Aside

Side note index

Agent reply

Aside is an [Obsidian](https://obsidian.md) plugin for side comments that stay attached to the note. Inspired by [mofukuru/SideNote](https://github.com/mofukuru/SideNote).

It is built for a minimal workflow: both humans and agents can work in the sidebar or the main markdown file.

For development, setup, testing, and release workflow, see README-dev.md.

Features

• Uses a dedicated sidebar for drafting, editing, resolving, reopening, and deleting comments.
• Supports Obsidian-style [[wikilinks]] inside side comments to link existing notes or create new markdown notes.
• Type # in a side note to search existing tags or add a new one.
• Browse, filter, and batch-apply local side-note tags from the active note sidebar.
• Keeps resolved comments archived instead of removing them.
• Generates Aside index.md as a vault-wide comment index.
• Lets the index sidebar switch between the comment list and a thought-trail graph built from side-note wiki links. The graph follows those links across connected markdown files, so it can show multi-step trails instead of only direct one-hop links.
• Built-in @codex side notes on desktop Obsidian. Type @codex in a thread, watch the reply stream in the sidebar, and keep the final answer in the same thread.

How to Get Started

1. Install BRAT settings -> install community plugins -> BRAT
2. Install the Aside beta Open BRAT, enable Auto update if you want, then add the plugin as shown below.

   

3. Use desktop Obsidian with a filesystem-backed vault.
4. Install and sign in to Codex on the same machine. Quick check: open Terminal in your vault or project folder and run codex.
5. Optional: install the Aside Codex skill if you also use external Codex handoff workflows.

$skill-installer install https://github.com/vicky469/aside/tree/main/skills/aside

Restart Codex after installing the skill.

Workflow

1. Open a markdown file.
2. Add a side note. You can select text and right-click Add comment to selection, or use the sidebar for a page note.
3. Write your comment in the sidebar. Type @codex if you want Codex to take the task.
4. Save the note.
5. Aside runs Codex locally and appends the reply back into the same thread.

Glossary

• thread
  One Aside discussion attached to one target. A thread can have one first entry and later replies.

• entry
  One message inside a thread. The first saved entry creates the thread. Later child entries are replies in the same thread.

• page note
  A thread attached to the whole file, not to a text selection.

• anchored note
  A thread attached to a specific text selection in a markdown note.

• orphaned note
  An anchored thread whose original text can no longer be matched in the file. The thread still exists; its anchor is just currently missing.

• resolved note
  A thread that has been archived instead of deleted.

• Aside index.md The generated vault-wide index note. It is derived output, not the source of truth.

• thought trail
  The graph view built from [[wikilinks]] inside side-note threads.

Writing in Side Notes

Action	How it works
Save draft	Click Save.
Insert a newline	Press Enter.
Ask Codex from a side note	Type @codex in the note, then save it.
Link a note	Type [[ to open note suggestions and insert an Obsidian wikilink.
Add a tag	Type # to open tag suggestions and insert a tag.
Reopen link or tag suggestions	Press Tab while the cursor is inside an unfinished [[... or #... token.
Bold or highlight text	Use the sidebar B and H buttons to wrap the current selection with **bold** or ==highlight==.
Cancel a draft or edit	Press Esc.

Settings

• Index header image URL
• Index header image caption

Command

• Aside: Add comment to selection

Storage

Side notes sync through Aside plugin data when Obsidian Sync is syncing plugin data. The local sidecar files under .obsidian/plugins/aside/sidenotes/by-note/<hash-prefix>/<full-hash>.json are a hot cache that can be rebuilt from synced plugin data.

On startup after storage migration releases, Aside automatically migrates legacy hidden <!-- Aside comments --> blocks into canonical plugin data and sidecar cache files, then strips the managed block from the source note.

Aside index.md is still just a generated index, not separate storage.

Index Surfaces

• Aside index.md stays a derived vault-wide aggregate note.
• The index sidebar Files filter only scopes the sidebar view. Selecting one file there does not rewrite Aside index.md down to that single file section.
• In the index sidebar list view, the nested-comments toggle is hidden when the filter scope resolves to exactly one file.
• The generated index note only shows a visibility banner in resolved-only mode.

Reporting Bugs

Open a GitHub issue using the bug report template:

https://github.com/vicky469/aside/issues/new?template=bug_report.yml

For suspected vulnerabilities or other sensitive security issues, do not file a public issue. Email dev@databun.xyz instead.

License

MIT

Keep Aside brewing.