install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install todo-txt

local Homebrew formula metadata

overview

Package summary

Minimal, todo.txt-focused editor

Project links

Commands and aliases

todo.sh

history

Project history and usage

Todo.txt CLI is the canonical shell implementation of the todo.txt method: tasks live in a plain text file and the todo.sh command edits, lists, prioritizes, completes, and archives those lines. The project is unusually durable for a CLI productivity tool because its data model is intentionally simple and portable.

Project history

The official changelog starts with 1.0.0 on 2006-05-11, described as a consolidated master script with usage notes. During 2006 the CLI added path handling, case-insensitive listing, priorities, completion dates, color options, a separated config file, aliases, interactive editing, and task archiving behavior.

The 2009 2.0 series expanded todo.sh beyond a single todo.txt file by adding commands for moving tasks, listing contexts and projects, appending to other files in the todo directory, and auto-archiving completed tasks. Version 2.1.0 added pluggability through a ~/.todo.actions.d directory and a more Unix-style ~/.todo.cfg fallback.

Later releases show a long maintenance arc rather than a rewrite. The 2011 release improved portability for Dropbox or USB-key workflows; 2013 added global /etc/todo/config support and a make install path; 2018 added XDG config/action locations and a code of conduct; 2020 added macOS Catalina support and minimal default filenames; 2024 released v2.13.0 with more priority/list behavior and safer custom-action checks.

Adoption history

The README documents installation by Homebrew on macOS, make install on Linux, and Arch AUR packaging. It also points users to GitHub Discussions, Issues, Gitter, Reddit, and official social channels, which reflects a long-lived community around both the CLI and the broader todo.txt philosophy.

Todo.txt's adoption has been helped by the fact that its core storage is plain text. The README explicitly mentions common customizations such as moving the todo directory into a cloud drive, modifying colors, highlighting projects and contexts, and using a configuration template even when a global config is installed.

How it is used

Users run todo.sh with actions such as add, list, listall, listpri, listcon, listproj, do, archive, append, prepend, replace, and move. The official usage document emphasizes project and context notation, priority sorting, filtering by terms, add-ons, and keeping completed tasks in done.txt.

The package-manager usage pattern is simple: install the script, copy or create a ~/.todo.cfg, keep todo.txt, done.txt, and report.txt in a chosen directory, then bind aliases or shell completions around todo.sh. That makes it easy to script, version, sync, or inspect with standard Unix tools.

Why package nerds care

Todo.txt CLI is a package-nerd touchstone because it reduces a productivity system to a Bash script, a small config file, and line-oriented data. It is attractive to people who prefer grep, sed, version control, Dropbox-style sync, shell aliases, and editor integration over opaque app databases.

The project also influenced other plaintext task tools and integrations. Its changelog and usage docs describe add-ons, custom actions, context/project conventions, and portable config behavior, all of which made it a natural target for downstream packages and small personal automation.

Timeline

2006-05-11: 1.0.0 consolidated the original master script with usage notes.
2006-07: 1.6 and 1.7 releases added separated config, interactive actions, aliases, and listall.
2009-02: 2.0.0 added file-moving, context/project listing, addto, and auto-archive behavior.
2009-02: 2.1.0 added ~/.todo.actions.d pluggability and ~/.todo.cfg fallback.
2011-09: 2.8.0 improved portability for Dropbox or USB-key users.
2013-12: 2.10.0 added make install and global /etc/todo/config support.
2018-03: 2.11.0 added XDG config/action location support.
2020-08: 2.12.0 added macOS 10.15 support and minimal default filenames.
2024-12: 2.13.0 updated list/priority behavior and custom-action checks.

Related projects

The official README and input metadata tie todo.txt CLI to the broader todotxt.org project.
Tock and Todoman are adjacent command-line productivity tools in this batch; Tock explicitly supports TodoTXT-compatible activity files.

Sources

https://github.com/todotxt/todo.txt-cli#readme
https://github.com/todotxt/todo.txt-cli/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md
https://github.com/todotxt/todo.txt-cli/blob/master/USAGE.md
source_facts.package-manager

security posture

Risk level: green

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

Signals

metadata:no-higher-risk-signals

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 1 platform targets.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

local files

Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.

Configuration files

Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.

Unix: ~/.todo.cfg/etc/todo/config

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`todo.sh`	cli	global executable

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-07-08

manager version2.13.0

manager updated

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://github.com/todotxt/todo.txt-cli

infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
infoNo cached GitHub release or tag data was available.https://github.com/todotxt/todo.txt-clinone confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:todo-txt
Version	2.13.0
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/todo-txt
Homepage	http://todotxt.org/
Repository	https://github.com/todotxt/todo.txt-cli
Upstream docs	https://github.com/todotxt/todo.txt-cli#readme
License	GPL-3.0-only
Source archive	https://github.com/todotxt/todo.txt-cli/releases/download/v2.13.0/todo.txt_cli-2.13.0.tar.gz
Bottle	available (on all)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared
Caveats	To configure, copy the default config to your HOME and edit it: cp $HOMEBREW_CELLAR/todo-txt/2.13.0/todo.cfg ~/.todo.cfg

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	todo-txt
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Head Version	HEAD
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	head stable

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub.

combined/todo-txt.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
Nucleus package database
av.db category and tag curation
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated configuration and credential file locations
curated package history
package relationship graph
package version freshness
package-page enrichment

Install todo-txt with Homebrew