Pre-release plugin verification checklist for Obsidian community plugins.
Use when preparing to release, reviewing before submission,
or validating plugin quality before publishing.
Trigger with phrases like "obsidian release checklist", "publish obsidian plugin",
"obsidian plugin submission", "obsidian prod ready".
Pre-release verification for Obsidian plugins covering manifest validation, production build quality, mobile compatibility, memory leak prevention, settings migration, and community plugin submission readiness.
Prerequisites
Completed plugin development with all features working
Tested in at least one vault manually
GitHub repository with source code committed
Node.js build toolchain configured
Instructions
Step 1: Validate manifest.json
// Run: node -e '<paste this>'
const m = require('./manifest.json');
const required = ['id', 'name', 'version', 'minAppVersion', 'description', 'author'];
const missing = required.filter(f => !m[f]);
if (missing.length) {
console.error('FAIL: Missing fields:', missing.join(', '));
process.exit(1);
}
// id must be kebab-case, no spaces
if (!/^[a-z0-9-]+$/.test(m.id)) {
console.error('FAIL: id must be lowercase alphanumeric with hyphens:', m.id);
process.exit(1);
}
// minAppVersion should be a recent Obsidian version
const [major, minor] = m.minAppVersion.split('.').map(Number);
if (major < 1 || (major === 1 && minor < 4)) {
console.warn('WARN: minAppVersion', m.minAppVersion, 'is very old — consider 1.5.0+');
}
console.log('manifest.json OK:', m.id, 'v' + m.version, '(requires Obsidian >=' + m.minAppVersion + ')');
Step 2: Validate versions.json
// Run: node -e '<paste this>'
const manifest = require('./manifest.json');
const versions = require('./versions.json');
const pkg = require('./package.json');
let fail = false;
// manifest.version should match package.json version
if (manifest.version !== pkg.version) {
console.error('FAIL: manifest.version (' + manifest.version + ') !== package.json (' + pkg.version + ')');
fail = true;
}
// versions.json must have an entry for current version
if (!versions[manifest.version]) {
console.error('FAIL: versions.json missing entry for', manifest.version);
fail = true;
} else if (versions[manifest.version] !== manifest.minAppVersion) {
console.error('FAIL: versions.json[' + manifest.version + '] = ' +
versions[manifest.version] + ' but manifest.minAppVersion = ' + manifest.minAppVersion);
fail = true;
}
if (fail) process.exit(1);
console.log('versions.json OK: all versions consistent');
Step 3: Production Build Checks
set -euo pipefail
# Clean build
rm -f main.js
npm ci
npm run build
# Verify main.js exists and is reasonable size
test -f main.js || { echo "FAIL: main.js not generated"; exit 1; }
SIZE=$(wc -c < main.js)
echo "main.js: $SIZE bytes"
# No inline source maps in production (increases file size significantly)
if grep -q "sourceMappingURL=data:" main.js; then
echo "WARN: Inline sourcemaps detected — remove for production"
echo " Set sourcemap: false in esbuild.config.mjs"
fi
# No sourcemap file should ship
if [ -f main.js.map ]; then
echo "WARN: main.js.map exists — exclude from release assets"
fi
# styles.css check
if [ -f styles.css ]; then
echo "styles.css: $(wc -c < styles.css) bytes — will be included in release"
else
echo "No styles.css (OK if plugin has no custom styles)"
fi
Step 4: Code Quality — No console.log in Production
set -euo pipefail
# Obsidian reviewers reject plugins with console.log in production code
# Check source files (not the built main.js which may be minified)
HITS=$(grep -rn "console\.log\|console\.warn\|console\.info" src/ --include="*.ts" | grep -v "// DEBUG" | grep -v "\.test\." || true)
if [ -n "$HITS" ]; then
echo "WARN: console statements found in source (remove or guard with DEBUG flag):"
echo "$HITS"
else
echo "OK: No unguarded console statements in src/"
fi
# Check for eval() or Function() constructor — immediate rejection
DANGEROUS=$(grep -rn "eval(\|new Function(" src/ --include="*.ts" || true)
if [ -n "$DANGEROUS" ]; then
echo "FAIL: eval/Function() found — Obsidian team will reject this:"
echo "$DANGEROUS"
exit 1
fi
// GOOD: All resources cleaned up in onunload
export default class MyPlugin extends Plugin {
private observer: MutationObserver | null = null;
private intervalId: number | null = null;
async onload() {
// Register events via this.registerEvent — auto-cleaned
this.registerEvent(
this.app.workspace.on('file-open', this.handleFileOpen.bind(this))
);
// Register intervals via this.registerInterval — auto-cleaned
this.intervalId = window.setInterval(() => this.sync(), 60000);
this.registerInterval(this.intervalId);
// DOM observers need manual cleanup
this.observer = new MutationObserver(this.handleMutation.bind(this));
this.observer.observe(document.body, { childList: true });
}
onunload() {
// Clean up anything NOT registered via this.register*
this.observer?.disconnect();
this.observer = null;
}
}
Common leak sources to audit:
setInterval / setTimeout not using this.registerInterval
addEventListener without matching removeEventListener
MutationObserver or ResizeObserver without disconnect()
WebSocket or EventSource connections without close()
Detached DOM nodes held in class properties
Step 6: Mobile Compatibility
// Check if running on mobile
import { Platform } from 'obsidian';
if (Platform.isMobile) {
// Disable features that only work on desktop
// - No child_process or fs access
// - No Electron APIs (clipboard, shell, dialog)
// - Touch targets must be >= 44px
}
// If your plugin is desktop-only, set in manifest.json:
// "isDesktopOnly": true
Test on mobile:
Build and release (even a beta via BRAT)
Install on iOS/Android Obsidian
Verify: settings tab renders, commands work, no crashes on open/close
Check touch targets are large enough (44px minimum)
set -euo pipefail
# Basic README checks
test -f README.md || { echo "FAIL: No README.md"; exit 1; }
# Check for screenshots (common requirement for discoverability)
if grep -qi "screenshot\|\.png\|\.gif\|\.jpg" README.md; then
echo "OK: README references images"
else
echo "WARN: No screenshots in README — strongly recommended for community listing"
fi
echo "README.md: $(wc -l < README.md) lines"
Output
Validated manifest.json with all required fields and correct formatting
Consistent versions across manifest.json, package.json, and versions.json
Production main.js without sourcemaps or debug artifacts
Clean source code: no console.log, no eval, no dynamic code loading
Verified onunload() cleanup for all registered resources
Mobile compatibility confirmed (or isDesktopOnly set)
Settings migration for users upgrading from previous versions
README with screenshots and installation instructions
Error Handling
Issue
Cause
Solution
PR rejected: missing fields
Incomplete manifest.json
Run Step 1 validation
PR rejected: console.log
Debug logging left in
Remove or guard with build-time flag
Plugin crashes on mobile
Desktop-only API used
Set isDesktopOnly: true or gate with Platform.isMobile
