Tasks

Lokus supports tasks through Markdown checkboxes with extended states and kanban boards for visual workflow management.

Task checkboxes

Create tasks with standard Markdown checkbox syntax:

- [ ] Todo item
- [x] Completed item

Type - [ ] in the editor, or use the /Task List slash command, or press Cmd+Shift+9 / Ctrl+Shift+9.

Extended task states

Beyond basic todo/done checkboxes, Lokus supports extended task states. Type the symbol inside brackets to set a state:

Basic states

Syntax	State	Description
[ ]	Todo	Not started
[x] or [X]	Completed	Finished
[/]	In progress	Currently working on
[!]	Urgent	Needs immediate attention
[?]	Question	Needs clarification
[-]	Cancelled	Will not do
[>]	Delegated	Assigned to someone else

Extended states

Syntax	State	Description
[*]	Starred	Important / starred
[~]	Paused	Temporarily on hold
[<]	Scheduled	Scheduled for later
["]	Quote	Reference / quote
[i]	Info	Informational note
[b]	Blocked	Blocked by dependency
[+]	Added	Newly added
[w]	Waiting	Waiting on external input
[@]	Mentioned	Mentioned / flagged
[R]	Review	Needs review
[D]	Duplicate	Duplicate of another task
[S]	Started	Started but not in progress

Each state has its own CSS class for custom styling (e.g., task-urgent, task-in-progress, task-blocked).

Keyboard shortcuts

Action	macOS	Windows/Linux	Description
Cycle state	Cmd+Shift+T	Ctrl+Shift+T	Cycle through todo, in-progress, completed
Toggle complete	Opt+T	Alt+T	Toggle between todo and completed

Cycle behavior

Cmd+Shift+T / Ctrl+Shift+T cycles through the three most common states:

1. Todo — not started
2. In progress — working on it
3. Completed — done

This makes it easy to advance a task’s status without reaching for the mouse.

Kanban boards

Kanban boards provide a visual drag-and-drop interface for managing tasks in columns.

Creating a board

Use the /Kanban Board slash command or create a .kanban file from the file tree. Boards are stored as JSON files in a kanban/ directory in your workspace.

Board layout

Each board has columns (e.g., “To-Do”, “In Progress”, “Done”). Cards live inside columns and can be dragged between them.

Card features

Each card supports:

• Title — Click to edit inline, press Enter to save
• Description — Markdown-formatted text, rendered in the card
• Drag and drop — Drag cards between columns to change status

Keyboard navigation

Navigate kanban boards without a mouse:

Key	Action
H / L	Move between columns (left / right)
J / K	Navigate cards within a column (up / down)
N	Create new card
Q	Quick add card
Enter	Edit selected card
Delete	Remove card (with confirmation)
Esc	Cancel current operation

Managing columns

• Add new columns from the board settings
• Drag columns to reorder
• Each card has a context menu (... button) for edit and delete

Standalone tasks in notes

Simple tasks

Type !task in the editor (or use /Simple Task) to create a standalone task marker. These are parsed by the backend and can be tracked separately from checkbox tasks.

Linked tasks

Use /Linked Task to create a task linked to a kanban board. A board picker appears where you select (or create) a board. The task is inserted as @task[Board Name] syntax in your note and linked to the corresponding kanban card.

Task creation modal

Press the keyboard shortcut or use the command palette to open the task creation modal. It lets you:

1. Type a task name
2. Select a kanban board from your workspace
3. Choose which column to place the card in (defaults to “To-Do”)
4. Create the task with one Enter press

Navigate the board and column lists with arrow keys. Press Esc to cancel.