Writing Studio

Writing Studio

Version 2.5.2 · Desktop only

Writing Studio turns Obsidian into a dedicated environment for serious nonfiction work — from your first research notes to a finished, exported manuscript. It bundles a project binder, writing modes, focus and typography tools, sprint timer, progress tracking, manuscript export, and WordPress publishing into a single plugin. A built-in sidebar file explorer lets you browse, preview, and pull content from anywhere in your vault without leaving your draft.

Contents

• Features
• Language support
• Writing Studio Launcher
• Folder Sidebar Explorer
• Your Project
• Your Writing Environment
• Tracking Your Progress
• Getting Your Work Out
• Supporting Tools
• Context Menus
• Commands Reference
• Settings Overview
• Ribbon Icon
• Installation
• Requirements
• Reporting a Bug
• Security

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Features

Writing Binder — Organize your manuscript as an ordered collection of documents with per-item status, word count, and export flags. Drag chapters into order, toggle items in or out of export, and add files from anywhere in your vault.

Project Manager — Create projects from six templates (blank, book, article series, blog collection, journal article, magazine article), set a total word count goal, and switch between projects from the Launcher.

Compile Preview — Concatenate all binder documents in order and render them as a finished manuscript in a split pane, without exporting.

Writing Modes — Switch between Draft (distraction-free), Edit (full tooling), and Review (read-only) modes from the status bar, command palette, context menu, or Launcher.

Focus Mode — Dim everything except the paragraph or sentence you are writing. Configurable dim level, font size override, sidebar collapse, and typewriter scroll.

Typography Mode — Apply a curated font, constrained line length, and controlled line height to the editor. Fourteen font options including iA Writer fonts, Google Fonts, and custom system fonts.

Sprint Timer — Run timed writing sessions with a draggable floating overlay. Set duration, word goal, and scope (file or project). Quick-start presets (10 m, 15 m, 25 m) available from the Launcher.

Progress Tracking — Live word counts in the status bar and Launcher, session delta tracking, per-document and per-project word count goals with inline progress banners, and a 30-day writing log with streak tracking.

Export Engine — Export to Manuscript (HTML), PDF, Word (.docx), RTF, HTML, Markdown, and EPUB. Manuscript format produces industry-standard layout with no external tools; other formats require Pandoc.

WordPress Publishing — Publish directly to WordPress from Obsidian. Set post title, status, categories, tags, excerpt, and scheduled date. Supports multiple sites with per-site credentials and connection testing.

Folder Sidebar Explorer — Browse any vault folder in a sidebar panel. Search by name or file content, preview Markdown files and images inline, and insert selected text directly into the active editor.

Language support

Writing Studio is available in the following languages in addition to English:

• Arabic
• Chinese (Simplified)
• French
• German
• Japanese
• Korean
• Portuguese (Brazil)
• Russian
• Spanish

To change the language: Open Settings → General in Obsidian, scroll to Language, and select your preferred language from the list. Restart Obsidian for the change to take effect. Writing Studio will display in the selected language if it is supported.

Found a translation error or missing text? Please open an issue on GitHub — Submit a bug report or enhancement request — and include the language, the location in the plugin where the text appears, and what it currently says. We will address it in the next release.

Writing Studio Launcher

The Launcher is your home base in Writing Studio — a sidebar panel that shows your active project, progress toward your goals, and one-click access to every major feature.

By default it opens automatically when Obsidian loads. To disable this, turn off Open on startup in Settings → General.

To open manually: Click the feather ribbon icon, or assign a hotkey to Open launcher in Settings → Hotkeys.

The Launcher includes:

• Active project name, total word count, and progress toward your project word count goal
• Writing mode selector (Draft / Edit / Review)
• Focus Mode and Typography Mode toggles
• Sprint timer with "Set up sprint" button and Quick Sprint Options presets (10 m, 15 m, 25 m)
• Today card showing words written, sprints completed, session word count, and streak
• Quick-action buttons: Targets Dashboard, Writing Dashboard, Preview manuscript, Export, Writing Log, Publish to WordPress

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Folder Sidebar Explorer

The Folder Sidebar Explorer opens any vault folder in a right-sidebar panel, letting you browse reference material, research notes, or any folder outside your active project without leaving your draft. Unlike the Binder — which is scoped to your writing project — the sidebar explorer works with any folder in your vault.

