diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 9a89d9c..6194a61 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 This plugin allows you to add custom URI commands to the command palette. Can be used with the [Obsidian URI scheme](https://help.obsidian.md/Advanced+topics/Using+obsidian+URI), as well as any other URI scheme your computer supports.
 
 ### Placeholders
-You can use the placeholders below in your URI. All of these are [URL-encoded](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percent-encoding) for you, so you don't need to worry about your text having any unescaped illegal or reserved characters.
+You can use the placeholders below in your URI. All of these are [URL-encoded](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percent-encoding) for you unless you turn off URL-encoding, so you don't need to worry about your text having any unescaped illegal or reserved characters.
 
 All commands with placeholders are hidden when there is no active file.
 
@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@ All commands with placeholders are hidden when there is no active file.
     - Note that for websites, you *must* start your URI with `https://` or `http://`, not `www.`
 - Open the wikipedia page for the contents of the YAML field "topic": `https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/{{meta:topic}}`
 - Look up your selection in your Calibre library: `calibre://search/_?q={{selection}}`
+- Open the url in the "external-link" metadata field: `{{meta:external-link}}`
+    - Note that for this to work, URL encoding must be turned off
 
 ## Related plugins
 - [Advanced URI](https://github.com/Vinzent03/obsidian-advanced-uri): enables URIs for daily note, appending text to a file, jump to heading, search and replace, and more
diff --git a/src/URIModal.ts b/src/URIModal.ts
index ef9c440..f10dabc 100644
--- a/src/URIModal.ts
+++ b/src/URIModal.ts
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ export default class URIModal extends Modal {
 				name: "",
 				id: "",
 				URITemplate: "",
+				encode: true,
 			}
 		} else {
 			this.uriCommand = command;
@@ -70,6 +71,16 @@ export default class URIModal extends Modal {
 				});
 			});
 
+		new Setting(contentEl)
+			.setName("URL-encode input")
+			.setDesc("Automatically URL-encode any user input text. Should only be off if content is already encoded or itself a URI scheme (e.g.. a bare URL with https://).")
+			.addToggle(toggle => {
+				toggle.setValue(this.uriCommand.encode)
+					.onChange(value => {
+						this.uriCommand.encode = value;
+					})
+			})
+
 
 		//https://github.com/phibr0/obsidian-macros/blob/master/src/ui/macroModal.ts#L132
 		const buttonDiv = contentEl.createDiv({ cls: "URI-flex-center" });
diff --git a/src/main.ts b/src/main.ts
index c1679c6..c3e05c0 100644
--- a/src/main.ts
+++ b/src/main.ts
@@ -92,35 +92,35 @@ export default class URIPlugin extends Plugin {
 					new Notice(`The field ${metadataMatch[1]} does not exist on this file.`)
 					return;
 				}
-				uriString = replacePlaceholder(uriString, metadataMatch[0], metadataValue);
+				uriString = replacePlaceholder(command, uriString, metadataMatch[0], metadataValue);
 				metadataMatch = METADATA_REGEX.exec(uriString);
 			}
 		}
 
 		if (uriString.includes(FILE_NAME_TEMPLATE)) { // base name of file
-			uriString = replacePlaceholder(uriString, FILE_NAME_TEMPLATE, file.basename);
+			uriString = replacePlaceholder(command, uriString, FILE_NAME_TEMPLATE, file.basename);
 		}
 
 		if (uriString.includes(FILE_TEXT_TEMPLATE)) { //entire text of file
 			const fileText = await this.app.vault.read(file);
-			return replacePlaceholder(uriString, FILE_TEXT_TEMPLATE, fileText);
+			return replacePlaceholder(command, uriString, FILE_TEXT_TEMPLATE, fileText);
 		}
 
 		if (uriString.includes(SELECTION_TEMPLATE)) { //current selection
-			uriString = replacePlaceholder(uriString, SELECTION_TEMPLATE, editor.getSelection()); //currently replaced with empty string if no selection
+			uriString = replacePlaceholder(command, uriString, SELECTION_TEMPLATE, editor.getSelection()); //currently replaced with empty string if no selection
 		}
 
 		if (uriString.includes(LINE_TEMPLATE)) { //current line
 			const currentLine = editor.getCursor().line;
-			uriString = replacePlaceholder(uriString, LINE_TEMPLATE, editor.getLine(currentLine));
+			uriString = replacePlaceholder(command, uriString, LINE_TEMPLATE, editor.getLine(currentLine));
 		}
 
 		if (uriString.includes(FILE_PATH_TEMPLATE)) { //path inside the vault to the current file
-			uriString = replacePlaceholder(uriString, FILE_PATH_TEMPLATE, file.path);
+			uriString = replacePlaceholder(command, uriString, FILE_PATH_TEMPLATE, file.path);
 		}
 
 		if (uriString.includes(VAULT_NAME_TEMPLATE)) { //name of the current vault
-			uriString = replacePlaceholder(uriString, VAULT_NAME_TEMPLATE, this.app.vault.getName());
+			uriString = replacePlaceholder(command, uriString, VAULT_NAME_TEMPLATE, this.app.vault.getName());
 		}
 
 		window.open(uriString);
@@ -128,12 +128,14 @@ export default class URIPlugin extends Plugin {
 			new Notice(`Opening ${uriString}`);
 		}
 	}
-
 }
 
-function replacePlaceholder(uriString: string, placeholder: string | RegExp, replacementString: string) {
-	const encodedReplacement = encodeURIComponent(replacementString);
-	return uriString.replace(placeholder, encodedReplacement);
+function replacePlaceholder(command: URICommand, uriString: string, placeholder: string | RegExp, replacementString: string) {
+	if (command.encode) {
+		replacementString = encodeURIComponent(replacementString);
+	}
+
+	return uriString.replace(placeholder, replacementString);
 }
 
 
diff --git a/src/settings.ts b/src/settings.ts
index 4517881..3d0776d 100644
--- a/src/settings.ts
+++ b/src/settings.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import URIModal from './URIModal';
 
 export interface URICommand extends Command {
 	URITemplate: string;
+    encode: boolean;
 }
 
 export interface URIPluginSettings {
@@ -42,7 +43,7 @@ export class URISettingTab extends PluginSettingTab {
             });
 
         this.plugin.settings.URICommands.forEach(command => {
-			if (command === null) { //this should *not* happen 
+			if (command === null) { //this should *not* happen
 				this.plugin.settings.URICommands.remove(command);
 				console.log("Command was null, removing.")
 				return;
@@ -51,7 +52,7 @@ export class URISettingTab extends PluginSettingTab {
             let iconDiv: HTMLElement;
             if (command.icon) { //do want the "if null or empty string or undefined or etc" behavior
                 iconDiv = createDiv({ cls: "URI-settings-icon" });
-                setIcon(iconDiv, command.icon, 20);    
+                setIcon(iconDiv, command.icon, 20);
             }
 
 
@@ -76,7 +77,7 @@ export class URISettingTab extends PluginSettingTab {
                             new URIModal(this.plugin, this, command, true).open()
                     })
                 });
-            
+
             if (command.icon) {
                 setting.nameEl.prepend(iconDiv);
             }