Aside

Side note index

Agent reply

Aside is a tool for thought. It helps you capture, connect, and go deeper into your knowledge. Optionally, AI agents can assist you along the journey. For durable storage and sync across devices, use Aside with [Obsidian Sync](https://obsidian.md/sync).

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 local agent replies on desktop Obsidian. Type @codex or @claude 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 Aside settings -> install community plugins -> type aside
2. Install and sign in to the local agent CLI you want to use on the same machine.
   • For @codex, open Terminal in your vault or project folder and run codex.
   • For @claude, open Terminal in your vault or project folder and run claude.
3. Optional: install the public Aside skill for external agent workflows.

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

   Built-in Aside agent replies do not require a separate skill install. Aside auto refreshes the installed Codex skill on desktop startup when it is already present, but it does not install or remove the skill for you.

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, or @claude if you want Claude to take it.
4. Save the note.
5. Aside runs the selected local agent 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 a local agent from a side note	Type @codex or @claude 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

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 vickyli819@proton.me instead.

License

MIT

Keep Aside brewing.