Task Properties Settings
This tab configures all task properties. Each property is displayed as a card containing its configuration options. This tab defines the task schema used by creation flows, NLP parsing, views, and API payloads.
See the Property Types Reference for detailed documentation on the expected data types (text, list, date, etc.) for each frontmatter property.
Property Overview
| Property | Default Key | Type | Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Title | title |
Text | Core |
| Status | status |
Text (enum) | Core |
| Priority | priority |
Text (enum) | Core |
| Due Date | due |
Date | Date |
| Scheduled Date | scheduled |
Date | Date |
| Contexts | contexts |
List | Organization |
| Projects | projects |
Link list | Organization |
| Tags | (native) | Tag list | Organization |
| Time Estimate | timeEstimate |
Number | Task Details |
| Recurrence | recurrence |
Text | Task Details |
| Reminders | reminders |
Object list | Task Details |
| Date Created | dateCreated |
DateTime | Metadata |
| Date Modified | dateModified |
DateTime | Metadata |
| Completed Date | completedDate |
DateTime | Metadata |
| Archive Tag | archiveTag |
Text | Metadata |
| Time Entries | timeEntries |
Object list | Metadata |
| Complete Instances | completeInstances |
Object list | Metadata |
| Blocked By | blockedBy |
Object list | Metadata |
| Pomodoros | pomodoros |
Number | Feature |
| ICS Event ID | icsEventId |
Text | Feature |
| ICS Event Tag | icsEventTag |
Text | Feature |
Property Card Structure
Each property card contains:
- Property key — the frontmatter field name used to store this property
- Default — the default value applied to new tasks (where applicable)
- NLP trigger — toggle and character configuration for natural language parsing (where applicable)
- Property-specific settings — additional configuration options specific to that property
Core Properties
ℹ Title — Task name
- Property key:
title(default) - Use title as filename: When enabled, the filename is just the task title (e.g.,
Weekly Review.md). A zettel/timestamp suffix is only added on collision. When disabled, filenames use the configured format below. - Filename format: When "Use title as filename" is disabled, choose how filenames are generated:
- Title-based
- Zettelkasten-style (e.g.,
260328ygzwi) - Zettel + title (e.g.,
260328ygzwi-Weekly Review) - Timestamp-based
- Custom template
- Custom template: Define a custom filename pattern using variables (shown when "custom" format is selected)
Tip: TaskNotes custom views (TaskList, Kanban, Calendar, Upcoming) always display the
titleproperty regardless of filename. However, regular Bases table/list views show the filename directly. If you use both, enable "Use title as filename" for the cleanest experience.
[!info]- Status — Task completion state
- Property key:
status(default) - Default: Configurable default status for new tasks
- NLP trigger:
*(default) - Status Values: Individual status cards with value, label, color, icon, completed flag, auto-archive toggle and delay
Status cards support drag-and-drop reordering.
Each status value has:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Value | Internal identifier stored in frontmatter (e.g., in-progress) |
| Label | Display name shown in the interface (e.g., "In Progress") |
| Color | Visual indicator color |
| Icon | Optional icon identifier |
| Completed | Whether this status represents a finished task |
| Auto-archive | Automatically archive tasks after a delay (1–1440 minutes) |
Boolean status values: TaskNotes supports true/false as status values, integrating with Obsidian's native checkbox property format. When you set a task's status to "true" or "false" (case-insensitive), TaskNotes automatically converts it to a boolean in frontmatter — and converts it back to a string when reading.
---
status: true # Boolean checkbox in Obsidian
---
Status values are stored in frontmatter; renaming them later may require migration of existing task files.
[!info]- Priority — Task importance level
- Property key:
priority(default) - Default: Configurable default priority (can be set to "No default")
- NLP trigger:
!(default, disabled by default) - Priority Values: Individual priority cards with value, label, and color
Priority cards support drag-and-drop reordering.
Each priority value has:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Value | Internal identifier stored in frontmatter (e.g., high) |
| Label | Display name shown in the interface (e.g., "High Priority") |
| Color | Visual indicator color |
Priority values are stored in frontmatter; renaming them later may require migration of existing task files.
Note for Bases plugin users: Obsidian's Bases plugin sorts priorities alphabetically by their Value. To control sort order, name values to sort alphabetically in the desired order:
- Example:
1-urgent,2-high,3-medium,4-normal,5-low- Or:
a-urgent,b-high,c-medium,d-normal,e-low
Date Properties
due tracks commitment deadlines, while scheduled tracks intended execution time.