To open:

• Use the command Open folder in sidebar explorer from the command palette — a folder picker appears so you can choose which folder to explore.
• Right-click any folder in the file explorer and choose Open in sidebar explorer under Writing studio options.
• Right-click any folder in Notebook Navigator and choose Open in sidebar explorer (requires Notebook Navigator to be installed).
• Assign a hotkey in Settings → Hotkeys.

The panel opens in the right sidebar. The folder you open becomes the root folder for that session — the breadcrumb trail, the ⌂ root button, and search all operate relative to it.

Browsing and navigation:

Search:

A search bar appears at the top of the folder list. Type your query and press Enter to run the search.

• Searches both folder/file names and file contents (.md and .txt files).
• Frontmatter is excluded from content search to avoid false positives from YAML fields.
• Name matches show the matched term highlighted in the result title.
• Content matches show a text snippet around the match with the term highlighted, plus a CONTENT badge to distinguish them from name matches.
• Results always search from the root folder, regardless of which subfolder you are currently browsing.
• Click × to clear the search and return to the normal folder view.

Sort:

A sort dropdown sits next to the search bar. Options:

Copy content to the editor:

When a Markdown file is open in preview mode (after clicking it in the file list), its text is selectable. To insert a passage into the active editor:

1. Click a file in the list — the panel switches to preview mode showing the rendered file.
2. Select the text you want in the preview pane.
3. Click the ↩ insert selection button in the nav bar.
4. The selected text is inserted at the cursor position in the active editor.

The preview is read-only — you cannot edit the file from the sidebar.

Hover tooltips:

Hover over any file or folder in the list to see an information card:

The word count updates asynchronously from Obsidian's file cache and appears within a moment of hover.

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Your Project

Project Manager

Projects group a set of documents (binder items) and act as the scope for export, statistics, and the word count goal banner.

To create a project: Use the command New writing project from the command palette, or click + New in the Launcher panel.

To switch projects: Use the Launcher panel or the project selector at the top of the Binder panel.

Each project stores:

• Title, type, author, and description
• Ordered binder with chapters, sections, articles, and notes
• Per-item word count goals, statuses, and export flags
• Optional total word count goal (shown in the Launcher and status bar)

Project templates available at creation:

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Writing Binder

Keeping a book-length manuscript organized means knowing at a glance which chapters are drafted, which are in progress, and how each contributes to your total word count. The Binder is a sidebar panel that shows all of that for your active project.

Each document shows its title, type (Chapter, Section, Article, Note), status (Draft, In Progress, Complete), and live word count. Documents can be reordered by drag-and-drop and toggled in or out of export.

To open: Use the command Open binder from the command palette, or assign a hotkey in Settings → Hotkeys.

Adding a file to a project:

1. Right-click any Markdown file in the file explorer and choose Add to writing project under Writing studio options.
2. A modal appears with a dropdown listing all your writing projects.
3. Select the target project and click Add to project.

Adding files copied directly to the project folder:

If you copied or moved files into the project folder outside of Obsidian and they do not appear in the binder, use the Add files copied to this folder button in the binder toolbar (immediately to the right of the + document button). The plugin scans the project folder, lists any files not yet in the binder, and lets you select which ones to add before making any changes.

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Compile Preview

The Compile Preview opens a split pane showing all binder documents for the active project concatenated in order, rendered as a finished manuscript.

To open: Use the command Preview compiled manuscript from the command palette, or click the Preview manuscript button in the Launcher panel.

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Your Writing Environment

Writing Modes

Three modes shape how the editor behaves. The current mode is always shown in the status bar. Click the mode pill in the status bar to switch modes.

To switch modes:

• Click the mode indicator in the status bar.
• Right-click inside the editor, then choose Switch writing mode → under Writing studio options.
• Assign hotkeys to Switch to draft mode / Edit mode / Review mode in Settings → Hotkeys.
• Use the Writing Studio Launcher panel.

The active mode persists across Obsidian restarts.

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Focus Mode

Focus Mode dims everything in the editor except the paragraph or sentence you are currently writing, reducing visual noise and keeping attention on the active thought.

To toggle: Assign a hotkey to Toggle focus mode in Settings → Hotkeys, or use the toggle in the Launcher panel. Press Escape to exit.

