Plainlist is a paid-once planner for people who live in text files. Your tasks aren't trapped in a database you'll never see — they're one readable .todo file you own, open it in any editor, anytime.
Capture. Plan. Focus. Review. The whole workday loop in one quiet window.
— ONE FILE IS THE TRUTH —
Everything lives in a single plain-text .todo file. Open it in any editor — the app and the
text never disagree. Point it at iCloud Drive, Dropbox, or any folder you sync yourself. A
built-in watcher reloads external changes.
— CAPTURE FAST —
Hit one shortcut from any app and just type. "draft report tomorrow ! 2h /Work" becomes a task
due tomorrow, high priority, 2h estimate, filed under Work. Parsed fields show as editable
chips before save, so a wrong date is easy to fix. Paste a list and each line becomes a clean
task.
— PLAN BY DAY OR TIME —
Some work only needs a day; some needs a time. Plainlist supports both — date-only "Anytime"
planning and exact timed blocks — written as readable @start tags. A persistent side panel lets
you browse unplanned, anytime, and needs-attention work, inspect any task, and edit its plan,
estimate, due date, priority, and repeat in place. Recurring tasks use @every; finishing one
spawns the next.
— FOCUS ON TODAY —
Once the day is planned, work from a cleaner view: today's plan, needs-attention items, quick
capture, and done-today receipts. Mark done, push later, or bump to tomorrow without leaving
the keyboard.
— REVIEW WHAT SHIPPED —
The Done view shows your week by day and project, with hours and counts. Copy a day or week as
Markdown for a status update or work log. Reopen anything completed by mistake. Old completed
tasks auto-archive to keep the working file lean.
— THE FORMAT —
TaskPaper-compatible grammar: projects end in a colon, tasks start with "-", tags are plain
@words. Indentation is structure. Reserved tags do real work: @est, @start, @due, @done,
@every, @p1. Due (a deadline) and start (when you'll work) stay separate. The whole language is
readable in any editor.
— KEYBOARD-FIRST —
Global capture, a command palette, slash commands (/due tomorrow, /p1, /est 30m, /plan, /done)
right in the editor, multi-select to edit many tasks at once, a filter bar with smart tokens,
and undo that covers drag-scheduling. Fast by mouse, faster by keys.
— YOURS —
Paid once. No subscription. No account. No tracking. Just a fast native app over a file in a
folder you control.
TaskPaper users: your files open as-is
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Plainlist now has a command-line companion.
Scripts and AI agents can read and edit your .todo file directly, without opening the app.
- New "plainlist" CLI - list, add, search, and complete tasks, plus add habits and goals, from the terminal.
- Help menu -> "Copy CLI Install Command" copies the install command straight to your clipboard.
- Without a file specified, the CLI automatically targets whichever .todo file you already have open in Plainlist.
Version 1.4.1
The developer, Brew9, 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 Linked to You
The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
Diagnostics
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