SubMiner/docs-site/subtitle-sidebar.md

Subtitle sidebar

The subtitle sidebar puts the whole parsed cue list for the active subtitle file in a scrollable panel next to mpv. Scroll back through lines you already passed, look ahead at what is coming, and click any cue to seek straight to it. The overlay only ever shows the current line; the sidebar shows the rest.

The sidebar is enabled by default. Set subtitleSidebar.enabled to false if you want to turn it off.

How it works

When SubMiner parses the active subtitle source into a cue list, the sidebar becomes available. Toggle it with the \ key (configurable via subtitleSidebar.toggleKey). While open:

• The active cue is highlighted and kept in view as playback advances (when autoScroll is true).
• Clicking any cue seeks mpv into that line. For overlapping ASS karaoke, SubMiner moves past the previous line's exit animation when the selected cue has enough time remaining.
• The sidebar and the overlay share one cue list, so a media change or subtitle source switch updates both at once.

For typeset ASS karaoke and animated signs, SubMiner collapses generated animation frames and repeated full-line color phases before they reach the sidebar. It recovers a clean complete line from a matching timed authoring comment or from full-line events surrounding generated fragments. Ordinary ASS comments, editor notes, alternate lines, repeated dialogue, and separately positioned signs remain distinct.

The sidebar only opens when a parsed cue list exists. Subtitle sources SubMiner cannot parse, such as embedded ASS tracks that mpv renders itself, leave it empty.

Selecting and copying dialogue

Drag across subtitle text to select an excerpt, including across multiple rows. Scroll to extend a selection through a longer conversation. Ctrl/Cmd+C or the Copy button copies the highlighted text in subtitle order, without timestamps. Partial first and last lines are preserved, with a blank line between subtitle cues.

Dragging to select does not seek playback. Playback-following auto-scroll stops while you drag or have a selection, so the excerpt stays in view. Press Escape to clear the selection. An ordinary click with no selection still seeks to that cue.

Selection survives playback updates and Yomitan popup dismissal. Changing media or subtitle sources, refreshing the cue list, or closing the sidebar clears it. Copying an excerpt does not require creating an Anki card.

Layout modes

Two layout modes are available via subtitleSidebar.layout:

overlay (default) - The sidebar floats over mpv as a panel. It does not affect the player window size or position.

embedded - Reserves space on the right side of the player and shifts the video area over, giving you a split pane. Use this when you want the cue list up without it covering the video. Positioning depends on the compositor, so switch back to overlay if the geometry comes out wrong.

Configuration

Enable and configure the sidebar under subtitleSidebar in your config file:

{
  "subtitleSidebar": {
    "enabled": true,
    "autoOpen": false,
    "layout": "overlay",
    "toggleKey": "Backslash",
    "pauseVideoOnHover": true,
    "autoScroll": true,
    "css": {
      "font-family": "Hiragino Sans, M PLUS 1, Source Han Sans JP, Noto Sans CJK JP",
      "color": "#cad3f5",
      "background-color": "rgba(73, 77, 100, 0.9)",
      "font-size": "16px",
      "opacity": "0.95",
      "--subtitle-sidebar-max-width": "420px",
      "--subtitle-sidebar-timestamp-color": "#a5adcb",
      "--subtitle-sidebar-active-line-color": "#f5bde6",
      "--subtitle-sidebar-active-background-color": "rgba(138, 173, 244, 0.22)",
      "--subtitle-sidebar-hover-background-color": "rgba(54, 58, 79, 0.84)"
    }
  }
}

Styling lives under the css object, using CSS property names and CSS custom properties (the same pattern as subtitleStyle.css).

Option	Type	Default	Description
enabled	boolean	true	Enable subtitle sidebar support
autoOpen	boolean	false	Open the sidebar automatically on overlay startup
layout	string	"overlay"	"overlay" floats over mpv; "embedded" reserves right-side player space
toggleKey	string	"Backslash"	KeyboardEvent.code for the toggle shortcut
pauseVideoOnHover	boolean	true	Pause playback while hovering the cue list
autoScroll	boolean	true	Keep the active cue in view during playback

css property	Default	Description
font-family	Hiragino Sans, M PLUS 1, Source Han Sans JP, Noto Sans CJK JP	Cue text font family
color	#cad3f5	Default cue text color
background-color	rgba(73, 77, 100, 0.9)	Sidebar shell background color
font-size	16px	Base cue font size
opacity	0.95	Sidebar opacity between 0 and 1
--subtitle-sidebar-max-width	420px	Maximum sidebar width
--subtitle-sidebar-timestamp-color	#a5adcb	Cue timestamp color
--subtitle-sidebar-active-line-color	#f5bde6	Active cue text color
--subtitle-sidebar-active-background-color	rgba(138, 173, 244, 0.22)	Active cue background color
--subtitle-sidebar-hover-background-color	rgba(54, 58, 79, 0.84)	Hovered cue background color

Keyboard shortcut

Key	Action	Config key
\	Toggle subtitle sidebar	subtitleSidebar.toggleKey

The toggle is overlay-local and only opens when SubMiner has a parsed cue list for the active subtitle source. See Keyboard Shortcuts for the full shortcut reference.