Vault Loss Alarm lists missing files and newly empty notes

Name: Vault Loss Alarm
Author: theluckystrike

Check missing files against a saved vault record.

MIT · no telemetry · core features free

The loss report lists six missing paths with their last known sizes. — Open larger

version: 1.1.0
released: 2026-10-21
downloads: 29
review: Passed
health: Excellent
license: MIT
listed for: Desktop, Mobile
obsidian: 1.13.4 or later

The README reports no mobile tests or live cloud offload tests. The unload save can end before completion if the app shuts down.

Directory facts fetched 2026-10-23 07:28 UTC from community.obsidian.md/users/theluckystrike.

About Vault Loss Alarm

You want a path list to check when notes or attachments disappear from your vault.

Vault Loss Alarm compares your vault's file list with saved metadata. Its report names missing files and Markdown notes that became empty. Use that list to check your backup or sync state.

The plugin doesn't save file contents or restore them. Closing a report keeps the old baseline, so a later check can show the loss again.

Check a vault, inspect missing paths and an empty note, then create a restore checklist

Free features

Missing paths and last sizes

The startup check waits 60 seconds after the workspace is ready. Defaults trigger an alarm at five missing files or 1,000,000 missing bytes. The report lists paths and sizes, including losses below the threshold.

Delete events while the vault is open

The default alarm counts 20 delete events within ten minutes, including deletions you make inside Obsidian. Folder events count too. Repeated paths share one report row, though the event counter includes repeated events.

The report lists paths after a burst of delete events. — Open larger

Notes that became empty

A Markdown note that shrinks from a positive size to zero triggers an alarm. Previously empty notes and empty attachments do not trigger this check.

A draft appears under Now empty with its former size. — Open larger

Manifests and manual checks

The plugin saves paths, sizes and modification times at checks and 30-minute intervals. Run Show loss report to inspect smaller losses. Accept current vault as baseline replaces the comparison and clears the delete-event list.

A manual report shows three missing files below the automatic threshold. — Open larger

Pro features

Pro costs $5 a month or $15 one time through GitHub Sponsors. One sponsorship turns on Pro in every plugin that has it.

Thirty-day history and date comparisons Pro

Pro saves dated manifests and removes entries older than 30 days on the next save. Compare two saved times for missing, added, newly empty or changed paths. Comparisons use metadata, not text revisions.

Two saved manifest times produce a report of missing paths. — Open larger

Folder thresholds Pro

Set a missing-file count and byte threshold for a folder and its children. These rules add alarms below the vault threshold; they cannot raise or disable it.

Settings show folder rules alongside the vault alarm thresholds. — Open larger

Restore checklist notes Pro

Write checklist creates a new note with tasks for missing paths and newly empty notes. It includes last known sizes but does not restore files.

A restore checklist lists missing paths as unchecked tasks. — Open larger

See how Pro works

Set up Vault Loss Alarm

needs

Obsidian 1.13.4 or later

steps

Enable the plugin after your vault is ready.
Run Check vault now to create the first baseline, or wait for the startup check.
After a loss, open Show loss report and compare the paths with your backup.
Restore files with your backup tool, or accept the current baseline if the deletion was intended.

If the app can't find a new plugin yet, try again later. Obsidian says a plugin that passes the review shows in the app within 24 hours.

How to find missing files in your Obsidian vault

Known limits of Vault Loss Alarm

The plugin saves metadata, not file contents, so it cannot restore notes or attachments.
The scan excludes configuration files and other paths outside Obsidian’s public Vault file list.
Cloud offload, unfinished sync or renames made while Obsidian is closed can produce apparent losses.
Losing the plugin folder removes the baseline and history; invalid baseline JSON starts a new baseline with a notice.
Accepting the current vault replaces the baseline and clears the rolling deletion list.
The unload save is best effort because app shutdown can end it before completion.
Pro comparisons inspect paths, sizes and modification times rather than text revisions.
Mobile devices, live cloud offload and a full app restart after a loss were not tested.

Questions about Vault Loss Alarm

Can it recover a deleted note?

No, the saved manifest contains metadata rather than note text. Use your backup or another recovery tool to restore contents.

Can a rename look like a loss?

An in-app rename moves the saved baseline paths. A rename while Obsidian is closed can look like a missing file and a new file.

What if the baseline is damaged?

Invalid baseline JSON starts a new baseline with a notice. Losing the plugin folder also removes its saved baseline and history.

Does the startup delay confirm sync has finished?

No, it only waits 60 seconds after the workspace is ready. Cloud offload or unfinished sync can make paths appear missing.

Network use

After you choose Sign in with GitHub, github.com receives the public client ID and read:user scope for device sign-in. Then api.github.com receives your token and a sponsorship query at sign-in, periodic checks or Refresh. The plugin sends no vault data; successful checks last seven days, and failed checks can retry after six hours.

Read the full network disclosure

Questions or ideas?

Tell me what is broken in Vault Loss Alarm, or what it should do next.

Send feedback

Vault Loss Alarm 1.1.0, MIT license

Install in Obsidian

Directory page Source on GitHub