FR: 3-way-sync (H1, Title, Filename) with regex prefix handling

[kl2111]

Is Your Feature Request Related to a Problem? Please Describe.

Yes. Many users, especially those using Zettelkasten or timestamp-based notes, use a prefix in their filenames (e.g., YYYYMMDDhhmm_). The problem is that Linter's current title-related rules apply to the entire filename. This means if I want to sync my filename with my H1 or frontmatter title, the ugly prefix (e.g., 202510291209_) gets synced as well. I'm always frustrated that I cannot have a clean H1/frontmatter title that stays in sync with the semantic part of my filename.

Describe the Solution You'd Like

I would like a new rule (or an enhancement to the existing "YAML Title" rule) that enables 3-way synchronization between the H1 heading, the title key in the frontmatter, and the filename, while ignoring a specified regex prefix in the filename.

This rule would need a new setting: "Regex prefix to ignore in filename".

The sync should be multi-directional:

1. If I change the filename: The plugin should strip the prefix, and update the H1 and frontmatter title with the rest of the name.
2. If I change the H1: The plugin should update the frontmatter title and the filename. When updating the filename, it must preserve the original prefix.
3. If I change the frontmatter title: The plugin should update the H1 and the filename. When updating the filename, it must preserve the original prefix.

Please include an example where applicable:

My Regex Setting: ^\d{12}_

Scenario: User changes the H1 Heading

(File is currently named 202510291209_My Old Note.md)

---
title: My Old Note
---

# My New Note

This is my note.

Expected Linter outcome:

1. Linter detects the H1 change.
2. It updates the frontmatter title to "My New Note".
3. It updates the filename, preserving the prefix, to 202510291209_My New Note.md.

Result:

---
title: My New Note
---

# My New Note

This is my note.

(And the file is renamed)

Describe Alternatives You've Considered

I have considered the File Title Updater plugin, but it does not support ignoring prefixes; it syncs the entire filename. I have also tried the existing Linter rules (like "YAML Title" with the "Filename" mode), but they are one-way (Filename -> Title) and do not handle the multi-directional sync I need (e.g., H1 -> Filename).

Additional Context

This feature would be incredibly valuable for anyone using a Zettelkasten (timestamp-based) naming convention. It bridges the gap between having a machine-readable, unique filename (for sorting and ID) and a human-readable, clean title (for reading and linking).

[pjkaufman]

Hey @kl2111, thanks for your feedback on this. There have been a few requests to allow for regex based YAML title inserts and one or more for keeping the file name in sync with the h1.

Doing a multi-way seek would be very difficult and time consuming. There are drawbacks like what happens if the title, h1, and file name are different, which one trumps the others in terms of assumption as to which should be updated, etc. I am open to somone adding an implementation for this, but given the amount of time I have been able to put towards this project recently, I know I will probably not be able to get to this.

Have you tried the custom regex replacement to see if that helps at all here or does that get overridden by the YAML title and other rules?

Sorry this is probably not what you want to hear, but it is just the current state with 1 maintainer with an ever increasing workload outside of the project.