Smart Connections (Early Release)
Smart Connections Early brings the next-generation experience of Smart Connections to Obsidian insiders before it ships in the stable channel. The plugin layers inline suggestions, a persistent footer surface, and configurable ranking algorithms on top of the Smart Connections core so you can surface the right notes while you write.
Highlights
- Inline focus: Inline decorators surface related blocks without forcing you to leave edit mode.
- Footer awareness: A persistent panel keeps the highest-scoring notes visible while you draft.
- Configurable intelligence: Mix and match scoring, post-processing, and filters to fit your vault.
- Feedback loops: Pin or hide results to steer future suggestions in real time.
Essential information
- Smart Connections core: Bundles the standard Smart Connections feature set and augments it with experimental UI surfaces and ranking options.
- Early-release expectations: Features may change rapidly and experimental options can be removed before the stable release. Always share feedback so it can inform the production roadmap.
- Support: Questions, issues, and feature feedback are tracked through the Smart Connections GitHub issue tracker.
Quick start workflow
- Open or create a note that already has links or relevant context.
- Toggle Inline connections or Footer connections from the command palette to see how each surface fits your flow.
- Pin relevant results and hide others. Select a connections algorithm that uses this feedback to improve connections.
Feature tour
Inline block connections
Hover the inline connections icon beside a block to preview related notes without leaving the editor. Inline decorators respect your configured score threshold so you only see high-confidence matches. Click a result to open the note. Click the top "Connections" line to see all connections for the current block in the main Connections view.
Footer connections panel
Display the highest-scoring connections at the bottom of the editor for persistent awareness while drafting. The footer updates as you edit so you can capture ideas before they drift.
Algorithm controls
Tune result sources, scoring strategies, and post-processing models directly from the settings tab. New scoring algorithms improve results based on which connections were hidden or pinned. The ranking algorithm can be configured to use the Cohere Re-ranking model.
Connections Lists settings reference
ConnectionsLists powers inline, footer, and view-based recommendations. Settings are grouped into logical sections so you can control scoring, filters, and presentation without leaving the plugin.
| Setting key | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
results_collection_key |
dropdown | smart_sources |
Choose whether connections analyze sources or blocks (smart_blocks). |
score_algo_key |
dropdown | — | Populated dynamically via get_score_algo_key_options; select the scoring algorithm to compare context with candidates. |
connections_post_process |
dropdown | none |
Apply a post-processing ranker (for example Cohere via Smart Rank) to reorder results, or stick with the initial similarity scores. |
results_limit |
number | 20 |
Upper bound for results rendered in the connections view. |
exclude_inlinks |
toggle | — | Hide notes that already link back to the active note. |
exclude_outlinks |
toggle | — | Hide notes that are already linked within the active note. |
include_filter |
text | — | Comma-separated path fragments that must be present for a note to appear. |
exclude_filter |
text | — | Comma-separated path fragments that exclude matching notes. |
exclude_frontmatter_blocks |
toggle | true |
Filter out frontmatter blocks from the results list. |
inline_connections |
toggle | true |
Enable inline decorators within the editor. |
inline_connections_score_threshold |
text | 0.77 |
Minimum similarity score (0–1) before inline results appear. |
footer_connections |
toggle | false |
Show the footer connections surface. |
Dynamic action settings
Some post-processing or scoring actions expose additional configuration. When an action module exports settings_config, the options are inserted directly below its dropdown so you can refine adapters (for example, Cohere via Smart Rank).
Dynamic view settings
v3
| Setting key | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
show_full_path |
toggle | — | Adds the folder path to each result for extra context. |
render_markdown |
toggle | true |
Render markdown in results (disable to show raw text). |
Troubleshooting
- Inline decorators not appearing? Lower the score threshold or verify embeddings are up to date in Smart Sources.
- Need to roll back? Disable the plugin, restore your backup settings, and reinstall the latest stable Smart Connections build using the Obsidian Community Plugins index.