# 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

Smart Todo Manager