TaskNotes Skill

Task management in Obsidian via the TaskNotes Plugin HTTP API.

<example> User: "show my tasks" Action: Execute `list --scan --table` to display all tasks in the vault </example> <example> User: "create a task to finish the landing page" Action: Execute `create "Finish landing page"` </example> <example> User: "what should I work on?" Action: Execute `list --status in-progress --scan --table` to show active tasks </example> <example> User: "mark task X as done" Action: Execute `update "Tasks/task-x.md" --status done` </example>

Prerequisites

1. TaskNotes Plugin installed in Obsidian
2. HTTP API enabled in TaskNotes settings:
   • Open Obsidian Settings → TaskNotes
   • Enable "HTTP API" toggle
   • Set API port (default: 8080)
   • API Token: leave empty for no authentication, or set a token for security
3. Environment variables in .env file at vault root (if authentication is used):

   TASKNOTES_API_PORT=8080
   TASKNOTES_API_KEY=your_token_here
   

   If TaskNotes has no auth token configured, no .env file is required.

CLI Commands

The script is located at ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/tasknotes/scripts/tasks.py.

# List all tasks (API-monitored folders only)
uv run ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/tasknotes/scripts/tasks.py list

# Find all tasks in the ENTIRE vault (scans filesystem)
uv run ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/tasknotes/scripts/tasks.py list --scan --table

# All active tasks (excluding completed) in the entire vault
uv run ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/tasknotes/scripts/tasks.py list --scan --table

# ALL tasks including completed in the entire vault
uv run ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/tasknotes/scripts/tasks.py list --all --table

# Filter by status (use your configured status values)
uv run ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/tasknotes/scripts/tasks.py list --status "in-progress" --scan

# Filter by project
uv run ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/tasknotes/scripts/tasks.py list --project "My Project" --scan

# Create a task
uv run ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/tasknotes/scripts/tasks.py create "Task title" --project "My Project" --priority high

# Create a task with scheduled time
uv run ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/tasknotes/scripts/tasks.py create "Meeting preparation" --scheduled "2025-01-15T14:00:00"

# Update task status
uv run ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/tasknotes/scripts/tasks.py update "Tasks/task.md" --status done

# Add/update description
uv run ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/tasknotes/scripts/tasks.py update "Tasks/task.md" --details "Additional context here."

# Delete a task
uv run ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/tasknotes/scripts/tasks.py delete "Tasks/task.md"

# Retrieve available options (statuses, priorities, projects)
uv run ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/tasknotes/scripts/tasks.py options --table

# Human-readable output (add --table)
uv run ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/tasknotes/scripts/tasks.py list --table

Task Properties

Status and priority values: Configured in TaskNotes plugin settings. Execute the options command to view available values:

uv run ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/tasknotes/scripts/tasks.py options --table

Additional fields:

• projects - Array of project links, e.g., ["[[ProjectName]]"]
• contexts - Array such as ["office", "energy-high"]
• due - Due date (YYYY-MM-DD)
• scheduled - Scheduled date/time (YYYY-MM-DD or YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS)
• timeEstimate - Minutes (number)
• tags - Array of tags
• details - Task description (writes to Markdown body, not frontmatter)

API Reference

Base URL: http://localhost:8080/api

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/tasks	List tasks (supports filters)
POST	/tasks	Create task
GET	/tasks/{id}	Retrieve single task
PUT	/tasks/{id}	Update task
DELETE	/tasks/{id}	Delete task
GET	/filter-options	Available statuses, priorities, projects

Query Parameters for GET /tasks

• status - Filter by status
• project - Filter by project name
• priority - Filter by priority
• tag - Filter by tag
• overdue - true/false
• sort - Sort field
• limit - Maximum results
• offset - Pagination offset

Usage Patterns

User Request	Action
"create a task for X"	Create task
"show my tasks"	list --scan --table (finds all tasks in vault)
"show in-progress tasks"	list --status in-progress --scan --table
"mark X as done"	Set task status to done
"what should I work on"	list --scan --table

IMPORTANT: Always use --scan when listing to find ALL tasks in the entire vault, not just those in the configured TaskNotes folder.

Example Workflow

# Morning: Check what to work on (all tasks in vault)
uv run ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/tasknotes/scripts/tasks.py list --scan --table
uv run ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/tasknotes/scripts/tasks.py list --status in-progress --scan --table

# Show top 5 tasks
uv run ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/tasknotes/scripts/tasks.py list --scan --limit 5 --table

# Create a task with project association
uv run ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/tasknotes/scripts/tasks.py create "Complete landing page" \
  --project "Website Redesign" \
  --priority high

# Complete a task
uv run ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/tasknotes/scripts/tasks.py update "Tasks/complete-landing-page.md" --status done

Important Notes

• JSON output (default): Suitable for programmatic processing
• Table output (--table): For human-readable display
• Vault path: The script expects the .env file at the vault root or automatically locates the Obsidian vault
• Error handling: On connection errors, verify that Obsidian is running and the TaskNotes API is enabled
• Scan mode (--scan): Directly scans the filesystem and finds ALL tasks with the #task tag in the entire vault, regardless of the configured TaskNotes folder. This is the recommended mode for listing tasks.
• API mode (without --scan): Uses the TaskNotes HTTP API but only finds tasks in TaskNotes-monitored folders