Open Obsidian files from System Explorer to make System Explorer an Obsidian navigator

[MitchWagner]

Use case or problem

I want to be able to open an individual Markdown document in a vault from the system explorer (the Finder in my case—I’m a Mac guy). The Finder would become an alternative to the Quick Switcher, or the Obsidian native File Explorer, or a MoC. The Finder would be another way to navigate the vault.

Proposed solution

Here’s how it would work: I open the Finder (or the equivalent on Linux, Windows, Android, or iOS), identify a document inside a vault that I want to open, double-click on that document, and it opens in Obsidian.

At that point, I have all the capabilities of Obsidian. I can see backlinks, links to other documents in the vault, navigate using Quick Switcher, use my plug-ins, and so on.

Current workaround (optional)

I use the Obsidian native File Explorer, and grit my teeth. The window is narrow, and it just doesn’t look and act like the Finder.

Related feature requests (optional)

This feature request is to make Obsidian an editor for standalone markdown files:

Have Obsidian be the handler of .md files / Add ability to use Obsidian as a markdown editor on files outside vault (file association)

Chaoses-Ib/ObsidianShell I wrote a small program to implement that on Windows. If the .md file is in a Vault, it will open the Vault, otherwise it will use the fallback method to open the file. [File list]

For me that’s a nice-to-have, but not important.

And this feature request is also related:

Open specific vault from Finder

Thanks yes I filed the same bug yesterday here: and @WhiteNoise Split/Merged yours and mine. It seems to be a limitation of Electron apps. So the question is: is it solvable? i.e.: is it something that can be filed as a bug on Electron and reasonably expect a fix? or is the only solution (for now, yes) to keep Obsidian open? BTW: I have found a cringe-y workaround using AppleScript: Create an AppleScript “app” for each Vault, which first tells Obsidian to Launch and then tells Obsidia…

Actually, I’m not sure how it’s different from what I’m asking for. I mean, you can’t “open a vault” from outside Obsidian. All you can do is open a specific document within a vault—for example, by using Raycast, Alfred, etc. extensions—which is what I’m requesting.

Thanks—and if anybody has any good workarounds for this, I would love to hear them.