Skill

Logseq DB Plugin API Skill

Comprehensive guidance for building Logseq plugins for DB (database) graphs, organized into three layers: authoritative upstream documentation, production-tested patterns, and related sibling skills.

Overview

This skill provides essential knowledge for building Logseq plugins that work with the new DB graph architecture. It covers:

• Core APIs: Tag/class management, property handling, block operations
• Production Patterns: Event-driven updates, tag detection, property iteration
• Plugin Architecture: File organization, settings, error handling, testing
• Common Pitfalls: Validation errors, query issues, property dereferencing

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when developing Logseq plugins that:

• Work with DB graphs (not markdown graphs)
• Need to create/manage tags and properties programmatically
• Respond to database changes in real-time (DB.onChanged)
• Query the graph database with Datalog
• Handle complex tag detection or property iteration
• Require production-ready architecture patterns

Key Differences: DB vs. Markdown Plugins

Prerequisites

• Logseq: 0.11.0+ (for full DB graph support)
• @logseq/libs: 0.3.0+ (minimum for DB graphs)
• Node.js: 18+ recommended
• Build tools: Vite + vite-plugin-logseq

Layer 1: Authoritative Upstream Docs

Precedence: Layer 1 is authoritative ground truth for API contracts. Layer 2 adds production-validated context and patterns not covered by official docs. When they conflict, Layer 1 wins on API facts; Layer 2 wins on real-world pitfalls (things that work on paper but fail in practice).

Source: mirrored verbatim from logseq/logseq libs/development-notes/ via scripts/sync-logseq-docs.sh. Each file carries a footer recording upstream commit SHA and fetch timestamp. License: AGPL-3.0 (see references/logseq-official/LICENSE).

Refresh: bash scripts/sync-logseq-docs.sh from repo root. Idempotent — no-op if upstream HEAD matches .last-synced-sha.

Layer 2: Production Patterns

Battle-tested code from real-world plugin development. All patterns validated through logseq-checklist v1.0.0.

Unique contributions (not in official docs)

Tag Detection — Reliable multi-layered detection Three-tier approach (content → datascript → properties) for maximum reliability when block.properties.tags fails.

Search for: hasTag, block.properties.tags undefined, multi-layered

Pitfalls & Solutions — Errors and fixes discovered in production Tag creation validation, property conflicts, query syntax mistakes, or-join variable mismatches, method-name errors.

Search for: validation errors, query returns no results, addTag not a function

Supplementary (may overlap with Layer 1 — cross-linked where relevant)

Event Handling — DB.onChanged patterns Database change detection, datom filtering, debouncing strategies. Essential for plugins that maintain derived state.

Search for: DB.onChanged, debouncing, transaction datoms

Property Management — Reading property values Iteration patterns for unknown property names, type-based detection, namespaced key access.

Search for: property iteration, namespaced keys, :user.property/

Core APIs — Essential methods Tag/class management, page/block creation, property operations, icons, utilities.

Search for: createTag, addBlockTag, upsertProperty, createPage

Queries and Database — Datalog patterns Query syntax, common patterns, caching strategies, tag inheritance with or-join, :block/title vs :block/name.

Search for: datascriptQuery, datalog, caching, or-join, tag inheritance

Plugin Architecture — Best practices File organization, settings registration, error handling, testing strategy, deployment checklist.

Search for: file organization, settings schema, production patterns

Layer 3: Related Skills

For specialized concerns, defer to sibling skills with their own activation triggers:

Quick Start

1. Project Setup

mkdir my-logseq-plugin
cd my-logseq-plugin
pnpm init
pnpm add @logseq/libs
pnpm add -D typescript vite vite-plugin-logseq @types/node
mkdir src

2. Essential Files

src/index.ts — Entry point:

import '@logseq/libs'

async function main() {
  console.log('Plugin loaded')
  // Register settings, initialize features
}

logseq.ready(main).catch(console.error)

vite.config.ts:

import { defineConfig } from 'vite'
import logseqDevPlugin from 'vite-plugin-logseq'

export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [logseqDevPlugin()],
  build: { target: 'esnext', minify: 'esbuild', sourcemap: true }
})

package.json:

{
  "name": "my-logseq-plugin",
  "version": "0.0.1",
  "main": "dist/index.js",
  "scripts": { "build": "vite build", "dev": "vite build --watch" },
  "logseq": { "id": "my-logseq-plugin", "title": "My Logseq Plugin", "main": "dist/index.html" }
}

3. Development Workflow

pnpm run dev              # Watch mode
pnpm run build            # Production build
# Load plugin: Settings → Plugins → Load unpacked plugin

Core Concepts

Property Storage

Properties in DB graphs are stored as namespaced keys on block objects:

const block = await logseq.Editor.getBlock(uuid)

// Direct access
const value = block[':user.property/myProperty']

// Iteration (if name unknown)
for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(block)) {
  if (key.startsWith(':user.property/')) { /* ... */ }
}

CRITICAL: block.properties.tags and block.properties[name] are often unreliable. Use direct key access or iteration instead.

Tag Detection

Simple property checks fail. Use multi-layered detection — see references/tag-detection.md for the full pattern.