Settings (Settings → Focus mode):

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Typography Mode

Typography Mode applies a consistent, reader-friendly text treatment to the editor: a curated font, constrained line length, controlled line height, and optional letter spacing.

To toggle: Assign a hotkey to Toggle typography mode in Settings → Hotkeys, or use the toggle in the Launcher panel.

To change the font while Typography Mode is active: Right-click inside the editor and choose Typography font → under Writing studio options. A font picker menu appears with all available fonts; the active font is shown with a checkmark. Selecting a font applies it immediately and saves the setting.

Note on fonts: Typography fonts are loaded from Google Fonts and require an internet connection the first time each font is used. After the initial load they are cached and work offline.

Settings (Settings → Typography):

Available fonts:

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Tracking Your Progress

Writing Sprint Timer

The Sprint Timer runs a timed writing session. When a sprint is active, a floating overlay displays the countdown and gives you full control — without requiring you to stay on the dashboard.

To set up a sprint:

• Click Set up sprint in the Launcher panel to open the sprint configuration modal.
• Or click one of the Quick Sprint Options preset buttons (10 m, 15 m, 25 m) in the Launcher panel to load a duration directly.

Either path opens the floating overlay in a ready state — the timer does not start until you press ▶ on the overlay itself. This gives you time to navigate to your draft or open the Binder before the clock begins.

Sprint configuration modal:

The modal lets you set:

• Duration (preset or custom, in minutes)
• Word count goal for the session
• Scope (current file or entire project)

Click Launch sprint timer to open the overlay in ready state.

Using the floating overlay:

The overlay is draggable — click and drag the header to reposition it anywhere on screen. It stays on top regardless of writing mode or Focus Mode. The current countdown is also shown in the Obsidian status bar (⏱ MM:SS) and, when Focus Mode is active, in the focus toolbar.

When the sprint ends, a summary modal shows words written, duration, and words-per-minute. The session is logged to sprint history and optionally appended to your Daily Note.

Settings (Settings → Sprint & goals):

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Word Count Goal

A per-document word count goal can be set and tracked inline.

To set a goal:

• Use the command Set word count goal from the command palette.
• Right-click inside the editor and choose Set word count goal under Writing studio options.

When a goal is set and Inline goal banner is enabled, a progress bar appears below the editor toolbar showing current words, goal, and percentage. It updates in real time as you type.

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Session Word Count

The status bar shows a (+N) delta next to the current file's word count, indicating how many words you have added since opening that file this session. The Launcher's Today card also shows a cumulative session total across all files opened during the current Obsidian session. Both counts reset when Obsidian restarts.

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Project Word Count Goal

When an active project has a total word count goal set, a dedicated status bar item shows {current} / {goal} project words. This updates automatically as you write. Set a project goal in the Project modal when creating or editing a project.

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Writing Dashboard

The Writing Dashboard shows session statistics (words written, sprints completed, time), sprint history, daily progress toward your goal, and per-project word counts with reading time.

To open: Use the command Open writing dashboard from the command palette, or click the Writing dashboard button in the Launcher panel.

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Targets Dashboard

The Targets Dashboard lets you assign word count goals to individual documents in the active project's binder and track progress across the whole project at a glance. Goals can be edited inline in the table. Rows are sortable and filterable by status.

To open: Use the command Open targets dashboard, click the Targets dashboard button in the Launcher panel, or assign a hotkey in Settings → Hotkeys.

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Daily Writing Log

The Writing Log is a sidebar panel that shows your writing history at a glance.

To open: Use the command Open writing log from the command palette, or click the Writing log button in the Launcher panel.

The Writing Log shows:

• Current streak (days in a row with at least one sprint)
• This session: total session words, sprint words, sprints completed, and minutes written
• Last 30 days: a bar chart with one row per day showing word count, sprints completed, and a visual bar proportional to the day's output

When Append to daily note is enabled (Settings → Writing log), a summary of each completed sprint is also appended to today's Daily Note.

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Getting Your Work Out

Export Engine

When your draft is ready, the Export Engine converts it to a finished file in your chosen format — no reformatting required.

