Base Backlinks Viewer
Lumyo86 downloadsRight-click any link to open a temporary base showing all files that link to it.
- Overview
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An Obsidian plugin that adds a "Show backlinks" entry to the right-click context menu of any link, opening a temporary Bases view filtered to show all notes that link to that target.
What it does
Right-clicking a link anywhere in Obsidian adds Show backlinks to the context menu. Clicking it creates (or updates) a single reusable _backlinks.base file filtered to display every note whose outgoing links include the clicked target.
- Navigate Back works as expected: the base opens in the current leaf, so you can return to the note you came from with the standard shortcut.
Supported contexts
| Context | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| Source mode & Live Preview | Item added to Obsidian's native context menu |
| Properties panel | Item injected into Obsidian's native properties context menu |
| Reading mode | Custom context menu shown (with open/navigate actions) |
Customising the base view
The _backlinks.base file is reused across every "Show backlinks" action. Each time you trigger the command, only two things change:
- The
file.hasLink("...")filter — updated to the new target note. - The view
name:label — updated to reflect the new target.
Everything else — view type (table, card, board), sort order, visible columns, column widths, grouping, and any other Bases settings — is left exactly as-is. This means you can open the base once, configure it however you like, and those settings will persist for all future searches.
Tip: To reset to defaults, simply delete
_backlinks.basefrom your vault root. It will be recreated automatically on the next "Show backlinks" action.
Installation
Manual
- Download
main.jsandmanifest.jsonfrom the latest release. - Copy them into
<your vault>/.obsidian/plugins/base-backlinks-viewer/. - Reload Obsidian and enable the plugin under Settings → Community plugins.
Using BRAT
BRAT lets you install plugins that aren't yet in the community directory.
- Install Obsidian42 - BRAT from the Community Plugins directory.
- Open Settings → BRAT and click Add Beta plugin.
- Enter the repository URL:
https://github.com/tibog/obsidian-base-backlinks-viewer - Click Add Plugin, then enable it under Settings → Community plugins.
BRAT will also notify you of future updates automatically.
From source
git clone https://github.com/tibog/obsidian-base-backlinks-viewer.git
cd obsidian-base-backlinks-viewer
yarn install
yarn build
Copy the resulting main.js and manifest.json into your vault's plugin folder as above.
Compatibility
- Requires Obsidian 1.12+
- Desktop and mobile
License
MIT