Set Up the Main Daemon
Install the main daemon module so features like quality lock, subtitle download, and web viewer integration work.
Several features require the main daemon — a helper module that loads directly into Obsidian. These include web viewer integration, YouTube quality lock, audio track selection, subtitle download, screenshot capture, and password-protected media support.
The main daemon requires the Obsidian desktop app with installer version 1.11.4 or later. If your installer is older, download the latest from obsidian.md and reinstall. Learn more about installer updates.
Run the setup wizard
Open the command palette (Ctrl+P / Cmd+P) and run Open main daemon setup wizard, or use this quick link:
Open main daemon setup wizard
You can also open it from Settings → Community plugins → Media Extended — scroll to Main daemon and click Setup....
The wizard walks you through three steps:
- Download and install the module — Click Install and wait for the download to finish.
- Connect — The wizard connects automatically once the install completes.
- Restart Obsidian — Click Restart now. Obsidian closes and reopens.
After the restart, open the setup wizard again to confirm all steps show checkmarks. Click Done.
Verify the daemon is running
Open Settings → Community plugins → Media Extended and scroll to Main daemon. The Status field shows the current state:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Connected | The daemon is running |
| Not installed | Run the setup wizard to install |
| Upgrade needed | Open Setup... to upgrade to the latest version |
See also
- Main Daemon — what the daemon is and which features require it
- Set Up Web Viewer Integration — enable web viewer after the daemon is running
- Download YouTube Subtitles — one of the features the daemon enables
- Fix Low YouTube Video Quality — lock YouTube playback quality (requires daemon)