Obsidian Unique Identifiers

Obsidian Unique Identifiers is a plugin for Obsidian that automatically adds a unique identifier to the frontmatter of your notes. Choose from a variety of ID types and ensure every note is uniquely referenced for advanced workflows, integrations, and data management.

Features

• Automatic ID Insertion: Automatically adds a unique identifier to the frontmatter whenever a new note is created.
• Multiple ID Types: Choose from several industry-standard unique ID formats:
  • UUID (uuidjs/uuid)
  • CUID (paralleldrive/cuid2)
  • NanoID (ai/nanoid)
  • ULID (ulid/javascript)
  • KSUID (ValeriaVG/xksuid)
• Exclude Paths: Configure folders or files to exclude from automatic ID insertion.
• Bulk Backfill & Removal: Add or remove IDs from existing notes in bulk via the plugin's settings page.
• Command Palette Integration: Open the command palette (Cmd+P or Ctrl+P) to quickly add or refresh the configured ID on the active note.

Example

Each ID type uses a frontmatter property of the same name (e.g., uuid, cuid, nanoid, ulid, ksuid). If you select uuid as your ID type, your note's frontmatter will look like:

---
uuid: 01H8YQ2K4ZJ8V7Q2K4ZJ8V7Q2K
---

Installation

1. Open Obsidian's Settings.
2. Go to Community Plugins → Browse.
3. Search for "Unique Identifiers" and install.
4. Enable the plugin.
5. Configure your settings.

Contributing

Contributions, issues, and feature requests are welcome!
Feel free to check issues page or submit a pull request.

Manual Installation & Development

1. Download or Clone the Repository

   git clone https://github.com/tvanreenen/obsidian-unique-identifiers.git

2. Install Dependencies

   npm install

3. Build the Plugin

   npm run dev

4. Copy Build Files
   • Copy main.js, styles.css, and manifest.json from the project root into a new folder named unique-identifiers inside your vault's .obsidian/plugins/ directory:

     .obsidian/plugins/unique-identifiers/
       ├── main.js
       ├── styles.css
       └── manifest.json
     

5. Enable the Plugin
   • Open Obsidian, go to Settings → Community Plugins, and enable "Unique Identifiers".