tasknote-quick

TaskNote Quick

Lightweight task operations using mtnj CLI (a fork of mtn with improved project name handling and --folder support). Install: npm install -g jr-xing/mdbase-tasknotes. For full lifecycle (experiment logs, data logs, meeting notes, multi-session tracking), use the tasknote skill instead.

Before Anything: Resolve Collection Path

CRITICAL: mtnj must know which Obsidian vault to use. Before running any mtnj command:

1. Read CLAUDE.md (in the current project root or working directory) and look for a collection path (e.g., MDBASE_TASKNOTES_PATH, collectionPath, or a vault path).
2. If found, pass it to every mtnj command with -p <path>:

   mtnj list -p /path/to/vault
   mtnj create "..." -p /path/to/vault
   

3. If CLAUDE.md does not specify a collection path, ask the user — do NOT let mtnj fall back to its default config (which may point to a temp folder and waste time searching).

Verify References Before Linking

Never guess wikilink paths. Before creating a task that references a project, verify it exists:

mtnj search "<keyword>" -p <collection>
mtnj list --json -p <collection>

IMPORTANT: mtnj search returns the note title, NOT the filename. Titles can differ from filenames (e.g., title AHA Scientific Session — Abstract Submission vs filename 2026-03-05-PROJECT AHA Scientific Session Abstract Submission.md). Obsidian wikilinks resolve by filename, not title. To get the actual filename:

# Use mtnj show to get the Path:
mtnj show "<title from search>" -p <collection>
# Look for the "Path:" line → extract filename without folder prefix and .md

Use the filename (without .md) in wikilinks: [[2026-03-05-PROJECT AHA Scientific Session Abstract Submission]].

If the user says "for project BII" or "subtask of preprocessing", fuzzy-match against search results. If no match, show candidates and ask. Never invent a [[path]].

Create a Task

# 1. Create via mtnj NLP — use +[[Note Name]] for project/parent linking
#    Use --folder to control output directory (e.g. tasks, projects)
mtnj create "<text> @context +[[Note Name With Spaces]] due <date> <priority> priority #tag" --folder tasks -p <collection>
# Output: → tasks/<Title>.md

# 2. Rename to convention — use the EXACT output path from step 1
DATE=$(date +%Y-%m-%d)
mv "tasks/<Title>.md" "tasks/${DATE}-TASK <Title>.md"

NLP patterns: #tag, @context (data/experiment/code/writing/admin), +[[Note Name]] (project/parent link), date phrases, priority words, ~30m estimate.

mtnj correctly handles project names with spaces and produces clean wikilinks in frontmatter (e.g. [[projects/My Project]]). No post-processing needed.

Legacy note: The original mtn CLI double-wraps wikilinks ([[projects/[[...]]]]) and doesn't support --folder. If using mtn instead of mtnj, you need a sed fix after creation: sed -i "s|\[\[projects/\[\[\(.*\)\]\]\]\]|[[\1]]|g" "<file>"

After creation, edit the body to add a brief Log entry:

## Log

### YYYY-MM-DD — Created
[What needs to be done and any context]

Motivation and Goals sections are OPT-IN only. Only add these if the user explicitly provides the content:

• Add ## Motivation only if the user says something like "motivation:...", "motiv:...", "because...", or clearly states why the task matters
• Add ## Goals only if the user explicitly lists goals (e.g., "goal:...", "goals are...", "deliverables:...")
• If the user's prompt does not contain motivation or goals, do NOT add these sections and do NOT fabricate content for them — just add the Log entry

Update a Task

mtnj update "<task>" --status in-progress
mtnj update "<task>" --priority high --due 2026-04-01
mtnj update "<task>" --scheduled 2026-03-10    # calendar visibility

When adding progress, append a date-stamped Log entry to the body (don't overwrite existing entries).

Complete a Task

mtnj complete "<task>"

Optionally add a brief Summary section between Goals and Log before completing.

List / Search

mtnj list                    # Active tasks
mtnj list --overdue          # Overdue
mtnj tree                    # Hierarchical project → task → subtask view
mtnj tree --tag source/yale  # Tree with filters (--status, --priority, --tag, --overdue, --all)
mtnj search "<query>"        # Full-text search
mtnj timer log --period week # Time this week
mtnj organize                # Preview file reorganization into project folders (dry-run)
mtnj organize --apply        # Execute the reorganization

Time Tracking

mtnj timer start "<task>" -d "focus description"
mtnj timer stop

Filename Convention

All files: YYYY-MM-DD-TYPE Title.md. Types: PROJECT, TASK, CARD, REF, DATA-LOG, EXP-LOG, MEETING.

Key Rules

• Verify before linking — search for projects/tasks before using their paths in wikilinks
• One task per piece of work — use Log entries for updates, not new task files
• Rename after create — mtnj create then mv to YYYY-MM-DD-TASK <title>.md
• Don't over-ask — if intent is clear, just create the task
• Read before edit — always read a file before modifying it