obsidian-gemini: Skill for Claude Code

UI/UX Best Practices

When to use this skill

Use this skill when:

• Building or modifying UI components in the plugin
• Implementing views, modals, or interactive elements
• Working on styling, layout, or theming
• Reviewing UI code for consistency and quality

For Obsidian-specific API guidance (views, modals, workspace, DOM helpers), also refer to the obsidian-plugin-development skill.

Guidelines

1. Modal Sizing

Use the :has() CSS selector to target parent containers for proper width constraints. Obsidian wraps modal content in container elements, so direct width on the modal class may not be enough.

.modal-container:has(.my-modal) {
	max-width: 800px;
}

2. Text Overflow

Always handle long text with text-overflow: ellipsis and proper flex constraints. This prevents layout breaking with long file names, paths, or user input.

.truncated-text {
	overflow: hidden;
	text-overflow: ellipsis;
	white-space: nowrap;
	min-width: 0; /* Required for flex children */
}

3. Message Formatting

Convert single newlines to double newlines for proper Markdown rendering in chat and agent views. Obsidian's Markdown renderer requires double newlines for paragraph breaks.

4. Collapsible UI

Use compact views by default with expandable details for complex information. This keeps the interface clean while still providing access to detailed data (e.g., tool call results, debug info, context trees).

5. Animations

Add subtle transitions and animations for a professional feel. Use CSS transitions for state changes (expand/collapse, show/hide) rather than abrupt visibility toggling.

.expandable {
	transition: max-height 0.2s ease-out;
	overflow: hidden;
}

6. Icon Usage

Use Obsidian's built-in Lucide icons via setIcon() for consistency with the Obsidian ecosystem. Do not import icon libraries separately.

import { setIcon } from 'obsidian';

const iconEl = containerEl.createDiv('my-icon');
setIcon(iconEl, 'file-text');