// Tier 1: Content check (fast)
if (block.content.includes('#mytag')) return true

// Tier 2: Datascript query (reliable)
const results = await logseq.DB.datascriptQuery(
  `[:find (pull ?b [*]) :where [?b :block/tags ?t] [?t :block/title "mytag"]]`
)

// Tier 3: Properties fallback (rarely works)
if (block.properties?.tags?.includes('mytag')) return true

Event-Driven Updates

For plugins that maintain derived state:

if (logseq.DB?.onChanged) {
  logseq.DB.onChanged((changeData) => {
    const { txData } = changeData
    for (const [entityId, attribute, value, txId, added] of txData) {
      if (attribute.includes('property')) scheduleUpdate(entityId)
    }
  })
}

See references/event-handling.md for debouncing strategies.

Property Type Definition

Always define property types before using them:

await logseq.Editor.upsertProperty('title', { type: 'string' })
await logseq.Editor.upsertProperty('year', { type: 'number' })
await logseq.Editor.upsertProperty('published', { type: 'checkbox' })
await logseq.Editor.upsertProperty('modifiedAt', { type: 'datetime' })

await logseq.Editor.createPage('Item', {
  title: 'My Item',
  year: 2024,
  published: true,
  modifiedAt: Date.now()
})

Essential Workflows

Creating Tagged Pages with Properties

// 1. Create tag
const tag = await logseq.Editor.createTag('zot')

// 2. Define properties FIRST
await logseq.Editor.upsertProperty('title', { type: 'string' })
await logseq.Editor.upsertProperty('author', { type: 'string' })
await logseq.Editor.upsertProperty('year', { type: 'number' })

// 3. Add properties to tag schema (parent frame API)
const parentLogseq = (window as any).parent?.logseq
await parentLogseq.api.add_tag_property(tag.uuid, 'title')
await parentLogseq.api.add_tag_property(tag.uuid, 'author')
await parentLogseq.api.add_tag_property(tag.uuid, 'year')

// 4. Create page with tag and properties
await logseq.Editor.createPage('My Item', {
  tags: ['zot'],
  title: 'Paper Title',
  author: 'Jane Doe',
  year: 2024
})

Querying Tagged Items

const query = `
{:query [:find (pull ?b [*])
         :where
         [?b :block/tags ?t]
         [?t :block/title "zot"]]}
`
const results = await logseq.DB.datascriptQuery(query)

Tag Hierarchies (items tagged with #task OR any tag extending #task):

const query = `
{:query [:find (pull ?b [*])
         :where
         (or-join [?b]
           (and [?b :block/tags ?t]
                [?t :block/title "task"])
           (and [?b :block/tags ?child]
                [?child :logseq.property.class/extends ?parent]
                [?parent :block/title "task"]))]}
`

See references/queries-and-database.md for advanced patterns.

Responding to Database Changes

const pendingUpdates = new Set<string>()
let updateTimer: NodeJS.Timeout | null = null

function handleDatabaseChanges(changeData: any): void {
  const txData = changeData?.txData || []
  for (const [entityId, attribute, value, txId, added] of txData) {
    if (attribute.includes('property')) {
      pendingUpdates.add(String(entityId))
      if (updateTimer) clearTimeout(updateTimer)
      updateTimer = setTimeout(async () => {
        for (const id of pendingUpdates) await updateBlock(id)
        pendingUpdates.clear()
      }, 300)
    }
  }
}

Architecture Recommendations

File Structure:

src/
├── index.ts         # Entry point, initialization
├── events.ts        # DB.onChanged handlers, debouncing
├── logic.ts         # Pure business logic (testable)
├── settings.ts      # Settings schema and accessors
└── types.ts         # TypeScript interfaces

Settings Registration:

import { SettingSchemaDesc } from '@logseq/libs/dist/LSPlugin.user'

const settings: SettingSchemaDesc[] = [
  {
    key: 'tagName',
    type: 'string',
    title: 'Tag Name',
    description: 'Tag to monitor',
    default: 'mytag'
  }
]

logseq.useSettingsSchema(settings)

See references/plugin-architecture.md for error handling, testing, and deployment.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Wrong method names: Use addBlockTag() not addTag()
2. Property access: Don't rely on block.properties.tags — iterate namespaced keys
3. Query syntax: Use :block/title not :db/ident for custom tags
4. Type definition: Define property types before using them
5. Reserved names: Avoid created, modified — use dateAdded, dateModified
6. Date format: Use YYYY-MM-DD for date properties
7. Entity references: Use Datalog queries to dereference, not getPage()

See references/pitfalls-and-solutions.md for detailed solutions.

Version Requirements

• Logseq: 0.11.0+ (for full DB graph support)
• @logseq/libs: 0.3.0+ (minimum for DB graphs), 0.2.8+ recommended
• Graph type: Database graphs only (not markdown/file-based graphs)

Getting Help

When encountering issues:

1. Check Layer 1 first — official upstream docs are authoritative for API contracts
2. Check Common Pitfalls (references/pitfalls-and-solutions.md) — production-observed gotchas not in official docs
3. Search Reference Files — grep patterns listed above
4. Check logseq-checklist source — real working implementation
5. DevTools Console — Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+I for runtime errors
6. Invoke logseq-electron-debug skill (RCmerci) — for debugging Logseq itself

Summary

Three layers, in order of priority:

1. Layer 1 — Official upstream docs (ground truth for API contracts)
2. Layer 2 — Production patterns (tag-detection + pitfalls are unique contributions; others supplement Layer 1)
3. Layer 3 — Related skills (logseq-schema, logseq-electron-debug, logseq-db-knowledge, logseq-cli-skill)

Load the files you need for the current task. Layer 1 answers "what does the API do"; Layer 2 answers "what breaks in practice"; Layer 3 answers adjacent concerns that deserve their own skill activation.