tolaria/docs/adr/0098-in-app-image-and-pdf-file-previews.md

type, id, title, status, date, supersedes, superseded_by

type	id	title	status	date	supersedes	superseded_by
ADR	0098	In-app image and PDF previews for binary vault files	superseded	2026-04-29	0086	0110

Context

ADR-0086 introduced the FilePreview path for image binaries while keeping binary files as ordinary VaultEntry records. The same file-first model should now cover PDFs, because asset-heavy vaults often mix screenshots, diagrams, and document exports that users need to inspect without leaving Tolaria.

Decision

Tolaria previews supported image and PDF files in the editor pane while keeping them as ordinary binary vault files.

• The scanner keeps the coarse fileKind: "binary" representation. Previewability stays a renderer concern inferred from the file extension in src/utils/filePreview.ts.
• Supported images render with <img> and supported PDFs render with the webview PDF object renderer, both using Tauri asset URLs from convertFileSrc.
• The Tauri CSP permits scoped asset URLs in object-src so PDF objects can load vault-backed files without broadening script, connect, or image policy.
• PDF preview fallback content lives inside the PDF object so unsupported or failed renderers still expose an explicit "Open in default app" escape hatch.
• Note-list rows for previewable images and PDFs remain clickable and carry file-specific indicators; unsupported binary rows stay muted and non-clickable.
• Escape on the preview surface returns keyboard focus to the note list, matching the existing image-preview keyboard behavior.

Consequences

• PDFs do not become notes and do not get Markdown editor semantics.
• The asset preview surface can keep growing to additional safe binary formats without changing the vault scanner or persisted cache shape.
• Broken PDFs may rely on the webview's own renderer failure state, but the surrounding Tolaria preview chrome still provides reveal, copy path, and default-app actions.