Folded frontmatter hides newly added body after a combined external update

[N1to]

I have an inbox note pinned in my sidebar. This is often empty when I close Obsidian. Then I usually write something into it from my phone (I use Obsidian sync). Sometimes when I open Obsidian on my PC again the file looks empty in the sidebar, even though when I open it the content is actually there. This has happened occasionally for months now, but I was just now able to reproduce it with the help of an LLM.

Steps to reproduce

1. Create a new sandbox vault.

2. Create a new note: Fold Probe.md. Drag the Fold Probe tab into the left sidebar, into a separate pane below the file explorer. Keep that sidebar pane visible.

3. In Fold Probe turn Source mode on.

4. Enter exactly:

   ---
   probe: before
   ---
   
   

   Make sure to include the empty line after --- so it’s 4 lines in total. Allow the note to save.

5. With focus in that Source editor, put the caret on the first ---. Open the command palette and run Toggle fold on the current line. The YAML should disappear into a fold.

6. Turn Source mode off, returning the sidebar note to Live Preview. Click elsewhere to onfocus the note, but leave it open and visible in the sidebar.

7. Open that vault’s Fold Probe.md in Notepad or another external text editor. Turn Auto Save off if the editor has it. Replace its contents with the following:

   ---
   probe: after
   ---
   BODY_SENTINEL alpha
   BODY_SENTINEL beta
   
   

   Make sure to include the empty line after beta so it’s 6 lines in total. Save the change.

8. Look at the Fold Probe sidebar without clicking inside its editor.

Did you read and follow the Troubleshooting Guide ? Yes

Expected result

The two BODY_SENTINEL lines appear below Properties. Only the frontmatter remains folded/hidden.

Actual result

The body remains blank, although the external editor and the file on disk contain both lines.
Clicking into the note and moving the cursor up reveals the content.

Environment

SYSTEM INFO:
Obsidian version: 1.15.1
Installer version: 1.15.0
Operating system: Windows 11 Pro 10.0.26200
Login status: logged in
Language: en
Catalyst license: insider
Insider build toggle: on
Live preview: on
Base theme: adapt to system
Community theme: none
Snippets enabled: 0
Restricted mode: off
Plugins installed: 0
Plugins enabled: 0

RECOMMENDATIONS:
none

---

Additional information

These observations came from an LLM-assisted investigation. I don’t fully understand them, but they may help identify the cause:

• The complete text remains in CodeMirror’s document. The existing fold incorrectly expands from 0–21 to 0–59, although the closing YAML delimiter now ends at 20. This hides the body.
• The triggering transaction replaces old offsets 4–21 with new offsets 4–59, with no fold effects or explicit selection change. The LLM’s interpretation is that the existing fold is mapped across this broad text replacement without being checked against the new frontmatter boundary.
• Saving the property change and body addition as two separately consumed updates avoids the problem.
• Moving the selection into the hidden body clears the incorrect fold and restores rendering without changing the document.
• This establishes a reproducible trigger; whether my original phone/Sync incident followed the same sequence remains unknown.

[ariehen]

Not saying that you didn’t, but I can’t seem to reproduce the issue on my end. I tried to follow the steps as closely as you described.

SYSTEM INFO:
	Obsidian version: 1.15.1
	Installer version: 1.15.0
	Operating system: Windows 11 Pro 10.0.26300

[N1to]

That’s odd. For me it’s 100% reproducable and can’t get it to do what you show at all. I just made a new vault again to be sure. Also tried different sidebar widths because your property does not wrap like mine by default in a new sandbox vault, but that doesn’t change it either.

[dawni]

This could have nothing to do with your issue but might have other critical significance. That looks like your vault is stored in AppData. Are you storing your real vault in the app installation location, or did you put a temp vault there only for this test?

edit: oh wait. I assumed “I just made a new one” meant you made a new vault using the vault manager. If you meant you made a new Sandbox vault for the test, then whew and never mind.

[N1to]

Yea thats just the default loc for sandbox vaults, right? But thanks for looking out for me!

[N1to]

I did some more testing:

• The note doesn’t have to be in the sidebar.
• No need to use the toggle command, just folding it with your mouse works too.
• You don’t need to switch back to live preview mode.
• Both the before and after text need to end on an identical line and the property has to change with the same save.
• Writing more stuff into the wrongfully folded part does not fix it, but what is written on the line before the identical line does get shown, but weirdly after the fold.