Todoist

Todo Lists

Todoist's REST API and Sync API provide access to projects, tasks, sections, labels, comments, and collaborators. You can create tasks with natural language due dates, manage priorities, organize with labels and filters, and sync across devices. Todoist is known for its clean design and powerful natural language parsing. For OpenClaw agents, Todoist is an excellent personal task management integration. Your agent can add tasks from chat using natural language ('buy groceries tomorrow p1'), check what's due today, complete tasks, and send daily task summaries. The natural language date parsing is a standout feature — your agent can pass human-readable due dates directly.

Tags: automation, productivity

Category: Documents & Productivity

Use Cases

  • Add tasks from Telegram messages with natural language due dates
  • Send daily morning briefings with today's tasks and overdue items
  • Complete tasks via chat commands and get weekly productivity summaries

Tips

  • Use due_string for natural language dates — it's Todoist's killer feature via API
  • The /tasks/filter endpoint lets you use Todoist's powerful filter syntax (e.g., 'today | overdue')
  • Set up a morning cron job to fetch today's tasks and send a summary to Telegram

Known Issues & Gotchas

  • Free plan limits you to 5 active projects — fine for personal use, tight for teams
  • OAuth is recommended but a personal API token works fine for single-user automation
  • Task priorities are inverted: priority 4 in the API = priority 1 (highest) in the UI

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Todoist API support natural language dates?

Yes. Use the due_string field with natural language like 'tomorrow at 3pm', 'every Monday', or 'next Friday'. Todoist parses these into structured dates automatically.

Should I use the REST API or Sync API?

REST API is simpler and better for OpenClaw skills — standard HTTP requests. Sync API is for apps that need offline support and incremental sync. Use REST for agent automation.

How does Todoist compare to ClickUp for agent automation?

Todoist is simpler and better for personal task management. ClickUp is more complex but handles team workflows, time tracking, and project hierarchies better. Pick based on your use case.