Second Brain & Wiki Links
The Second Brain feature turns your Donotname base into a connected knowledge system, similar to tools like Obsidian or Notion. Link records together with [[wiki links]] in Long Text fields, visualize connections as an interactive graph, and give the AI agent deep contextual understanding of your data.
Wiki Links
Creating Wiki Links
In any Long Text field, type [[ to start a wiki link. An autocomplete dropdown appears, searching across all records in your base by their primary field (title).
- Open a record and click on a Long Text field
- Type
[[— the suggestion dropdown appears - Start typing the record name to filter results
- Use arrow keys to navigate and Enter to select
- Press Escape to dismiss without inserting
The wiki link is inserted as an inline blue pill showing the linked record's title:
Meeting notes about [[Acme Corp]] regarding the [[Q4 Proposal]]
How Wiki Links Work
- Wiki links are stored as special inline nodes in the editor, with the linked record's ID, table, and title
- When you save a Long Text field, the system automatically extracts all wiki links and syncs them to the knowledge graph backend
- Links are bidirectional — if Record A links to Record B, Record B will show Record A in its backlinks panel
- Wiki links work across tables within the same base
Backlinks Panel
When you expand a record, a Backlinks section appears at the bottom of the fields. It shows all records that link TO this record via wiki links.
- Click the backlinks header to expand/collapse the list
- Each backlink shows the source record's title and optional context
- Click a backlink to navigate to that record
Knowledge Graph Plugin
The Knowledge Graph plugin provides an interactive visual map of how your records are connected.
Installation
- Go to your base's Dashboard
- Click Add Plugin and select Knowledge Graph
- The graph loads automatically, showing all wiki-link connections in your base
Using the Graph
- Nodes represent records, color-coded by table
- Edges represent wiki-link connections between records
- Drag nodes to rearrange the layout
- Scroll to zoom in and out
- Click a node to open the record's detail view
- The MiniMap in the corner shows your position in the full graph
- The stats bar shows the total number of nodes and edges
Tips
- The graph shows up to 200 nodes by default for performance
- Records with more connections appear as natural hubs in the graph
- Use wiki links in meeting notes, project briefs, and documentation to build a rich knowledge web over time
AI Knowledge Context
The AI agent (chat) is aware of the knowledge graph. It has two special tools:
Knowledge Context Traversal
When you ask the AI about a record, it can traverse the wiki-link graph to find related records within 1-3 hops. This gives the AI a much richer understanding of context.
Example conversation:
You: "What do we know about the Acme Corp deal?" AI: uses getKnowledgeContext to find records linked to Acme Corp, discovers related meeting notes, proposals, and contacts
Backlink Discovery
The AI can find all records that reference a specific record, helping you understand the full picture of how a record fits into your knowledge base.
Wiki Links vs Link Fields
Donotname has two ways to connect records. Understanding when to use each helps you build the right data model.
| Link Fields | Wiki Links [[ | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Dedicated column in the grid | Inline inside Long Text fields |
| Structure | Structured relation with junction table | Unstructured mention in prose |
| Bidirectional | Yes — symmetric link field auto-created | Yes — backlinks panel shows reverse |
| Rollups & Lookups | Yes — SUM, COUNT, AVERAGE, etc. | No |
| Automations | Triggers on link changes | No |
| Filters & Sorts | Yes — filter/sort by linked records | No |
| Knowledge Graph | Not shown in graph | Shown as nodes and edges |
| AI Context | AI can read link values | AI traverses the graph for deeper context |
| Best for | Structured relationships (Account→Contacts, Project→Tasks) | Contextual references in notes and documentation |
Rule of thumb: Use Link fields when the relationship is part of your data model (e.g., every Opportunity must have an Account). Use wiki links when you want to casually reference a record in free-form writing (e.g., meeting notes mentioning a company).
Both can coexist — Link fields define your schema, wiki links enrich it with context.
Best Practices
- Use wiki links in meeting notes — reference the companies, contacts, and projects discussed
- Link project briefs to tasks — create a web of related context
- Build a personal wiki — use a "Notes" table with Long Text fields full of
[[links]] - Review the graph periodically — the visual graph reveals clusters and isolated records
- Let the AI explore — when asking the AI about a topic, it automatically traverses the knowledge graph for deeper answers