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dstask

Single binary terminal-based TODO manager with git-based sync + markdown notes per task




Dstask is a personal task tracker designed to help you focus. It is similar to [Taskwarrior](https://taskwarrior.org/) but uses git to synchronise instead of a special protocol. If you're at home in the terminal, and with solving the occasional merge conflict, then dstask is for you! https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/589d06fd-7486-46e4-b838-ce85af12f0fc [Video courtesy of xGoivo -- thanks!](https://www.reddit.com/r/taskwarrior/comments/1o7itzg/what_do_you_guys_think_about_this_taskwarrior/) Features: Packaging status - Powerful context system (automatically applies filter/tags to queries and new tasks) - **Git powered sync**/undo/resolve ([passwordstore.org](https://www.passwordstore.org/) style) which means no need to set up a sync server, and syncing between devices is easy! - Task listing won't break with long task text - `note` command -- edit a **full markdown note** for each task. **Checklists are useful here.** - `open` command -- **open URLs found in specified task** (including notes) in the browser - zsh/bash completion (including tags and projects in current context) for speed; PowerShell completion on Windows - A single statically-linked binary - [import tool](doc/dstask-import.md) which can import GitHub issues or taskwarrior tasks. Non-features: - Collaboration. This is a personal task tracker. Use another system for projects that involve multiple people. Note that it can still be beneficial to use dstask to track what you are working on in the context of a multi-person project tracked elsewhere. Requirements: - Git - A 256-color capable terminal # Screenshots

Next command (default when no command is specified)

Show-resolved command to review completed tasks by week. Useful for meetings.

Editing a task with $EDITOR (which happens to be vim)

Adding a task

Sync command (which uses git)

