Avoid repeated research
Bring earlier interviews, evidence, and comparisons back before you repeat the work.
Related notes for Obsidian
Smart Connections: related notes while you work
Smart Connections uses the note in front of you to surface related notes and passages, including ideas you did not think to search for or link. Earlier research and decisions can contribute again while you work.
- Free Core plugin
- No API key required
- Local embeddings by default
Why it matters
A growing vault can outpace what you can keep in mind
Research, conversations, decisions, and AI-created notes can accumulate faster than you can integrate them. Work gets repeated, decisions reopen without their reasoning, and useful ideas fail to reach the next task.
Carry decisions forward
Recover the constraint or rationale before the same debate starts again.
Find the idea, not the filename
Recover related thinking when the title, folder, or exact wording is no longer in memory.
Choose the starting point
Each tool starts from a different clue
- Exact search
- Start with words, filenames, headings, tags, syntax, or regex you remember.
- Backlinks
- Start with relationships already written into your notes.
- Smart Connections
- Start with the note in view and surface notes with similar meaning, even without matching wording or links.
- Compare Connections with exact search
A first useful result
Start with one note you already understand
- 1 Open a note with enough text to show what you are working on.
- 2 Scan the first few results and expand one promising match.
- 3 Open the original note, bring what applies into the work, and leave the rest behind.
Follow the full first-use path in Getting Started. Learn about fixed-target behavior.
Where it helps
Let past work contribute to new work
Writing
Bring earlier evidence into the draft
Recover interview language, examples, and earlier framing while you write.
Projects
Resume without reopening every decision
Bring constraints, experiments, and discarded options back into view when work resumes.
Meetings
Prepare with the surrounding context
See related people, plans, and prior conversations before the meeting starts.
Core and Pro
Start with Core. Add Pro for finer placement and ranking.
Core puts related notes in the Connections view and at the end of notes. Pro adds Inline suggestions, relevance-ranked Base rows, advanced filtering and ranking controls, and 2D and 3D semantic neighborhoods.
In either surface, Graph style None keeps the list without a graph. The 2D similarity map is included in Core; Pro adds 2D and 3D semantic neighborhoods for the same current candidate set. These displays are separate from the Smart Graph Pro plugin.
Core
Connections view
Keep a dedicated related-note list beside the note in view, then expand or open results without leaving the workspace. Shown in Pro 4.8.1; the workflow is also included in Core.
Core
Footer connections
Put related notes at the end of each note, which is useful on mobile or when the sidebar is closed. This is a Pro 4.8.1 desktop example of the shared Core surface; mobile controls can vary.
Explore Footer connections
Pro
Inline connections
See related material for the paragraph, heading, or block you are editing without leaving the editor.
Explore Inline connections
Pro
Connections in Bases
Use a reference note to rank Base rows by semantic relevance.
Local by default
Start without an API key
Smart Connections Core runs its standard related-note workflow with local embeddings. Cloud providers are involved only when you choose to configure them.
- Useful offline after indexing
- Local retrieval can keep working after indexing. Installation, updates, model downloads, and cloud workflows still need internet.
- You decide what to use
- Connections suggests related notes. You choose what to open, link, reuse, or ignore.
- See what is indexed
- Smart Environment shows included sources, exclusions, embedding status, and index readiness.
Questions before you install
Smart Connections FAQ
Do I need an API key?
No. Smart Connections Core uses local embeddings by default, so its standard related-note retrieval does not need an API key. An API key is only needed for optional cloud providers or integrations you choose to configure.
Read the full API key answerAre Footer connections included in Core?
Footer connections are included in Core. Its Graph style can use None for results without a graph or the included 2D similarity map. Pro adds 2D and 3D semantic neighborhoods. Footer and sidebar keep separate graph-style choices.
Read the Footer edition answerIs the Connections mini graph the same as Smart Graph?
No. Connections graph styles present the current result list: Core includes the 2D similarity map, while Pro adds 2D and 3D semantic neighborhoods. Smart Graph is a separate Pro desktop plugin for Whole vault and scoped semantic exploration.
How is Smart Connections different from keyword search?
Exact search starts with words or syntax you remember. Smart Connections starts with the note in view and surfaces related notes or passages even when the wording or title differs.
What does Connections Pro add?
Pro adds Inline connections, Connections in Bases, advanced filtering, scoring and ranking, 2D and 3D semantic neighborhoods, and optional authored note-link arrows. The Connections view, Footer connections, and 2D similarity map are included in Core.
Does Smart Connections send my notes to the cloud?
Core retrieval uses local embeddings by default. A cloud embedding provider receives eligible source text only when you configure one. A cloud chat provider receives the prompt and context for the request you send.
Can I use Smart Connections on mobile?
Yes. The Connections view and Footer connections are available on mobile; some controls vary by platform.
Review Smart Plugins on mobileBring past work back into the moment
Open the work already in front of you and see what relevant past notes can contribute.