Backlinks & outgoing links
Links point both ways. When you link to a note, that note gains a backlink to yours. Fable surfaces these connections in two panes, so you can see what references a note and what it references, without leaving the page.
Two panes, two directions
| Pane | Shows | Usual location |
|---|---|---|
| Backlinks | Notes that link to the current note | Right sidebar |
| Outgoing links | Links from the current note | Right sidebar |
Linked and unlinked mentions
Both panes split their results into two kinds of mention.
- Linked mentions are real links: another note contains an actual
[[link]]or embed pointing at this note. - Unlinked mentions are places where the note's name, or one of its aliases, appears as plain text but is not yet a link.
Unlinked mentions are the quiet superpower here. As your vault grows, notes start mentioning each other in passing. Fable spots those mentions and offers to connect them.
Turning a mention into a link
Each unlinked mention has a Link action. Click it and Fable inserts the link in place. If the mention matched an alias rather than the exact name, Fable writes the aliased form, [[Note|alias]], so your prose reads naturally while the link points at the right note.
Open a note you have had for a while, glance at its unlinked mentions, and link the ones that belong. It is a low-effort way to weave older notes into your growing web of ideas.
The Backlinks pane
The Backlinks pane lists every note that references the current one. A few display options keep long lists manageable:
- Collapse results to see just the file names, or expand to read the surrounding context.
- Show more context to widen each snippet.
- Change sort order and show a search filter to narrow to what you want.
The Outgoing links pane
Outgoing links is the mirror image: it lists everything the current note points to, both resolved links and links to notes that do not exist yet. This is a quick way to audit a hub note or a map of content.
- Links inside code blocks are excluded from the Links section, since they are usually examples rather than real references.
- Unlinked mentions still appear, and you can link a mention even when it sits inside a code block.
Where the data comes from
Neither pane stores anything. Both are read from Fable's metadata cache, an in-memory index built from your files. As you create, edit, rename or delete notes, or as files change outside the app, Fable re-parses what changed and updates links, backlinks and mentions automatically. The same index powers search, the graph, tags and the outline, which is why they always agree with each other.
Files that match your Excluded files patterns are left out of unlinked mentions and search results.