 
# Installation 1. Copy the executable (from the [releases page][releases]) to somewhere in your PATH. - Linux/macOS: name it `dstask` and mark it executable (e.g. `/usr/local/bin/`). - Windows: use `dstask.exe` and place it in a directory on `PATH` (e.g. `%USERPROFILE%\bin`). 1. Enable shell completions: - Bash: add `source <(dstask bash-completion)` to your `.bashrc`. - Zsh: add `dstask zsh-completion > /usr/local/share/zsh/site-functions/_dstask` or source `completions/zsh.sh` in your `~/.zshrc`. - Nushell: run `dstask nushell-completion | save -f ~/.config/nushell/completions/dstask.nu` then add `source ~/.config/nushell/completions/dstask.nu` to your `config.nu`. - PowerShell (Windows): see section "PowerShell completion" below. 1. Set up an alias in your `.bashrc`: `alias task=dstask` or `alias t=dstask` to make task management slightly faster. 1. Create or clone a `~/.dstask` git repository for the data, if you haven't already: - Linux/macOS: `mkdir ~/.dstask && git -C ~/.dstask init` - Windows: `mkdir %USERPROFILE%\.dstask` then `git -C %USERPROFILE%\.dstask init` ## Windows notes - Default data location: `%USERPROFILE%\.dstask` (can be overridden via `DSTASK_GIT_REPO`). - On first run, dstask may prompt to create the repository if it doesn't exist; answer `y`/`yes` to proceed. - Terminal: use Windows Terminal or PowerShell with a 256-color capable profile for best results. - Shell completions: PowerShell completion is supported; see next section. ### PowerShell completion To enable PowerShell tab completion for `dstask` on Windows, use the embedded script in `completions/powershell.ps1`. One-off for the current session: ```powershell . ./completions/powershell.ps1 ``` Enable permanently by dot-sourcing from your PowerShell profile: ```powershell # Create a profile if it doesn't exist if (!(Test-Path -LiteralPath $PROFILE)) { New-Item -ItemType File -Path $PROFILE -Force | Out-Null } # Open your profile for editing notepad $PROFILE # Add the following line (adjust path if needed): . "$PSScriptRoot/completions/powershell.ps1" ``` Alternatively, hardcode the absolute path to the repository if `PSScriptRoot` is not suitable for your setup, e.g.: ```powershell . "C:\\Users\\\\source\\repos\\dstask-win-port\\completions\\powershell.ps1" ``` There are also unofficial packages for: - [Nix](https://nixos.org/nixos/packages.html?attr=dstask&channel=nixpkgs-unstable&query=dstask) - [Arch (AUR)](https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/dstask/) - [FreeBSD](https://www.freshports.org/deskutils/dstask/) - [Homebrew](https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/dstask) # Moving from Taskwarrior We have a [migration guide](doc/taskwarrior-migration.md) to make the transition from taskwarrior to dstask a simple process. # Usage ``` Usage: dstask [id...] [task summary/filter] Where [task summary] is text with tags/project/priority specified. Tags are specified with + (or - for filtering) eg: +work. The project is specified with a project:g prefix eg: project:dstask -- no quotes. Priorities run from P3 (low), P2 (default) to P1 (high) and P0 (critical). Text can also be specified for a substring search of description and notes. Cmd and IDs can be swapped, multiple IDs can be specified for batch operations. run "dstask help " for command specific help. Add -- to ignore the current context. / can be used when adding tasks to note any words after. Available commands: next : Show most important tasks (priority, creation date -- truncated and default) add : Add a task template : Add a task template log : Log a task (already resolved) start : Change task status to active note : Append to or edit note for a task stop : Change task status to pending done : Resolve a task context : Set global context for task list and new tasks (use "none" to set no context) modify : Set attributes for a task edit : Edit task with text editor undo : Undo last action with git revert sync : Pull then push to git repository, automatic merge commit. open : Open all URLs found in summary/annotations git : Pass a command to git in the repository. Used for push/pull. remove : Remove a task (use to remove tasks added by mistake) show-projects : List projects with completion status show-tags : List tags in use show-active : Show tasks that have been started show-paused : Show tasks that have been started then stopped show-open : Show all non-resolved tasks (without truncation) show-resolved : Show resolved tasks show-templates : Show task templates show-unorganised : Show untagged tasks with no projects (global context) bash-completion : Print bash completion script to stdout zsh-completion : Print zsh completion script to stdout nushell-completion : Print nushell completion script to stdout help : Get help on any command or show this message version : Show dstask version information ``` # Syntax ## Priority | Symbol | Name | Note | | ------ | -------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `P0` | Critical | Must be resolved immediately. May appear in all contexts in future. | | `P1` | High | Need to be resolved in near future, display in highlighted | | `P2` | Normal | Default priority | | `P3` | Low | Shown at bottom and faded. | ## Operators | Symbol | Syntax | Description | Example | | --------------- | ------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- | | `+` | `+` | Include tag. Filter/context, or when adding task. | `dstask add fix server +work` | | `-` | `-` | Exclude tag. Filter/context only. | `dstask next -feature` | | `--` | `--` | Ignore context. When listing or adding tasks. | `dstask --`, `task add -- +home do guttering` | | `/` | `/` | When adding a task, everything after will be a note. | `dstask add check out ipfs / https://ipfs.io` | | `project:` | `project:` | Set project. Filter/context, or when adding task. | `dstask context project:dstask` | | `-project:` | `-project:` | Exclude project, filter/context only. | `dstask next -project:dstask -work` | | `template:` | `template:` | Base new task on a template. | `dstask add template:24` | | `due:` | `due:` | Set or filter by due date. | `dstask add task due:friday` | | `due.[filter]` | `due.