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Property Exclusion System

The property exclusion system controls which frontmatter properties are copied when creating new nodes. This ensures new notes inherit relevant properties while filtering out file-specific or system properties.

How Exclusion Works​

When you create a new node using quick creation commands, the system:

  1. Loads source file frontmatter
  2. Applies default exclusions (always filtered)
  3. Applies path-based exclusions (if path matches)
  4. Copies remaining properties to new node
  5. Adds relationship properties (Parent/Child/Related)
  6. Generates new Zettel ID (if configured)

Default Excluded Properties​

Properties that are always excluded from copying, regardless of file location.

Default List​

Default exclusions:

  • Parent
  • Child
  • Related
  • _ZettelID

Why these are excluded:

  • Relationship properties: Would create incorrect links if copied
  • Zettel ID: Each note needs a unique identifier

Customizing Defaults​

To modify:

  1. Settings → Nexus Properties → Excluded properties
  2. Find "Default excluded properties"
  3. Add/remove properties (comma-separated)
  4. Click outside or press Enter to save

Example additions:

Parent, Child, Related, _ZettelID, date, created, modified, file-path

Result: None of these properties will be copied to new nodes anywhere in your vault.

Configure defaults →

Path-Based Exclusion Rules​

Exclude additional properties for files in specific directories. These are added on top of the default exclusions.

How Path Matching Works​

Rules use startsWith matching:

  • File path must start with the rule's path
  • Path is case-sensitive
  • Trailing slashes don't matter

Example rule path: Projects/Work

Matches:

  • Projects/Work/Project A.md ✅
  • Projects/Work/Tasks/Task 1.md ✅
  • Projects/WorkRelated/Note.md ❌ (doesn't match exactly)
  • Other/Projects/Work/Note.md ❌ (doesn't start with path)

Creating Path Rules​

To create a rule:

  1. Settings → Nexus Properties → Excluded properties
  2. Scroll to "Path-based exclusion rules"
  3. Click "Add Rule"
  4. Enter Path: Directory path (e.g., Projects/Work)
  5. Enter Excluded Properties: Comma-separated list (e.g., status, progress, deadline)
  6. Click outside to save

Rule Components​

Each path-based rule has:

Path (Required)

  • Directory path to match
  • Case-sensitive
  • Uses startsWith matching
  • Example: Daily Notes/2024/

Excluded Properties (Required)

  • Comma-separated property names
  • Added to default exclusions
  • Example: date, weekday, journal-entry

Enabled (Toggle)

  • Turn rule on/off
  • Disabled rules are skipped
  • Useful for temporary changes

Order (↑/↓ buttons)

  • Rules evaluated top to bottom
  • First matching rule is used
  • Reorder with up/down buttons

Rule Evaluation​

Order of Evaluation​

When creating a new node:

  1. Load source frontmatter
  2. Check default exclusions (always applied)
  3. Find first matching path rule (top to bottom)
  4. Add path rule exclusions to default list
  5. Filter out all excluded properties
  6. Copy remaining properties

Multiple Rules​

Only the first matching rule is used:

Example rules (top to bottom):

  1. Path: Projects/Work → Exclude: status, progress
  2. Path: Projects/ → Exclude: deadline, budget

File: Projects/Work/Task.md

Result: Excludes status, progress (rule 1 matches, rule 2 skipped)

File: Projects/Personal/Note.md

Result: Excludes deadline, budget (rule 1 doesn't match, rule 2 matches)

Rule Order

Place more specific paths above more general paths to ensure specific rules take precedence.

Example Configurations​

Daily Notes​

Scenario: Don't copy date-specific properties from daily notes

Rule:

  • Path: Daily Notes/
  • Excluded: date, weekday, journal-entry, mood, weather

Result: New notes from daily notes won't inherit date metadata

Project Files​

Scenario: Don't copy project status when creating child tasks

Rule:

  • Path: Projects/
  • Excluded: status, progress, deadline, budget, phase

Result: Tasks inherit project metadata but not status/progress

Templates​

Scenario: Don't copy template metadata to instances

Rule:

  • Path: Templates/
  • Excluded: template-version, template-author, template-date, is-template

Result: Notes created from templates don't inherit template metadata

Meeting Notes​

Scenario: Don't copy meeting-specific properties

Rule:

  • Path: Meetings/
  • Excluded: meeting-date, attendees, agenda, minutes

Result: Action items inherit project metadata but not meeting details

Archive Folder​

Scenario: Don't copy archived/completed status

Rule:

  • Path: Archive/
  • Excluded: archived-date, archived-by, original-path, archived

Result: Notes derived from archived notes don't inherit archive metadata

Managing Rules​

Enabling/Disabling Rules​

Toggle rules on/off without deleting:

  1. Find rule in settings
  2. Click checkbox on left
  3. Unchecked = disabled (rule skipped)
  4. Checked = enabled (rule evaluated)

