Tasks

A kanban board

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.

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).

States are set by typing the symbol in the checkbox brackets, and clicking a checkbox cycles todo → completed. Tasks also flow into the Calendar and kanban boards when they carry due dates.

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

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.

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

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

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