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June 26, 2026 · View on GitHub

A simple and extensible shell script for managing your todo.txt file.

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Read our contributing guide if you're looking to contribute (issues/PRs/etc).

Installation

Download

Download the latest stable release for use on your desktop or server.

OS X / macOS

brew install todo-txt

cp -n $(brew --prefix)/opt/todo-txt/todo.cfg ~/.todo.cfg

Note: The -n flag for cp makes sure you do not overwrite an existing file.

Linux

From command line

make
make install
make test

NOTE: Makefile defaults to several default paths for installed files. Adjust to your system:

INSTALL_DIR: PATH for executables (default /usr/local/bin)
CONFIG_DIR: PATH for the todo/config configuration template (default /usr/local/etc)
BASH_COMPLETION: PATH for autocompletion scripts (default to /usr/local/share/bash-completion/completions)

# Note: Showcasing config overrides for legacy locations; NOT recommended!
make install CONFIG_DIR=/etc INSTALL_DIR=/usr/bin BASH_COMPLETION=/etc/bash_completion.d

Arch Linux (AUR)

https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/todotxt/

No configuration is required; however, most users tweak the default settings (e.g. relocating the todo.txt directory to a subdirectory of the user's home directory, or onto a cloud drive (via the TODO_DIR variable)), modify the colors, add additional highlighting of projects, contexts, dates, and so on. A configuration template with a commented-out list of all available options is included. It is recommended to copy that template into one of the locations listed by todo.sh help on -d CONFIG_FILE, even if it is installed in the global configuration location (/etc/todo/config).

Usage

todo.sh [-fhpantvV] [-d todo_config] action [task_number] [task_description]

For example, to add a todo item, you can do:

todo.sh add "THING I NEED TO DO +project @context"

Read about all the possible commands in the USAGE.

Release History

See CHANGELOG.md

Support

GitHub Discussions: questions, troubleshooting, ideas and suggestions
GitHub Issues: report bugs and request features here (after positive feedback in the chat or discussions)

Community

Gitter.im: chat with the core team and interested users
Reddit: posts and discussions around the todo.txt philosophy and tools
Twitter: official announcements and news

Contributing

We welcome all contributions. First read our Contributor Code of Conduct and then get started contributing. By participating in this project you agree to abide by its terms.