The Library
The Library
Section titled “The Library”The Library is Lighthouse’s left-sidebar replacement for Obsidian’s file explorer while you’re in the Writing Workspace — a Ulysses-style browser of Groups and Sheets, scoped to your active project.
Opening the Library
Section titled “Opening the Library”The Library opens automatically as part of the Writing Workspace. To reopen just this panel if you’ve closed it without leaving the workspace, run Lighthouse: Toggle library from the Command Palette.
While the Library is open, Obsidian’s native file explorer is detached — it’s restored automatically when you exit the Writing Workspace.
Header
Section titled “Header”At the top of the Library:
- Lighthouse brand row, with an exit button to leave the Writing Workspace
- The project name, in large bold text — switching projects happens via Lighthouse: Switch project in the Command Palette, not a picker here
- The word count goal, if one is set
- Three icon buttons:
- Stats — a quick popover with sheet count, word count, read time, and speak time for the whole project
- New group — adds a top-level group
- ⋯ — Edit project…, Export…, Delete project
Groups and Sheets
Section titled “Groups and Sheets”Below the header, the Library splits into two columns:
- Groups (left) — the folder tree for your project, showing only groups (folders), never individual files
- Sheets (right) — the notes inside whichever group is selected
Selecting a group shows its sheets in the right column; both stay visible together at normal sidebar widths. See Groups & Extras for how groups, nesting, and the Extras group work.
Groups column
Section titled “Groups column”- Each group shows its icon (set via Edit group…) and name
- A chevron appears only next to groups that have subgroups; leaf groups stay flush with the same left alignment
- Drag and drop to reorder groups
- Right-click a group for Edit group…, New note, New folder, and Delete
- The Extras group sits at the bottom, with its own hover-revealed icons for adding a subgroup and collapsing the section
Sheet List column
Section titled “Sheet List column”- Each sheet is shown as a card: its title (the first line of the file), a preview snippet, a status dot, and a goal ring if a per-file goal is set
- The filename is shown as a secondary detail and in the tooltip, since Obsidian still relies on filenames for links even though the card shows the first-line title
- If the selected group has subgroups with their own files, those files render underneath a label for that subgroup — one level of flattening, so you don’t have to drill in just to see everything at a glance
- Drag and drop to reorder sheets within a group
- Right-click a sheet for Rename, Delete, Set/Edit file word count goal, and Merge into…
- The + in the Sheet List header creates a new note in the selected group
Responsive layout
Section titled “Responsive layout”The Library adapts to how wide you’ve resized the sidebar:
- At normal widths, both columns are always visible side by side. The Groups column grows with the sidebar up to a fixed maximum, after which only the Sheet List keeps growing.
- Below roughly 340px, the Library collapses into a single drilling column, Ulysses-style: it shows Groups until you select one, then swaps to that group’s Sheet List with a back button in the header to return.