An Obsidian plugin that brings AI agents such as opencode, Claude Code and Codex into your vault for research, writing and note work.
brianpetro/obsidian-smart-connections
An Obsidian plugin that finds semantically related notes and excerpts as you write, using a built-in local embedding model.
Open-source alternative to:Mem
- Stars
- 5,515
- Forks
- 351
- Open issues
- 497
- Last commit
- 11 days ago
What is it?
Smart Connections is a plugin for Obsidian that surfaces notes related to the one you are working on. It builds embeddings of your vault with a local model that starts indexing as soon as the plugin is enabled, so no API key, CLI tool, or extra app is needed.
The Connections view lists semantically similar notes with similarity scores and expandable excerpts. You can drag a result into the current note to create a link, hide or pin results, or copy all results as a list of links or as context for an AI chat. A Lookup view runs semantic searches across the vault on demand, matching by meaning rather than exact text. A random connection command jumps to a note strongly related to the current one.
The core plugin is source available and states that it works on mobile. Pro plugins add inline and footer connections in the editor, configurable ranking, and Bases integration, and the separate Smart Chat plugin handles chat features.
Key features
- 01Builds local embeddings of your vault with a bundled model, requiring no API key.
- 02Connections view shows semantically related notes with similarity scores.
- 03Drag results into a note to insert links.
- 04Lookup view runs semantic search by meaning across the vault.
- 05Hide, pin, or copy results, including sending them as context to AI chats.
- 06Works on mobile devices.
Use cases
- Finding forgotten notes related to a current writing project.
- Linking related research notes in a large Obsidian vault.
- Gathering relevant notes as context for an AI chat without manual searching.
- Searching a personal knowledge base by meaning rather than keywords.
Quick start
- 1
Install and enable Smart Connections from Obsidian Community plugins
- 2
Let the built-in local model index your vault while you keep writing
- 3
Open the Connections view to see related notes
Open: Connection view
Things to know
- Semantic results depend on the embedding model, so exact scores vary and exact-text matches may not appear.
- Advanced configuration and some workflows such as inline connections and Bases integration require separate Pro plugins.
Topics
FAQ
- What is obsidian-smart-connections?
- An Obsidian plugin that finds semantically related notes and excerpts as you write, using a built-in local embedding model. Smart Connections is a plugin for Obsidian that surfaces notes related to the one you are working on. It builds embeddings of your vault with a local model that starts indexing as soon as the plugin is enabled, so no API key, CLI tool, or extra app is needed.
- Is obsidian-smart-connections free to use? What license does it have?
- obsidian-smart-connections is open source under the Other license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
- Is obsidian-smart-connections still maintained?
- Actively maintained. The last commit to obsidian-smart-connections was on Oct 10, 2026.
- What can I use obsidian-smart-connections for?
- Finding forgotten notes related to a current writing project. Linking related research notes in a large Obsidian vault. Gathering relevant notes as context for an AI chat without manual searching. Searching a personal knowledge base by meaning rather than keywords.
- How do I install obsidian-smart-connections?
- Install and enable Smart Connections from Obsidian Community plugins Let the built-in local model index your vault while you keep writing Open the Connections view to see related notes: Open: Connection view
- Where can I get obsidian-smart-connections?
- The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/brianpetro/obsidian-smart-connections
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