Exploring the Connections view

The Connections list is the core Smart Connections experience: a ranked list of notes or blocks related to what you are looking at right now.

Use it when the current note is the anchor:

What else in my vault is related to what I am looking at right now?

If your vault has ever felt like:

"I know I wrote something about this, but where is it?"

Connections is the answer.

It surfaces related context so you can preview, open, or link useful notes without organizing first.

For the trust boundary behind local retrieval, see WHY local embeddings and Smart Environment settings.

First win: preview -> drag/open

Open one real note with meaningful text.
Open the Connections view.
Preview one promising result before trusting it.
If it helps, drag it into the note or open it.
You know it worked when one useful related note from your own vault becomes actionable.

What this solves

Connections is for:

rediscovering forgotten work at the moment it becomes useful
linking related notes without browsing folders or hunting search results
noticing prior related material before you rewrite it from scratch
keeping your system lightweight with less manual tagging and maintenance

Why it works without perfect organization

Connections adds value before your vault is perfectly tidy:

it ranks what is related by meaning, not just exact words
it helps you find useful notes even when folders, tags, and links are incomplete
it turns relevance into structure by making useful results easy to preview, open, link, copy, or reuse

Quick start

Open the note you are actively working on.
Open the Connections view.
Scan the top results.
Hold Cmd/Ctrl while hovering over one result to preview it.
If it is useful, drag it into your note or open it.

A good first artifact is:

## Related
- [[...]]

If your note is empty or very short, open a richer note before judging results.

If this is your first run and results look empty, check Smart Milestones or Smart Environment settings.

Connections vs Lookup

Use the surface that matches the anchor.

Need	Use	Why it fits
Current note -> related ideas	Connections list	The current note is the anchor.
Question -> semantic search	Smart Lookup	The query is the anchor.
Exact phrase, regex, filename, heading, or tag	Obsidian search	You need lexical matching.
Landscape -> clusters and neighborhoods	Smart Graph	You need the shape of a topic, not just a list.
Reusable set -> AI-ready context	Smart Context	You found useful notes and now need to package them.
Duplicate cleanup -> review	Smart Dedupe	You need to review repeated blocks or near-duplicates before changing notes.

Use this rule:

Current note -> Connections.
Question -> Lookup.
Exact phrase -> Obsidian search.

Connections is not a replacement for exact search.

It is for the moment when related material should surface from the note you are already working in.

Related notes are not automatically duplicates.
Use Dedupe when repeated material needs review.

Core moves after the first proof

Do the first proof first: preview one result, then drag or open it.

After that, these continuation actions become useful.

1) Drag to create links

Drag any result into an open note to insert an Obsidian link.

Use this to build link trails while you write, not as a separate cleanup session.

2) Preview before you commit

Hold Cmd/Ctrl while hovering a result to open Obsidian's native Hover Preview.

Use this to confirm the note is actually relevant before switching context.

3) Pause to hold an anchor steady

Connections updates automatically when you change notes unless paused.

Use Pause when:

you are writing and want stable context
you want to browse while keeping one anchor note as the reference point
you are comparing several candidates against the same anchor

If the list feels stuck, make sure Play is active so it refreshes.

4) Copy as a list of links

After one useful result, copy the results as a clean list of Obsidian links.

Use this for:

Related notes sections in drafts
a meaning-ranked reading trail
project hub updates

5) Send results to Smart Context

After first proof, send results to Smart Context when you want to turn strong matches into a reviewable AI-ready bundle.

Workflow:

Pause on your anchor note.
Send results to Smart Context.
Remove noise and reorder what matters.
Copy the final bundle and ask for an outcome.

Play/Pause updates

Play/Pause controls whether the list updates as you change notes.

Use Pause when:

You are writing and want stable context.
You want to browse while keeping one anchor note as your reference point.
You are comparing several candidate notes against the same anchor.

