How to Install the Mind Elixir Plugin for Obsidian

The Mind Elixir plugin lets you view and edit Obsidian notes as mind maps. It is now listed in Obsidian's official community plugin directory, so the easiest way to install it is straight from Obsidian itself.

Method 1: Install from the community plugin directory (recommended)

1. Open Obsidian Settings
2. Go to Community plugins and turn off Restricted mode if it's on
3. Click Browse
4. Search for "Mind Elixir Mind Map"
5. Click Install, then Enable

You can also open the listing directly: Mind Elixir Mind Map

This is the recommended route for most people. Obsidian handles updates for you, so new versions arrive without any extra steps.

Method 2: Install via BRAT

Use BRAT if you want to try a build that hasn't reached the directory yet. BRAT (Beta Reviewers Auto-update Tester) handles installation and updates automatically.

Install BRAT

1. Open Obsidian Settings
2. Go to Community plugins
3. Click Browse and search for "BRAT"
4. Install and enable BRAT

Add the Mind Elixir plugin

1. Open Settings again
2. Find BRAT in the plugin list
3. Click Add Beta plugin
4. Paste this URL: https://github.com/SSShooter/obsidian-mindmap
5. Click Add Plugin

BRAT downloads and installs the plugin automatically.

Enable the plugin after BRAT install

1. Go to Settings → Community plugins
2. Find Mind Elixir Mind Map in the list
3. Toggle it on

Method 3: Manual installation

If you'd rather install manually:

Download the files

Go to the GitHub Releases page and download these three files from the latest release:

• main.js
• style.css
• manifest.json

Install the files

1. Open your Obsidian vault folder
2. Go to .obsidian/plugins/ (create the plugins folder if it doesn't exist)
3. Create a folder named mindelixir-mindmap (it must match the plugin ID)
4. Put all three files in that folder

Your folder structure should look like this:

YourVault/
└── .obsidian/
    └── plugins/
        └── mindelixir-mindmap/
            ├── main.js
            ├── style.css
            └── manifest.json

Enable the plugin after manual install

1. Restart Obsidian or refresh the plugin list
2. Go to Settings → Community plugins
3. Find Mind Elixir Mind Map and toggle it on

Verify it works

Open the command palette (Ctrl/Cmd + P) and search for "Mind Elixir". You should see options to create and view mind maps.

Which method should you use?

The community plugin directory covers almost everyone: one search in Obsidian, no extra tools, automatic updates. Use BRAT only if you want early builds, and manual installation only when you're offline or testing a specific release.

Questions? Check the documentation or open an issue on GitHub.