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Getting started

Tasks is a full task management system built into Omniscio. Every task is a line of markdown: in view mode it renders headings, bold, code, and links; double-click (or press Space) to edit the raw text. Tasks nest, reorder by drag or keyboard, and carry optional metadata like due dates, importance, and time estimates.

The outliner

Tasks uses two keyboard modes, like vim. In command mode, single keys act on the highlighted task. In writing mode, you type the task text. Press Enter to add a new task below; Space to edit the current one; Tab to indent; Shift+Tab to outdent; Alt+Shift+Up/Down to reorder.

• Markdown rendering — each row renders its text as real markdown. Headings, bold, code, links, and lists all display inline.
• Natural-language capture — press : and type plain English like “call vendor due friday #work !high” to set dates, tags, and priority in one line.
• Quick capture from anywhere — open Quick Launch (Ctrl+Space) and switch to the Task tab to add a task from any screen.
• Find — press / or Ctrl+F for live find-as-you-type filtering with highlighted matches.
• Multi-select — Ctrl+click or Shift+click to select several tasks, then apply bulk actions (snooze, set due date, move, finish, or drop) from the bulk bar.
• Repeating tasks — set a task to repeat on a schedule (daily, weekday, weekly, monthly, yearly, or every N days) using natural language or a picker.
• Sort and filter — sort by manual order, importance, due date, or start date. Filter by minimum importance or tag.
• Undo and redo — Ctrl+Z and Ctrl+Y work across the whole outliner, with unlimited history persisted to the database.

Projects

Tasks are organized into named projects. Each project is its own workspace with an optional master context note that gives AI agents background about the project. The default Inbox holds tasks not filed elsewhere.

• All Projects view — the default landing shows every project in one scrollable, editable list with collapsible headings.
• Project rail — a sidebar rail for switching between projects or filtering the view to one.
• Master context — a free-form markdown note pinned above each project, automatically included in every AI interaction with that project’s tasks.
• Drag between projects — move a task into a different project by dragging it onto that project’s heading.
• Per-project color and icon — give each project an optional color dot and emoji or icon.

Task details

Each task can carry optional metadata, shown as small chips on the row. Open the Task details pane (the sliders icon, or Cmd/Ctrl+;) to edit:

• Due date — set a deadline. A badge appears in the header when tasks are overdue or due soon.
• Snooze — hide a task until a chosen date. Snoozed tasks collect at the bottom and return with an alarm-clock indicator showing how many times they were snoozed.
• Importance and urgency — two separate dials (None / Low / Medium / High) that feed AI planning.
• Start date — schedule when work should begin.
• Time estimate — estimate how long a task takes. The AI uses estimates to size your daily plate.
• Tags — add tags for filtering and organization.
• Waiting on — mark a task as blocked on a named person, with an optional follow-up reminder.
• Context attachments — attach sessions, projects, files, URLs, or notes to a task. Agents inherit these automatically.

Today — your daily plate

The Today view is a non-destructive daily overlay. It shows a focused list of tasks the AI recommends for today, drawn from all your projects. Each task carries a written rationale explaining why it was placed and in what order. The plate resets each day without altering your master list.

AI planning

Tasks includes a planning AI that learns how you work over time. It tracks which tasks you finish, which you carry over, and how accurate your time estimates are, then uses that history to make better suggestions.

• Daily check-in — an optional interactive session that reviews what you planned versus what you did and helps arrange tomorrow.
• AI classification — each task receives an Eisenhower-style label (do first, plan, delegate, or drop) with a written explanation of why.
• Planning profile — a durable record of your work-style preferences (daily capacity, delegation comfort, work rhythms) that evolves over time.
• Snooze-pattern detection — the AI notices when you repeatedly snooze a task and offers to break it down or delegate it.
• Estimation accuracy — over time, the AI learns whether you tend to underestimate or overestimate, and adjusts plate sizing accordingly.

Break it down

When a task feels too big, Break it down (the b key or the row menu) opens a short AI interview. The AI asks a few clarifying questions, then proposes 3–7 concrete next-actions. You review, edit, and add them as subtasks in one click. Nothing is written until you approve.

Break it down uses a lightweight, bounded AI call — much cheaper than a full agent session. It also understands time estimates: ask “how long will each step take?” and it adds per-step estimates with a running total.

Agent sessions

Any task can host its own AI agent. Press g or click Launch agent on a task to open the launch popup. Pick a session type, review the prompt, and hit Launch. The agent runs in the background and appears in the Sessions tab.

• Custom — write your own prompt for the agent.
• Break it down — the AI decomposes the task into subtasks (same as the inline Break it down, but as a full conversational session).
• Work through resistance — coaching for tasks you keep putting off.
• Tame the overwhelm — a guided session that helps you cut, defer, and prioritize when the pile feels too big, with an actionable battle plan filed as real tasks.
• Eliminate, automate, delegate — an operations-efficiency coach that walks your tasks through three lenses to find what you can take off your plate.
• Interview for context — an AI interview that writes a clean context document for a task or project, saved as attached context for future agents.
• Clarify and enrich — walks a project’s tasks one by one, rewriting vague ones for clarity (project-launch only).

Agents receive your project context, the task text, open subtasks, and any attached context automatically. They can read and update your tasks across the whole board via the CLI.

One-click launchers

The Sessions tab carries six quick-start buttons for common productivity sessions:

• Today’s Session — plan your day with full task context.
• Brain Dump — empty your head and capture everything.
• Clarify Tasks — sharpen vague tasks into clear next-actions.
• Free Up Time — find tasks to eliminate, automate, or delegate.
• Tame the Overwhelm — cut the pile down to the vital few.
• Weekly Review — reflect on the week and set up the next one.

Each session costs nothing until you reply — a pre-written opener appears instantly, and the AI model only starts when you send your first message.

Caught suggestions

After an agent session ends, the AI scans the conversation for follow-up tasks you still owe. These appear as suggestions you can approve or dismiss — a task-capture pipeline that listens to your ongoing work so nothing falls through the cracks.

Trickle to inbox

Set a project to drip-feed its tasks into your Omniscio inbox on a chosen schedule. A steady trickle keeps important tasks visible without overwhelming you.

Pop-out window

On desktop, Tasks can open in its own window so you can keep your task list on-screen beside other work. The pop-out stays fully live — edits, reorder, agent chat, and AI features all update in real time in both windows.

Archive and undo

Finished tasks are filed to a browsable Archived area, not deleted. You can restore any archived task at any time. Completing a parent task cascades through its undone children, but a snoozed sub-task is spared and lifted to the top level so deferred work is never lost.

Keyboard shortcuts

Press ? anywhere in Tasks to open the full shortcut cheat sheet. The keyboard icon in the header does the same thing. All shortcuts are rebindable in Settings.