Embed Metadata

Render frontmatter metadata (Obsidian Properties) inside your notes with a lightweight inline [%key] or {{key}} syntax.

The intent for developing this is as a lightweight replacement for Dataviews =this.key embedded metadata rendering, specifically if Obsidian Bases cover most everything else.

Demo

Usage

Add frontmatter (Properties) to a note:

---
title: Stay out of the sun!
tags:
  - Alexander
  - Cynic
author_name: Diogenes
---

Then reference it in the note body:

What do you think of [%title] as book title?
We recommend using those tags: [%tags]
The Author called [%author_name] is really funny!

The syntax markers are replaced in reading view and live preview. Source mode keeps the syntax as plain text. If a key is missing, the marker is left unchanged. Inline code and code blocks are ignored in preview. If a key exists but has no value, the marker renders empty.

Settings

Use Settings → Community plugins → Embed Metadata to choose the syntax format: [%key] or {{key}}.

• Optional case-insensitive key lookup
• Optional outline rendering (experimental; replaces markers in the Outline sidebar)

Visual look options apply in Live Preview:

• Bold / Italic / Underline toggles
• Optional underline color override (defaults to text color)
• Optional highlight with theme color or override
• Hover emphasis (subtle style shift on hover)

Note: Obsidian Properties do not support nested properties in Reading view or Live Preview. If you use nested YAML, use Source mode to view them, or flatten keys (for example, author_name).

Migration

You can migrate existing notes:

• Migrate from dataview converts dataviews backticked =this.key syntax to your selected format.
• Migrate to current syntax converts the other supported syntax formats to the selected one.

Each migration opens a review modal listing matching files with counts. Deselect any files you want to skip, then confirm the migration (it edits your files).

Autocomplete

Type the configured opener ([% or {{) to see a dropdown of frontmatter keys from the current file. Results are sorted alphabetically and update as you type.

Disclaimer

AI was used during the development of this project.