Time Machine for Obsidian

Ever accidentally deleted a paragraph, overwrote a section, or wished you could see what your note looked like an hour ago? Time Machine gives you instant access to every snapshot Obsidian has silently saved for you -- plus your git history if your vault is in a repository.

What it does

Time Machine turns Obsidian's built-in File Recovery snapshots and git commits into a visual, interactive timeline. Scrub through your note's history with a slider, see exactly what changed, and restore anything -- an entire version or just a single paragraph.

Features

• Timeline slider -- drag through your note's history to see how it evolved over time
• Colored diff view -- additions in green, deletions in red, so you can instantly spot what changed
• Full version restore -- roll back your entire note to any previous snapshot
• Selective restore -- restore just the specific changes you want, leaving the rest untouched
• Git integration -- automatically shows git commits alongside File Recovery snapshots on the same timeline (desktop only)
• Source indicators -- each snapshot shows whether it comes from File Recovery or a git commit
• On-demand snapshots -- force-create a File Recovery snapshot whenever you want, without waiting for the timer
• Auto-sync -- the view updates automatically when you switch between files
• Smart filtering -- only shows snapshots that actually differ from your current content, with duplicates removed
• Desktop and mobile -- works wherever Obsidian runs (git features are desktop-only)

Installation

Community plugins (recommended)

1. In Obsidian, go to Settings → Community plugins.
2. Disable Restricted mode if it's enabled.
3. Select Browse, search for Time Machine, install it, then enable it.

You can also browse the catalog on the Obsidian Community website.

Manual installation

If the plugin isn't listed in the community catalog yet (or you want a specific version):

1. Download main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css from the latest release.
2. Copy them into <Vault>/.obsidian/plugins/time-machine/.
3. Reload Obsidian and enable Time Machine in Settings → Community plugins.

BRAT (bleeding edge)

BRAT (Beta Reviewers Auto-update Tool) installs plugins straight from a GitHub repo and keeps them updated automatically. Use this if you want the latest commits — things might break.

1. Install Obsidian42 - BRAT from Settings → Community plugins → Browse and enable it.
2. Run BRAT: Add a beta plugin for testing from the command palette.
3. Paste https://github.com/dsebastien/obsidian-time-machine.
4. Select the latest version and confirm.
5. Enable Time Machine in Settings → Community plugins.

Getting started

1. Enable the File Recovery core plugin in Settings -> Core plugins (it's usually on by default)
2. Install Time Machine (see Installation above).
3. Open the command palette (Ctrl/Cmd + P) and run Time Machine: Open view
4. Start browsing your note's history

If your vault is a git repository, Time Machine will automatically include git commits on the timeline -- no extra setup needed.

How it works

Time Machine reads snapshots from two sources:

• File Recovery (always) -- Obsidian's core plugin that automatically saves snapshots at regular intervals (every 2 minutes by default)
• Git (desktop, optional) -- if your vault lives in a git repository, Time Machine fetches the commit history for each file

Both sources are merged into a single chronological timeline. Snapshots with identical content are deduplicated, keeping only the most recent one.

You don't need to do anything special -- just write your notes as usual. Time Machine will always have your history ready when you need it.

Documentation

• Usage guide -- how to browse, compare, and restore snapshots
• Configuration -- plugin settings and File Recovery configuration
• Tips and troubleshooting -- common questions and solutions

Support

Created by Sebastien Dubois.

If you find this plugin useful, consider buying me a coffee to support development.

License

MIT