Full TaskPaper editing on iOS — projects, tasks, notes, tags, search, folding, and focus. All in plain text files you sync via iCloud.
TaskPaper is plain text productivity at its finest — simple, fast, and infinitely flexible. PaperTrail brings full TaskPaper editing to iOS and iPadOS.
Projects, tasks, notes, and tags. Filter, search, and archive. All in plain text files you can sync via iCloud and edit in TaskPaper on your Mac.
FEATURES
• Full TaskPaper format support (.taskpaper, .todo, .txt, .md)
• OPML import converts outlines into TaskPaper files
• Fold and focus into any subtree for distraction-free editing
• Full query language with text, tag, boolean, and semantic search
• Tag system with dates, progress tracking, and cost aggregation
• Smart filters with edge-swipe gestures
• Color lines by priority, depth, or due date proximity
• Natural date parsing and iOS Reminders integration
• Home screen widgets and quick actions
• 30+ keyboard shortcuts for power workflow
• Native Swift app — less than 1 MB, built for speed
• Dynamic Type, VoiceOver, and dark mode support
Potentially great app that's currently near unusable due to minor bugs. Main one I'm experiencing is having to enter every task twice, because when I hit "enter" the app adds a double letter to first word of line. Eg "Read" becomes "Rread" unless I either backspace to it or shake/undo, then I'm left with the first letter and when I finish it the second time and hit enter, it works.Have to do this for every line. Weird and funny bug, but unless you are zen enough to accept ~every line prominently featuring an apparent typo, it makes entry too inefficient for use.Look forward to trying if/when functional! But wait till then to pay the very high price, unless you want to support creator out of generosity; it's currently worth $0.
Developer Response
Hi, this is the first report of the double first letter bug, so thank you! I've not seen that myself through my daily use of the app, nor in the automated testing that runs on each code change of the app. I narrowed it down to an issue with Autocorrect on iOS 26 (but not iOS 18) and so it will be resolved in 1.2. In future, you may want to reach out through the in-app Support options (search Command Palette to find them). Thanks!
PaperTrail is the TaskPaper client I didn’t know I needed.
ZombieJeffy
TaskPaper is one of those formats you don’t fully appreciate until it clicks. This app makes that click happen faster and look better doing it.The UI is beautiful on phone and strikes the right balance of customization without being overwhelming (I love Obsidian and use it daily, but if you know, you know). Everything feels intentional. The long-press tooltips on the extended keyboard icons are something I’ve never seen in another app – genuinely clever and I hope it catches on. The built-in guide note and starter templates are a nice touch for newcomers who want to tinker without starting from zero.Bonus: it opens .md files natively, so I can take notes in my Obsidian vault and swap over to PaperTrail when I want to project plan.A few things that would take this from great to daily driver:The toolbelt concept is solid, but some items (like hide keyboard) aren’t movable, so I end up scrolling back and forth on the extended keyboard. On mobile, dismissing the keyboard feels clunky. Something like single-tap to drop into view mode and double-tap to edit could be more intuitive.Search: the guide mentions pull-down-from-top to search, but I couldn’t get that gesture to work on iPhone 17 Pro. Completed/strikethrough items get hard to read in bulk. Would love an option to dim them and apply font color (or maybe pulling from the priority color palette to stay on-theme).Templates are great for onboarding, but they could do more. Adding some advanced search query examples at the bottom would make them useful for experienced TaskPaper users too, not just beginners.Minor stuff. The core experience is excellent and clearly built by someone who actually uses TaskPaper.
Developer Response
Thanks for the kind words, I'm glad the thought put into the app resonates with you and I hope it continues to make your life easier. The app supports the iOS-standard long-swipe-down to dismiss keyboard, and since 1.1 there's a tool button to dismiss the keyboard which you can position anywhere you like on the tool belt. 1.1 also brought the ability to select multiple lines and work on all contained items (like mark them all as @done). Swipe down to search was removed so I'll revisit that or worse case remove the mention from the guide. Please reach out through the app Support option (search command palette to find it) with more info on the dim/color suggestion and I'll implement it. Thanks for using PaperTrail!
