It lets HoverNotes write your video notes and screenshots straight into your vault — no folder picker, and no permission prompts later.
The plugin listens on 127.0.0.1 — your machine only, nothing on your network can reach it — and makes no outbound requests of any kind. Your browser connects to it with a token that you approve inside Obsidian, and you can revoke any browser at any time from the plugin's settings. Notes are plain Markdown files in your vault.
Obsidian on desktop — Windows, macOS, or Linux. The plugin can't run on Obsidian for iOS or Android, because mobile apps can't open a local connection.
The HoverNotes browser extension, already installed and signed in.
Obsidian running whenever you take notes. If Obsidian is closed, there is nothing for HoverNotes to write to.
The plugin isn't publicly available yet — it's being tested with a small group before going into Obsidian's community directory. If you're one of the testers, you already have the two files referenced below.
In Obsidian, open Settings → Community plugins and turn off "Restricted mode". Obsidian blocks all community plugins until you do — this is the step people most often miss.
Find your vault folder on your computer and create this folder inside it: .obsidian/plugins/hovernotes/ — the .obsidian folder is hidden, so you may need to show hidden files first.
Put main.js and manifest.json into that folder.
Back in Obsidian: Settings → Community plugins → click the reload icon, then enable "HoverNotes Video Notes".
Go back to the tab where you were taking notes and click Connect to Obsidian. Obsidian will show an Allow / Deny dialog naming the browser that's asking — click Allow, and you're done.
You only do this once per browser. If you use HoverNotes in more than one browser, each one asks for its own approval.
HoverNotes says it can't find Obsidian
Check that Obsidian is actually running, that the plugin is enabled under Settings → Community plugins, and that Allow browser connections is switched on in the plugin's own settings.
The Allow dialog never appeared
It opens in the Obsidian window, which may be behind your browser. Bring Obsidian to the front and try Connect again. The request expires after a minute.
You changed the port
The plugin and the extension have to agree. The default is 27130 on both sides — if you changed it in one place, change it in the other too.
It worked in one browser but not another
Approval is per browser, by design. Click Connect in the new browser and allow it once.
Want to know what the Obsidian integration does once it's set up? See how HoverNotes works with Obsidian.