRAT
2. Add beta plugin: https://github.com/gorf/obsidian-block-step-reader

Manual / local build

git clone https://github.com/gorf/obsidian-block-step-reader.git
cd obsidian-block-step-reader
npm install
npm run build

Copy main.js and manifest.json to your vault's .obsidian/plugins/block-step-reader/.

Or run:

.\install-to-vault.ps1 -VaultPath "D:\path\to\your\vault"

Keyboard defaults

Development

npm run build
.\install-to-vault.ps1
.\publish-github.ps1

License

MIT. Original work by Galacsh; maintenance fork by gorf.