Use an Obsidian Base as Smart Context

Smart Context can use an Obsidian Base as source material.

The Base is useful as a selector and structured view, but the rows currently visible on screen are not a guaranteed copy boundary. Review the resolved context tree and the pasted result before sending it to another person or model.

Add a Base in Builder

1. Open Smart Context Builder.
2. Choose Notes.
3. Search for and add the .base file.
4. Expand the resolved context tree.
5. Verify which notes or rows appear.
6. Remove unrelated material before copying.
7. Choose the output that fits the task.
8. Paste into a review surface and inspect the result before sending.

Copy an active Base with link depth

When the active Base is supported by the current-source copy flow:

• Depth 0 includes the rendered Base itself.
• Depth 1 includes notes linked from the rendered output.
• Use deeper traversal only when the assignment requires those additional references.

Narrow the Base first, but do not assume that only the currently visible rows will be copied.

What to verify after paste

Check the compiled result for:

• the rows or represented notes that reached the destination
• active filters and properties that affect interpretation
• links and referenced notes
• relative this.file or this.note behavior
• stale, sensitive, or unrelated records

Judge the boundary from the compiled result, not from the Base view alone.

Example: build a delegation brief

1. Add the project Base to Builder.
2. Review the resolved records and remove noise.
3. Copy the smallest useful text package.
4. Paste it into Smart Chat or another AI tool.
5. Use a bounded prompt:

Using only the reviewed context, write a delegation brief with:
- Goal
- Current state
- Key constraints
- Open decisions
- Next actions, sorted by leverage
- Risks and mitigation
- Missing evidence or decisions

Name the source records you relied on. If the context is insufficient, state exactly what is missing instead of guessing.

Troubleshooting

The copied result contains more records than expected

• Return to Builder and inspect the resolved tree.
• Remove unrelated records explicitly.
• Use Depth 0 when linked notes are not required.
• Paste into a review surface before sending.

The result lacks required references

• Confirm the rendered Base contains the intended links.
• Increase from Depth 0 to Depth 1 only when linked evidence is needed.
• Add the required note directly in Builder when exact control matters more than traversal.

The Base does not appear as a source

Confirm that:

• the .base file exists in the vault
• Smart Environment has loaded
• the installed Smart Context build exposes Bases in Notes mode
• the file is not excluded from the relevant source workflow

Related pages

• Smart Context
• Smart Context Builder
• Smart Context Clipboard
• Connections in Bases