tasknotes

name	tasknotes
description	Create and manage tasks in Obsidian via the TaskNotes plugin by writing markdown files directly. Use when user wants to create tasks, list tasks, update task status, or check what they need to do.

TaskNotes Skill

Create and manage Obsidian tasks by writing markdown files with YAML frontmatter directly to the vault. No HTTP API or CLI required -- TaskNotes picks up files automatically.

How TaskNotes Works

Each task is a separate markdown file with YAML frontmatter stored in a configured folder inside an Obsidian vault. TaskNotes identifies tasks by the presence of tags: [task] in frontmatter (default method). All views (kanban, calendar, task list) are powered by Obsidian Bases querying these files.

Vault Location

The Obsidian vault path must be known. Common locations:

• Linux: ~/Documents/Obsidian/VaultName/ or ~/Obsidian/VaultName/
• macOS: ~/Documents/VaultName/ or ~/Library/Mobile Documents/iCloud~md~obsidian/Documents/VaultName/

If unknown, ask the user for their vault path.

Tasks Folder

Default: TaskNotes/Tasks/ inside the vault root.

The user may have configured a different folder in their TaskNotes plugin settings. The settings are stored at:

<vault>/.obsidian/plugins/tasknotes/data.json

Read tasksFolder from that file if you need to confirm the path. You can also check the taskTag, taskIdentificationMethod, fieldMapping, customStatuses, and customPriorities settings to match the user's configuration.

Creating a Task

Write a .md file to the tasks folder with this structure:

---
tags:
  - task
title: "Task title here"
status: open
priority: normal
dateCreated: "2026-02-09T10:30:00.000Z"
dateModified: "2026-02-09T10:30:00.000Z"
---

Optional body content, notes, context, or details.

Filename

Use the sanitized title as the filename (default TaskNotes behavior):

• Replace <>:"/\|?*#[] with nothing
• Replace multiple spaces with single space
• Trim leading/trailing dots
• Append .md

Example: "Buy groceries tomorrow" -> Buy groceries tomorrow.md

If a file with that name already exists, append -2, -3, etc.

Required Fields

Field	Description
tags	Must include task for TaskNotes to recognize the file
title	The task title
status	Task status (see defaults below)
dateCreated	ISO 8601 timestamp of creation
dateModified	ISO 8601 timestamp (same as dateCreated initially)

Common Optional Fields

Field	Type	Description
priority	string	none, low, normal, high
due	date	Due date as YYYY-MM-DD
scheduled	date	Date to work on it as YYYY-MM-DD
contexts	string[]	Context tags, e.g. ["@work", "@home"]
projects	string[]	Project links as wikilinks, e.g. ["[[Project Name]]"]
timeEstimate	number	Estimated minutes
completedDate	date	Date completed as YYYY-MM-DD
recurrence	string	RFC 5545 RRULE, e.g. FREQ=WEEKLY;BYDAY=MO

Default Status Values

Value	Meaning	Completed?
open	New task	No
in-progress	Being worked on	No
done	Finished	Yes
none	Unset	No

Default Priority Values

Value	Weight
none	0
low	1
normal	2
high	3

Updating a Task

Read the existing .md file, modify its YAML frontmatter, update dateModified to the current timestamp, and write it back.

To mark a task done:

status: done
completedDate: "2026-02-09"
dateModified: "2026-02-09T15:00:00.000Z"

Listing Tasks

Use Glob and Grep to find and read task files:

Glob: <vault>/TaskNotes/Tasks/*.md
Grep: pattern="^status:" in those files

Parse the YAML frontmatter to extract task properties for display.

Reading User Configuration

To respect user customizations, read <vault>/.obsidian/plugins/tasknotes/data.json:

{
  "tasksFolder": "TaskNotes/Tasks",
  "taskTag": "task",
  "taskIdentificationMethod": "tag",
  "defaultTaskStatus": "open",
  "defaultTaskPriority": "normal",
  "fieldMapping": {
    "title": "title",
    "status": "status",
    "priority": "priority",
    "due": "due",
    "scheduled": "scheduled",
    "contexts": "contexts",
    "projects": "projects",
    "timeEstimate": "timeEstimate",
    "completedDate" 
     
     
  
   ...
   ...

Use the fieldMapping values as the actual YAML property names. Use customStatuses and customPriorities for valid values.

Field Mapping

All property names are configurable by the user. The fieldMapping in data.json maps internal names to what the user chose. For example, if a user remapped due to deadline, write deadline: instead of due: in frontmatter. Always check the mapping before creating tasks.

When to Use

• "create a task for X" -> create task file
• "show my tasks" -> glob + grep task files
• "what should I work on" -> list non-done tasks sorted by priority/due
• "mark X as done" -> update task frontmatter
• "schedule X for tomorrow" -> set scheduled date

Example

Creating a high-priority task with a due date:

File: <vault>/TaskNotes/Tasks/Review pull request.md

---
tags:
  - task
title: "Review pull request"
status: open
priority: high
due: "2026-02-10"
scheduled: "2026-02-09"
dateCreated: "2026-02-09T10:00:00.000Z"
dateModified: "2026-02-09T10:00:00.000Z"
contexts:
  - "@work"
projects:
  - "[[Backend Refactor]]"
---

PR #456 - needs security review before merge.