MarkMind puts a mind map, an outline view and a PDF annotator inside Obsidian

The same note is a map, an outline or a table

Obsidian MarkMind is described as a mind map, outline and PDF annotate tool based on the Obsidian API, and it supports mobile and desktop. The core idea is that a mind map file is an ordinary Obsidian note whose content is rendered in a different way depending on a display mode.

Creating a file is done by right clicking a folder and selecting New MindMap Board, or by adding the YAML front matter by hand:

---

mindmap-plugin: basic (or rich)

---

The plugin then has a display mode as well, so the same basic file can be viewed as an outline:

---

mindmap-plugin: basic
display-mode: outline

---

or as a table, with display-mode: table, or opened from the note's More options menu with Open outline or Open as table. The outline and table access paths are the same choice expressed in two ways, and the plugin is following the convention of the obsidian-enhancing-MindMap plugin, which the README says the basic mode works similar to.

The reason the file format is plain YAML front matter matters. A mind map in this plugin is not a separate binary artefact that Obsidian cannot read, it is a note with a marker, so the same file is still greppable, still diffable and still works with the rest of the vault.

Rich mode is where the plugin becomes more than a diagram

Basic mode is the map, the outline and the table. Rich mode adds four things on top: a summary, a boundary, a node related link and a free node.

Those four are what separate a diagram from a structured document. A summary node collects the key points of a branch, a boundary draws a box around a group, a node related link expresses a relationship between two nodes, and a free node is a node that is not a child of anything, which is how a floating idea is represented.

The file format for rich mode is different in kind, not just in detail:

---

mindmap-plugin: rich

---


# md 

{JSON Data}

The map data itself is JSON, stored after an md heading. That is a notable trade. A basic map is a Markdown list, which is readable and editable by hand, whereas a rich map with summaries, boundaries and cross-references is a JSON document that the plugin has to serialise and deserialise. The README separately links a page on getting markdown text from rich mode, which is the documented escape hatch for getting a readable version out of the JSON.

The rich mode documentation also links Copy and paste node of MindMap, Embed MindMap in other markdown file, and Common operations of MindMap, the last of which lists dragging an image from the desktop into rich mode, copying text from the browser into the MindMap, and dragging multiple nodes. Those are the operations that make a map usable in a note-taking workflow rather than as a one-off diagram.

Markdown features in the map, including KaTeX and inline code

The Introduction section lists what the plugin supports inside a map, and the list is short and specific: links, inline styles with text and italic, multiline text in a paragraph, inline code, and Katex for mathematical notation, with the example $x = {-b \pm \sqrt{b^2-4ac} \over 2a}$.

This matters because a mind map that cannot hold a code snippet or a formula is a diagram tool, not a note tool. Being able to drop inline code and a quadratic formula into a node is what makes the map usable for a technical vault rather than only for a project plan.

The plugin also has an export path. Exporting a MindMap to image is done with CTRL + P and the Export to HTML command, and the feature list in the comparison table lists export mindmap as pdf file as a Catalyst-only capability. The PDF export and the PDF annotation feature are related but separate: the annotation tool is described as its own section with its own documentation link, and the workflow described in the video is to annotate a PDF with the pdf++ plugin.

The documentation site is organised by mode and task, with separate pages for creating basic mode, displaying basic mode to outline, displaying basic mode to table, creating rich mode, getting markdown text from rich mode, copying and pasting nodes, embedding a MindMap in another markdown file, and common operations. There is also a presentation mode video, which suggests the plugin can present a map rather than only draw one.

The free tier is Basic mode, and the paid tier is a specific feature list

The feature comparison table in the README is the most important part of the document for anyone deciding, so it is worth reading closely rather than skimming.

The Free column offers the Basic mode of MindMap, most features in Rich mode, List mode, PC and Mobile support, and a price of $0. The Catalyst column offers the advanced features in Rich mode, PDF annotate, support development, PC and Mobile support, and exports the mindmap as a pdf file, at $16 forever.

Two lines make the split concrete. The rich mode is not entirely behind the paywall, most of its features are free, but the advanced ones are not. And the PDF export is listed as not supported in the free column, which is the sharpest line in the table.

The trial is thirty days: you can try it for 30 days for free, and after 30 days you can purchase a code on the website.

The project has passed automated review by Obsidian, referenced as issue 1049, which is the process a plugin goes through to be listed in the community plugin directory. For a plugin that asks for money, that distinction matters, since a listed plugin is installed the same way as any other rather than by downloading a release from a website.

The shortcut table is the real documentation of the editing model

The outline mode section carries a shortcut table, and it is the most informative part of the README because it describes the editing model rather than the appearance.

The structure is that of a list editor. Enter creates a new child node, Tab indents, Shift + Tab unindents, Space or a double click edits a node, Delete or Backspace deletes it, and CTRL or CMD + Z and CTRL or CMD + Y undo and redo. Up, Down, Left and Right tab between nodes.

Layout is separate from content, which is a deliberate choice. Zoom in is CTRL or CMD + ] or a double click on the bullet point, zoom out is CTRL or CMD + [, and zoom in or out is CTRL + Mouse wheel. Mind map to center is CTRL or CMD + E. Move up or down node is CTRL or CMD + Up or Down.

The most interesting binding is the last one. Change MindMap layout is select node, then CTRL or CMD + U, D, L, R, M, J, K, T or Q. Nine single-letter layout options bound to one modifier, which means the plugin supports a set of radial and directional tree arrangements and lets you change the arrangement without moving nodes. That is a feature no Markdown list gives you, and it is the kind of thing that makes a mind map worth using rather than a diagram you drew once.

The table also lists Delete summary/boundary/related link under Delete or Backspace, which confirms that the rich mode constructs are editable in the same list-style manner as ordinary nodes.

The repository is a plugin manifest and docs, not a plugin source tree

The top level of the repository holds Changelog.md, README.md, a docs/ directory and manifest.json. That is the whole tree.

The absence is the point. There is no src/ directory, no build configuration, no package manifest and no compiled output in the listing, which means the source is not published in this repository. The manifest.json is the Obsidian plugin manifest, the file that declares the plugin's id, name, version and minimum app version, and everything else the plugin does is delivered as a built artefact by the maintainer.

That has consequences for anyone evaluating the project. You cannot read the implementation to check what the plugin does with your notes, and you cannot build it yourself. What you can do is read the documentation, watch the videos, and rely on the changelog to see what changed between versions.

The version history shows a project that moves often. The releases are 3.7.4 on 2026-10-05, 3.7.3 on 2026-09-22 and 3.7.2 on 2026-09-07, and the last push was on 2026-10-05, so a release roughly every two weeks. For a plugin that has to keep working with Obsidian's own releases, that cadence is the relevant signal, and the Changelog.md file is the place to check before an update.

The licence is not recorded in the repository's licence field, and the primary language is not listed either, so neither fact should be assumed. The project links a GitHub repository, a changelog, the website www.MarkMind.net, a Discord invite, and a Chinese manual, and it names two related projects in the same space, coc-markmap and gatsby-remark-markmap.

Editorial conclusion

Obsidian MarkMind fits an Obsidian user who wants a note to be readable as a map, an outline or a table, and it does not fit a team that needs the rich mode features or PDF export under a free budget, since the comparison table in the README puts those behind the paid Catalyst tier. Before adopting it, read the feature comparison table in the README and decide which tier you need, and check that the free tier covers your use, because the free version is Basic mode with most of Rich mode, list mode and mobile support while PDF export is listed as not supported.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

1. Issues
2. MarkMindCkm/obsidian-markmind on GitHub
3. README
4. Releases