kepano

making @obsidian

Public Key

npub1rwn2lkurwx5m3gdtu82qx4j2m4p4afpl0q83ywc5e2d9t262spds237kyx

NIP-05 Address

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsphf40mwphr2dc5x47r4qr2e9d6s675slhsrcj8v2v4xj44d9gqkcpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0ds9hzec5

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1rwn2lkurwx5m3gdtu82qx4j2m4p4afpl0q83ywc5e2d9t262spds237kyx

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Last Notes

2026-07-29 19:08:42 GMT

avocado aleppo akami
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/117/004/836/348/873/238/original/95e2305cc603c511.jpeg

2026-07-18 19:10:20 GMT

formats evolve over decades, apps over months, intelligence is evolving every day
in terms of pace layers "file over app" defines priorities: invest deeply in proven formats, and don't expect anything at the intelligence layer to last very long
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/942/555/641/906/392/original/0b226b5df993f40b.png

2026-05-12 19:56:30 GMT

The most exciting thing for me is that I can finally get back to making #Obsidian plugins. I too was daunted by waiting in the review queue 😅
Now you can get a plugin into Obsidian within 24 hours.
https://obsidian.md/blog/future-of-plugins/

2026-04-20 14:47:20 GMT

New policy from #Atlassian:
Unless you opt out by August 17th 2026, data from Jira and Confluence will automatically be used for AI training. Some data cannot be opted out at all on some plans.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/437/574/893/680/650/original/5c0d14dd08fb2186.png
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/437/575/093/434/042/original/6927f537a508eaa1.png

2026-04-10 19:19:45 GMT

I can't go back to the regular YouTube UI after this 😅
Obsidian Reader now makes the transcript interactive so you can scrub, highlight, auto-scroll. It feels so nice.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/382/024/072/531/366/original/1fe071c906e468bb.mp4

2026-04-03 16:30:35 GMT

New in #Obsidian Reader:
- Themes and typography settings
- Highlighting
- Save options
Also added a beautiful new reading experience for deeply nested comments on Reddit and Hacker News.
Available with Obsidian Web Clipper 1.3 on all browsers.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/341/720/905/811/136/original/d1847c1b61559bca.mp4

2026-03-18 21:06:13 GMT

I have been working on #Obsidian Reader for over a year. I didn't want to share it until I felt it was good enough. It's finally there.
Consistent formatting for any article. Outline, syntax highlighting, nice footnotes, adjustable typography.
Runs locally. Just rules, no AI.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/252/201/630/492/349/original/4a5c4f2db79d1532.mp4

2026-03-03 15:10:38 GMT

Defuddle now has a website!
This means you can use Defuddle anywhere to get the main content of a page in Markdown format.
You can simply add "defuddle.md" before any URL, use it via curl, Skills, CLI, or add it to your app via NPM.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/165/878/231/587/850/original/7ea716e6f3774785.mp4

2026-01-15 17:54:19 GMT

If you're enjoying #Obsidian 1.11 consider giving us a review on the App Store or Google Play.
As a small team you have no idea how much motivation it gives us to keep improving the app 🥰

2026-01-12 21:11:38 GMT

give me one TINY thing you want fixed or improved in #Obsidian — the smaller the better, I'm going on a paper cuts rampage

2025-12-26 13:15:41 GMT

What do I mean when I say everything in #Obsidian should feel instantaneous?
No more than 0.1 seconds.
The target was established in 1968 by Robert Miller and well described in 1993 by Jakob Nielsen here:
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/786/051/487/717/681/original/993aaa52a4e1b53e.jpeg

2025-12-25 02:38:35 GMT

Performance is design, and every millisecond counts.
Every update in 2025 trimmed Obsidian's load speed. This is quite complex given the number of different configurations and operating systems Obsidian supports.
We employed many different solutions to speed up Obsidian across various syncing methods, operating systems, plugins, vault sizes, etc.
Getting into Obsidian should be instantaneous regardless of vault size. It's absolutely necessary so that ideas can flow without friction.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/777/876/541/449/102/original/7623265ed1084f1b.mp4

2025-12-16 21:45:32 GMT

what's one improvement you'd like to see in #obsidian in 2026?

2025-11-19 14:30:47 GMT

one strategy is to keep doing your thing much longer than anyone thought you would

2025-11-08 17:25:47 GMT

The kitchen!
https://mastodon.social/@kepano/113205936552805996
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/515/186/287/973/303/original/d5f59dd1653c054a.jpeg

2025-11-03 22:08:47 GMT

When you email issues to Obsidian Entertainment (the video game company) their AI support hallucinates and tells you to email Obsidian (the note-taking company) instead.
The perils of trusting an LLM with your customer support.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/488/014/140/949/207/original/d1547b6519a819fe.webp

2025-10-20 17:55:50 GMT

Use the saw, fear the saw
https://stephango.com/saw
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/407/770/999/142/062/original/59cc126b43889cb0.png

2025-09-09 16:18:36 GMT

Is there a word to describe Obsidian's business model? Revenue primarily comes from optional paid services that have free alternatives.
"Freemium" isn't quite right because freemium apps typically paywall features, or have usage-based pricing. Obsidian doesn't do that, all the app features are free and there's no usage limit.

