Apply colored backgrounds to notes based on folder location or frontmatter metadata.
This plugin is a fork of obsidian-colorful-note-borders by rusi. I am very thankful to the original author for creating such a useful foundation.
Key difference: While the original plugin applies colored borders, this version uses subtle background colors instead—providing a less intrusive visual distinction.
- Open Settings → Community plugins.
- Disable Safe mode if prompted.
- Click Browse and search for "Colorful Note Background".
- Install and enable the plugin.
- Install BRAT from Community Plugins.
- Run command: BRAT: Add a beta plugin for testing.
- Enter:
https://github.com/andresgongora/obsidian-colorful-note-background. - Enable the plugin in Settings → Community plugins.
The plugin applies background colors to notes based on configurable rules:
- Folder rules: Match notes by folder name anywhere in the path
- Frontmatter rules: Match notes by metadata key-value pairs (e.g.,
category: private)
Rules are evaluated in order—the first matching rule applies.
For best result, use subtle colors with low alpha values to avoid overpowering note content. This can guide you through your vault by letting you subtly recognize note types without distractions.
Go to Settings → Colorful Note Background to manage rules. Each rule has:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Type | Folder or Frontmatter |
| Value | Folder name or key: value for frontmatter |
| Color | Background color (hex) |
| Alpha | Transparency (0–1, recommended: 0.04) |
Use the arrow buttons to reorder rules (priority) or the × to remove them.
MIT License. See LICENSE for details.