ZenTodo

A minimalist todo manager for Obsidian that stores tasks as plain Markdown — fully compatible with the Tasks plugin format.

Documentation | 日本語ドキュメント

Features

Multiple Lists — Create and switch between separate todo list files
Subtasks — Nest tasks with automatic indentation tracking
Due Dates — Set due dates with color-coded status (overdue / today)
Tasks-Plugin Compatible Format — Uses standard 📅 / ✅ emoji markers in Markdown so files remain readable by the Tasks plugin
Auto-Complete Parent — Optionally mark parent tasks complete when all subtasks are done
Inline Editing — Click any task to edit text directly in the UI
External Sync — Detects file changes made by other plugins or external editors and refreshes automatically
Collapsible Completed Section — Keep your workspace tidy by hiding done tasks
Drag & Drop Reorder — Drag the handle on any task row to reorder tasks within the same section
Tab Drag & Drop — Drag list tabs to reorder them; order is persisted across sessions
Archive — Move completed tasks to a preserved ## Archived section at the bottom of the file
Inline Embedded View — Embed a full ZenTodo panel in any note using a zen-todo fenced code block
Query View — Filter tasks by completion date, due date, or list name using simple query syntax in code blocks

Screenshot

Installation

Manual (until listed in the Community Plugins directory)

Download main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css from the latest release.
Copy them into your vault at .obsidian/plugins/zen-todo/.
Reload Obsidian and enable ZenTodo in Settings → Community Plugins.

BRAT (Beta Reviewers Auto-update Tool)

Install the BRAT plugin.
Run BRAT: Add a beta plugin and enter yushi265/zen-todo.

Usage

Open ZenTodo via:

The checkbox icon in the ribbon (left sidebar)
Command palette: ZenTodo: Open todo list
Command palette: ZenTodo: Create new todo list

Managing Lists

Click + in the tab bar to create a new list. Each list is stored as a separate .md file in your configured todo folder. Drag tabs to reorder them — the order is saved automatically.

Adding Tasks

Type in the input field at the top of the view and press Enter or click Add. Optionally set a due date before submitting.

Subtasks

Click the + icon on any root-level task to add a subtask beneath it.

Task Actions (hover to reveal)

Icon	Action
⠿	Drag to reorder (drag handle, left edge)
📅	Set / change due date
➕	Add subtask (incomplete root tasks only)
🗃️	Archive task (completed root tasks only)
🗑️	Delete task

Keyboard Shortcuts

Key	Action
`Enter`	Save task text / add task
`Escape`	Cancel inline edit / cancel drag

Inline Embedded View

Embed ZenTodo in any note using a fenced code block:

```zen-todo
```

This renders a full ZenTodo panel inline — the same lists and actions available in the sidebar panel.

You can also write query filters in the code block to display filtered results across all lists:

```zen-todo
completed today
```

See the Query View documentation for the full filter reference.

Markdown Format

Tasks are stored as standard Markdown checkboxes. The format is intentionally kept compatible with the Tasks plugin:

# Shopping List

- [ ] Buy milk 📅 2026-03-01
	- [x] Check expiry date ✅ 2026-02-22
- [x] Return library books ✅ 2026-02-20

## Archived

- [x] Old completed task ✅ 2026-01-15

Element	Meaning
`- [ ]`	Incomplete task
`- [x]`	Completed task
Tab indentation	Subtask nesting
`📅 YYYY-MM-DD`	Due date
`✅ YYYY-MM-DD`	Completion date
`## Archived` section	Archived completed tasks (preserved verbatim)

Settings

Setting	Default	Description
Todo Folder	`30_ToDos`	Vault folder where list files are stored
Show Completed by Default	Off	Expand the completed section on load
Auto-Complete Parent Task	On	Complete parent when all subtasks are done; reopen it when any subtask is reopened

Development

Prerequisites

Node.js 18+
pnpm

Setup

git clone https://github.com/yushi265/zen-todo.git
cd zen-todo
pnpm install

Build

# Development build with watch mode
pnpm dev

# Production build (includes type checking)
pnpm build

The output files (main.js, manifest.json, styles.css) can be copied directly into your vault's .obsidian/plugins/zen-todo/ folder.

Project Structure

src/
├── main.ts                    # Plugin entry point & Obsidian lifecycle
├── settings.ts                # Settings UI tab
├── types.ts                   # TypeScript interfaces
├── constants.ts               # Defaults, view type ID, emoji markers
├── models/
│   └── task.ts                # Task creation and mutation helpers
├── parser/
│   ├── markdown-parser.ts     # Markdown → task object tree
│   └── markdown-serializer.ts # Task object tree → Markdown
├── utils/
│   └── date-utils.ts          # Date formatting and comparison
└── views/
    ├── todo-view.ts           # Sidebar panel (ItemView wrapper)
    ├── todo-controller.ts     # State management & action dispatch
    ├── codeblock-processor.ts # Inline embedded view (MarkdownRenderChild)
    ├── list-selector.ts       # Tab bar for list switching
    ├── task-input.ts          # New task input row
    ├── task-section.ts        # Incomplete / completed section rendering
    ├── task-item-renderer.ts  # Individual task row + inline edit
    ├── drag-handler.ts        # Task row drag & drop reorder
    └── tab-drag-handler.ts    # List tab drag & drop reorder

Contributing

Bug reports and pull requests are welcome. Please open an issue first for significant changes.

License

MIT

Zen Todo