We all research, gather insights, and stumble upon interesting things while browsing, but I easily keep forgetting about notes that I already have taken while doing research on the web.
The following two things happened to me on a regular basis:
- I would search for something on Google only to realize later that I already took notes on it
- I would browse webpages that I already visited before and yet I wouldn’t remember that I have a note about this page or mentioning it at least.
Vault Lens solves these issues by seamlessly integrating your Obsidian notes into your web searches, making research and knowledge retrieval effortless.
Main Features
Instant Live Search – As you type into search engines (Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Kagi,…), Vault Lens fetches relevant notes from your vault and displays them right in the search results.
Note Recall / URL Matching – Instantly see all notes that reference the website you’re currently visiting, helping you rediscover previous insights.
Embedded Search Results – Search results from your vault appear directly within your browser’s search engine sidebar, blending seamlessly with the page.
Note Preview & Editing – Open your notes directly in your browser and conveniently edit the content without leaving the browser tab.
Flexible Search Providers – Supports both the Obsidian Local REST API Plugin and the Omni Search Plugin, so you can choose what works best for you.
Page Notes – The extension also supports Page Notes and link hover messages inspired by and compatible with the Obsidian Web Extension.
The extension is already able to do even more ( you can see the full feature list in the extension docs).
How It Works
Vault Lens connects your browser to your Obsidian vault, enabling instant search and retrieval of your notes while browsing. It only communicates with your Obsidian app using the Obsidian Local REST API or the Omnisearch Plugin.
Why I Think You’ll Love It
No more switching between tabs just to search your notes.
Effortlessly resurface past insights while researching and browsing.
Works like the old Evernote search integration—except for Obsidian and more powerful!
Try It Out!
Vault Lens is available on the Chrome Web Store (Version 2.4.1 has just been released 
). You can also check out the open-source project and contribute on GitHub.
There already is extensive documentation available. Find out about privacy and permissions here.
Let me know if you have any feedback or ideas for improvement. I’d love to hear how it works for you!
I actually was not aware that this is a possibility.