Tasks

Tasks Skill

This skill enables you to work with checkbox tasks managed by the Tasks plugin. Unlike TaskNotes (one file per task), Tasks are individual - [ ] checkbox lines inside regular notes, annotated with inline emoji fields.

Use the search_notes, read_content, and manage_notes tools to read and write task lines.

Scripting the Tasks API (advanced)

Because this skill is enabled and the Tasks plugin exposes a public API, you likely also have an exec_obsidian_tasks_plugin tool (check your available tools) that runs JavaScript against the Tasks plugin's api object on the main thread. The Tasks API is small and focused on constructing task lines and toggling status.

• api is the Tasks plugin API; app is the Obsidian app.
• Discover what's available before assuming methods exist — return Object.keys(api) — since the surface varies by plugin version. Commonly present: executeToggleTaskDoneCommand(line, path) and helpers to build a task line from fields.
• Prefer the API for toggling completion and for generating a correctly-formatted task line; use manage_notes to actually insert/replace the line in a note.
• Keep snippets read-only unless the user asked to modify data. Awaited work times out; this is not sandboxed.

// Inspect the available API before calling it
return Object.keys(api);

Task Line Format

A task is a Markdown checkbox with optional inline fields (emoji-tagged):

- [ ] Write the report 📅 2025-01-20 ⏳ 2025-01-15 🛫 2025-01-14 🔺 #project/work
- [x] Buy groceries ✅ 2025-01-12

Status markers

Inline field emojis

Priorities: 🔺 highest, ⏫ high, 🔼 medium, 🔽 low, none = normal.

Querying Tasks

Tasks queries live in ```tasks code blocks and are rendered by the plugin. To SHOW the user a task view, output a query block — the chat interface renders it:

not done
due before tomorrow
sort by priority
limit 20

Common query filters: not done, done, due before <date>, due after <date>, scheduled before <date>, starts before <date>, path includes <folder>, tags include #project, priority is high. Combine with newlines (implicit AND). Sort with sort by due|priority|scheduled. Cap with limit N.

To ANALYZE tasks (not just display), read the relevant notes with search_notes + read_content and parse the checkbox lines, or use the exec_obsidian_tasks_plugin API if enabled.

Creating a Task

Tasks are lines inside existing notes — decide (or ask) which note and where. Use manage_notes with type: "update" to append or insert the checkbox line. Build the line with the inline fields above:

- [ ] Draft the proposal 📅 2025-01-20 🔼 #project/acme

Rules:

• Always YYYY-MM-DD for dates.
• Only include fields the user specified; omit the rest (do not leave empty placeholders — Tasks parses positionally by emoji, not by empty slots).
• Preserve the note's existing content; append under the right heading/list.

Completing a Task

To mark a task done, change its marker - [ ] → - [x] and (optionally) append ✅ <today>. Read the exact line first with read_content, then manage_notes update with an exact-match edit:

{
  "type": "update",
  "path": "Notes/Work.md",
  "edits": [
    { "oldText": "- [ ] Draft the proposal 📅 2025-01-20", "newText": "- [x] Draft the proposal 📅 2025-01-20 ✅ 2025-01-15" }
  ]
}

If the exec_obsidian_tasks_plugin integration is enabled, prefer api.executeToggleTaskDoneCommand(line, path) — it handles the done date and recurrence roll-over correctly.

Recurring Tasks

Recurrence uses natural-language syntax after 🔁: every day, every week, every month on the 1st, every weekday, every 2 weeks. When a recurring task is completed via the plugin, the next occurrence is generated automatically — do NOT hand-roll the next line; toggle via the API or instruct the user to check it off in the UI.

Tips & Constraints

• Read the exact task line before editing — manage_notes does literal text replacement, so oldText must match including emojis and spacing.
• Tasks vs TaskNotes: if the user's tasks are checkbox lines inside notes, this is the right skill; if each task is its own file with YAML frontmatter, use the tasknotes skill instead. When unsure, search for - [ ] lines vs. files with a status frontmatter field.
• Do not invent inline fields the user didn't ask for.