Inline connections

Inline connections bring related notes or blocks into the editor. Instead of switching to the Connections view, you can surface related material for a specific paragraph, heading, or sentence while you write.

How it works

Inline connections score blocks from the current file against your vault based on your configured Connections settings. When a block has at least one match above your inline threshold, a small inline Connections icon appears at the end of that block.

The icon is intentionally minimal: it is a fast signal that the current block has related context elsewhere.

The inline surface is most useful when the paragraph, heading, sentence, or block you are editing is the thing that should determine the results.

Use the main Connections view when the whole note should be the anchor or when you want a larger result list.

Using inline connections

1. Hover to scan matches

Hover the Connections icon to open a popover list of related matches for that block.

Each result shows:

• the matched note or block
• a relative score for this inline result list
• a quick path to act, such as preview or open

Treat the score as a clue to inspect, not a decision. Preview the result before you act on it.

2. Preview before you switch context

Hold Cmd/Ctrl while hovering a connection to trigger Obsidian's native Hover Preview (above in pink).

This lets you inspect the match without leaving your current note.

Use preview when you want to answer:

• Is this actually relevant to this paragraph?
• Did I already explain this somewhere?
• Should this become a link, source, or follow-up note?

3. Open the full list for the block

Click the Connections + line numbers row in the popover to open all matches for that block in the main Connections view.

Use this when you want to:

• expand beyond the top few inline results
• switch from scanning to deeper exploration
• compare multiple candidates side-by-side in the Connections view
• copy links or send a result set to another workflow

4. Show inline connections only when you want them

If you prefer less visual noise while drafting, toggle inline connections on demand using the command palette, then assign that command to a hotkey if you use it often.

A practical flow:

1. Draft normally with inline connections off.
2. Toggle inline connections on when you want to add links, recover related context, or check repeated work.
3. Preview or open useful matches.
4. Toggle inline connections off when you return to focused writing.

Workflow recipes

Link while you draft

1. Write a paragraph.
2. Hover the inline icon.
3. Preview 1 to 2 promising matches.
4. Open the useful result or add it as a link.
5. Keep drafting.

Outcome: you build links as part of writing, not as a separate cleanup session.

Ground a specific claim or paragraph

1. Find the sentence, paragraph, or heading that needs support.
2. Hover the inline icon for that block.
3. Preview related matches.
4. Add the useful source, link, or recovered decision to the current note.

Outcome: the current passage becomes better grounded in material already in your vault.

Refactor long notes

1. Find a section that feels dense or disorganized.
2. Use inline connections on its blocks to locate related notes you already wrote.
3. Open the useful matches.
4. Split, merge, or extract the current section only when the match makes the next structure clearer.

Outcome: you reduce duplication and turn one long note into a more useful set of connected notes.

Notice repeated work early

If you often restart research, inline connections can reveal "I already worked on this" at the moment you start writing.

Hover the inline icon and look for:

• a prior draft
• a similar concept explained elsewhere
• a related decision note or meeting note

Outcome: less rework, more reuse.

Use Smart Dedupe when repeated notes or blocks need side-by-side review before you change them.

Tuning inline visibility

Inline connections use Connections scoping controls, with extra controls for how much inline signal appears while editing.

Common controls include:

• Inline score threshold: how high a match must score before the icon appears
• Results limit: maximum items shown in the inline popover
• Include/exclude filters: restrict candidates by file path where available

For configuration details, see inline connections settings.

When to use another surface

Related pages

• Exploring the Connections view
• Inline connections settings
• Tune Smart Connections results, filters, and ranking
• Connections in Bases
• Smart Dedupe
• Smart Context Clipboard