Rhizome: Local-First Semantic Backlinks for Obsidian and Logseq

Rhizome is a powerful tool designed to enhance note-taking applications by generating semantic backlinks that are completely local, ensuring better organization and connectivity between notes without reliance on cloud APIs or databases. It embeds each note in your vault with a multilingual sentence transformer and automatically creates a ## Related Notes section at the end of each note, utilizing a simple wikilink format.

Key Features

• Local Operation: All processes are performed locally using ONNX Runtime, meaning there are no external calls after the initial setup.
• Multilingual Support: The default model efficiently handles over 50 languages, and users can easily switch to any compatible ONNX model.
• Scalability: The application intelligently scales performance depending on the size of your vault, utilizing exact numpy searches for smaller sets and approximate HNSW for larger datasets.
• Long-Document Handling: It effectively manages lengthy notes by splitting them into overlapping chunks, ensuring that all parts contribute to the note's semantic representation.
• Safe and Secure: Rhizome prompts for a timestamped backup before making any changes, safeguarding your existing notes.
• Dry-Run Mode: Users can preview proposed links without modifying any files, enabling better planning and review before execution.
• Extensibility: A simple four-method VaultReader Protocol allows for adding new adapters effortlessly.

Usage Example

Rhizome operates seamlessly within your notes by injecting related content through the following format:

## Related Notes
- [[Zettelkasten]]
- [[Evergreen notes]]
- [[How I take notes]]

Quick Start

To get started, simply configure your vault path and execute the tool:

# 1. Copy the example config and modify your vault path
cp .env.example .env

# 2. Check vault stats and model cache status
rhizome status

# 3. Run the initial setup — the model will download automatically on the first use (~250 MB, only once)
rhizome run

Configuration Options

Rhizome offers a range of configuration settings that can be adjusted via environment variables or a .env file. Key options include:

• VAULT_PATH: Specify your vault directory.
• VAULT_APP: Choose between obsidian or logseq.
• SIMILARITY_THRESHOLD: Set the minimum similarity required for link generation.
• TOP_K: Determine how many related notes to display per note.
• MODEL_NAME: Select the desired model for embeddings based on your preferences or language needs.

For detailed information on each configuration option, consult the documentation.

Supported Applications

Rhizome is compatible with both Obsidian and Logseq applications, providing a consistent experience across platforms, with the generated ## Related Notes sections rendering seamlessly in their native interfaces.

Documentation and Resources

Further instructions and insights about Rhizome can be found in the related documentation files, including architecture details, supported models, and command-line usage.

By implementing Rhizome into your note-taking workflow, users can significantly enhance their ability to connect and contextualize notes, allowing for a more organized and efficient personal knowledge management system.