# Obsidian Excalidraw 2.26 - Markdown Images, Smart Flowcharts, Stencil Libraries > [!info] Deep-read port — Readwise notes field already contained a full deep-read (Refactor Appendix, 3 literature atoms + 2 permanent candidates). > Ported from the existing deep-read. YouTube video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9MBFxUoOXQ > [!question] Lingering Questions > - How does a "markdown image" actually compare to a Canvas card or an ordinary embed once you push it through export — does structure (tables, Mermaid diagrams) survive, or degrade? > - Markdown images are explicitly called an MVP by the presenter — what's the known gap list, and does it include accessible alternative text for exported images? > [!tip] Article Ideas > - None obvious yet — this is tool-update coverage, not a standalone argument. Revisit if a workflow piece on "visual objects that stay editable" develops (see permanent candidate below). > [!link] Cross Reference > - [[3. Resources/MOCs/Visual Thinking MOC]] — a new visual-object type (markdown image) that keeps its source editable > - [[3. Resources/MOCs/Personal Knowledge Management MOC]] — the stencil-library refactor (plugin-settings blob → separate vault files) is a PKM-tooling sync/portability decision > [!quote] Vocabulary > - **markdown image** — a rendered-Markdown object living inside an Excalidraw drawing that can contain tables, code blocks, or diagrams, accept drawing annotations on top, and export as a stable visual — while its source text stays editable. > - **stencil library** — a reusable shape/icon collection for Excalidraw; as of 2.26, stored as its own vault folder/file rather than inside one large plugin-settings object. ## Author's thesis Version 2.26 broadens Obsidian Excalidraw from a freehand drawing canvas toward a visual front end for live Markdown content: markdown images keep structured Markdown editable and annotatable inside a drawing, and stencil libraries move out of a single plugin-settings blob into separate vault files, reducing a known sync/size problem. The presenter frames markdown images explicitly as an MVP and invites experience reports. ## Key arguments (≤3) 1. **Markdown images preserve editability that screenshots and static embeds lose** — the object renders live Markdown (including tables) inside the canvas and accepts drawing annotations, rather than flattening content into a fixed image the moment it's placed. 2. **Modularizing stencil libraries fixes a real sync/size problem** — moving from one plugin-settings object to independent vault files is presented as a fix for a known pain point (sync conflicts, bloat), though the presenter doesn't share before/after sync-conflict data. 3. **The feature ships as an explicit MVP, not a finished feature** — the presenter directly asks for pull requests and experience reports, setting the correct adoption expectation (test before depending on it) rather than implying production-readiness. ## Claim atoms ### Markdown images keep visual annotations tied to editable text > [!quote] > This is a markdown image, and you can see that this markdown image has a table. Around 00:06. The rendered object can contain structured Markdown and accept drawing annotations — screenshots lose editability and ordinary embeds have export limits. ### Vault files make stencil libraries modular > [!quote] > It moved out of Obsidian plugin settings. It has its own folder. Around 00:20. Separate files replace one large settings payload; the sync/size benefit should be tested against real sync conflicts and migration behavior, not assumed. ### Markdown images are explicitly an MVP > [!quote] > treat this as the initial minimum viable product version of markdown images Around 00:23. The presenter asks for experience reports and pull requests — an appropriately modest adoption boundary for a new feature. ## Permanent candidates - **Editable source outlasts flattened screenshots** — the markdown-image design choice generalizes: a visual object stays more maintainable when its source text remains editable rather than being flattened at capture time. Promoted below. - Modular files narrow sync conflicts (Z2) — plausible but thinner evidence (no before/after data given); held back this pass, noted for reuse if a stronger instance of the same claim appears elsewhere. ## Processing checklist - [x] Port the existing deep-read into Konik Literature Note format - [ ] Test one markdown-image fixture (table + code block + Mermaid) through export to see what survives - [x] Connect into [[3. Resources/MOCs/Visual Thinking MOC]] and [[3. Resources/MOCs/Personal Knowledge Management MOC]] ## Links - [[3. Resources/MOCs/Visual Thinking MOC]] — a new editable-visual-object pattern in the vault's primary diagramming tool - [[3. Resources/MOCs/Personal Knowledge Management MOC]] — the stencil-library storage refactor as a PKM-tooling portability decision - [[3. Resources/Readwise/Articles/Obsidian Excalidraw 2.26 Markdown Images, Smart Flowcharts, Draw to Shape & Stencil Libraries!]] — source document, full deep-read