todo.txt-flavoured Markdown is a task-list convention that combines GitHub-flavoured Markdown checkboxes with Gina Trapani's todo.txt format. Each task line adds todo.txt priorities such as (A), plus-prefixed project tags, at-prefixed context tags, key-value metadata such as due dates, and ISO creation and completion dates. The result stays readable as plain text, renders in Markdown viewers, and its tags can be filtered with todo.txt tools or grep.

todo.txt-flavoured Markdown

Details
Full Name

todo.txt-flavoured Markdown Task Lists

Also known as

Enhanced Markdown Tasks, Markdown with todo.txt conventions

Core Concepts:

Markdown task lists

Standard GitHub-flavoured markdown syntax (- [ ] uncompleted, - [x] completed)

Priority markers

Uses todo.txt priority notation (A), (B), © where (A) is highest priority

Project tags

Prefixed with + to group related tasks (e.g., +website, +semantic-anchors)

Context tags

Prefixed with @ to indicate location/tool/context (e.g., @computer, @home, @research)

Key-value metadata

Structured data pairs like due:YYYY-MM-DD, priority:high, or custom fields

Date tracking

Creation dates and completion dates in ISO format (YYYY-MM-DD)

Human readability

Plain text format that remains readable without special tools

Tool-agnostic

Can be processed by both markdown renderers and todo.txt tools

Searchable and filterable

Easy to grep/search by tags, priorities, or metadata

Pattern Structure:

- [ ] (Priority) Task description +project @context key:value
- [x] YYYY-MM-DD (Priority) Completed task +project

Example Usage:

- [ ] (A) Review PR for +website @computer due:2024-02-03
- [x] 2024-02-01 (B) Update documentation +docToolchain
- [ ] (C) Research new feature +semantic-anchors @research
- [ ] Call team meeting @phone +project-planning due:2024-02-05
- [x] 2024-01-30 Fix bug in authentication +backend @computer
Key Proponents

Combines GitHub-flavoured Markdown task lists with Gina Trapani’s todo.txt format

Original References:

  • GitHub-flavoured Markdown task lists

  • todo.txt format specification by Gina Trapani

When to Use:

  • Task management in markdown documentation

  • Project planning and tracking in README files

  • GitHub issues and pull request descriptions requiring structured task lists

  • Personal productivity systems using plain text

  • Documentation that combines narrative with actionable tasks

  • When you need both human readability and programmatic parsing

  • Team collaboration where tasks need clear priorities and contexts

  • Generating consistent task list formats with LLMs

Benefits:

  • Leverages two well-established, widely recognized standards

  • Renders nicely in GitHub, GitLab, and other markdown viewers

  • Remains fully functional in plain text editors

  • Enables rich metadata without sacrificing readability

  • Facilitates both manual and automated task tracking

Current Status:

  • The underlying todo.txt format is alive and canonical at todotxt.org (Gina Trapani): one task per line, priorities as (A), projects as +project, contexts as @context

  • The prior is thin twice over: todo.txt itself is a single-maintainer niche ecosystem from the plain-text-productivity scene, and the Markdown-flavoured combination this anchor describes is a project-level convention on top — paste the concrete conventions into the prompt rather than relying on the name