ℹ Due Date — When the task must be completed
- Property key:
due(default) - Default: None, Today, Tomorrow, or Next Week
[!info]- Scheduled Date — When to work on the task
- Property key:
scheduled(default) - Default: None, Today, Tomorrow, or Next Week
Organization Properties
ℹ Contexts — Where or how the task can be done
- Property key:
contexts(default) - Default: Comma-separated list of default contexts (e.g., @home, @work)
- NLP trigger:
@(default)
[!info]- Projects — Project notes the task belongs to
- Property key:
projects(default) - Default projects: Select project notes to automatically link to new tasks
- Use parent note as project: Automatically link the parent note as a project during instant task conversion
- NLP trigger:
+(default) - Autosuggest Filters: Filter which notes appear in project suggestions
- Customize Display: Configure project suggestion appearance (up to 3 rows)
Autosuggest Filters — reduce suggestion noise in large vaults:
| Filter | Description |
|---|---|
| Required tags | Comma-separated; shows notes with ANY of these tags |
| Include folders | Comma-separated folder paths; shows notes in ANY of these folders |
| Required property key | Frontmatter property that must exist |
| Required property value | Expected value for the property (optional) |
A "Filters On" badge appears when any filters are configured.
Customize Display:
- Enable fuzzy matching: Allow typos and partial matches in project search
- Row 1, 2, 3: Configure up to 3 lines of information for each project suggestion
See Natural Language Input — Enhanced Project Auto-suggester for the token syntax and search behavior.
[!info]- Tags — Obsidian tags for categorization
- Default: Comma-separated list of default tags (without
#) - NLP trigger:
#(default)
Tags use native Obsidian tags and do not have a separate property key setting.
Task Details
ℹ Time Estimate — Estimated completion time
- Property key:
timeEstimate(default) - Default: Default time estimate in minutes (0 = no default)
[!info]- Recurrence — Pattern for repeating tasks
- Property key:
recurrence(default) - Default: None, Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or Yearly
See Recurring Tasks for full behavior and RRule syntax.
[!info]- Reminders — Notifications before task deadlines
- Property key:
reminders(default) - Default Reminders: Expandable section containing default reminder cards
Each default reminder can be relative or absolute:
Relative reminders (triggered relative to due or scheduled date):
| Field | Options |
|---|---|
| Anchor date | Due date or scheduled date |
| Offset | Amount and unit (minutes, hours, days) |
| Direction | Before or after |
| Description | Optional label |
Absolute reminders (triggered at specific times):
| Field | Options |
|---|---|
| Date | Specific date |
| Time | Specific time |
| Description | Optional label |
See Task Reminders for full setup and behavior.
Metadata Properties
These properties are system-managed and typically only require property key configuration.
ℹ Metadata properties list
| Property | Default Key | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Date Created | dateCreated |
When the task was created |
| Date Modified | dateModified |
When the task was last modified |
| Completed Date | completedDate |
When the task was completed |
| Archive Tag | archiveTag |
Tag used to mark archived tasks |
| Time Entries | timeEntries |
Time tracking entries for the task |
| Complete Instances | completeInstances |
Completion history for recurring tasks |
| Blocked By | blockedBy |
Tasks that must be completed first |
Feature Properties
These properties are used by specific TaskNotes features and are not stored in task frontmatter.
ℹ Feature properties list
| Property | Default Key | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Pomodoros | pomodoros |
Pomodoro session counts. When storage is set to "Daily notes", written to daily notes instead of task files. |
| ICS Event ID | icsEventId |
Calendar event identifier. Added to notes created from ICS calendar events. |
| ICS Event Tag | icsEventTag |
Calendar event tag. Added to notes created from ICS events for identification. |
Custom Properties
Define custom frontmatter properties that integrate across the entire plugin — task modals, autocomplete, NLP recognition, task creation defaults, bulk operations, and Modal Fields configuration. Registering a property here wires it into the full task lifecycle. See Custom Properties for the complete picture of where registered properties appear.
Custom fields are most maintainable when they map to repeated workflow decisions (for example effort, owner, or client).
ℹ Custom property configuration
Each custom field has:
- Display Name: How the field appears in the UI
- Property Key: The frontmatter property name
- Type: Data type (text, number, boolean, date, or list)
- Default Value: Pre-fill value for new tasks (format varies by type)
- NLP trigger: Toggle and character for natural language parsing
- Autosuggest Filters: Filter which files appear when using
[[wikilink autocomplete
Default values by type:
| Type | Input format |
|---|---|
| Text | Default text value |
| Number | Default number |
| Boolean | Toggle for default checked/unchecked |
| Date | Preset: None, Today, Tomorrow, Next Week |
| List | Comma-separated default values |
Defaults are applied when creating tasks via the modal, instant conversion, "Create or open task" command, or HTTP API.
Autosuggestion filters — control which files appear in wikilink suggestions:
| Filter | Description |
|---|---|
| Required tags | Comma-separated; shows files with ANY of these tags |
| Include folders | Comma-separated folder paths; shows files in ANY of these folders |
| Required property key | Frontmatter property that must exist |
| Required property value | Expected value for the property (optional) |
A "Filters On" badge appears when filters are configured.
See Custom Properties — File Suggestion Filtering for detailed examples.
Related
- Custom Properties — Register custom fields with full plugin integration
- Property Mapping — Remap property names to core fields
- Modal Fields — Configure field visibility and ordering in task modals
- Property Types Reference — Expected data types for each property
- Natural Language Input — NLP triggers and auto-suggestions