Smart Connections settings

Tune Smart Connections for speed (limits and filters), precision (sources vs blocks, scoring/reranking), and UI defaults (how results render in the main list, inline, and footer). These settings apply to both Connections (note/block suggestions) and Lookup (semantic search).

• Connections: suggestions related to the current note (or block), shown as a list and, where enabled by the selected component, visual surfaces.
• Lookup: an explicit search/lookup view that returns similar sources or blocks.

Where to find these settings in Obsidian

Open Settings -> Community plugins -> Smart Connections (or Connections Pro).

Many options are marked PRO. If you are not on Pro, you may see fewer controls than the screenshots on this page.

Connections lists

These options change what appears in the main Connections list for the current note.

Connection results type

Choose whether Connections returns:

• Sources: whole notes (coarser, usually faster)
• Blocks: sections/blocks within notes (more precise, usually heavier)

If you choose Blocks, you will get the best results when Smart Environment is configured to embed blocks (see Smart Environment settings).

Results limit

Controls how many Connections are displayed (default 20). Lower values reduce UI load; higher values show more candidates.

Show full path (PRO)

When enabled, results include the folder path. This helps disambiguate similarly named notes and makes it easier to understand where a match lives in your vault.

Render markdown (PRO)

When enabled, result snippets render markdown.

Turn this off if you:

• Prefer plain text snippets, or
• Want to avoid markdown rendering overhead in the list UI.

Display

These settings control how the main Connections list is rendered and how list items look.

Connections List Component (PRO)

Select the Pro component used to render the main Connections list.

Version 4.0 (Graph + List) renders the Connections mini graph above the ranked result list. Use the list to open and review a source before keeping a relationship.

Graph visibility is determined by the selected component. There is no separate Show graph setting.

This selector does not control Footer connections. Use Footer connections list component when you want to change only the note footer.

The current Graph + List renderer is a Pro capability. The main ranked-list workflow and Footer connections remain available in Core.

Connections list item (PRO)

Select the list item renderer (template) used for each result.

This is mainly a UI preference: different item renderers may show different metadata, previews, or controls.

Connections sidebar location

Choose which sidebar pane opens when you open the Connections view.

• Right sidebar: Keeps Connections in a dedicated panel.
• Left sidebar: Keeps Connections closer to file navigation.
• If a Connections tab is already open in the opposite sidebar, Smart Connections now reopens it in the configured location.

Score algorithm

The score algorithm computes an initial similarity score between the current context and candidates.

Scoring algorithm (PRO)

Select how items are scored against the current context.

Options shown in the UI include:

• Cosine Similarity
• Similarity Adjusted by Feedback
• Similarity Weighted by Feedback
• Similarity Weighted by Key + Frontmatter

The feedback-based options incorporate your feedback signals to influence future ordering. If you want a baseline, start with Cosine Similarity.

For full algorithm details and tuning guidance, see Custom algorithms.

Cosine Similarity algorithm

Ranks by cosine similarity between the current note and candidates.

Score is a ranking signal, not a grade.

Ranking algorithm

Ranking is a second step that can reorder results after the initial scoring step. This is where heavier algorithms (like reranking models) make sense, because they can be applied to a smaller set of top candidates.

Ranking algorithm (PRO)

Enables a reranking strategy that modifies the order of results after initial scoring.

Re-ranking model algorithm (PRO)

Uses a reranking model to adjust the order of connection results.

To use a reranking model, configure the default ranking model in Smart Environment Pro settings (see Smart Environment settings).

Connections filters

Filters hide items from the Connections results list.

How filters match

Connections filters support two kinds of matchers:

• Path filters (Include filter, Exclude filter)

  • Use comma-separated folder or file path fragments (example: Projects/Clients).
  • Values are trimmed automatically.
  • Matches use case-sensitive substring matching.

• Frontmatter filters (Frontmatter include filter, Frontmatter exclude filter)

  • Use one matcher per line.
  • Use key to match any value (example: status), or key:value to match a specific value (example: status:open).
  • Matches use case-insensitive key and value matching.

Result filters vs ingestion

Connections filters hide results after Smart Environment builds its dataset.

If you want to stop notes from being indexed/embedded at all, adjust Smart Environment include/exclude settings (Environment window or plugin settings). See Smart Environment settings.

Precedence

• Entries in the Exclude filter always win when they match, even if the same path fragment appears in the Include filter.
• Entries in the Frontmatter exclude filter always win when they match, even if the same matcher appears in the Frontmatter include filter.

Exclude inlinks (backlinks) (PRO)

Exclude notes that already link to the current note from the Connections results.

