Typst Book Preview

Typster

Typster is an Obsidian desktop plugin for writers and typesetters who keep Typst projects inside a vault. It compiles a configured .typ or .typ.md entry file with the local Typst CLI, previews the generated PDF in Obsidian, and adds a compact Typst toolbar above source-mode Typst notes.

Features

• Compile a configured Typst entry file to PDF from inside Obsidian.
• Preview the generated PDF in a dedicated Obsidian pane.
• Recompile automatically when the main Typst file, another Typst file in the same project folder, or a referenced image asset changes.
• Search for the main Typst file from the plugin settings.
• Use the active .typ or .typ.md note as the main file.
• Show Typst compiler output and diagnostics in Obsidian.
• Use a source-mode Typst toolbar for emphasis, strong text, math, highlight, headings, lists, notes, references, layout snippets, figures, tables, bibliography calls, and starter templates.
• Insert starter templates for a numbered paperback book or a basic article/report.

Requirements

• Obsidian desktop 1.13.0 or newer.
• A local Typst CLI installation.
• A file-system vault. Mobile is not supported because the plugin runs the local Typst command.

The default Typst command is typst. If that is not available in the environment used by the app, set Typst CLI command to the absolute path of the Typst executable.

Install Manually

After downloading a release, create this folder in your vault if it does not exist:

.obsidian/plugins/typst-book-preview/

Copy these files from the release into that folder:

manifest.json
main.js
styles.css

Then open Settings > Community plugins, disable restricted mode if needed, and enable Typster.

Use

1. Open Settings > Typster.
2. Set Main Typst file to the vault-relative path of your entry file.
3. Use Choose file to search existing .typ and .typ.md files.
4. Run Open preview from the command palette or the ribbon icon.
5. Press Compile, or run Compile.

With a vault like this:

My Book/
  book.typ
  book.pdf
  chapters/
    01-introduction.typ
  media/
    cover.png

Set Main Typst file to My Book/book.typ. The output PDF is written next to it as My Book/book.pdf.

If Obsidian created the source as book.typ.md, the plugin treats it as Typst source and writes book.pdf. If your tab title says book.typ but the plugin cannot find it, use Choose file or run Use active file as main file.

Typst Toolbar

The toolbar appears only above source-mode .typ and .typ.md notes. It wraps selected text when possible, and inserts snippets at the cursor when there is no selection.

Toolbar groups can be enabled or disabled in settings:

• Basic text: emphasis, strong, raw text, math, highlight, underline, strike, subscript, superscript, and links.
• Text refinements: small capitals, overline, uppercase, and lowercase.
• Notes and references: footnotes, quotes, labels, references, and citations.
• Headings: H1 through H6.
• Lists and comments: bullet, numbered, term-list, and line-comment prefixes.
• Layout: outline, page break, and columns.
• Objects: figure, table, and bibliography snippets.
• Templates: paperback book and article/report starters.

Images

Use Typst-native image syntax for vault files:

#image("media/cover.png", width: 100%)
#image("/My Book/media/cover.png", width: 100%)

Relative paths are resolved from the main Typst file. Paths that start with / are resolved from the vault root because the plugin compiles with --root set to the vault folder.

System Access

This plugin is desktop-only because it runs the local Typst CLI. It does not make network requests.

• Shell execution: the plugin runs the configured Typst command with typst compile. Arguments are passed with execFile, not through a shell string.
• File access: Typst receives the vault folder as --root, the selected Typst source file, and the output PDF path. The plugin validates configured paths as vault-relative before compiling.
• Vault enumeration: the Choose file setting lists .typ and .typ.md files so you can select a main Typst file.

Troubleshooting

• If compiling fails with ENOENT, set Typst CLI command to the absolute path of the Typst executable.
• If the main file is not found, use Choose file in settings or run Use active file as main file.
• If Typst syntax fails inside a .typ.md file, remember that the plugin sends the file directly to Typst. The file contents need to be valid Typst.
• If the PDF does not refresh, run Compile manually and check the diagnostics shown in the preview pane.

Development

Install dependencies and rebuild the runtime bundle:

npm install
npm run build

For a release, build the plugin and attach these files to a GitHub release whose tag matches manifest.json:

main.js
manifest.json
styles.css