Plugin data and state files

Apart from your tasks, which live in your Markdown, Operon keeps its own configuration and working state in the plugin folder, .obsidian/plugins/operon/. This is settings and bookkeeping, not your tasks. This page is what is there and what it means if it changes.

What Operon keeps here

The plugin's main data file holds your Operon configuration: key mappings, pipelines, priorities, saved filters, Calendar and Kanban presets, contextual menu setup, and the rest of your settings.

Table presets are the exception. Each preset is a .table file in your vault rather than a preset stored in the plugin's settings. Settings → Operon → Views → Tables → Table default folder chooses where new Table files are created. The historical default is Operon/Tables; choose another vault-relative folder to organize new files elsewhere, or leave the setting blank to create them at the vault root. Changing it never moves existing .table files. The plugin's data records only derived bookkeeping such as valid file bindings, order, favorites, and the default. Operon reconciles that bookkeeping from the valid, uniquely identified .table files at startup, drops stale Settings-only references, and creates a fresh default Table file when no valid preset remains. See Table files.

Alongside it, Operon keeps working state and caches in subfolders:

  • State: things Operon tracks that are not settings, such as recurring-series records, running timers, pinned tasks, project serials, and verified Daily/Weekly File Task container identities.
  • Runtime: the task index, a cache built from your notes for speed.
  • Cache: derived data such as fetched external-calendar events.

The split is deliberate: settings are your choices, state is what Operon is currently tracking, and the runtime index is rebuildable from your notes at any time.

The periodic-container registry is Plugin-owned bookkeeping. It lets Operon prove which Daily or Weekly Note is an exact File Task parent before creating or realigning a relationship. Do not edit it manually or reproduce it in CLI scripts; the Plugin updates it together with the related Markdown transaction. See Daily and Weekly Notes.

Operon saves this index as a set of verified, sharded snapshots rather than one large file, so it loads quickly on startup and writes back only the parts that changed, which keeps routine Sync traffic small. Because the snapshot is never more than a cache, Operon can rebuild it from your Markdown at any time, and it does so automatically if the snapshot is missing or fails one of its own checks.

Tasks are not here

None of your tasks live in these files. They are in your Markdown notes. If these plugin files were deleted, you would lose settings and have to reconfigure, and Operon would rebuild its index from your notes, but your tasks would be intact. See Where Operon stores data.

FAQ

Will I lose tasks if I delete the plugin data? No. Tasks are in your notes. You would lose settings and the index, which Operon rebuilds.

Do I need to back these up separately? No. Backing up your vault captures the plugin folder along with your notes. Operon can also export a portable settings backup when you want to move configuration without copying the whole vault. See Back up and restore settings.

Where are my settings stored? In the plugin folder, .obsidian/plugins/operon/, not mixed into your notes.