Live Linking

Live linking keeps your scene in sync with source files as they change. LinkFlow monitors source files using external change detection and provides auto-reload capabilities — no manual re-linking required.

LinkFlow detects changes to linked files outside of Blender using OS-level file system watchers. When a source file is modified by another application (e.g., a DCC tool saving a new version), LinkFlow flags the change and can automatically reload the affected assets.

This is especially useful in collaborative pipelines where multiple artists may be updating shared assets while you work.

Toggle live mode from the LinkFlow panel in the Scene Properties panel:

1. Open the Scene Properties panel and navigate to the LinkFlow section.
2. Enable Live Mode — the indicator turns green when active.
3. All currently linked assets begin monitoring their source files immediately.

Live mode persists across Blender sessions.

LinkFlow uses OS-level file system watchers to detect changes efficiently:

• Windows — Uses ReadDirectoryChangesW
• macOS — Uses FSEvents for low-overhead monitoring
• Linux — Uses inotify for direct kernel-level notifications

When a file watcher is not available (e.g. on network drives), LinkFlow falls back to polling.

LinkFlow supports two update modes:

• Auto-Reload — Linked assets update the moment a source change is detected. A notification appears showing which assets were updated.
• Manual Refresh — Changes are queued but not applied until you click Refresh. Useful when you want to batch multiple source saves before updating.

For network drives or cloud-synced directories, configure polling in preferences: