Todos
Toby Todos is a todo list built into Toby. It works without connecting Todoist, Apple Reminders, or any other account. Use it from chat, from Todos in the sidebar, from a project, from Flows, and from the Home card.
Ask in chat#
You can ask Toby things like:
- "Add a todo to renew my passport by March 3."
- "What's due today?"
- "Remind me every other Monday at 9 AM to review the budget."
- "Mark the dentist todo done."
If you ask to be reminded ("remind me to call the dentist tomorrow at 9 AM"), Toby attaches a reminder at the due date/time as part of creating the todo. For a date without a time, Toby asks for a reminder time first.
When you say "todo" or "task" without naming an app, Toby uses Toby Todos, even if Todoist or Apple Reminders is connected. To use another app, name it ("add this to Todoist"). If more than one todo could match, Toby asks which one you mean. Toby does not copy todos between apps.
Adding a todo only records it. It does not ask Toby to carry out the task.
The Todos workspace#
Choose Todos in the sidebar (⌘7).
- Use the View menu for Inbox, Today (overdue items are grouped first), Upcoming, All open, Completed, and Recently deleted.
- Search by title or description, and filter by list, tag, or project from Filters.
- Select a todo to see its details. Toby never selects one for you.
- Choose + to create a todo, or Edit to change one. Nothing is saved until you choose Save.
Details#
Each todo can have:
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Description | Supports Markdown. |
| Priority | None, low, medium, or high. |
| Due date | A date, or a date and time with a timezone. |
| List | Every todo is in one list. New todos go to Inbox. |
| Tags | Any number. Use Tags on a todo to add or remove them. |
| Project | Optional link to a Toby project. |
| Checklist | Simple steps. Check them off or add and remove items from the todo. |
| Reminders | Notifications before the due time or at a specific time. |
Manage lists and tags with Filters → Manage lists and tags…. Deleting a list moves its todos to Inbox. Deleting a tag removes it from todos but keeps the todos.
Completing todos#
Choose Complete. If checklist items are still open, Toby asks you to confirm first. Finishing every checklist item does not complete the todo for you.
Deleted todos go to Recently deleted, where Restore brings them back.
Repeating todos#
Turn on Repeat in the editor (a due date is required). Choose:
- Calendar schedule: every N days, weeks, months, or years. Weekly repeats can use selected weekdays.
- After completion: N days, weeks, or months after you finish it.
You can add an end date. A repeating todo has one open occurrence at a time: if you miss several repeats, completing it moves to the next upcoming date instead of creating a backlog. Skip occurrence moves on without completing it. When editing, choose whether a change applies to This occurrence or the Future series. Completed occurrences keep a record of what they looked like.
Monthly repeats on the 31st use the last day of shorter months. Times stay at the same local time across daylight saving changes.
Reminders#
- Open Settings → Sync and Backup and turn on Todo reminders on this Mac. macOS asks for notification permission.
- On a todo, choose Add reminder. Timed todos offer At due time, 15 minutes before, 1 hour before, and 1 day before. Any todo can use At a specific time….
Notifications offer Open, Complete, and Snooze. Snoozing does not change the due date. Each Mac with reminders turned on shows its own notifications. If several reminders were missed while the Mac was off, Toby shows one summary instead of a burst of old alerts.
Reminders that are already scheduled can appear while Toby is closed. A change made on another Mac must reach this Mac before Toby can schedule it. Focus and macOS notification settings can silence reminders.
History#
Open History on a todo to see each change, where it came from (chat, a Flow, the app), and when. If two Macs changed the same field at the same time, Toby keeps one value and lists the other in History. Choose Restore next to an earlier value to apply it again as a new change.
Projects#
A project's details list its open todos. Choose New todo there to create a todo already linked to the project. Deleting a project unlinks its todos but keeps them.
Flows and Home#
In the Flow editor, the action picker includes Toby Todos actions such as Create todo, Update todo, and Complete todo. No connection is needed. A later step can use the ID returned by an earlier one. Retrying a failed step does not create a duplicate. See Flows.
Home includes a Toby Todos card with open, overdue, and due-today counts. Click a todo on the card to open it.
Sync across Macs and backups#
When Sync and Backup is on, todos sync with your other Macs through the same destination and password. Changes merge: edits to different fields of the same todo are both kept, and conflicting edits to the same field keep one value with the other in History. A deleted todo stays deleted until you restore it. Settings → Sync and Backup → Todos shows the last sync, pending changes, and errors, and has Sync todos now.
Full backups and data backups include your todos. After you restore a backup, todo sync and reminders pause until you choose Review and merge… in Settings → Sync and Backup. Toby then merges the restored todos with your other Macs and does not replay old reminders.
Turning sync off keeps your todos on this Mac.