If the list feels stuck, make sure Play is active so results can refresh as you switch notes.

Score

Score is a ranking signal, not a grade.

Higher scores generally mean "more related", but treat the score as a clue to inspect, not truth to trust.

Practical rules:

Compare scores within the same list, not across different notes.
Score ranges vary by vault content and embedding model.
Preview or open results before trusting them.
If results feel broad or noisy, tune Sources vs Blocks, limits, and filters in the settings.

The score algorithm uses cosine similarity by default. Pro users can choose additional scoring and ranking options.

Expand/collapse

Expand a result to preview content without opening the note.

Use it to scan faster and avoid context switching.

Click behavior

Clicking a result follows Obsidian's default link behavior:

Click: open in current pane.
Cmd/Ctrl + click: open in new tab.
Cmd/Ctrl + Alt + click: open in a new pane or split.

Managing noise: Hide and Pin

As your vault grows, some connections will be technically related but not useful right now.

Hide

Hide removes a noisy result from the list.

Use hide when:

a note is a frequent false positive
a template/index note pollutes results
the topic is adjacent but not relevant to the current task

Pin keeps an item visible as a stable reference.

Pinning is useful when:

one reference must stay visible while you browse
you want a small set of always-relevant notes for this session

Note

In Connections Pro, pinned and hidden signals can also shape ordering for some algorithms.

List controls

The menu contains controls that turn scanning into action.

Refresh

Refresh recomputes results for the current note.

Use it when:

You made major edits and want updated relationships.
You changed settings and want to re-run the list.

Send to Smart Context

Send results to Smart Context is the fastest way to turn your Connections list into high-quality AI context grounded in your own vault.

A practical workflow:

Pause the list on the note you are working on.
Send results to Smart Context.
Remove anything noisy and reorder what matters.
Copy the final context to your AI tool.

Learn more:

Copy as a list of links

Copies the results as a simple list of Obsidian links.

Use it to:

create a Related notes section
build a reading trail
paste into a project hub as a ranked reference list

Quick controls cheat sheet

Control	What it does	When to use it
Play/Pause	Stop or resume automatic updates	Keep one anchor note steady while you browse.
Refresh	Recompute results	After major edits or settings changes.
Copy links	Copy ranked links	Add a clean related list to a draft.
Send to Context	Send results to Smart Context	Build AI-ready context fast.
Hide/Pin	Remove noise or lock essentials	Reduce clutter or keep key references visible.

Connections displays: same loop, different surfaces

The default Connections list lives in the sidebar. The same preview -> drag/open loop can appear in several surfaces.

Core includes the sidebar/list, Footer connections, Smart Lookup, and mini-graph behavior in the list view.

Pro adds inline discovery, Bases workflows, advanced result rendering, filters, scoring/ranking, larger-vault performance workflows, and Smart Graph handoff/additional graph features.

Surface	Status	Best when	Main strength	Learn more
Sidebar list	Core	You want the default note-first workflow	Best all-around preview -> drag/open loop	This page
Footer connections	Core	You want suggestions while drafting or on mobile/no-sidebar workflows	Keep related notes available at the bottom of the note	Footer connections
Mini-graph in list view	Core	You want a quick visual cue inside the Connections result surface	Adds spatial context without leaving the list workflow	Connections settings
Smart Lookup	Core	You have a question first, not an anchor note	Query-first semantic discovery	Smart Lookup
Inline connections	Pro	You want relevance beside the exact paragraph you are editing	Retrieval stays closest to the writing surface	Inline connections
Bases integration	Pro	You want to sort or score a collection by relevance	Turns relevance into prioritization	Connections in Bases
Smart Graph handoff / additional graph features	Pro	You need topic shape, clusters, or neighborhoods beyond the list	Graph-first landscape exploration	Smart Graph

Connections mini-graph/list behavior is part of the Connections result surface.

Smart Graph is the Graph-first landscape workflow for clusters, neighborhoods, and topic shape.

