- [ ] call the plumber 📅 2026-06-13
A markdown todo app where your list stays in plain .md files
TaskForge reads the checkbox lines in a folder of markdown and gives them a real to-do app: widgets, reminders, a kanban board, a calendar and quick add. Every change goes back into the same files. Point it at an Obsidian vault, or at a plain folder if you have never opened Obsidian.
- Any folder of markdown, Obsidian optional
- iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android and Windows
- No account and no TaskForge server
What the files look like on disk
There is no database to export. A task written inline is a checkbox line inside a note, like the one at the top of this page. When new tasks are inline, quick add puts them in TaskForge.md at the root of the folder, unless you choose another file, a heading, or today's daily note.
Rather keep one file per task? Turn on task files. Each task becomes its own note in a Tasks folder, with its fields in YAML frontmatter and the body free for notes. Both kinds can live in the same folder and land in the same list.
The app's settings and saved views are files too, in TaskForge/Settings/ inside the folder. Whatever syncs your tasks syncs your setup.
- TaskForge.md
- Home.md
- Projects
- Kitchen renovation.md
- Tasks
- Renew passport.md
- TaskForge
- Settings
Ordinary files. Open them in any editor.
One task, one line
The line at the top of this page is a whole task. The dash and brackets are plain markdown, so GitHub, VS Code and most markdown editors draw them as a checkbox. The date after 📅 is the due date, written the way the Obsidian Tasks plugin writes it. Tick it in TaskForge and the brackets get an x, with a ✅ completion date added to the end of the line.
Inline tasks use one of three field styles, chosen per folder in settings. Task files are the fourth way to store the same task.
- Emoji (Obsidian Tasks)
-
- [ ] call the plumber 📅 2026-06-13
The default when you open a folder you already have.
- Dataview
-
- [ ] call the plumber [due:: 2026-06-13]
Bracket fields. A workspace the app creates for you writes these.
- Task Genius
-
- [ ] call the plumber [deadline:: 2026-06-13]
Reads emoji and bracket fields on the same line, plus aliases such as deadline and schedule.
- Task files (TaskNotes)
-
Tasks/Call the plumber.md · due: 2026-06-13
One note per task with the fields in frontmatter, the layout the TaskNotes plugin uses.
A field TaskForge does not recognize stays on the line and is written back unchanged. So does a repeat rule it cannot parse.
A markdown todo list template
Starting from nothing? This is enough. Paste it into a file called todo.md anywhere in the folder and TaskForge picks up every line: the due dates, the scheduled date, the priority, the tag and the weekly repeat.
⏫ marks high priority, ⏳ a scheduled date and 🔁 a repeat rule. This is the emoji style; the bracket styles hold the same fields.
What the app adds to the files
A folder of checkboxes works fine at a desk. On a phone it needs more. Reading and editing tasks is free in every format; the items marked Premium need a subscription or the lifetime purchase.
Quick add that reads what you type
Type "call the plumber tomorrow 9am #home !!" and the date, time, tag and priority go into the right fields. Each app language has its own date words. Free.
Widgets
On iPhone, iPad, Mac and Android a widget lists the tasks of a space you pick, and on Android you can tick a task straight from the widget. The task and calendar widgets are Premium; the Daily note widget is free. Windows has no widgets.
Reminders
A task can remind you at its due time, a set time before its due, scheduled or start date, or at a time you choose. Reminders, like every notification in the app, are Premium.
A kanban board
The built-in Kanban space sorts tasks into columns by status. Drag a card from To do to In progress and the checkbox in the file changes from [ ] to [/].
A calendar
Month, week and day views plus an agenda show tasks on their due, scheduled or start date. On iPhone, iPad, Mac and Android the device's calendar events appear alongside, free to view. Creating events is Premium. On Windows the calendar shows tasks only for now.
Your notes, in the same app
TaskForge also opens every note in the folder, with a file tree and an editor, so the meeting note and the tasks it produced sit side by side. Notes are free.
