# Obsidian Excalidraw Update (2.24 & 2.25) > [!question] Lingering Questions > - Does the Extras opt-in create a support-load spike from users who don't realize LaTeX/Mermaid now require a separate plugin? > - What's the migration story for saved drawings that used the old four-size free-draw presets? > [!idea] Article Ideas > - Test Capture Note plus the reading-mode lock for a fully-visual daily note on iPad — does it survive Sync to iPhone? > - Watch for a reusable state-sensitive "inspector" community script to adapt for canvas accessibility checks. > [!link] Cross Reference > - Pairs with "The 4 Levels Of Thinking On Paper" — both argue drawing/visual forms surface relationships linear text hides; this is the tooling that makes that practice viable inside Obsidian. > - Relevant to Courtney's mobile-first (iPad/iPhone) PKM workflow now that Core syncs under the Obsidian Sync Basic size ceiling. > [!abstract] Vocabulary > - **Excalidraw Core / Extras split** — the plugin's response to Obsidian's scanner flagging it for size and high-privilege filesystem access: Core stays under 5 MB and low-privilege; Extras (LaTeX, Mermaid, PDF print, filesystem access) is optional. > - **State-sensitive script** — a new Excalidraw Automate hook that lets a script react live to an element's changing position/size/stroke as the user edits it. ## Metadata - Source: [[3. Resources/Literature Notes/Obsidian Excalidraw Update (2.24 & 2.25)]] - Author: Zsolt Viczián, Obsidian Excalidraw plugin author - URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqt5NJE2sJ8 - Category: Video ## Author's Thesis **What is the author saying?** A month of releases (2.24, 2.25) answers a governance problem — Obsidian's plugin scanner flagged Excalidraw for size and high-privilege filesystem access — by splitting the plugin into a lean, low-privilege Core and an optional Extras companion, while also shipping a smoother pen engine and a new state-sensitive scripting hook. **What of it?** Getting Core under Obsidian Sync Basic's 5 MB ceiling means the plugin now propagates to iPad and Android, directly relevant to a mobile-first visual note-taking workflow; roughly half the release came from community ideas or direct contributions. ## Key Arguments 1. The Core/Extras split is architectural governance compliance, not just a feature request: high-privilege capabilities (filesystem access, LaTeX, Mermaid, PDF printing) move to an opt-in companion so the base plugin satisfies marketplace scanning. 2. The new free-draw engine (smoother strokes, optional pressure-off mode, five pen sizes) is the headline user-facing win, alongside finer control over how embedded markdown behaves and exports. 3. A new state-sensitive scripting hook in Excalidraw Automate opens a class of live automations (his demo: a properties editor that updates as you move/resize an element) — explicitly a concept, not a finished feature. ## Claim Atoms ### Plugin split keeps Excalidraw Core under sync limit > [!quote] ID:rw_pending > "Now, the plugin is below the 5 MB limit, which means Obsidian Sync Basic is also going to transfer the new plugin file when you update" **Context & use**: ~00:02, the Core/Extras split rationale. Matters for a mobile-first workflow: Core now reaches iPad/Android via Sync Basic. **Tags**: #xref <!-- atomicity: 1 idea ✓ --> ### New pen engine adds optional pressure-off drawing > [!quote] ID:rw_pending > "you have this additional mode to remove pressure sensitivity" **Context & use**: ~00:10, the 2.25 free-draw engine. Smoother strokes plus five sizes improve tablet sketchnoting legibility. **Tags**: #xref <!-- atomicity: 1 idea ✓ --> ### State-sensitive hook enables live property automations > [!quote] ID:rw_pending > "you can now create scripts that are state-sensitive, and this opens up lots of opportunities for automations" **Context & use**: ~00:14, new Excalidraw Automate hook. Foundation for live inspectors/editors reacting to element state. **Tags**: #xref #articleseed <!-- atomicity: 1 idea ✓ --> ## Permanent Candidates - [[Progressive Disclosure Keeps A Plugin's Core Trustworthy]] — moving high-privilege capabilities into an optional companion plugin lets a maintainer satisfy marketplace governance while keeping the core small, syncable, and low-risk. ## Processing Checklist - [x] Verbatim quotes captured with source location - [x] Atomicity markers on all atoms - [x] Permanent candidate identified and drafted - [x] Konik triage callouts populated - [x] Tags limited to Konik-7 pool - [x] MOC links proposed (not written) ## Links - [[3. Resources/MOCs/Visual Thinking MOC]] — sketchnoting and drawing-based synthesis tooling, direct fit. - [[3. Resources/MOCs/Personal Knowledge Management MOC]] — capture tooling and mobile-sync workflow relevance.