Private, local-first AI for Obsidian
Your notes should be the engine.
Not the data source you have to upload over and over again.
Smart Connections helps you use AI with your vault while keeping control over where your data lives.
- Works offline when you use local models
- No accounts required
- On-device indexing and retrieval
- You choose if and when to use cloud models
Start here
Why local-first matters
Most AI tools feel powerful until you hit the hidden tax:
- you keep pasting the same background
- you hesitate to include sensitive context
- you lose momentum reconstructing what you already decided
Local-first fixes the root issue: context stays close to the work.
When you trust the boundary, you capture more.
When you capture more, AI gets better for you.
What Smart Connections does
Surface relevant notes while you work
Open any note and the Connections view brings related drafts, decisions, and research into view automatically.
Search by meaning, not keywords
Use Smart Lookup when you start from a question.
It finds notes that match the idea even when your phrasing has changed.
Turn "relevant" into "connected"
Drag results into your note to create links instantly.
Each link makes future retrieval faster.
What stays on your machine
Smart Connections is built so the default workflow can run with your data staying local.
The simple data flow
- Your vault content is indexed locally.
- Embeddings are created on-device.
- Smart Plugins store shared workspace data in a
.smart-env/folder inside your vault. - Searches and similarity matching happen locally.
- If you choose an API model, you decide what context is sent.
Run local-first workflows by default, and still use cloud models when you want extra capability.
Get a first win in 10 minutes
- Install Smart Connections.
- Open a note you care about (a project, a draft, a meeting note).
- Scan the top matches in Connections.
- Drag 1 useful match into your note as a link.
- Open Smart Lookup and run one question:
- "What did I decide and why?"
- "What did I try that failed?"
- "What is the next step I kept avoiding?"
If you get one useful resurfaced note, you have proof the workflow compounds.
Upgrade to Pro when you want more leverage
Core is built to "just work."
Pro is for power users who want more control and more surfaces.
With Pro you can unlock:
- inline connections inside the editor
- footer connections view (especially useful on mobile)
- connection graph visualization
- Bases tools for scoring and listing connections in tables
- advanced control over ranking and algorithms
Start Pro
FAQ
Do I need an API key?
No for local embeddings and core connections.
If you want to use an API model for chat, you can connect one (optional).
Does Smart Connections upload my vault?
Indexing and retrieval can happen on-device.
If you use a cloud model, you choose what context leaves your machine.
Where is plugin data stored?
Smart Plugins store shared workspace data inside a .smart-env/ folder within your vault.
Can I exclude folders from indexing?
Yes. Exclude archives, backups, exports, or anything you do not want processed.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes. Core features are compatible with Obsidian mobile.
(Embedding performance depends on vault size and device.)
Next step
If you want private AI that is grounded in your own work: