Frontmatter Templater

Frontmatter Templater

Frontmatter Templater is a small, agent-readable templating plugin for Obsidian. It automatically fills new, empty Markdown notes from either:

1. the closest folder-template rule found in a same-name folder note, or
2. the default template configured in the plugin settings.

Unlike rule lists stored only in plugin settings, folder assignments live in the vault itself. A person or agent exploring a folder can discover its template by reading the folder note. The plugin does not execute JavaScript or shell commands.

Folder templates

For a folder named Projects/Acme, its folder note is:

Projects/Acme/Acme.md

Set the folder note property to a Markdown template:

---
folder-template: "[[Templates/Project]]"
---

The rule applies to notes in Projects/Acme and every descendant folder. A rule in a deeper folder wins over its parent. If no valid folder rule exists, the configured default template is used.

Only this same-name, inside-folder note is canonical. This keeps resolution deterministic and matches the inside-folder mode of the Folder Notes community plugin.

The settings page is a derived index of the rules stored in folder notes. From there you can add, edit, open, remove, or visually reorder a rule. Reordering changes only the settings display; resolution always follows folder ancestry. Adding a rule reuses the canonical folder note or creates it when needed. Removing a rule removes only the folder-template property; it never deletes the folder note.

Agent discovery

Folder rules require no plugin data file to understand. To make the global fallback discoverable too, document it in the vault-root AGENTS.md:

## Folder templates

The default note template is `Templates/Default.md`.

For folder-specific templates, inspect the folder's same-name folder note and
read its `folder-template` property. The closest folder declaration wins;
otherwise use the default template above.

The plugin does not edit AGENTS.md automatically.

Commands

• Apply configured template to the current empty note applies the closest folder rule or the default template.
• Insert template opens a searchable picker containing the default template and every valid template referenced by a folder note, plus all Markdown files in the template folder and its subfolders, then inserts the chosen template at the cursor. Set Template folder in the plugin settings to your template directory (for example, Templates). When blank, it uses the default template's folder, provided that folder is not the vault root. Templates in nested folders such as Templates/bases and Templates/latex math are included automatically. Non-Markdown files are excluded.

Referenced template files and Markdown files in the template folder are never automatically templated themselves.

Placeholders

The plugin expands these placeholders when inserting content:

Placeholder names are case-insensitive. Everything else is copied unchanged.

Compatibility

Automatic template application waits briefly for the note creator to finish, then uses Obsidian's atomic vault processing API and writes only when the note is still empty. It also checks newly created Markdown files when Obsidian opens them, covering note creators that do not emit the normal vault creation event; older empty notes are left untouched. Avoid enabling overlapping automatic-template rules in other plugins for the same folders. Core Daily Notes can remain enabled; when it has already populated a note, Frontmatter Templater leaves that note unchanged.

The plugin uses only Obsidian APIs and supports desktop and mobile.

Development

npm install
npm test
npm run build

Copy main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css to:

<vault>/.obsidian/plugins/frontmatter-templater/

Release assets

Each GitHub release must use a tag matching manifest.json exactly and include main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css as separate assets.