Use cases:

  • Temporarily test without a rule
  • Switch between rule sets
  • Debug exclusion issues

Reordering Rules​

Change rule priority with ↑/↓ buttons:

Before (too general first):

  1. Projects/ → Exclude status
  2. Projects/Work/ → Exclude deadline

Problem: Rule 1 always matches for Work projects, rule 2 never runs

After (specific first):

  1. Projects/Work/ → Exclude deadline
  2. Projects/ → Exclude status

Solution: Work projects get deadline excluded, others get status excluded

Deleting Rules​

Permanently remove a rule:

  1. Find rule in settings
  2. Click × button on right
  3. Rule is deleted immediately
No Undo

Deletion is permanent. Consider disabling instead if you might need the rule later.

Combining Default + Path Rules​

Additive Behavior​

Path rules add to default exclusions, they don't replace them.

Example:

Default exclusions: Parent, Child, Related, _ZettelID

Path rule (Projects/): status, progress

Total exclusions for Projects files: Parent, Child, Related, _ZettelID, status, progress

Override Not Possible​

You cannot include a property that's in default exclusions:

Default: Parent, Child, _ZettelID

Path rule: Parent, status (path rule adds status, Parent already excluded)

Result: Parent, Child, _ZettelID, status all excluded (cannot un-exclude Parent)

No Overrides

Path rules only add exclusions, they cannot remove defaults. If you need to include a default-excluded property, remove it from defaults.

Use Cases​

Separating Concerns​

Scenario: Projects have status, tasks should not inherit it

Solution:

  • Create tasks from projects
  • Exclude status in Projects/ path
  • Tasks get project metadata minus status

Benefit: Tasks track their own status independently

Temporal Separation​

Scenario: Daily notes have dates, derived notes should not

Solution:

  • Create notes from daily notes
  • Exclude date properties in Daily Notes/ path
  • Derived notes are timeless

Benefit: Concepts extracted from daily notes aren't date-bound

Template Hygiene​

Scenario: Templates have metadata, instances should not

Solution:

  • Create instances from templates
  • Exclude template-specific properties
  • Instances only get content-relevant properties

Benefit: Clean instances without template cruft

Privacy Levels​

Scenario: Private folders have sensitive metadata

Solution:

  • Don't copy private metadata to shared notes
  • Exclude sensitive properties in Private/ path
  • New notes are shareable

Benefit: Prevent metadata leaks

Troubleshooting​

Property Still Being Copied​

Check default exclusions:

  • Property might not be in default list
  • Add it to defaults if should always exclude

Check path-based rules:

  • Rule path might not match file path
  • Check exact path spelling
  • Verify rule is enabled

Check rule order:

  • A more general rule might match first
  • Reorder with ↑/↓ buttons
  • Put specific rules above general ones

Check file location:

  • File must be in path that matches rule
  • Verify file path starts with rule path

Property Not Being Copied (Should Be)​

Check default exclusions:

  • Property might be in default list
  • Remove from defaults if should copy

Check path-based rules:

  • File might be in a path with exclusion rule
  • Disable rule or move file

Check property exists:

  • Verify property in source frontmatter
  • Check spelling matches exactly

Rule Not Matching Files​

Check path spelling:

  • Paths are case-sensitive
  • Projects/ ≠ projects/
  • Check for typos

Check path format:

  • Use folder structure: Folder/Subfolder
  • Not file paths: Folder/Subfolder/file.md ❌

Check startsWith behavior:

  • File path must start with rule path
  • Partial matches don't work

Multiple Rules Conflicting​

Only first match is used:

  • Rules evaluated top to bottom
  • First matching rule wins
  • Subsequent rules ignored

Solution:

  • Reorder rules for correct priority
  • More specific paths should be first
  • Test with a few files

Best Practices​

  1. Default exclusions for universal properties - Relationship properties, Zettel IDs
  2. Path rules for context-specific properties - Project status, meeting dates
  3. Specific paths above general - Projects/Work/ before Projects/
  4. Test with sample files before applying widely
  5. Document your exclusion strategy in a note for reference
  6. Review regularly - Remove unused rules, add new as needed
  7. Use enable/disable for temporary changes instead of deleting

Tips & Tricks​

Exclude File Metadata​

Properties added by Obsidian or other plugins:

file, path, created, modified, size, tags (if using frontmatter tags)

Add to defaults if you don't want these copied.

Exclude Private Properties​

Properties starting with underscore or marked private:

_private, _internal, _system, _cache

Or use "Hide underscore properties" setting.

Exclude Derived Properties​

Properties that should be recalculated per file:

word-count, last-edit, version, checksum

Project-Specific Properties​

For project management workflows:

status, progress, deadline, assigned-to, priority, phase

Next Steps​