List all notes that contain a wikilink pointing to the target note. Each result includes the source note path, line number, and the surrounding line text for context. Use to understand which notes reference a topic, or to assess the impact of renaming or deleting a note. Accepts paths with or wit...
AI agents call get_backlinks to retrieve information from Obsidian Mcp Pro without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
get_backlinks is a read-only query that retrieves existing metadata about note relationships. It has no side effects, creates no data, executes no code, and cannot delete or modify content. The mention of use cases like 'assess the impact of renaming or deleting' describes potential *downstream* user actions, not what the tool itself does. Classification: Read.
From the tool's definition Tool retrieves backlinks/references to a note via wikilinks, returning source note paths, line numbers, and context.
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access get_backlinks gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Obsidian Mcp Pro, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for get_backlinks:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"get_backlinks": {}
}
}get_backlinks is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
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List all notes that contain a wikilink pointing to the target note. Each result includes the source note path, line number, and the surrounding line text for context. Use to understand which notes reference a topic, or to assess the impact of renaming or deleting a note. Accepts paths with or without .md extension; falls back to basename matching if exact match fails. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Obsidian Mcp Pro MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Obsidian Mcp Pro MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for get_backlinks: allow, deny, rate-limit, or require approval. Point your MCP client at the PolicyLayer proxy URL and the rule is enforced on every call, before it reaches Obsidian Mcp Pro. Nothing to install.
get_backlinks is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the get_backlinks rule in your PolicyLayer policy. For example, setting max: 10 and window: 60 limits the tool to 10 calls per minute. Rate limits are tracked per agent session and reset automatically.
Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for get_backlinks. The AI agent will receive a policy violation error and cannot call the tool. You can also include a reason field to explain why the tool is blocked.
get_backlinks is provided by the Obsidian Mcp Pro MCP server (rps321321/obsidian-mcp-pro). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Start from Obsidian Mcp Pro, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.
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41 Obsidian Mcp Pro tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.