Todoist Task Manager

Give your agent full visibility into long-running tasks by syncing reasoning, progress logs, and status updates directly to Todoist — all automated via OpenClaw Ultra.

Core System Overview

This system turns Todoist into a transparency dashboard for your agent. Every complex task gets a Todoist item with the full plan, real-time sub-step comments, and automatic status transitions. You always know what your agent is doing and where it's stuck.

System Layer	Core Function	Output Result
Task Creation Layer	Auto-create Todoist tasks with full agent reasoning plan	Tracked task in correct project/section
Progress Streaming Layer	Real-time sub-step completion logged as task comments	Chronological execution log
Status Management Layer	Auto-move tasks across In Progress / Waiting / Done sections	Visual pipeline status
Health Monitoring Layer	Periodic heartbeat check for stalled or failed tasks	Timely alert on blocked tasks
Reporting Layer	Daily task completion summary with execution metrics	End-of-day productivity report

Prerequisites

Item	Requirement
OpenClaw Ultra	Installed and running
Todoist Account	Free or Pro plan with API access
Todoist API Token	Get from Todoist Settings > Integrations
Project ID	Create a project (e.g. "OpenClaw Tasks") and copy its ID

Step 0 — Get Todoist API Credentials

Before the agent can sync tasks, you need API access.

Operation Steps

1. Go to Todoist Settings > Integrations
2. Copy your API Token
3. Create a new project named "OpenClaw Tasks"
4. Create 3 sections inside: 🟡 In Progress, 🟠 Waiting, 🟢 Done
5. Note the Project ID and Section IDs (visible in the URL when clicking each section)

Step 1 — Let Agent Build the Sync Scripts

Instead of installing a skill, ask OpenClaw to create the integration scripts itself.

Ready-to-Use Prompt

I want you to build a Todoist-based task visibility system for your own runs.

First, create three bash scripts in a 'scripts/' folder:

1. todoist_api.sh — a curl wrapper for Todoist REST API
2. sync_task.sh — create or update tasks with section_ids for In Progress, Waiting, Done
3. add_comment.sh — post progress logs as comments on a task

Use these credentials:
- Token: [your Todoist API token]
- Project ID: [your project ID]
- Section IDs: In Progress [id], Waiting [id], Done [id]

Once created, verify the scripts work by creating a test task.

Script Structure (Auto-Generated)

The agent will generate scripts that call the Todoist REST API:

• todoist_api.sh — generic GET/POST wrapper
• sync_task.sh — creates tasks in the right section with plan in description
• add_comment.sh — appends execution logs as comments

INFO

No manual coding needed. The agent handles script creation, just paste the prompt above with your credentials.

Step 2 — Activate Task Visibility Mode

Tell the agent to use Todoist for every complex task going forward.

Prompt

From now on, for every complex task I give you:

1. Before starting, create a Todoist task in "🟡 In Progress"
   - Task name: brief summary of the goal
   - Description: your full execution PLAN (step-by-step)

2. For each sub-step completed, call add_comment.sh with:
   - what was done
   - key results or decisions
   - any blockers encountered

3. When the task is complete, move it to "🟢 Done"
4. If blocked and waiting for me, move it to "🟠 Waiting" and explain why

Start by processing this task: [your first complex task]

Step 3 — One-Off Task Sync (Manual Mode)

For quick ad-hoc tasks that still need tracking.

Prompt

Track this task in Todoist:
Task: [description]
Plan: [brief steps]
Priority: [high/medium/low]

Create it in "🟡 In Progress" and update it as I give you more instructions.

Step 4 — Enable Heartbeat Monitoring

Prevent silent failures by checking task progress periodically.

Prompt

Set up a heartbeat monitoring routine:

Every 30 minutes, check all Todoist tasks in "🟡 In Progress":
- For each task, verify the last comment was within the last 25 minutes
- If any task has no new comments for 30+ minutes, flag it as stalled
- Notify me via [Telegram / email] with: task name, time since last update, possible cause

Also run a daily check at 6 PM:
- Summarize all tasks moved to "🟢 Done" today
- List any tasks still in "🟠 Waiting" with age
- Report average comment count per completed task

Step 5 — Auto-Reconcile Stalled Tasks

Let the agent recover or escalate when tasks go silent.

Prompt

When a task is flagged as stalled (no update for 30+ min):

1. Check if the task's original plan can be resumed
2. If yes, post a recovery comment and continue
3. If no, move to "🟠 Waiting" and explain what's needed
4. If stalled for 2+ hours, escalate with a direct message to me

Final Workflow Logic

You give a task → Agent creates Todoist task with plan →
Sub-step comments stream in real-time → Status auto-updates →
Heartbeat monitors health → You check Todoist anytime for full visibility

Practical Usage Tips

1. Use descriptive task names so the Todoist list is scannable at a glance
2. Check "🟠 Waiting" section first when you open Todoist — that's where the agent needs you
3. Pair with the Automated Meeting Notes workflow to auto-create follow-up tasks
4. Archive "🟢 Done" section weekly to keep the board clean