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Tasks Reference

This document describes how ZenNotes detects, displays, and edits Markdown tasks.

It is a reference for the current task model, not a project-management methodology guide.

Task syntax

ZenNotes reads Markdown task list items outside fenced code blocks.

Supported checkbox forms include unordered and ordered list items:

- [ ] Write release notes
- [x] Publish the changelog
1. [ ] Review screenshots

Checked tasks use [x] or [X]. Unchecked tasks use [ ].

Inline task metadata

ZenNotes recognizes these inline tokens on a task line:

Token Meaning
due:YYYY-MM-DD Due date in ISO format
!high High priority
!med Medium priority
!low Low priority
@waiting Waiting or blocked task
#tag Task tag

Priority aliases such as !h, !m, !medium, and !l are also recognized. When ZenNotes edits priority from Kanban, it writes the canonical !high, !med, or !low token.

Example:

- [ ] Refresh onboarding screenshots due:2026-04-30 !high @waiting #docs

Task display strips recognized metadata from the main task title while keeping tags and badges visible in task views.

Note-level defaults

Tasks can inherit supported defaults from frontmatter:

---
due: 2026-04-30
priority: high
---

- [ ] This task inherits the due date and priority

Inline task metadata wins over frontmatter defaults.

Tasks views

The Tasks tab has three modes:

Mode Purpose
List Scan and manage all vault tasks in a compact list
Calendar Review scheduled tasks by due date
Kanban Move tasks between task-state columns

Clicking a task opens its source note at the exact task line and briefly highlights that line. In the Tasks tab, Space or x toggles the focused task.

Kanban grouping

Kanban can group tasks by status, priority, or folder.

Status

Status columns are derived from checkbox state, due date, and @waiting.

Default column Contains
Today Unchecked tasks with no due date, overdue tasks, and tasks due today
Upcoming Unchecked future-due tasks
Waiting Unchecked tasks with @waiting
Done Checked tasks

Waiting overrides due-date grouping. Done overrides every other status group.

Dragging between status columns updates the source task line:

Drop target Source-line effect
Today Unchecks the task, removes @waiting, and sets due: to today
Upcoming Unchecks the task, removes @waiting, and preserves a future due date or sets tomorrow
Waiting Unchecks the task and adds @waiting
Done Checks the task

Priority

Priority columns are High, Medium, Low, and No priority.

Dragging between priority columns changes the task priority token.

Folder

Folder grouping is read-only. Moving a task between folders means moving its source note, which is done from the sidebar or file workflows rather than Kanban drag and drop.

Kanban column titles

Kanban column titles are editable display labels.

To rename a column:

  1. Click the column title or pencil icon.
  2. Type the new title.
  3. Press Enter or click away to save.

Press Escape to cancel the edit.

Clear the title and save to reset the column to its default label.

Column title overrides are app preferences. They do not change task grouping, due dates, priority, @waiting, or checkbox state.

For example, you can rename the status columns to labels such as Backlog, Todo, In Progress, and Done, but the underlying status behavior still follows the status rules above.

Kanban drag behavior

Kanban drag and drop updates the board immediately, then writes the source note asynchronously.

While dragging, ZenNotes shows an insertion line at the exact position where the task will land. Same-column reordering changes the local Kanban order only; it does not rewrite task metadata.

Notifications

The Tasks feature does not schedule task reminder notifications.

ZenNotes may still use native notifications for app-level events such as update availability in desktop builds.