Panic Command: Add a way to restart the app in safe mode if a plugin or theme is misbehaving

I was going to create a new FR, but found this one and it seems similar to what I was going to post.

Use case or problem

Sometimes a plugin prevents Obsidian from opening properly. e.g. Obsidian hangs on the loading screen, an all white/gray/black screen, etc. Because of this, the user can’t get to the Settings screen to enable Restricted mode or to turn off individual plugins.

Proposed solution

Have an option for a “safe startup”, “restricted launch”, “restricted startup”, etc., that starts Obsidian with all community plugins disabled or in Restricted mode.

Some mac apps use a modifier key when launching to enter a “safe mode”, choose a different library folder, etc.

I don’t know if this is possible with a desktop Electron app or even if it’s possible with a mobile app.

Current workaround (optional)

With Obsidian / the troublesome vault closed, move or rename the {VAULT-NAME}/.obsidian/community-plugins.json file. This will keep all the community plugins, but they will be disabled when the vault is re-opened.


Renamed title. Was “Feature Request: offer to kill plugin process if it lags Obsidian, and offer to enable safe mode on startup if plugin crashes app”

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