Install

Add the plugin to your vault and let setup create its folders, your first Matters and a board.

What you need

  • Obsidian 1.13 or later, on desktop or mobile.
  • The Bases core plugin turned on (Settings → Core plugins → Bases). The board, list, calendar and timeline are Bases views. Without Bases, quick add, the inspector and the commands still work.

Install the plugin

  1. Open Settings → Community plugins and turn off Restricted mode if it is on.
  2. Select Browse and search for Matters that Matter.
  3. Select Install, then Enable.

You can also start from the plugin’s page in the community directory, which offers to install it in Obsidian.

Run setup

Setup opens in a tab the first time Obsidian loads the plugin. It creates nothing until the last step, and it never overwrites a file.

  1. Location: the folders for Matters, Actions, boards and people. Existing folders are reused.
  2. Workflow: your statuses (the columns of the board) and Action types. Pick a preset or make your own; you can change both later in settings.
  3. Matters: type the names of a few Matters, one per line, or adopt notes you already have.
  4. Summary: every file setup will create or change. Select Create to write them and open the board. Just above Create, setup offers the Calm Matters theme (see below).

Setup also offers Add sample content: a small set of Matters and Actions, with dates relative to today, so you can try every view before adding your own. Remove it later with the command Remove sample content.

TipKeep links up to date

Leave Settings → Files and links → Automatically update internal links on. Actions point to their Matter with a link, and renaming a Matter should update every Action that names it.

To run setup again, use the command Run setup.

Reinstalling, or a new device

Uninstalling a plugin deletes its settings, and a vault copied without its .obsidian folder has none. When setup starts on a vault that already has Actions or Matters, it reconnects: it reads what it can back from your notes, and nothing in them changes. A Reconnect marker beside the step number shows it.

  • Location says “Welcome back.” and fills in the folders where your notes are, with your Inbox (found by its icon, even if you renamed it) and your board.
  • Workflow brings back your statuses, Action types and Spheres.
    • If your notes match a preset, it comes back as it was, and setup says it recognised your workflow.
    • Otherwise From your notes is selected. Labels are made from the IDs your notes store (“in-progress” becomes “In progress”) and show in italics until you edit them; hover one to see its ID. A status counts as closed when its Actions have completion dates, so check the other categories.
    • Each row says how many Actions or Matters use it. Rename, recolour and reorder freely: your notes store IDs, so they follow.
  • Matters says how many Matters were found. They stay as they are.
  • Summary lists the settings to re-create. If you deleted a status or type your notes use, it says how many Actions would show a badge, and Put it back restores it. Settings that notes don’t record start from their defaults: Inbox lane, Show done, Week starts on, Show Today in new tabs, Open Matters as their overview, Show links to Actions as chips, Dates in English, Dates in Spanish and Let links add Actions.

Values that were already unknown before, such as an Action naming a type that no longer existed, come back as real statuses, types or Spheres too: notes can’t tell them apart from lost ones. Delete the row in the Workflow step if you don’t want one.

To set up from scratch instead, select Start fresh instead on the first step.

TipUsing Matters that Matter on another device?

If your plugin settings sync, wait for them instead: they bring everything back exactly as it was. If they arrive while setup is open, setup steps aside with “Your settings arrived from another device” and Open board, without saving over them.

Add the theme

The plugin works with any theme. Its companion theme, Calm Matters, gives it the look in the pictures: a warm paper page, Dusk for the evening, a friendly serif for titles and calm, frosted panels.

Select Get the Calm Matters theme on setup’s last step, or Get the theme at the top of the plugin’s settings. Obsidian’s theme browser opens at Calm Matters; select Install and use. Or install it yourself from Settings → Appearance → Themes → Manage, searching for Calm Matters.