With Obsidian or without it
No Obsidian
Choose any folder of .md files, or tap Start fresh and TaskForge makes a workspace with a few sample tasks. On iPhone and Mac that folder goes in iCloud Drive when iCloud is on; on Android it goes in Documents/TaskForge. Nothing in the files depends on TaskForge, so you can open them in another editor next year, or leave with them.
Already in Obsidian
A folder with an .obsidian directory opens in Obsidian mode, emoji fields and all, so the Tasks plugin on your desktop keeps working on the same lines. The vault side has its own page.
Where it runs
- iPhone and iPad: from the App Store, iOS 15.6 or later. Widgets need iOS 17.
- Mac: from the Mac App Store or as a direct download, macOS 13 or later, with a task list in the menu bar.
- Android: from Google Play, Android 11 or later, with Quick Settings tiles for adding a task.
- Windows: a signed installer from this site, Windows 10 version 1809 or later, x64 and ARM64. No widgets; it can sit in the system tray instead.
TaskForge has no sync server and no account. The folder moves between devices with a tool you already use: iCloud Drive needs no setup on Apple devices, and Syncthing, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive and Obsidian Sync work too. Use one service per folder, because two services fighting over the same files can corrupt them.
When another app fits better
Keeping tasks in your own files is a trade. These are the cases where it costs more than it gives.
You share lists with other people
There are no accounts, shared lists or assignees. Two people can share a synced folder, but nothing stops them editing the same line at the same moment. A cloud task app built for teams handles that properly.
You want the app to do the syncing
TaskForge leaves that to a sync tool you pick, on purpose. If you want one sign-in that syncs everything, a hosted app means less setup.
You need Linux, or widgets on Windows
There is no Linux build. The Windows app has no widgets and does not show calendar events yet.
A text editor already covers it
If you only tick boxes at a desk, any editor that shows - [ ] lines will do, and you may not need an app. TaskForge earns its place away from the desk, where a widget, a reminder or quick add on the bus does what an editor cannot.
Questions about a markdown todo app
Do I need Obsidian to use TaskForge?
No. TaskForge is a standalone app that works on any folder of markdown files. Without an .obsidian folder it runs in Workspace mode, which hides the Obsidian-only settings and says workspace instead of vault. You can switch modes in Settings at any time.
What does a markdown task look like?
A checkbox line such as - [ ] call the plumber 📅 2026-06-13. TaskForge also reads the Dataview style, - [ ] call the plumber [due:: 2026-06-13], the Task Genius style, and task files, where each task is its own .md note with its fields in YAML frontmatter.
Is there a markdown todo list template I can copy?
Use the todo.md template above. Any .md file with checkbox lines works, with nothing to set up first, and tasks inside daily notes are read the same way.
Will TaskForge rewrite my files?
It edits the tasks you change: ticking a task edits that line, and editing a task file edits its frontmatter. Fields it does not recognize are written back as they were. Two things add to lines you did not edit. Task IDs, on in a workspace the app creates, gives every task a short ID so links between tasks survive renames, and dragging tasks into a manual order adds IDs to the tasks it orders.
How do my tasks get from my phone to my computer?
Through the folder. TaskForge has no sync service, so you sync the folder with iCloud Drive, Syncthing, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive or Obsidian Sync, and every device running TaskForge reads the same files. Stick to one service per folder.
What is free and what needs Premium?
Free covers reading and editing tasks and notes in every format, recurring tasks, quick add, the built-in spaces, the calendar with your device's events, and the CLI and MCP server. Premium adds the task and calendar widgets, reminders and other notifications, your own spaces, creating and editing calendar events, bulk edits and default values for new tasks. Plans are monthly, annual or a one-time lifetime purchase, priced per country by the store, or by the web checkout on Windows and the direct Mac download.
Point it at a folder and see your list
Free to download. Open a folder you already have, or start fresh with a few sample tasks.