Use case or problem
When files are moved/reorganized in the Obsidian vault folder structure while the app is closed, internal links break because Obsidian cannot update them in real-time. This creates additional work to fix broken links after reopening the app.
Proposed solution
Implement a check during Obsidian startup that detects any file location changes made while the app was closed. If changes are detected, automatically update all internal links to maintain vault integrity. Add a notification showing which files were moved and which links were updated.
Current workaround
Must keep Obsidian open while reorganizing files to maintain link integrity, or manually fix broken links after moving files with the app closed.
2 Likes
It might be good to have a middle option that reports link-breaking movements and doesn’t change anything unless you tell it to.
Also, links don’t necessarily break if you move files when Obsidian is closed. If note names are unique within the vault and you don’t use folder paths in links, then they won’t break. That’s what’s so nice about wikilinks.
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When I wrote the OP, I was under the impression that, when it’s open, Obsidian updates links when files are renamed/moved externally. Turns out that was false–Obsidian only updates links if a file is renamed/moved within Obsidian.
2 Likes
This would be great for those times you need to organize files using 3 party tools outside of Obsidian . For me that is when I’m organizing the 15k files imported from Bear that used tags for
folder structure, but came into Obsidian flat (single folder)
1 Like