obsidian-tasks

Task management in Obsidian vaults using Kanban boards, Dataview dashboards, and structured task notes.

Setup

Run the setup script to initialize a task board in an Obsidian vault:

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• - vault-path: Path to the Obsidian vault root
• INLINECODE1: Subfolder to create (default: Tasks)
• INLINECODE3: Kanban columns (default: Backlog,Todo,In Progress,Review,Done)

This creates:

• - <folder>/Board.md - Kanban board (requires Kanban community plugin)
• INLINECODE6 - Dataview dashboard (requires Dataview community plugin)

Tell the user to install Kanban and Dataview community plugins if not already installed.

Task Note Format

Each task is a separate markdown file with YAML frontmatter:

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Frontmatter Fields

Priority Labels on Board

Use emoji prefixes on the Kanban board for visual priority:

• - 🔴 P1 (urgent)
• 🟡 P2 (normal)
• 🟢 P3 (backlog/parked)

Managing Tasks

Create a Task

1. 1. Create a markdown file in the tasks folder with frontmatter
2. Add a card to Board.md in the appropriate column:

Move a Task

1. 1. Update status in the task note's frontmatter
2. Move the card line in Board.md to the target column

Complete a Task

1. 1. Set status: done in frontmatter
2. Move to Done column and mark checkbox:

Always update both Board.md AND the task note frontmatter to keep them in sync.

Linking Documents

Use Obsidian [[wikilinks]] to connect tasks to supporting documents:

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Store referenced documents in a sibling folder (e.g., Research/ next to Tasks/).

Dashboard Queries

The setup script creates a Dataview dashboard. Core queries:

Tasks by priority:
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Overdue tasks:
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Recently completed:
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