Logseq Cheat Sheet

Overview

Logseq is an open-source, local-first knowledge management and note-taking application built around an outliner workflow. It supports bidirectional linking, block references, and a powerful graph view that visualizes relationships between your notes. All data is stored as plain Markdown or Org-mode files on your local filesystem, giving you full ownership of your data.

Logseq excels at building a personal knowledge graph where ideas connect organically. It supports plugins, themes, PDF annotation, flashcards via spaced repetition, and queries that pull information dynamically from across your entire graph. It runs on desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux) and mobile (iOS, Android).

Installation

Desktop (All Platforms)

# macOS via Homebrew
brew install --cask logseq

# Linux via AppImage
wget https://github.com/logseq/logseq/releases/download/0.10.9/Logseq-linux-x64-0.10.9.AppImage
chmod +x Logseq-linux-x64-0.10.9.AppImage
./Logseq-linux-x64-0.10.9.AppImage

# Linux via Flatpak
flatpak install flathub com.logseq.Logseq

Building from Source

git clone https://github.com/logseq/logseq.git
cd logseq
yarn install
yarn dev

Core Concepts

Block-Based Outliner

Everything in Logseq is a block. Each bullet point is an addressable block that can be referenced, embedded, or queried from anywhere in your graph.

- This is a parent block
  - This is a child block
    - Blocks can be nested indefinitely
- Use [[Page Links]] to create connections
- Use ((block-ref-id)) to reference specific blocks

Page and Block References

Syntax	Description
`[[Page Name]]`	Link to a page (creates it if it doesn’t exist)
`((block-id))`	Reference a specific block
`#tag`	Tag a block (equivalent to `[[tag]]`)
`[alias]([[Page]])`	Display alias text linking to a page
`{{embed [[Page]]}}`	Embed an entire page inline
`{{embed ((block-id))}}`	Embed a specific block inline

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
`Ctrl+K`	Search pages
`Ctrl+Shift+P`	Command palette
`Tab`	Indent block
`Shift+Tab`	Outdent block
`Ctrl+Enter`	Toggle TODO/DONE
`Alt+Up/Down`	Move block up/down
`Ctrl+Shift+I`	Open developer tools
`Ctrl+C Ctrl+L`	Copy block reference
`Ctrl+Shift+E`	Toggle block embed
`/`	Slash commands menu
`Ctrl+U`	Open graph view
`Ctrl+Shift+J`	Open journals

Slash Commands

Command	Description
`/today`	Insert today’s date link
`/tomorrow`	Insert tomorrow’s date link
`/current time`	Insert current timestamp
`/calculator`	Open inline calculator
`/code block`	Insert a code block
`/query`	Insert an advanced query
`/draw`	Open whiteboard/drawing tool
`/upload`	Upload an asset
`/template`	Insert a template
`/embed`	Embed a page, block, or URL

Queries

Simple Queries

- {{query [[topic]]}}
- {{query (and [[project]] [[active]])}}
- {{query (or [[idea]] [[concept]])}}
- {{query (not [[archived]])}}
- {{query (between [[Jan 1st, 2024]] [[Dec 31st, 2024]])}}

Advanced Queries (Datalog)

#+BEGIN_QUERY
{:title "All TODO items"
 :query [:find (pull ?b [*])
         :where
         [?b :block/marker ?m]
         [(contains? #{"TODO" "DOING"} ?m)]]
 :collapsed? false}
#+END_QUERY

#+BEGIN_QUERY
{:title "Pages tagged with project"
 :query [:find (pull ?p [*])
         :where
         [?p :block/tags ?t]
         [?t :block/name "project"]]}
#+END_QUERY

Configuration

Graph Configuration (logseq/config.edn)

{;; Preferred file format
 :preferred-format :markdown

 ;; Journal settings
 :journal/page-title-format "yyyy-MM-dd"
 :default-home {:page "Contents"}

 ;; Editor settings
 :preferred-workflow :todo
 :editor/logical-outdenting? true

 ;; Feature flags
 :feature/enable-flashcards? true
 :feature/enable-whiteboards? true

 ;; Git auto-commit
 :git-auto-push true

 ;; Excluded directories
 :hidden ["/logseq" "/assets"]

 ;; Default queries on journals page
 :default-queries
 {:journals
  [{:title "NOW"
    :query [:find (pull ?h [*])
            :in $ ?start ?today
            :where
            [?h :block/marker ?marker]
            [(contains? #{"NOW" "DOING"} ?marker)]]}
   {:title "NEXT"
    :query [:find (pull ?h [*])
            :in $ ?start ?today
            :where
            [?h :block/marker ?marker]
            [(contains? #{"TODO" "LATER"} ?marker)]]}]}}

Advanced Usage

Templates

- template:: meeting-notes
  - **Date:**
  - **Attendees:**
  - **Agenda:**
    -
  - **Action Items:**
    -
  - **Notes:**
    -

Properties

- title:: My Page
  type:: [[book]]
  author:: John Doe
  rating:: 5
  status:: reading

Spaced Repetition / Flashcards

- What is the capital of France? #card
  - Paris
- Define photosynthesis #card #biology
  - The process by which plants convert light energy into chemical energy

Custom CSS (logseq/custom.css)

:root {
  --ls-font-family: "Inter", sans-serif;
  --ls-page-text-size: 16px;
  --ls-primary-background-color: #1e1e2e;
  --ls-secondary-background-color: #313244;
}

.block-content {
  line-height: 1.8;
}

Plugin Ecosystem

Plugin	Description
`logseq-plugin-tabs`	Tabbed page navigation
`logseq-plugin-todo`	Enhanced task management
`logseq-plugin-git`	Git integration for sync
`logseq-kanban`	Kanban board view
`logseq-citation-manager`	Academic citation management

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Graph not syncing	Check file permissions; verify Logseq has folder access
Pages not appearing in graph	Ensure pages have at least one backlink or content
Slow performance with large graph	Disable unused plugins; reduce graph density
Search not finding results	Rebuild search index via Settings → General → Rebuild
Plugin not loading	Check plugin compatibility with your Logseq version
Data corruption after sync conflict	Keep a backup; use git for version control
Custom CSS not applying	Restart Logseq; check for syntax errors in custom.css