README file from
GithubRandom icon & color for new notes
Give every new note a random icon and color the moment it's created, so your vault gets visually distinct entries without you ever opening a picker.
This plugin doesn't draw icons itself — it drives Iconize, assigning it a random icon and color per note the same way you would by hand, just automatically.
What it does
- On every new note. As soon as a
.mdfile is created, it picks a random icon from Obsidian's built-in Lucide icon set and a random, pleasant color, then hands both to Iconize. - Instant refresh. The file explorer updates immediately — no restart needed.
- Never overwrites. It only touches files that don't already have an icon, so notes you've customized by hand are left alone.
- Backfill command. Run Assign random icon & color to existing notes without one to sweep your whole vault and give every note that's missing an icon one, without touching notes that already have one.
Requirements
Requires Iconize installed and enabled — this plugin is a thin automation layer on top of it, not a replacement.
Settings
| Setting | Default | |
|---|---|---|
| Enabled | on | Turn the automatic assignment on new notes on or off. |
| Only markdown notes | on | Skip attachments, canvases, and other non-.md files. |
Commands
- Assign random icon & color to existing notes without one — backfills every note created before you installed the plugin.
Installation
Manually — download main.js and manifest.json from the latest release into <vault>/.obsidian/plugins/random-icon-color/, then enable the plugin in Settings → Community plugins (with Iconize already installed and enabled).
Development
There is no build step. main.js is the source: plain CommonJS against the Obsidian API. Edit it, reload Obsidian, done.