Original video in Chinese.
Key Takeaways
- PDF++ supports reading PDFs and taking notes through automatic pasting, color-coded excerpts, and links back to the source location.
- Smart Connections uses embeddings to identify related notes and can be paired with a visualizer.
- Copilot supports multiple models, knowledge-base questions, and commands such as summarization and translation.
- Together, these plugins support information input, connections, and AI-assisted use of your notes.
If your Obsidian use centers on reading, linking notes, and AI questions, these are the three plugins I recommend starting with. They address different parts of the workflow rather than duplicating one another.
PDF++: read PDFs and retain traceable excerpts
I use these three plugins daily. The first is PDF++.
If you take notes while reading PDFs, it is especially useful. Open the PDF and a note side by side in Obsidian. Select a passage in the PDF, and it can be pasted automatically into the note.
If you prefer manual pasting, disable the automatic option using the button on the left. You can choose a color from the swatches, select a passage, and paste it with that color to distinguish different kinds of material.
The plugin also provides different copying formats through a dropdown. Links in the resulting excerpt open the PDF at the corresponding location, which is extremely convenient.
Smart Connections: discover related notes automatically
Obsidian’s backlinks let you connect a concept mentioned in one note to another note and navigate between them. With thousands of notes, those connections help a knowledge system emerge.
Manual linking can be frustrating. I used to review old notes repeatedly and think about small changes that would connect them.
Smart Connections lets AI assist with that process. Open a note and the panel on the right to see related notes, ranked by relevance. A higher score means a stronger relationship; click a result to open it.
It uses an embedding model to process the notes. In the setup described here, BGE was the default. You could use another provider, such as OpenAI, by entering an API key. Embedding costs were relatively low.
I also recommend Smart Connections Visualizer. Like Obsidian’s native graph display, it presents relationships visually: notes closer to the center have stronger relevance.
Smart Connections also had a model-chat feature, but I disliked it and did not use it. For that, I used Copilot.
Copilot: model conversations and knowledge-base questions
Of the AI plugins I had tried, Copilot was my overall favorite.
First, it supported many models. Besides GPT-4o, I often used Command R Plus and Qwen2.5. At home on my PC, I ran Qwen2.5 through Ollama; on my MacBook, I used APIs.
Second, it provided a knowledge-base feature. It could index all my Obsidian notes and provide them as references to the model. It also supported questions about an individual note. I often converted a long PDF to Markdown, saved it in Obsidian, and worked through it with AI.
Third, it offered useful preset commands. Opening the command palette and searching for Copilot revealed a long list. The two I used most were summarization and translation.
I synchronized WeChat articles into Obsidian using Omnivore, as described in an earlier video. Once saved, I could select the text and ask AI to summarize it. Translation worked between Chinese and English.
I assigned shortcuts to both commands. In Settings, search for Copilot in the hotkeys page and choose the relevant action.
For me, PDF++, Smart Connections, and Copilot were essential daily tools. Feel free to share other recommendations in the comments.
Test environment and data boundaries
This article originated in actual use during 2024 and was reviewed on August 24, 2026. It covers desktop Obsidian and three community plugins. Interfaces, supported models, and setting names may change with plugin versions.
Before installation, review the repositories, permissions, and update histories. Back up your vault and decide whether you want to send note content to third-party model services. A plugin running inside Obsidian does not necessarily keep all data local.
Primary sources and further reading
- PDF++ repository
- Smart Connections repository
- Copilot for Obsidian repository
- Obsidian’s plugin submission process
- Wiki: Obsidian AI workflow (Chinese)
- My preferred personal AI knowledge-base approach (Chinese)
That is all for this episode. Join the newtype community to discuss AI. See you next time.