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Smart Plugins

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Smart Plugins are independent third-party plugins for Obsidian. Smart Connections is the flagship plugin.

Smart Context Clipboard

You are about to send context to an AI, but you want it clean, predictable, and reusable. Smart Context Clipboard is the fast lane for that moment.

Clipboard loop
  1. Pick a source or surface.
  2. If that surface supports it, choose link depth and backlink mode.
  3. Copy as text, or use an Pro media-capable surface where available.
  4. Paste into your AI tool or draft note.

Smart Context Clipboard gives you a few different export paths, and they do not all behave the same way.

Some entry points open a depth chooser before copying.
Other entry points copy the current selection immediately.

Use the matrix below to pick the right surface for the job.

Who this helps

Ways to copy context

Smart Context currently has two clipboard patterns:

Pattern What happens
Modal copy Builds a linked context first, then lets you choose depth and backlink mode before copying.
Direct copy Copies the current selection or current context immediately, with no depth chooser.

Command and surface matrix

Flow Surface Edition Output Depth chooser Current behavior
Current note Command / ribbon Core text Yes Builds a linked context from the active note, then opens CopyContextModal.
Current note Command / ribbon Pro text or text + compiled image Yes Uses the same modal flow, with separate media-capable and text-only commands.
Named context Command Both text Yes Select a named context, build a temporary linked copy context, then open CopyContextModal.
Selected notes File navigator multi-select Both text No Copies selected markdown notes immediately.
Selected folders File navigator multi-select Both text No Expands selected folders to Smart Sources, then copies immediately.
Single folder Folder context menu or folder-picker command Both text No Copies folder contents immediately.
Current Builder context Context Builder / Context Selector actions bar Core text No Copies the current SmartContext as-is.
Current Builder context Context Builder / Context Selector actions bar Pro text or text + compiled image No Buttons are Copy text and Copy media.
Current codeblock context Codeblock toolbar / codeblock menu Both text No Copies the current codeblock SmartContext as-is.
Saved named context row Named Contexts dashboard row menu Both text No Copies the saved named context as-is.

If you need a reusable saved set, use Smart Context Builder.
If you need a tree export instead of bundle text, use one of the separate link-tree copy actions.

Copy the current note as context

Run the command:

Copy current to clipboard (choose link depth)

Or use the ribbon icon:

Learn more about copying the current note as context.

Pick a link depth

Link depth currently applies to the modal-based flows:

It does not currently apply to:

Depth meaning

Depth What is included
0 Only the starting note or starting context items. Embedded links in the starting note are treated as depth 0. Bases embeds in the starting note are also treated as depth 0.
1 Directly linked notes from the starting note or root items.
2 Links of links.
3+ Deeper hops when available in that flow.

Link direction rows

Each depth is shown twice in the chooser:

Row type What it means
Outlinks only Only outgoing links are included.
Include backlinks Incoming links are also included.

Current limits

Flow Current linked depth built before the chooser
Current note up to 5
Named context up to 3

Current stats behavior

The chooser currently shows:

The chooser does not currently show:

Copy multiple selected notes

When you want a small hand-picked bundle, use file navigator multi-select.

Selection Menu action Output Current behavior
2+ notes Copy selected notes as context text Copies immediately. No depth chooser.
2+ folders Copy selected folders as context text Expands selected folders, then copies immediately. No depth chooser.

This is ideal for direct "just these notes" workflows:

If you need depth control, start from a current note or named context instead.

Copy an entire folder

If your project already lives in one folder, folder copy is the fastest direct-copy path.

You can start it from either surface:

Surface Action Output Current behavior
Folder context menu Copy folder contents to clipboard text Copies immediately. No depth chooser.
Command + folder picker Copy entire folder to clipboard text Opens a folder picker, then copies immediately. No depth chooser.

Folder export is best when you want a quick project snapshot and you already know the folder boundary is the right scope.

Tip

Folder copy can get large quickly.

If you need tighter control, use:

  • a smaller file-nav selection, or
  • the current-note / named-context modal flows, which support link depth

Customize what gets copied

Clipboard exports use the Smart Context templates you configure in settings.

That means you can standardize things like:

If you want your clipboard output to match your preferred prompt format, adjust templates in Smart Context settings.

Workflows to try

Use these to turn clipboard exports into repeatable outcomes.

1) Depth-0 decision draft

2) Linked-notes brief (Depth 1)

3) Folder pulse check

4) Visual review (Pro)

Troubleshooting

"My paste is too large"

"Token estimate does not match my AI tool"

Tokenization differs across models and vendors. Treat the estimate as directional.

"Images/PDFs did not paste"

Use Copy with media (Pro) and confirm your target tool supports pasted images. If it is text-only, use Copy as text.
If attachments are missing, embed them in the starting note for Depth 0 or increase link depth so linked media is included.
using ChatGPT? Sometimes images aren't pasted into the chat if there is already existing text. Try pasting after removing all text from the input box.

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