Footer connections

Footer connections place a Connections panel at the bottom of your note so related links are available while you write.

Footer connections are included in Smart Connections Core.

This is especially useful when:

you want zero side-panel management while drafting
you are on mobile or using a no-sidebar workflow
you want quick linking without breaking flow

Learn more:
Footer connections

Mini-graph and Smart Graph

Core includes mini-graph behavior in the Connections list view. Use it as a quick visual cue while staying in the note-first Connections workflow.

Use Smart Graph when you need the shape of a topic, clusters, neighborhoods, and bridge notes beyond a ranked list.

Pro adds Smart Graph handoff and additional graph features, including opening Connections results as a scope in Smart Graph Pro.

Learn more:

Inline connections (Pro)

See Connections appear alongside content while you write, right inside the editor.

Learn more:
Inline connections

Pick your first workflow

A) Writing: ground a draft in your existing notes

Scan top results.
Preview 1-2.
Drag the best into a Related section.
Keep writing.

B) Research: build a meaning-ranked reading trail

Pause on your anchor note.
Copy links.
Paste into a Reading trail note and work top-down.

C) AI work: assemble grounded context fast

Pause on the note you are working on.
Send results to Smart Context.
Remove noise.
Paste into chat and ask for a specific outcome.

D) End-of-note linking pass

Finish writing.
Scroll to the footer if Footer connections is enabled.
Open or expand the strongest 1-3 results.
Add one useful link before leaving the note.

When results are wrong

Do the minimum fix that matches the symptom.

Symptom	Try first
Results are too broad or noisy	Lower result limits, switch Sources vs Blocks, or add include/exclude filters.
Results are not updating when you change notes	Make sure you are not paused.
Relationships feel stale after edits	Use Refresh.
You actually want query-first search	Use Smart Lookup instead.
You know the exact word, tag, heading, or regex	Use Obsidian native search.
You want connections per paragraph inside the editor	Enable Inline connections.
Similar results look like repeated work	Use Smart Dedupe to review likely duplicates.
You need topic shape, not a list	Use Smart Graph.

If you suspect indexing is stale, check Smart Environment settings.

Local retrieval boundary

For Core semantic retrieval:

Smart Environment prepares local embeddings after indexing.
Connections compares the current note to the local index.
Results can appear without uploading your vault for the Core retrieval path.

Provider-backed workflows are separate.
If you use a configured cloud provider, Smart Chat, Generate, or another provider-backed workflow, that provider receives the context you explicitly choose to send through that workflow.

How do I refresh or re-embed a specific note?

If results feel stale after major edits, use Refresh in the Connections view first.
That updates results for the current note without forcing a full rebuild.

If you changed embedding models or want a vault-wide reset, use Smart Environment settings.
If you are still on first run, verify indexing in Getting Started.

Does Smart Connections replace backlinks?

No.

Smart Connections complements backlinks.
Backlinks show links you already made.
The Connections view surfaces related notes even when no link exists yet.

Use it to find relevant notes, then drag results into your note to turn relevance into links.
If you want query-first discovery instead of note-first suggestions, use Smart Lookup.
For the flagship overview, see Smart Connections for Obsidian.

Do I need to reorganize my vault first?

No.

That is one of the main reasons to use Connections.
It helps you discover relevant notes before your vault is perfectly linked, tagged, or foldered.

Start with one working note, preview one result, and turn the best match into a link or opened note.
As you use it, your vault naturally gets easier to navigate because relevance becomes structure.

Does Smart Connections replace exact search?

No.

Use Connections when the current note is the anchor.
Use Lookup when a question is the anchor.
Use Obsidian search when the exact word, file, heading, tag, or regex matters.

Are related notes duplicates?

Not necessarily.

Related notes can be useful neighbors.
Use Smart Dedupe when you need to review likely repeated blocks or near-duplicates before changing notes.