Supported formats: Manuscript (HTML) · PDF · Word (.docx) · RTF · HTML · Markdown · EPUB

To export:

• Right-click inside the editor and choose Export this document under Writing studio options.
• Use the command Export document from the command palette.
• Click the Export button in the Launcher panel.
• Assign a hotkey to Export document in Settings → Hotkeys.

Manuscript format

The Manuscript format produces a self-contained HTML file formatted to industry-standard manuscript conventions:

• Courier New 12 pt, double-spaced, 1-inch margins
• Title page with project title, author name, approximate word count, and optional contact information
• Chapter headings in uppercase, page-break before each
• Scene breaks rendered as · · ·

No external tools are required for manuscript export.

Settings (Settings → Export):

Requirement: Pandoc must be installed for PDF, DOCX, RTF, HTML, and EPUB export. Download from pandoc.org. For PDF export, a LaTeX distribution (e.g. TeX Live or MiKTeX) is also required. Manuscript (HTML) export does not require Pandoc.

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WordPress Publishing

Publish your finished draft directly to WordPress without leaving Obsidian. The modal lets you choose the target site, set the post title, status, categories, tags, excerpt, and an optional scheduled publication date.

To publish:

• Right-click inside the editor and choose Publish to WordPress under Writing studio options.
• Use the command Publish to wordpress from the command palette.
• Click the Publish to WordPress button in the Launcher panel.
• Assign a hotkey to Publish to wordpress in Settings → Hotkeys.

Setting up a site (Settings → WordPress):

1. Click + add WordPress site.
2. Enter a nickname, the site URL (e.g. https://yourblog.com), and your WordPress username.
3. Generate an application password in WordPress under Users → Profile → Application passwords and paste it into the Application password field.
4. Click Test connection to verify.

Per-site options:

Preserving your credentials across updates

Writing Studio stores your WordPress site credentials in your vault's .obsidian/plugins/writing-studio/data.json file. Obsidian's in-app update process does not touch this file — your credentials are preserved automatically. However, if you uninstall and reinstall the plugin manually, or if a vault sync conflict overwrites data.json, credentials will be lost and will need to be re-entered. To avoid this, always use Obsidian's built-in Update button rather than uninstalling manually.

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Supporting Tools

Frontmatter Manager

Writing Studio automatically manages YAML frontmatter in your documents when Frontmatter auto-update is enabled. On every save it updates:

• word-count — current word count
• modified — last-modified date

The word-count-goal frontmatter field is read by the inline goal banner and the Word Count Goal modal.

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Context Menus

Writing Studio adds items to Obsidian's right-click context menus. All Writing Studio items are grouped together under the heading Writing studio options to distinguish them from other plugins and Obsidian's built-in options.

Right-click inside an open document (editor menu)

Right-click a Markdown file in the file explorer

Right-click a folder in the file explorer

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Commands Reference

No default hotkeys are assigned. All commands can be given a hotkey in Settings → Hotkeys.

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Settings Overview

Open via Settings → Writing Studio.

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Ribbon Icon

Writing Studio adds a single icon to the Obsidian ribbon.

All other features are accessible from the Launcher panel, the command palette, context menus, or assigned hotkeys.

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Installation

1. Download main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css from the latest GitHub release.
2. Create the folder <vault>/.obsidian/plugins/obsidian-writing-studio/ if it does not exist.
3. Copy the three files into that folder.
4. In Obsidian, go to Settings → Community Plugins, find Writing Studio, and enable it.

Building from source: Clone the repository, run npm install, then npm run build. Copy the three output files as above.

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Requirements

Most features work out of the box. A few require additional software for specific functions, noted below.

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Reporting a Bug

If something isn't working, please open an issue on GitHub:

Submit a bug report

Include the following when you report:

• Writing Studio version (visible in Settings → Community Plugins)
• Obsidian version (visible in Settings → About)
• Operating system (Windows / macOS / Linux) and version
• What you expected to happen
• What actually happened, and any steps to reproduce it

Feature requests are welcome in the same place — please label them as [Feature Request] in the issue title.

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Security

Every push and pull request is scanned automatically:

Results are published to the Security tab of this repository (GitHub code scanning).

For local development, a pre-commit hook runs ESLint (blocking) and a pre-push hook runs a full CodeQL scan (blocks the push if any HIGH or CRITICAL findings are present). Install the CodeQL CLI to enable local scanning (winget install GitHub.CodeQL on Windows).