Excited but disappointed
Jack Siddhartha
I got an email from Jesse Grosjean and immediately bought PaperTrail. I’ve been looking for a decent TaskPaper app for iOS since he discontinued the official one. I am having issues with the one main document that I use with this. Works fine in the macOS TaskPaper app, and also in Taskmator for that matter. I am wanting to reach out to the developer but the only avenues are Twitter, Bluesky and Mastodon. I shouldn’t have to use social media to reach out to the guy. Developer, if you are reading this, put an email address or a support form on your website. Please.
Developer Response
Hi! My email is on the app support website, and I just added it to more pages so that it is hopefully more visible. Please refresh the support page just in case it is cached. There is also a support option in the app itself (find it in Command Palette search for "Support"; 1.2 adds more options and will do better at making them more obvious). I look forward to hearing from you.
Shows promise, several bugs…
Youdontgetmydata
The app shows a lot of promise, and I purchased on the strength of using TaskPaper, and happy to support independent devs. However there are several UI bugs that keep me from making proper use of it. Happy to report them and provide feedback, but the only way to do that is via social media. No email address or proper reporting system in place. Heck, even a GitHub issue tracker would be worlds better. I’m not going to futz around with reporting on social media. If that changes, I’m happy to change my rating.
Developer Response
Hello! I'd love to hear about the bugs you are encountering. The easiest way to get in touch is through the app itself: bring up the Command Palette and scroll/search for PaperTrail Support, which will open the GitHub issue tracker, report bugs, and follow progress for next update (this feature has been there since launch, the issue tracker has been open since Aug 2025). Or you can just web search "PaperTrail gingerbeardman github". Alternatively you can email me through the address listed on the Support website (the email address has always been there, but I just added it to even more support pages to make it more visible). Version 1.2 will do a better job of surfacing Support options in the app. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Headline Features
• Activities — open specific or recent documents from Siri, Shortcuts, Spotlight, or the Action Button
• Focus Bar — breadcrumb trail shows active focus level so you always know what's visible
• Command Palette (⇧⌘P) — run any editor command and discover shortcuts
• Import from Reminders — with notes, subtasks, dates, completion, alarms, priority and flags mapped to tags
New
• Home navigation with search across documents
• Search options are now in a dropdown
• Mid-line return honours indent and starts a new item
• Movable hide-keyboard button
• iPad iOS 26 menu support
• Light/Dark tabs for interface colour settings
• Added @start tag
• Scoped archive and persisted sidebar fold state
• Aggregate tag rollups for parent items
Keyboard
• Indent/Outdent: ⌘\] / ⌘\[ · Move Up/Down: ⌃⌘↑↓
• New: Duplicate ⇧⌘D · Delete ⌘⌫ · Go Home ⇧⌘H · Group ⌃⌘G · Move to Project ⌘/
• Expand/Collapse All ⌃⌥⌘9/0 · By Level ⌃⌘9/0 · Move Branch ⌃⌘\]/\[ and ⌃⇧⌘↑↓
• Full shortcut parity with TaskPaper for macOS
Fixes
• Editing the only visible line in a focused view no longer moves it unexpectedly
• Folding a task after a sibling project now correctly hides nested notes
• Focused-item folding now hides subtree text correctly
• Move-to-project no longer leaves stale text behind
• Second focus on the same item now lands correctly
• Replacement no longer leaves stale text in the buffer
• Key chord routing fixes for multi-step shortcuts
• Sidebar collapsing tap area is no longer obstructed
Performance
• Faster handling of deeply nested documents and OPML import
Version 1.1
The developer, gingerbeardman, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Collected
The developer does not collect any data from this app.
Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More