Obsidian’s Cornell-style tree view that keeps your Markdown in sync while you read, learn, and edit in focused cards.
⚠️ Important Disclosures
- Closed source: The public release is compiled code only.
- Free vs Pro: Tree reading, copying, and search are free. Inline/dual editing, tier controls, quick switching, and screenshot export require a paid GridNote Pro license.
- Network: Only Pro activation/verification uses the internet. Your notes never leave your vault.
- Cornell-inspired tree cards – Every heading becomes a cue column + content card so you can skim the outline and dive into details without leaving context.
- Always-synced editing – GridNote sits on top of the native Markdown view, keeps folds, and automatically inserts a missing H1 so documents stay well-formed.
- Productivity toolbar – Floating controls for search, undo/redo, keyboard cheatsheet, plus Pro-only depth and quick file switching from anywhere in the document.
- Share-ready output – Copy plain or rich text per card, or open the screenshot composer to export depth-limited cards as polished images.
- Converts headings (H1–H6) into hierarchical “cue + detail” lanes so long documents stay scannable.
- Collapsible columns remember their fold state per file via
FoldStateManager, even after you reorder headings. - Internal Obsidian links remain clickable; GridNote routes them back to the editor when needed.
- Click a selected card to edit: Pro users edit inline with syntax-highlighted CodeMirror, while free users open the synced right-hand editor via
FallbackEditorManager. - Double-click headers (or press
T) to rename without leaving the tree. GridNote rewrites the underlying Markdown line and saves automatically. - Quick-add buttons (or
Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+↑/↓/→) insert siblings/children with correct heading depth and spacing. - Modal editing leverages the embeddable editor for focused changes when you do not want to leave the tree.
- Floating search (
Ctrl/Cmd+ForCtrl/Cmd+K) highlights every match across cards, keeps a live counter, and jumps with ↑/↓ or Enter/Shift+Enter. - Keyboard navigation mirrors a mind map: arrow keys walk between parents, siblings, or children, and
Fselects the first visible card. - Press
Kto open the in-app shortcuts overlay. Undo/redo buttons stay in sync with the underlying editor history and auto-scroll to the last changed node.
- Copy the whole document, the current card, or its entire subtree as plain Markdown.
- Need styling? Copy rendered HTML/Rich Text, perfect for pasting into mail, slides, or wikis.
- Each header menu also exposes “Share as image,” which launches the screenshot composer described below.
- Capture any heading (and optional descendants) as a responsive Cornell layout image.
- Adjust visible depth (1–5), font size, width, and selectively hide/show children before exporting.
- Save directly to your vault (default folder:
GridNote-Screenshots), copy to clipboard, or download locally via the bundled Snapdom renderer.
- Automatic device detection keeps the layout readable on tablets or sidecar setups by scaling to 70–95% without breaking hit targets.
- Floating toolbar respects safe areas, and every component forces
pointer-events: autoso scaled views remain interactive.
md2treeplus incremental caching handles 10,000+ line files while diffing only the changed ranges.- Fold states are recomputed by header text, so your collapsed outline survives reorganizing or undo/redo storms.
- A background
ViewToggleManagerkeeps GridNote embedded in the native Markdown view, so you do not pay the cost of opening a second pane.
| Capability | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Cornell tree reading & folding | ✅ | ✅ |
| Full-text search, highlights, keyboard overlay | ✅ | ✅ |
| Copy plain or rendered text | ✅ | ✅ |
| Inline editing from cards | ❌ | ✅ |
| Smart dual-view (tree + right editor kept in sync) | ✅ stays inline/linked | |
| Depth/tier controls & quick file switch | ❌ | ✅ |
| Insert siblings/children via toolbar shortcuts | ✅ | ✅ |
| Screenshot composer export (clipboard/vault/local) | preview only | ✅ |
| Priority fixes + early feature access | ❌ | ✅ |
⚠️ Free users still edit safely: clicking a selected node opens the synced Markdown view on the right so nothing is locked away.
- Install → Enable.
- Use the tree icon in the left ribbon (or the status bar toggle) to switch the active Markdown file into GridNote mode.
- Structure your document with headings (H1–H6). GridNote auto-inserts a safe H1 if one is missing, without touching existing frontmatter.
- Click any header in the cue column to focus its card; tap again to edit (Pro) or to pop the linked editor (Free).
- Use the floating toolbar to search, undo/redo, or show shortcuts. Keep heading depth manageable by collapsing or by lowering the tier (Pro).
- Copy or share from the header menu, or press
Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+→to add children on the fly.
- Purchase a license at gridnote.cn. One order unlocks up to 3 devices.
- In Settings → GridNote, copy your device ID (auto-generated) and enter the order number.
- GridNote encrypts the activation in localStorage, re-validates every 7 days, and syncs the status to
data.json. Mobile builds honor the stored flag even if localStorage is unavailable. - Need to force a check? Use Refresh verification inside the settings tab.
- Screenshot folder: Pick the vault-relative folder used by the composer (default
GridNote-Screenshots). - Toolbar depth controls (Pro): Fine-tune the number of visible tiers or lock the view to only top-level sections when presenting.
- Quick file switch (Pro): Launch Obsidian’s command palette filtered to Markdown files directly from the toolbar.
- Keyboard overlay: Tap the keyboard icon or press
Kto see all navigation, editing, and insertion shortcuts in one place. - Modal editor: From any header menu choose “Edit in modal” to open an embeddable CodeMirror focused on just that subtree.
- No telemetry: GridNote never sends usage analytics, headings, or vault content anywhere.
- All parsing is local:
md2tree, folding, search, screenshots, and image previews run entirely inside Obsidian.
- Version: 1.1.16
- Platform: Desktop Obsidian (flagged
isDesktopOnly: true). Tablet scaling is optimized for Sidecar/Stage Manager, with native mobile support under active development. - Minimum Obsidian: 0.15.0+
- Files: Standard
.mdstored in your vault. - Performance tooling: Tree cache, virtualized rendering, viewport-aware highlights, and undo-aware re-rendering keep large projects smooth.
- Image preview: Clicking an image while in preview opens Obsidian’s native modal via the bundled
imagePreviewaction.
- Issues: GitHub Issues
- Ideas & discussions: GitHub Discussions
- Product updates & purchasing: gridnote.cn
GridNote is distributed as closed-source software. The reading experience is free; a Pro license is required to unlock inline/dual editing, depth controls, screenshot exports, and premium support.
Transform how you study, write, and think — one focused card at a time.
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Made with ❤️ by ChengDong Xu