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

vault-backlinks

Install Skill

SKILL.md