Code Workbench

Code Workbench for Obsidian

Obsidian only opens Markdown. Code Workbench adds an editor for code files: syntax highlighting, error diagnostics, and one-command formatting for 50+ languages. It also connects the Claude Code CLI, so Claude's edits arrive as a Keep/Reject diff you control.

Other Claude plugins for Obsidian put an agent in a chat sidebar. They don't open, highlight, or format your code files. Code Workbench is the editor, not another chat.

What makes it different

• Edit non-Markdown files. Obsidian only edits Markdown. Code Workbench opens .rs, .py, .ts, .go, .json, .yaml and dozens more in an editable, highlighted view, and saves your changes back to the file.
• Syntax highlighting for about 50 languages via tree-sitter, colored to match your Obsidian theme.
• Diagnostics: syntax errors are underlined where they occur, for about 48 languages.
• One-command formatting for about 28 languages, including JSON, XML, YAML, TOML, JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Go, Rust, Ruby, PHP, and C/C++.
• Accept or reject Claude's edits. A proposed change opens as a side-by-side diff. Keep it or reject it, and edit the proposed side first if you want. Nothing is written until you keep it.
• Works with any model. It speaks the Claude Code CLI protocol, not a model API, so it runs with Claude, Kimi K2, or any Anthropic-compatible endpoint you use through the CLI.
• Launch Claude in one click. Start the CLI in your vault from the status bar or settings; it opens your terminal in the right folder.

Language support

Highlighting for 52 languages, diagnostics for 48, formatting for 28. Each grammar and formatter downloads the first time you open that language, then stays cached.

A simple highlighter is always on. Turn on Settings → Code Workbench → Enable syntax highlighting for the richer tree-sitter highlighting and the diagnostics above.

Using it

1. Open a code file in your vault. It opens in an editable, highlighted editor.
2. Turn on Enable syntax highlighting in the plugin settings for tree-sitter colors and error underlines.
3. To format, open the Command Palette (Ctrl/Cmd+P), type Format code file, and run it. You can assign a hotkey under Settings → Hotkeys.
4. Connect Claude: click ▶ Launch Claude in the status bar (or Run Claude in this vault in the plugin settings) to open a terminal in the vault and start claude (or run claude yourself). Then run /ide and pick Obsidian; the status bar shows Claude ● once connected.
5. Share a selection: select text and run Add selection to Claude context from the Command Palette to send it as an @-mention. With Share selection automatically on, the current selection is sent as it changes.
6. Claude's edits open as a Keep/Reject diff you accept or reject.

Try it

Once the plugin is installed, open Settings → Code Workbench and click Add demo files to this vault. It drops a Code Workbench demo folder of samples into your vault and opens one. Open a language folder:

• sample-* shows highlighting on a realistic snippet.
• messy-* shows error diagnostics (a red underline at the spot marked in a comment).
• format-me-* shows formatting: run Format code file and watch the layout fix itself.

Install

Community plugins (recommended)

1. Open Settings → Community plugins → Browse and search for Code Workbench.
2. Install it, then enable it. Desktop only.

Manual

1. Download manifest.json, main.js, and styles.css from the latest release.
2. Copy them into <vault>/.obsidian/plugins/code-workbench/ (.obsidian is hidden).
3. Enable Code Workbench in Settings → Community plugins. Desktop only.

Then open a terminal in the vault folder and run claude.

Development

git clone https://github.com/vitaly-andr/obsidian-code-workbench
cd obsidian-code-workbench
npm install
npm run dev      # watch build
npm run build    # production build

Copy manifest.json, main.js, and styles.css into <vault>/.obsidian/plugins/code-workbench/, or symlink the folder.

Requirements

• The Claude Code CLI, or a compatible CLI/endpoint.
• Obsidian 1.5+, desktop only. It needs Node for the loopback server and filesystem access.

Sharing context with Claude

• Automatic (default): the plugin sends your current selection to Claude as it changes.
• On demand: Command Palette (Ctrl/Cmd+P) → Add selection to Claude context attaches the current selection as an @-mention (file path and line range).

Claude also reads the current selection, the open notes, and the workspace root through the connection.

How it works

The plugin runs a loopback WebSocket server and writes a discovery lock file to ~/.claude/ide/<port>.lock (honoring CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR). The CLI reads that file, connects with a per-session token, and speaks JSON-RPC 2.0 / MCP. On an accepted diff the plugin returns the approved content and the CLI performs the write, so there is a single writer and no race.

Privacy

No telemetry. Your code stays on your machine. The only network use is downloading language grammars and formatters once, on demand, from this project's GitHub releases. Turn off Enable syntax highlighting to avoid even that.

Scope

Highlighting, diagnostics, formatting, and the accept/reject diff. There is no language server, autocomplete, or go-to-definition; code understanding stays with Claude. It depends on no other Obsidian plugin.

Support

Code Workbench is free. If it's useful to you, you can support it at a fraction of your Claude subscription. See SUPPORT.md for ways to donate.

Sponsorship

No sponsors yet. To sponsor development or place your logo here, get in touch:

• Telegram: @VITALY_ANDR
• Email: [email protected]

License

Source-available under the PolyForm Shield License 1.0.0: free to use, study, and modify, but not to build a competing product. It is not an OSI "open source" license. Bundled third-party components keep their own licenses; see THIRD-PARTY-LICENSES.