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Obsidian footnotes and block links

docs/research/sources/obsidian/footnotes-and-block-links.md

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Obsidian footnotes and block links

Strongest explicit signals

  • Obsidian supports normal footnote syntax:
    • [^id]
    • [^id]: definition
  • named footnotes are allowed, but still render numerically
  • multiline footnotes are supported with indentation
  • inline footnotes are supported with ^[...]
  • inline footnotes only work in reading view, not in Live Preview
  • Obsidian also supports block references and block-link search as a distinct link system
  • developer API docs expose cached metadata for footnotes and footnote refs

Plate-relevant takeaways

  • Obsidian is useful for syntax and product constraints around footnotes
  • the reading-view-only inline-footnote rule is an important product choice
  • Obsidian’s block-reference system is stronger than a plain markdown editor’s and belongs in the same family as linked-note navigation rather than pure CommonMark/GFM semantics

Best use

Use this source cluster for:

  • comparing footnote syntax support across products
  • understanding how Obsidian treats inline footnotes vs live editing
  • understanding the broader note-link and block-link context around footnotes