Smart Todo Manager
Add tasks to markdown-based todo lists with intelligent routing, duplicate detection, and automatic priority assignment.
Your todo list is a single giant file where tasks get lost, duplicates pile up, and nothing has clear priority. This playbook manages markdown-based todo lists with intelligent routing to the right list, duplicate detection, and automatic priority assignment based on context.
Who it's for: developers managing project tasks in markdown files alongside their code, productivity enthusiasts who prefer plain-text todo systems over heavy apps, team leads tracking work items in shared markdown files within repositories, solo founders managing business and development tasks in a lightweight system, remote workers who need a portable todo system that works in any text editor
Example
"Add 'fix login bug' to my todos and prioritize my list" → Todo manager pipeline: duplicate check against existing tasks across all todo files, intelligent routing to the correct list (bugs vs features vs personal), automatic priority assignment based on keywords and context, dependency detection linking related tasks, and reprioritized list output with estimated effort labels
New here? 3-minute setup guide → | Already set up? Copy the template below.
# Smart Todo Manager
## Your Role
You manage markdown-based todo lists with intelligent routing, duplicate detection, and priority assignment.
## Configured Lists
Customize these paths to match your setup:
- **Main:** `~/Documents/todo.md`
- **Work:** `~/Documents/todo-work.md`
- **Personal:** `~/Documents/todo-personal.md`
## Instructions
### Step 1: Gather Details
Collect the task description and any context from the user (deadline, priority, related project).
### Step 2: Route to Correct List
Use keyword matching to suggest the appropriate list:
| Keywords | Target List |
|----------|------------|
| config, settings, infrastructure, system, setup | Main |
| email, calendar, scheduling, meeting, client, report | Work |
| grocery, workout, appointment, doctor, personal, home | Personal |
| learn, read, course, tutorial, study, research | Main (Learning section) |
If uncertain, ask the user which list.
### Step 3: Detect Duplicates
Before adding, scan the target file for:
- Exact title matches
- Similar keywords or topics that overlap
- Items that could be expanded instead of duplicated
If a potential duplicate is found, present it and ask:
- "Add as new item?"
- "Expand the existing item instead?"
### Step 4: Format and Add
Insert using this format:
```markdown
- [ ] **[Item title]**
- [Context/details from user]
- Priority: [High/Medium/Low]
- Added: [YYYY-MM-DD]
```
### Step 5: Confirm
Report:
```
Added: [item title]
List: [target list name]
Priority: [High/Medium/Low]
```
## Priority Rules
- **High**: Blocking others, has a near deadline (< 3 days), on the critical path
- **Medium**: Important but not urgent, has a flexible deadline
- **Low**: Nice-to-have, no deadline, administrative
## Customization Points
Adapt these to your workflow:
- Edit file paths above to match your actual files
- Modify the routing keyword table for your categories
- Adjust priority criteria to your standards
- Change the item format to match your markdown preferences
What This Does
A smart task manager that uses local markdown files — no apps needed. Tell Claude what you need to do and it routes the task to the right list, checks for duplicates, assigns priority, and formats it consistently.
Quick Start
Step 1: Create Your Todo Files
mkdir -p ~/Documents
touch ~/Documents/todo.md ~/Documents/todo-work.md
Step 2: Download the Template
Click Download above, then:
mv ~/Downloads/CLAUDE.md ~/Documents/
Step 3: Run Claude Code
cd ~/Documents
claude
Then: "Add todo: Review the Q2 budget proposal by Friday"
How Routing Works
Tasks are automatically routed to the right list based on keywords:
| Keywords | Routes To |
|---|---|
| config, settings, infrastructure, system | Main todo list |
| email, calendar, scheduling, meeting | Work todo list |
| grocery, workout, appointment, personal | Personal todo list |
| learn, read, course, tutorial | Learning todo list |
You can fully customize these routing rules in the template.
Priority System
| Priority | Criteria | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| High | Blocking others, near deadline, critical path | "Deploy hotfix before 5pm" |
| Medium | Important but flexible deadline | "Review PR this week" |
| Low | Nice-to-have, no deadline | "Reorganize bookmarks" |
Duplicate Detection
Before adding, Claude scans the target file for overlapping tasks:
- Exact matches are flagged
- Similar items suggest expanding the existing task instead
- You always decide — Claude won't silently skip
Example
Input: "Add todo: Set up CI/CD pipeline for the new service"
Claude's process:
- Routes to Main list (matches "infrastructure" keywords)
- Scans for duplicates — finds "Research CI/CD options" already exists
- Asks: "Similar item exists. Add as new, or expand the existing one?"
- On confirmation, adds:
- [ ] **Set up CI/CD pipeline for new service**
- Priority: High
- Evaluate GitHub Actions vs CircleCI based on prior research
Customization
The template has clearly marked sections to customize:
- File paths — point to your actual todo files
- Routing table — add/change keyword categories
- Priority rules — adjust what counts as High/Medium/Low
- Item format — change the markdown structure
Tips
- Natural language works — "remind me to email Sarah about the contract" routes correctly
- Context is preserved — details you mention get added as sub-bullets
- Works with any markdown editor — Obsidian, VS Code, iA Writer, etc.
Troubleshooting
Wrong list selected Tell Claude: "Add this to my work list instead"
Too many false duplicate matches Narrow your keyword matching or say "Add as new item"
File not found
Create the file first: touch ~/Documents/todo.md