Use this when you want Connections to surface unlinked but relevant notes, not the ones already connected by backlinks.

Exclude outlinks (PRO)

Exclude notes that are already linked from within the current note from appearing in the Connections results.

Use this to avoid re-suggesting notes you have already linked to.

Include filter (PRO)

Comma-separated path fragments that must appear in the note path.

Use this to focus results on specific areas of your vault, like:

• Daily/
• Projects/ClientA/
• People/

Exclude filter (PRO)

Comma-separated path fragments to omit from results.

Exclusions run before includes, so any matching fragment removes the note even if it also appears in Include filter.

If you want matching notes to not be embedded at all, use Smart Environment include/exclude settings (see Smart Environment settings).

Frontmatter include filter (PRO)

Newline-delimited frontmatter matchers that must be present in a candidate note's YAML frontmatter.

• One matcher per line
• key matches any value for that key
• key:value matches a specific value
• Key and value matching is case-insensitive

Example:

status:open
type:meeting
project:client-a

Use this when you want Connections to stay inside a metadata slice of your vault (ex. only active projects).

Frontmatter exclude filter (PRO)

Newline-delimited frontmatter matchers to remove from results.

Exclude entries take precedence over include entries.

Example:

status:done
status:archived
area:private

Use this to hide completed, archived, or otherwise out-of-scope notes even if they would otherwise match by content.

Hide frontmatter blocks in results (PRO)

When using Blocks results, enabling this hides blocks that come from note frontmatter (YAML), so the list focuses on note content rather than metadata.

Inline connections

Inline connections show Connections at the block level inside the current note.

Show inline connections (PRO)

When enabled, Smart Connections shows connections for each block within the note.

Hover the connections icon to see a list of connections for that block.

Inline connections score threshold (PRO)

Minimum score (0 to 1) required before inline connections are displayed.

• Increase this to reduce noise (show fewer, stronger inline matches).
• Decrease this to see more matches.

Skip code blocks (PRO)

When enabled, inline connections are not shown for blocks inside code blocks.

This is useful when:

• You keep lots of code snippets in notes, and
• You do not want inline connection UI on those sections.

Footer connections

Footer connections show a Connections section at the bottom of each note.

Show footer connections

When enabled, Connections are displayed at the bottom of each note.

This is useful if you want a consistent place to browse related notes without opening the side panel. It is especially useful for mobile and no-panel workflows.

Footer connections list component

Choose the component used to render Connections inside note footers.

• List only is the default. It shows the actionable result rows without a graph, keeping the note ending compact and well suited to mobile or no-sidebar workflows.
• Version 4.0 (Graph + List) (Pro) adds the Connections mini graph above the same result list. Choose it when spatial cues are worth the additional vertical space and rendering work.

This setting affects only Footer connections. It does not change the component used by the main Connections view or Connections codeblocks.

There is no separate Show graph toggle. Use List only for the compact Footer. In Pro, select Version 4.0 (Graph + List) to include the mini graph.

Lookup lists

Lookup lists control what is shown in Lookup views (and other lookup-based lists).

Lookup results type

Choose whether Lookup returns sources or blocks.

As with Connections results, block-level results are most useful when Smart Environment is configured to embed blocks (see Smart Environment settings).

Results limit (PRO)

Adjust the number of lookup results displayed.

Related pages

• Getting Started with Smart Connections
• Exploring the Connections view
• Footer connections
• Smart Lookup
• Inline connections
• Connections in Bases

FAQs

What does "Sources vs Blocks" mean?

Sources returns whole notes for broader, faster context. Blocks returns smaller sections for finer precision and can increase storage/compute cost depending on settings. See Connections settings, Smart Lookup, and Exploring the Connections view.

How do I tune relevance (reduce noise, focus on a project)?

Use limits, exclusions, and source type controls to narrow scope. For higher precision, test block-level results and rebuild after major config/model changes. See Connections settings, Smart Connections custom algorithms, and Smart Environment settings.

How do I exclude folders/files from indexing?

Use Smart Environment exclusions for folders and noisy vault areas, then tune retrieval behavior in Connections settings. Start in Smart Environment settings, then adjust Connections settings and verify via Getting Started.

Why does Footer show a list without a graph?

List only is the Footer default so the end of the note stays compact. Open the Footer connections settings and select Version 4.0 (Graph + List) (Pro) to include the mini graph.

Does the Footer list component setting change the sidebar?

No. Footer connections list component changes only the component mounted at the bottom of notes. The main Connections view keeps its own Connections List Component setting.