taskpaper.com

What is TaskPaper?

TaskPaper is a Mac to-do list app built on plain text. You type ordinary lines, and it formats each one as a project, a task, or a note; you can tag items and then fold, focus, or filter the list to shrink a long outline down to what matters. Files stay readable in any text editor, so you are not locked into the app.

It suits people who like keyboard-driven outlining and want their task lists to remain portable text files—writers, developers, and anyone who has been burned by proprietary formats. It is less suited to someone who wants a richly visual task manager with built-in collaboration or heavy project dashboards.

A practical next step: open one of your current to-do lists in a plain text editor and try marking projects, tasks, and tags by hand for a week. If that structure feels natural, TaskPaper's outliner features will mostly save you formatting effort. For a different take on the same plain-text philosophy, see Hog Bay Software.

Can I use TaskPaper files in other text editors or apps?

Yes. TaskPaper files are plain text, so you can open and edit them in any text editor, and the page also points to TaskPaper-compatible apps built by other developers. The formatting that makes a line a project, task, or note depends on TaskPaper's conventions, so another editor will show the raw text rather than the styled outline.

What carries over, and what doesn't

• Portable: the file content itself. Nothing is locked into a proprietary format, which is the point of the "future proof" claim on the site.
• Editor-dependent: folding, focusing, filtering, saved searches, tags-as-filters, and themes. A generic text editor gives you the text and nothing else; a TaskPaper-compatible app may restore some of these.
• Worth checking before you commit: how a candidate app treats @tags and dates. If it ignores them, your scheduling information survives as text but stops doing any work.

A practical test: open one real list in the other app, add a task and a tag there, then reopen it in TaskPaper and confirm the structure still reads correctly. If you regularly switch between Mac and another platform, that round-trip check matters more than any feature list.

For background on the format and compatible tools, the official TaskPaper site is the place to start.

How does TaskPaper's outliner differ from a plain text editor for managing large lists?

TaskPaper works like a plain text editor for typing, but it adds outliner controls that a plain text editor lacks: you can fold sections, focus on one project, and filter by tag or content. On a long list, you can collapse finished projects, narrow the view to a single area, or run a saved search such as a tag, instead of scrolling through everything. The file itself stays plain text, so you can still open and edit it in any text editor.

The trade-off is that the extra power comes from TaskPaper's own conventions—lines formatted as projects, tasks, and notes, plus tags. A plain text editor imposes no structure but gives you no folding, focusing, or filtering either.

Where the difference matters

For example, someone running several active projects in one file can fold the dormant ones, focus on the current project, and use a saved search to surface tagged items across the whole list—tasks that a plain text editor leaves to manual scrolling.

As a next step, try the same large list in both: if folding and filtering change how quickly you find what matters, the outliner is earning its place; if you mostly type and read straight through, a plain text editor is enough. The developer also points to Bike for rich-text outlining, which is a different fit if you need formatted writing rather than plain text lists.

How do I filter tasks by tag or saved search in TaskPaper?

In TaskPaper you filter by typing a search into the search field above the list, and you save a filter as a "saved search" so you can recall it with a click or a keyboard shortcut. The filtering is text-based: a tag like @home or @due(2024-06-01) is matched as text, and the outliner then collapses the list to just the matching items (with their parent projects shown). Saved searches are the reusable version of the same query, so a search for @home and not @done becomes a one-click view.

Practical approach

1. Type a tag or keyword into the search field to filter live. Combine terms with and, or, and not (for example @work and not @done) to narrow results.
2. Once a query works well, save it as a saved search so it appears in the sidebar or is reachable by shortcut. Name saved searches by the decision they support ("Errands today", "Waiting on others") rather than by the query text.
3. Use focus to scope a filter to one project, and fold to hide the rest, so a saved search over a large file stays readable.

Where this fits and where it doesn't

A concrete case: a freelancer keeps one file with project: sections per client, marks billable items @billable, and creates a saved search @billable and not @done to see outstanding work before invoicing. Because the file is plain text, the same list can be opened in another editor or a TaskPaper-compatible app, though the saved-search convenience is specific to TaskPaper itself.

Next step: start with one saved search you'll use daily—such as not @done scoped by focus to today's project—rather than building a full set of queries up front. For the exact query syntax and how saved searches are created, check the official guide at TaskPaper.

Does TaskPaper sync with Reminders.app or support Siri?

Yes. TaskPaper imports and exports with Reminders.app, so tasks can move between the two, and that Reminders integration is the path to Siri: you can capture a task by voice into Reminders and then bring it into TaskPaper. The page does not describe TaskPaper as having its own Siri voice commands, so treat Siri as working through Reminders rather than inside TaskPaper.

What this means in practice

• Voice capture on the go: add an item to Reminders via Siri, then import it into your TaskPaper list when you are back at your Mac.
• Handing lists to Apple's ecosystem: export tasks to Reminders when you want them on iPhone or Apple Watch, or when someone else relies on Reminders.
• Round-tripping is not automatic: the page describes import/export, not continuous two-way sync. Expect to move items deliberately rather than see both apps update live.

Decision criterion

Choose this route if you want a fast, keyboard-driven plain-text list on your Mac but still need occasional voice capture or sharing through Apple's reminders. If you need changes made in either app to appear instantly in the other, plan on a manual import/export habit, or look at a dedicated syncing task manager instead.

For setup details, the official guide and FAQ at TaskPaper cover the Reminders workflow and the plain-text format.

Is TaskPaper still actively developed, and can I license its source code?

Yes on both counts, but with a caveat on the first. TaskPaper's own page describes it as "finished software" that is "polished, balanced, and updated to the latest version of macOS," and the developer states plainly that he does "not expect to add big new features." So it is maintained and kept working on current macOS, but it is not receiving major new functionality. The source code is available to license holders, and pull requests are welcome and may be included in future releases.

What that means in practice

• Active development: Expect compatibility updates and small fixes rather than new headline features. If you need a tool that keeps gaining capabilities, this is a deliberate trade-off the developer has chosen.
• Source licensing: Licensing the code suits someone who wants to audit, extend, or maintain their own build—for example, adding a custom script integration or keeping the app running on a future OS. It is not a route to influencing the product roadmap.

A useful next step

If your reason for asking is long-term continuity, the plain-text format is the stronger guarantee: your files remain editable in any text editor and in the many third-party TaskPaper-compatible apps, so your lists outlive any single app. Check the site's Guide and FAQs for the current licensing terms before committing.

For a related take on where the developer is putting new effort, see TaskPaper and Hog Bay Software.