Bug: WYSIWYG editor rewrites relative asset paths to absolute file system paths on save #197

ngaluru commented 2026年07月01日 22:20:13 +02:00

The HelixNotes documentation explicitly states:

Images are copied into .helixnotes/attachments/ inside your vault and referenced with relative paths.

However, when interacting with or editing markdown files containing relative links (../.helixnotes/attachments/ or .helixnotes/attachments/), the WYSIWYG editor engine automatically converts and saves these links as hard-coded absolute filesystem paths (e.g., ![image](C:\Users\... or ![image](file:///...)).
This breaks vault portability across different machines, operating systems, and syncing clients (like Syncthing).

Steps to Reproduce:

1. Create a markdown note inside a subnotebook folder (e.g., Notebook/Note.md).
2. Add an image link using standard relative syntax pointing back to the root attachment folder:![test](../.helixnotes/attachments/354959349c0608ad2df96603a5b64bdf.png)
3. Open the note inside the HelixNotes WYSIWYG editor.
4. Make a small edit or allow the note to trigger an auto-save.
5. Open the raw .md file in an external text editor (Source Mode) or via your OS file manager.

Expected Behavior:

The markdown link should remain relative (../.helixnotes/attachments/...) to keep the vault portable across different systems.

Actual Behavior:

HelixNotes modifies the link in the raw text file to match the hard-coded absolute path of the local machine:![test](C:\Users\YourUser\Documents\Vault\.helixnotes\attachments354959349円c0608ad2df96603a5b64bdf.png)

Environment:

• OS: Windows
• HelixNotes Version: v1.3.3

see attached images:
image
image

The HelixNotes documentation explicitly states: > Images are copied into .helixnotes/attachments/ inside your vault and referenced with relative paths. However, when interacting with or editing markdown files containing relative links (`../.helixnotes/attachments/` or `.helixnotes/attachments/`), the WYSIWYG editor engine automatically converts and saves these links as hard-coded absolute filesystem paths (e.g., ``). This breaks vault portability across different machines, operating systems, and syncing clients (like Syncthing). ## Steps to Reproduce: 1. Create a markdown note inside a subnotebook folder (e.g., `Notebook/Note.md`). 2. Add an image link using standard relative syntax pointing back to the root attachment folder:`` 3. Open the note inside the HelixNotes WYSIWYG editor. 4. Make a small edit or allow the note to trigger an auto-save. 5. Open the raw `.md` file in an external text editor (Source Mode) or via your OS file manager. ## Expected Behavior: The markdown link should remain relative (`../.helixnotes/attachments/...`) to keep the vault portable across different systems. ## Actual Behavior: HelixNotes modifies the link in the raw text file to match the hard-coded absolute path of the local machine:`` ## Environment: - OS: Windows - HelixNotes Version: v1.3.3 see attached images:  

ngaluru commented 2026年07月01日 22:22:30 +02:00

as proclaimed https://helixnotes.com/docs.html#media:~:text=Images%20are%20copied%20into%20%2Ehelixnotes%2Fattachments%2F%20inside%20your%20vault%20and%20referenced%20with%20relative%20paths

as proclaimed https://helixnotes.com/docs.html#media:~:text=Images%20are%20copied%20into%20%2Ehelixnotes%2Fattachments%2F%20inside%20your%20vault%20and%20referenced%20with%20relative%20paths