[filter]:` | Filter tasks based on due date filter (before, after, in/on). | `dstask next due.before:tomorrow` | ## State | State | Description | | -------- | --------------------------------------------- | | Pending | Tasks that have never been started | | Active | Tasks that have been started | | Paused | Tasks that have been started but then stopped | | Resolved | Tasks that have been done/close/completed | ## Due Dates Due dates can be specified when adding tasks or filtering existing tasks. ### Date Formats | Format | Description | Examples | | --------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- | | Relative dates | `yesterday`, `today`, `tomorrow` | `due:tomorrow` | | Weekdays | Full names or 3-letter abbreviations | `due:monday`, `due:wed`, `due:this-fri`, `due:next-tuesday` | | Full dates | YYYY-MM-DD format | `due:2024-12-25` | | Month-day | MM-DD format (sets current year automatically) | `due:12-25` | | Day of month | DD format (sets current month and year automatically) | `due:15` | ### Adding Tasks with Due Dates ```bash dstask add task with due date due:next-monday dstask add finish report due:friday dstask add pay bills due:15 # 15th of current month dstask add halloween party due:2025-10-31 ``` ### Filtering Tasks by Due Date ```bash dstask next due.before:friday # Tasks due before Friday dstask next due.after:tomorrow # Tasks due after tomorrow dstask next due.on:tue # Tasks due on Tuesday dstask next due:overdue # Overdue tasks dstask next due.before:2025-12-31 # Tasks due before end of year ``` # Contexts When dstask runs, a context can be set to filter the task output. Run `dstask help context` for more examples. There are two ways to set a context. 1. The `context` command, which sets a global context on disk. 1. The `DSTASK_CONTEXT` environment variable. Contexts set by this environment variable override the global context on disk. Use the `context` to set a context that will apply by default, no matter what terminal window you're using. Use the `DSTASK_CONTEXT` environment variable to override context in specific uses. For instance, a [direnv](https://direnv.net/) config can set a context for particular directories. Context is not synchronised between machines. # Dealing with merge conflicts Dstask is written in such a way that merge conflicts should not happen, unless a task is edited independently on 2 or more machines without synchronising. In practice this happens rarely; however when it does happen dstask will fail to commit and warn you. You'll then need to go to the underlying `~/.dstask` git repository and resolve manually before committing and running `dstask sync`. In some rare cases the ID can conflict. This is something dstask will soon be equipped to handle automatically when the `sync` command runs. # Performance See [etc/PERFORMANCE.md](etc/PERFORMANCE.md) # General tips - Overwhelmed by tasks? Try focussing by prioritising (set priorities) or narrowing the context. The `show-tags` and `show-projects` commands are useful for creating a context. - Use dstask to track things you might forget, rather than everything. SNR is important. Don't track tasks for the sake of it, and don't track _ideas_. Track ideas separately. - Spend regular time reviewing tasks. You'll probably find some you've already resolved, and many you've forgotten. The `show-unorganised` command is good for this. - Try to work through tasks from the top of the list. Dstask sorts by priority then creation date -- the most important tasks are at the top. - Use `start`/`stop` to mark what you're genuinely working on right now; it makes resuming work faster. Paused tasks will be slightly highlighted, so you won't lose track of them. `show-paused` helps if they start to pile up. - Keep a [github-style check list](https://help.github.com/en/articles/about-task-lists) in the markdown note of complex or procedural tasks - Failing to get started working? Start with the smallest task - Record only required tasks. Track ideas separately, else your task list will grow unboundedly! I keep an `ideas.md` for various projects for this reason. - set `DSTASK_CONTEXT` in a `.envrc` per-project repository. With direnv, this allows you to automatically switch context # Database See [etc/DATABASE_FORMAT.md](etc/DATABASE_FORMAT.md) The default database location is: - Linux/macOS: `~/.dstask/` - Windows: `%USERPROFILE%\\.dstask` It can be configured by the environment variable `DSTASK_GIT_REPO`. # Integration of fuzzy finders Instead of passing task IDs to commands, a fuzzy finder like [*fzf*](https://github.com/junegunn/fzf) can be used to search tasks by their summary instead. This is not part of dstask itself, but can be achieved by defining a shell wrapper like this in your `.bashrc` or `.zshrc`: ```bash function dstask () { local has_double_dash subcommand if (( $# == 1 || $# == 2 )); then has_double_dash="$( [[ "$1" == "--" || "$2" == "--" ]] && echo "1" || echo "0" )" subcommand="$( [[ "$1" == "--" ]] && echo "$2" || echo "$1" )" if (( $# == 1 || has_double_dash )) && \ [[ "${subcommand}" =~ ^(done|edit|note|open|remove|start|stop)$ ]] then command dstask show-open $( (( has_double_dash )) && echo "--" ) \ | jq -r '.[] | [.id, .summary] | @tsv' \ | fzf --delimiter='\t' --nth=2 --accept-nth=1 --preview='DSTASK_FAKE_PTY=1 dstask {1} --' \ | xargs -n1 dstask "${subcommand}" return fi fi command dstask "$@" } ``` The wrapper function checks if dstask was called with a subcommand missing the task ID, and if so uses the `show-open` command to get a list of tasks to choose from. `--` can be used to ignore the current context for the fuzzy search. All other commands are passed directly to dstask. A more advanced version, which adds additional support for the dstask `modify` command by inserting the selected task ID directly into the shell prompt, can be found in [etc/fzf_integration.zsh](etc/fzf_integration.zsh) (zsh only). # Alternatives Alternatives listed must be capable of running in the terminal. - [TaskLite](https://github.com/ad-si/TaskLite) -- The CLI task manager for power users, written in Haskell - [Taskwarrior](https://taskwarrior.org/) -- the closest analogue - [Taskbook](https://github.com/klaussinani/taskbook) -- board metaphor, note support - [todo.txt-cli](https://github.com/todotxt/todo.txt-cli) - [etm](https://github.com/dagraham/etm-dgraham) -- event and task manager - [t](https://github.com/sjl/t) -- a minimal todo list with an amusing philosophy # FAQ > Does dstask encrypt tasks? Encryption is not a design goal of dstask. If you want to have your remote repository encrypted, you may consider [git-remote-gcrypt](https://spwhitton.name/tech/code/git-remote-gcrypt/) or [git-crypt](https://github.com/AGWA/git-crypt). Note that dstask has not been tested with these tools, nor can any claims be made about the security of the tools themselves. > Is it possible to modify more than one task at once with a filter? Yes. 1. Set a context: 2. Run a modify command without and ID 3. Hit y to confirm to modify all tasks in context This means it's natural to review the tasks that would be modified before modifying by listing all tasks in the current context first, instead of potentially operating blindly by matching tags or numbers. You can also specify multiple task numbers at one time, as with any other command. > Is there a GUI or web interface? Not as part of dstask itself. However, dstask can be used as a library -- @botto has started developing a web GUI, specifically to allow task management on-the-go via a smartphone: . It's in early stages but is meaningful as having no smartphone-based control is a blocker for a lot of people. > Has dstask been featured in a magazine? Yes! :-) [releases]: https://github.com/naggie/dstask/releases