List formatting breaks when embedding tables or notes inside nested lists

[hcl123ooo]

I encountered the same issue as described in this link, but it hasn’t been resolved. Does anyone have a solution? Thanks.

@Chloe98

What I’m trying to do

I’m using Obsidian to take personal reading notes and study summaries, and I heavily rely on nested lists (using indentation and bullet points) to organize my thoughts.

While writing in a nested list, I often want to insert things like:

• a table
• an embedded note (e.g., ![[Note]])
• or a math block ($$)

However, whenever I do this, the list formatting breaks. Everything after the inserted element is rendered like a code block or loses its indentation and numbering. The list stops working properly.

I want to know:

Is there a clean way to insert tables, embedded notes, or math blocks inside nested lists without breaking the formatting or turning the next item into a code block?

---

Things I have tried

• Inserting blank lines before and after the table or embed → list still breaks
• Trying HTML <table> or <div> wrappers → didn’t fix the issue
• Changing list numbers after the embed (e.g., from 3. to 99.) → sometimes helps, but feels hacky
• Embedding images instead → works fine
• Placing the embed outside the list → works, but breaks the logical flow of the list

I’ve searched the forum for “embed breaks list”, “table in list”, “list turns into code block”, and similar terms, but haven’t found a reliable solution that keeps the list structure intact.

Any help or workarounds would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[dawni]

Sounds like two issues: syntax and Live Preview rendering.

When following the CommonMark spec, embedding items inside lists works quite well in Obsidian.

Here’s an example. Syntax to embed a note in line b and a table in line e:

- a
	- b
		![[note]]
	- c
- d
	- e

		| a   | b   |
		| --- | --- |
		| a1  | b1  |
	- f
- g

In Reading, it renders nicely.

In Live Preview, .

Live Preview is a middle-ground between markdown editing (Source mode) and HTML rendering (Reading). For specific issues, you could look up existing bug reports for workarounds, or bring unreported issues to the team’s attention. But as a middle-ground convenience that makes compromises between rendered HTML and editable markdown, it seems unlikely to get all of its quirks fixed.