| name | vault-backlinks |
| description | Show all backlinks and forward links for a note. Triggers when user mentions "backlinks", "who links here", "links to", "connections". |
| auto_trigger | true |
| trigger_keywords | ["backlinks","who links here","what links to","links to","show connections","note connections","linked from","links from","show links","what points to","references this","mentions of","incoming links","who cites","referencing"] |
| allowed-tools | mcp__flywheel__get_backlinks, mcp__flywheel__get_forward_links, Read |
Backlinks Navigator
Show bidirectional link connections for any note.
When to Use
Invoke when you want to:
- See what notes link TO a note (backlinks)
- See what notes this note links TO (forward links)
- Understand note's position in knowledge graph
- Find bidirectional vs one-way relationships
Process
1. Detect Target Note
Options for specifying the note:
- Current note: "backlinks" (auto-detect from context)
- Specific note: "backlinks for MyProject"
- File path: "backlinks for work/projects/MyProject.md"
2. Get Backlinks
Call mcp__flywheel__get_backlinks(note_path) to retrieve:
- All notes that link TO this note
- Line numbers where links appear
- Context around each link
3. Get Forward Links
Call mcp__flywheel__get_forward_links(note_path) to retrieve:
- All notes this note links TO
- Whether targets exist
- Resolved file paths
4. Analyze Relationships
Identify connection patterns:
- Bidirectional: A links to B AND B links to A (strong connection)
- One-way incoming: Others link here but we don't link back
- One-way outgoing: We link there but they don't link back
- Broken: We link but target doesn't exist
5. Format Report
Display comprehensive connection view:
Connections for [[MyProject]]
═══════════════════════════════════════════════
📊 Overview:
• Backlinks: 50 notes link here
• Forward Links: 20 notes linked from here
• Bidirectional: 15 mutual connections
• One-way: 35 incoming, 5 outgoing
⬅️ BACKLINKS (Top 20 of 50):
Bidirectional (mutual links):
1. [[Related Project]] (line 23, 67)
↔ Strong connection (15 mutual refs)
2. [[Technology Used]] (line 12, 45)
↔ Mutual (10 refs each way)
One-way incoming (they link here, we don't link back):
3. [[Planning Doc]] (line 5)
→ Suggestion: Link back if relevant
➡️ FORWARD LINKS (All 20):
Bidirectional (mutual):
1. [[Related Project]] ✅ exists
2. [[Technology Used]] ✅ exists
Broken (target doesn't exist):
3. [[Old Feature]] ❌ broken
→ Run /vault-fix-links to repair
═══════════════════════════════════════════════
💡 Insights:
• Highly connected hub (50 backlinks)
• Consider linking back to: Planning Doc
• Fix 1 broken outgoing link
Bidirectional Analysis
Identify relationship strength:
Bidirectional Strength Score:
- Count mutual references
- Calculate ratio of back-to-forward links
- Higher score = stronger connection
Strong bidirectional: >80% ratio
Moderate: 40-80% ratio
Weak: 20-40% ratio
Asymmetric: <20% ratio
Output Format
Always use the branded format:
Connections for [[Note]]
═══════════════════════════════════════════════
[Connection details]
═══════════════════════════════════════════════
Performance
- Backlinks query: 1-2 seconds
- Forward links query: 1-2 seconds
- Total: ~3-5 seconds for both queries
- Scalability: Works fast even for high-hub notes
Integration
Works well with other skills:
- fix-links: Repair broken forward links detected
- bidirectional: Deeper analysis of one-way relationships
- orphans: Find notes with 0 backlinks
- hubs: Find notes with many backlinks
- suggest: Add more forward links to isolated notes