2025-09-04 18:57:12 GMT

somehow I just learned there's a variety of blackberries called #obsidian, and of course it makes the best jam
https://stephango.com/quality-software
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/147/535/879/839/843/original/6e2dfcb74d4c2dba.jpg

2025-08-18 19:12:08 GMT

https://mas.to/@obsidian/115051168411215897
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/051/352/505/678/875/original/921e2ffde45627e3.png

2025-07-31 19:20:31 GMT

ramblings: a tip for remote teams of 2-10 people
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/949/438/706/932/004/original/3098913c98e2db90.png
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/949/439/577/377/213/original/86d7faea26fbc9cf.png

2025-07-18 00:13:23 GMT

No one knows how many users #Obsidian has
I think it's around 5-10 million people but I'm not sure?
Anyone can download the app and start using it without creating an account or talking to anyone, and there are no analytics built-in 🤷‍♂️

2025-06-28 13:54:44 GMT

I need some help from #Firefox on Android users.
Firefox 140 has broken protocol URIs for extensions, which in turn breaks Obsidian Web Clipper.
I can't find anything in the release notes about any new permissions, or details about the change. Any ideas?
See also
https://github.com/obsidianmd/obsidian-clipper/issues/527

2025-05-27 19:19:03 GMT

You can put an #Obsidian base in a sidebar, and reference the current file
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/581/406/089/914/256/original/78e0862f064df563.mp4

2025-05-23 13:14:28 GMT

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@nprofile…mnec @nprofile…vkt6 the query language is here, you can use it like Dataview inside of code blocks or by editing base files directly (in a code editor for now)
https://help.obsidian.md/bases/syntax

2025-05-22 20:00:17 GMT

If you're looking for a #Pocket replacement, give #Obsidian Web Clipper a try — it's open source (MIT) and works with any app that supports Markdown, not just Obsidian
https://obsidian.md/clipper

2025-05-22 19:57:25 GMT

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@nprofile…x759 @nprofile…kxk2 Give Obsidian Web Clipper a try — it's open source (MIT) and works with any app that supports Markdown
https://mastodon.social/@kepano/114553164915046938

2025-05-22 19:57:13 GMT

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@nprofile…tsy4 @nprofile…ysr8 Give Obsidian Web Clipper a try — it's open source (MIT) and works with any app that supports Markdown
https://mastodon.social/@kepano/114553164915046938

2025-05-22 19:56:22 GMT

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@nprofile…hyrk Give Obsidian Web Clipper a try — it's open source (MIT) and works with any app that supports Markdown
https://mastodon.social/@kepano/114553164915046938

2025-05-01 16:26:37 GMT

if I can, I always prefer to buy directly from the maker, the farmer, the developer

2025-04-04 17:17:28 GMT

analog viewfinders are magical — a tiny window of reality that no amount of pixels can reproduce
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/280/825/393/897/505/original/ec9d3c66a21b3b60.mp4

2025-03-28 16:41:58 GMT

technology always finds the next reproducible thing
art always finds the next irreproducible thing

2025-02-21 17:20:11 GMT

freedom of encryption is a human right
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/043/020/515/722/431/original/9939672561554c42.png

2025-02-20 15:32:42 GMT

All the cloud platforms use your data to train LLMs. Local-first tools are the way to fight back.
Security, defense, finance, healthcare, government... the reason high-security orgs use #Obsidian is for the privacy and ownership of their data.
Now every team can be sovereign.
https://obsidian.md/blog/free-for-work/

2025-02-11 17:18:42 GMT

there's been a sharp acceleration in Obsidian community plugin submissions, in part due to the rise of AI coding tools
it's a "good problem to have" but it's overwhelming our review process — our human reviewers can't keep up
what should we do?
1. lower the bar for plugin review, introduce more community heuristics
2. invest in AI code-review tools to try and automate the process (not easy)
3. ?

2024-12-18 16:23:24 GMT

my partner took me to a ceramics class for my birthday and now I'm thinking we should make all our own plates and bowls and mugs
my 2024 side quest was making all the furniture for our house, maybe 2025 will be ceramics?
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/674/748/005/599/639/original/c63ac1bcea80c591.jpeg

2024-12-17 15:10:26 GMT

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@nprofile…wm9c @nprofile…vdum 1. what device do you use?
2. can you share the results of your startup time?
go to Settings → General → Advanced and click on the stopwatch icon

2024-12-17 14:06:49 GMT

what's one improvement you'd like to see in #obsidian in 2025?

