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Note ID

Assigns a unique Zettel ID at note-creation time.

Called zettel-id in the step's YAML; older docs call it the Zettel ID action.

It runs without asking anything in the wizard. Two ways to build the ID: Timestamp (a sortable date-time string) and Folgezettel (a branching address that places the note in a sequence relative to a parent, following Luhmann's numbering).

Settings

Setting Default What it does
ID strategy Timestamp How the ID is computed: Timestamp or Folgezettel.
Frontmatter key id The property the ID is stored under.
Write to frontmatter On Save the ID under the frontmatter key.
Prefix filename with ID Off Put the ID in front of the note's file name (<id> <title>).
Timestamp format YYYYMMDDHHmm Moment.js format. Shown only with Timestamp.
Parent ID (empty) The existing ID to branch from. Shown only with Folgezettel.
Relationship Child Child or Sibling of the parent. Shown only with Folgezettel.

Keep at least one of Write to frontmatter or Prefix filename with ID on, or the ID is only available as {{id}} to the next steps.

What it writes

---
id: 202610131430
---

The ID is also available as {{<frontmatter key>}} — {{id}} by default — in the step's note body:

# {{title}}

ID: {{id}}

Timestamp

Builds the ID from the time the note is created, with the Timestamp format. The default YYYYMMDDHHmm gives 202610131430. Tokens: YYYY (year), MM (month), DD (day), HH (24-hour), mm (minutes), ss (seconds).

Folgezettel

Builds the ID from the Parent ID.

  • IDs alternate number and letter segments: 21 → 21a → 21a1 → 21a1a.
  • Child adds a new segment: a after a number, 1 after a letter.
  • Sibling increments the last segment: 21 → 22, 21a → 21b, 21a1 → 21a2.
  • A letter segment past z carries over: z → aa, az → ba, zz → aaa.

If the ID is already taken by another note (same Frontmatter key), the next free one is used and a notice says so. With Parent ID empty, the next free top-level number (1, 2, 3, …) is used, with the notice "No Folgezettel parent selected — using next free top-level ID."

Not covered

Re-numbering existing notes, changing IDs when notes are renamed or moved, other ID grammars, and uniqueness across vaults.