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Smart Plugins

Official Smart Plugins site Smart Plugins are independent third-party plugins for Obsidian. Smart Connections is the flagship plugin.

Getting Started with Smart Chat

Use a Smart Chat provider codeblock when you want ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or another supported provider inside the note where the conversation belongs.

First useful result

Send one concrete prompt and receive one visible provider response. Opening the provider, inserting a block, or saving a bookmark is not yet a successful chat.

This page starts with Core provider blocks. They use provider web interfaces and do not require an API model or Smart Environment retrieval.

Choose the right Chat surface

Surface Use it when First-win signal
Core provider block One note needs one provider such as ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini. The provider returns a visible response.
Pro universal block One note needs a shared smart-chat block with a provider selector. The selected provider returns a visible response.
Pro API Chat You want a configured local or cloud model to answer inside Obsidian, optionally from approved notes. A completed response appears with the intended model and context.

For Pro API Chat, use Smart Chat API Extension Getting Started.

What you will do

  1. Confirm Core Smart Chat is installed and enabled.
  2. Open the note where the conversation belongs.
  3. Insert one provider block.
  4. Open its provider surface and send a concrete prompt.
  5. Confirm a visible response.
  6. If the provider creates a recognized durable URL, confirm that Smart Chat saves and reopens it.

Before you start

You need:

Core provider blocks use provider web interfaces. You do not need an API key, a Chat Pro model, or an Environment index for this workflow.

Tip

You can still use local models in Core with the Open WebUI codeblock if you already run Open WebUI locally.

Activate Core Smart Chat

Open Browse Smart Plugins, find Chat, and follow the visible Install or Enable action. If the row shows a full Reload required... action, complete it. Then open a provider block and send a prompt to confirm the workflow.

1. Open the note where the chat thread belongs

Start from the note that owns the work.

Good candidates:

The simple rule:

Put the chat thread in the note where future-you would look for it.

2. Insert a provider codeblock

Open the Command Palette in the owning note and run the provider action you need. For ChatGPT, run Insert OpenAI ChatGPT codeblock.

Other Core actions include:

The ChatGPT action inserts:

```smart-chatgpt
```

Switch the note to Reading view so the provider surface can render. For fences, providers, and Pro differences, see Supported providers.

3. Open the provider surface

In Reading view, open the provider from the rendered block. Sign in if the provider requires an account.

At this point, distinguish these states:

State Meaning Next action
Provider did not load The web surface is unavailable or stalled. Refresh, then use Obsidian Web Viewer for sign-in if needed.
Provider loaded The interface is visible, but no request has succeeded. Enter the test prompt below.
Response visible The provider returned an answer. The first Chat win is complete.
Durable URL saved Smart Chat recognized a provider thread URL and wrote it to Markdown. Reopen it to verify continuity.

4. Send the first prompt

Enter a small, useful prompt:

Create a five-item review checklist for this task: [describe the task in one sentence].
Keep each item specific and testable.

Replace the bracketed text with the task owned by the note.

Send it with the provider's normal send control.

You know Chat is working when the provider displays a response that fits the request. Use that response for the note's work, or send the next bounded question.

Response success and thread saving are different

A provider can return a response while the block still shows a new or unsaved chat. Do not claim durable continuity until a recognized provider thread URL is written to the block and reopens the same conversation.

5. Save the thread when a durable URL exists

After the provider creates a recognized conversation URL, Smart Chat can write the reference into the codeblock. Reopen the saved entry and confirm that it returns to the intended conversation.

Example saved state:

```smart-chatgpt
chat-active:: 1700000100 https://chatgpt.com/c/example-active
```

If the surface still says new chat or no URL appears, the response can still be valid, but the thread is not yet a durable note bookmark. Continue the provider conversation until it creates a recognized URL, or use Copy link only after confirming the current URL identifies the conversation.

Core stores saved URLs and Active or Done state in Markdown. It does not store the full provider transcript by default.

Optional: Mark active or done after review

Use Active or Done only after a saved thread reopens correctly.

State Meaning Use it when
chat-active:: The thread is still relevant, waiting, or in progress. You need to return later.
chat-done:: You reviewed the thread and closed the loop for now. The useful output has been handled, promoted, saved, or dismissed.

Done does not mean Smart Chat judged the answer correct.

Done means you reviewed the thread and decided the conversation is closed for now.

Keep the thread Active until its backing conversation reopens and the result has been reviewed. Change it to Done only after that review. Provider completion alone does not determine the state. See Mark done and Mark active.

What gets saved

A provider block can hold saved Active or Done links. The provider URL and user-owned state stay in Markdown, while the full provider transcript remains with the provider. See Thread storage grammar.

When to use the Pro universal block

Chat Pro adds the universal smart-chat block. Run Insert Smart Chat codeblock, switch to Reading view, and choose a provider from New chat.

Choose a provider from New chat, then send a concrete prompt. The first win is the visible response; saving the thread is a separate step.

Use it when one block needs a shared provider selector or several saved provider threads. The first win is still a visible response. Durable URL capture and Active or Done tracking remain separate checks.

Desktop vs mobile

Platform What to expect Best use
Obsidian Desktop Embedded provider surface, sending, URL capture, and thread controls Full workflow
Obsidian Mobile Saved URLs can remain useful as external bookmarks; the embedded provider workflow is unavailable Reopen saved conversations
Any text editor Saved provider URLs and Active or Done fields remain readable Markdown Recover known links

On mobile, use saved URLs as bookmarks or external links. Use desktop for the full embedded provider interface. See the platform reference.

Recover the first workflow

Problem Recovery
Provider surface is blank or stalled Use Refresh. If sign-in is required, complete it in Obsidian Web Viewer, return to the block, and refresh again.
The provider rejects the prompt Confirm sign-in, account access, and provider availability, then retry the same small prompt.
A response appears but the block still says new chat Treat response success as complete, but not durable saving. Wait for a recognized conversation URL before relying on the bookmark.
A saved entry opens the wrong conversation Return to the correct provider thread and save or select its exact URL. Keep the record Active until continuity is confirmed.
The embedded provider is unavailable on mobile Open an already saved URL externally or continue on desktop.

Continue only when the first response needs more

Next need Continue with
Ground a provider request with a small reviewed source set Smart Context Getting Started -> Docs
Review Active and Done links across notes Build a Chat Inbox
Use a configured local or cloud API model inside Obsidian Smart Chat API Extension Getting Started -> Docs
Understand every provider, selector, action, and recovery path Smart Chat codeblock documentation

First useful result checklist

Before moving on, check:

Check You know it worked when...
Note chosen The provider block is in the note where the conversation belongs.
Block rendered Reading view shows the intended provider surface.
Prompt sent The provider accepted the concrete prompt.
Response completed A visible response matches the request. This is the required first win.
Durability understood A saved URL is trusted only after it reopens the same conversation.
Next step clear You know whether to save the provider URL, use the Pro universal block, or move to Pro API Chat.

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