7.8 KiB
Development
Use this document for day-to-day implementation mechanics: commands, generated files, loaded artifacts, source layout, naming, validation, and common pitfalls. For product boundaries and design rationale, see docs/design.md.
Commands
npm ci
npm run format
npm run check
npm run build
Run npm run format after edits and before npm run check so Prettier-only issues are fixed upfront. npm run check runs TypeScript type checking, unit tests, lint checks, Prettier check, CSS verification, and the production esbuild bundle. npm run check:ci uses the same checks without local caches.
Generated and Loaded Files
main.js, styles.css, data.json, and node_modules/ are ignored by Git. main.js and styles.css are still the files Obsidian loads, so run npm run build after source changes.
CSS is authored in src/styles/ and generated into the ignored root styles.css release asset. Use npm run build:styles when only regenerating CSS; it also verifies the authored CSS order before writing styles.css.
The app-server TypeScript bindings in src/generated/app-server/ are generated from the installed Codex CLI:
npm run generate:app-server-types
npm run check
The generation script uses codex app-server generate-ts --experimental because the panel depends on experimental app-server fields. Do not hand-edit generated bindings.
Source Layout
The source tree is organized by implementation ownership:
src/main.tsregisters Obsidian views, commands, settings, and lifecycle hooks.src/app-server/owns the app-server boundary, protocol adapters, connection/client code, app-server services, and generated payload adaptation.src/features/chat/owns the main Codex chat surface, including panel orchestration, app-server event handling, composer behavior, chat state, message display, pending requests, runtime controls, and thread actions.src/features/chat/app-server/is chat-local integration code that routes app-server projections into chat-owned state and display models.src/features/thread-picker/owns the Obsidian thread picker modal and its thread search/opening behavior.src/features/threads/contains thread-related services shared by chat, the thread picker, and the Threads view, including archive export settings, thread operations, and title generation.src/features/threads-view/owns the dedicated Obsidian thread list view, including app-server thread list rendering and live open-panel snapshot aggregation.src/features/selection-rewrite/owns the Markdown editor selection rewrite command, popover, prompt/output handling, and ephemeral rewrite thread runner.src/workspace/owns Obsidian workspace coordination across Codex surfaces, including panel discovery/opening, open-panel snapshots, and thread surface broadcasts.src/shared/contains feature-neutral helpers, including reusable DOM pieces and unified diff display helpers shared by chat and selection rewrite.src/settings/contains Obsidian settings models, settings-tab rendering, and app-server-backed dynamic settings data.src/domain/contains panel-owned, generated-independent meaning models and pure derivations shared by app-server, features, workspace, and settings code. Domain code must not import app-server protocol, generated bindings, feature modules, UI, or Obsidian APIs.src/styles/contains the authored CSS modules andorder.jsonconcatenation order.scripts/build-styles.mjsconcatenates them into the ignored rootstyles.css, which remains the Obsidian release asset.
Placement Rules
Keep new code near the state or API it owns. A feature may import another feature only for a capability that feature owns. Feature-neutral behavior belongs in src/shared/, src/domain/, or src/app-server/.
Generated app-server types should stay behind src/app-server/ or chat-local app-server integration modules. If a domain, shared, settings, workspace, or UI module needs app-server data, add or reuse a panel-owned projection at the boundary instead of importing generated payload types directly.
Chat panel-visible state belongs in ChatStateStore and should flow through named reducer actions and the shell-state adapter. Use Preact Signals only in src/features/chat/panel/shell-state.tsx; lint enforces this boundary. When a surface needs fewer dependencies, add or reuse a named shell-state projection instead of importing @preact/signals elsewhere.
Use imperative DOM writes only for explicit bridge modules, Obsidian-owned API boundaries, or rendering and measurement code that cannot be expressed cleanly as Preact components.
Naming Conventions
Name modules by responsibility: use Controller only for stateful lifecycle/control surfaces, Handler for inbound event or request entrypoints, Actions for caller-facing command or callback bundles without lifecycle ownership, Coordinator for stateful background or cross-surface coordination, Service for reusable domain capabilities, Presenter for UI state projection, Renderer for render-only UI contracts, and Host/Ports for dependency boundary objects. Use State, Snapshot, Projection, ViewModel, Options, Context, Result, Target, Capabilities, or ActionTargets for data/value objects; do not use Actions for passive data. Use boundary/infrastructure nouns such as Client, Transport, Cache, Store, Catalog, Manager, Bridge, Tracker, Session, Runtime, Provider, or Adapter only when the object owns that concrete boundary or lifecycle role.
Prefer functions and factory-created objects over classes. Use a class only when it owns mutable lifecycle/resource state, extends or implements an external class-based API such as Obsidian views/modals/tabs, or represents an Error; do not use a class merely to group pure functions or dependencies.
Common Pitfalls
- Build before Obsidian validation. Obsidian loads ignored root assets, not the TypeScript or authored CSS sources directly.
- Keep generated app-server types behind
src/app-server/unlessdocs/design.mddocuments a boundary exception. - Preserve last-known-good app-server state on refresh failure. Do not turn disconnected reads into authoritative empty thread lists, settings snapshots, hook inventories, or diagnostics.
- Normalize optional and nullable app-server values before display. Users should not see raw
undefined,null, protocol enum gaps, or fallback labels that imply Panel owns a Codex runtime setting. - Route chat-visible state through
ChatStateStorewhen it must synchronize with app-server notifications, turns, pending requests, runtime settings, history cursors, or open details. - Do not use DOM order as message history state. Message stream DOM is a presentation surface, and delayed Markdown rendering can change heights after initial render.
API Baselines
Use the local API baseline report when checking whether the development environment matches the supported API policy:
npm run api:baseline
Obsidian runtime compatibility is declared through manifest.json and versions.json. The obsidian npm package provides compile-time TypeScript API definitions; it is not runtime validation for an Obsidian app-version matrix. Because the project does not run app-version smoke tests, keep the API type package in the same minor as manifest.minAppVersion and use the latest patch in that minor for local type checking. npm run api:baseline exits non-zero when the local environment or recorded baselines drift. Raise manifest.minAppVersion only when intentionally adopting a newer Obsidian app/API minor.
Codex app-server compatibility is managed by Codex CLI minor version. README records the tested Codex CLI patch version, and the baseline check verifies that the local codex --version is in the same minor before app-server binding or compatibility work.