2024-11-19 15:32:37 GMT

Here's what I'm working on next for #Obsidian Web Clipper.
Shameless ask — if you've been enjoying the extension, give it a review wherever you downloaded it. It really keeps me going 💜
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/510/337/245/702/903/original/e75d1568bea1ba26.png

2024-10-30 10:56:12 GMT

Thoughts on Omnivore shutting down (1/3)
Many people enjoyed Omnivore because it was free, but being free was part of its demise.
As an independent app maker, you must have a way to generate revenue or your product will die. As a user you must demand a way to pay makers for the products you love. See my essay: "Quality software deserves your hard‑earned cash"
https://stephango.com/quality-software

2024-08-30 14:42:48 GMT

1. what tools do you use in conjunction with #Obsidian to create/edit/view .md files?
2. how is interoperability of Markdown files useful to you?

2024-06-07 20:10:50 GMT

Obsidian is local, offline, and privacy-first, so we won't consider adding AI features until they can fit with the principles in our Manifesto.
In the meantime, there are dozens of awesome #Obsidian plugins that allow you to work with LLMs.
https://obsidian.md/about

2024-05-28 19:36:08 GMT

If you're a student or faculty, there's a 40% discount for #Obsidian Sync — $29 per year instead of $48.
This isn't new but I am realizing that many students don't know about it. You can apply for it in your account settings.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/520/391/154/653/815/original/58d2b3e3040ee699.png

2024-05-23 17:57:27 GMT

An exciting new device called Daylight Computer — already compatible with #Obsidian and the new e-ink mode I created for it.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/491/692/338/650/656/original/ac5054a27ae61dde.mp4

2024-02-10 22:50:25 GMT

Skiff raised ~$14m in VC to build an open source alternative Google Suite. Now it's being acquired by Notion and the code has been taken down.
All software is ephemeral. File over app.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/909/625/134/756/200/original/61c16aa1986b5811.mp4

2024-01-01 20:47:43 GMT

what do you wish to see for #obsidian in 2024?

2023-12-30 15:47:35 GMT

Choose optimism
https://stephango.com/optimism
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/670/136/242/773/426/original/84874229f288bfb7.png
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/670/136/306/478/263/original/2fc31171c6b12939.png

2023-11-28 17:02:24 GMT

@npub1eee…e209 Are your Daring Fireball sponsorship slots for end of 2023 still available? I have been trying to reach the email on your site without any luck.

2023-08-24 16:55:53 GMT

The plan for Obsidian is to never grow beyond 10-12 people, never take VC funding, never collect personal data or analytics.
Continue building with the assumption that software is ephemeral, files matter more than apps. Use formats that are open and durable.
See our manifesto:
https://obsidian.md/about
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/110/945/641/372/100/070/original/7572d27c5e11376b.jpeg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/110/945/641/952/453/840/original/6cf45c92760481c0.jpeg

2023-08-23 19:37:35 GMT

if we were to make a few @npub14dl…a40d merch items which combo would you like best?
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/110/940/615/268/028/772/original/538432bd8c8cbe34.png

2023-08-15 20:45:46 GMT

here's an example of how you might use the composability of templates in #obsidian 1.4.3 to speed up your workflow:
1. Insert person template
2. Insert coworker template
properties are automatically merged (e.g. the tags #people, #coworkers)
one person can be many things, an author, a podcast host, etc, so you can use this flow to add all the relevant metadata for a person
... I have don't have meetings, but you get the idea 🙃
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/110/895/584/332/073/793/original/b92361c9d632483d.mp4

2023-08-13 21:13:38 GMT

one or two barnacles seem fine at first
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/110/884/370/139/514/257/original/fda330e9ae77607d.jpeg

2023-08-07 17:59:49 GMT

if your data is stored in a database that a company can freely read and access (i.e. not end-to-end encrypted), the company will eventually update their ToS so they can use your data for AI training — the incentives are too strong to resist

2023-08-07 02:06:08 GMT

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@npub1r2f…wacd you probably don't remember this but you were one of the first commentors on my WP blog... the "blogosphere" was small back then!

2023-08-01 17:47:25 GMT

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@npub1hvd…9sq9 I think you'll like the app I'm making, Obsidian. We just added an Evernote importer tool:
https://obsidian.md/blog/free-your-notes
maybe it's time for us to do another New Disruptors episode 😄

2023-07-02 22:08:43 GMT

File over app
File over app is a philosophy: if you want to create digital artifacts that last, they must be files you can control, in formats that are easy to retrieve and read. Use tools that give you this freedom.
Keep reading: https://stephanango.com/file-over-app