PopTask - Light menu bar task manager for quickly capturing tasks
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PopTask is a lightweight macOS menu bar task manager for quickly capturing tasks. Just type naturally even if the input is messy, shorthand, or full of slang and PopTask understands it and schedules it automatically. It supports 7 languages, shows smart countdown alerts, and includes AI powered scheduling and task breakdown. Everything runs on device on macOS 26 and later, with cloud support for earlier macOS versions.
Replies
PopTask
@lilhadiΒ Many congratulations. Does this have context too? Example, vague stuff like "follow up on that contract thing next week" when you've got multiple contracts going, does it just parse the timing or try to get smarter about screen context too?
PopTask
heyy @rohanrecommendsΒ thanks mate!
right now PopTask parses the timing from what you type, so "follow up on that contract thing next week" gets scheduled for next monday with a cleaned up title, it's really good at the "when"
it actually doesn't read your screen or other tasks by design, as PopTask doesn't ask for accessibility permissions or read anything outside its own window cuz your tasks are just a local JSON file on your mac .. so it won't know which contract you mean, but that's a privacy tradeoff i'm comfortable with
i'm noting this down because you're not the first person to ask about smarter context and hopefully in the newer version i might add this!
Apparent for Gmail
@rohanrecommendsΒ @lilhadiΒ Just an FYI, I think there may be a disconnect with your website's feedback form, as well as your email for reaching out.
PopTask
@apparentforgmailΒ heyy jared, i just fixed it .. apologies for that ππ½
@lilhadiΒ How does the AI task breakdown handle super vague ones like "research AI sales tools," and does it pull from any local context to make subtasks even smarter?
PopTask
heyy @swati_paliwalΒ ππ½ for something like "research ai sales tools" it actually handles it pretty well, it breaks it down into actionable steps like finding top tools, comparing features or shortlisting options ..
it doesn't pull local context right now, it only works with the task title itself as PopTask doesn't ask for screen reading or file access
honestly, my goal was "keeps it simple and private" ππ½
Radar By Paved
Hey @lilhadi -- as someone who has tried just about every to-do app, I really dig this. Really simple + the natural language support is killer. Two requests/comments: Thought about adding a system wide shortcut to initiate the menu bar pop down? Also, TAB support on the pop down to switch between fields and CMD + Enter to add new a new task? Feel like that would make it even faster to use. Nice work!
PopTask
heyy @dannygreerΒ thanks, really appreciate that coming from someone who actually understands the pain of using other to-do apps
well, both of your suggestions are great ^
i actually added global keyboard shortcut to open PopTask from anywhere, but i was facing some errors so i skipped it in V1 .. definitely adding that in V2 π―
tab support between fields and CMD+Enter to submit are solid ideas too, will look into both on the upcoming updates .. thank you so much again, for such and amazing feedback!
this is so clean. curious about Focus Mode: what does it actually do? does it hide everything and just show the one task you're on?
PopTask
@jens_deryckere1Β heyy .. this is already in my list but for now, there is no focus mode for specific task
currently, it shows due time on menu bar for the most recent task
(will update you π― once i go live with focus mode)
Is there a voice mode? Can I dictate a note, specify which group it goes to, and set a reminder by voice? That would be very convenient for people working in flow who canβt afford to get distracted.
PopTask
@mykyta_semenov_Β heyy .. no voice mode right now, but macOS dictation works in the text field if you want to try it in the meantime
Is it connected with Google Calendar or Calendly?
PopTask
@byalexaiΒ heyy ππ½ sadly, not now! PopTask is fully local, no external calendar connections yet .. everything stays on your Mac as a JSON file, Google Calendar integration is something worth exploring in a future version though
Slashit App
Appreciate it.
Will This be available for mobile platforms? Syncing with mobile will gain you more benefits.
See am commenting using phone π
PopTask
haha @rakibulismΒ love that you're commenting from phone while asking about mobile support!
PopTask is Mac only for now, but let's just say mobile is something i'm very actively thinking about for the next version, stay tuned π
Features.Vote
the "mtg w team mon wed fri 9am" example sold me, that's exactly the friction point, most task tools make you format your thoughts before they'll accept them.
does it handle recurring patterns from freeform input? like if i type "standup every weekday 9am" does it set up a repeat automatically?
PopTask
heyy @gabrielpinedaΒ ππ½ thanks mate!! honestly that was the idea, MAKE IT QUICK AND FAST IN ANYWAY
and yes, it does! "standup every weekday 9am" will automatically detect the recurrence and set it up for you .. daily, weekly, weekdays, monthly all work from natural input, exactly the kind of thing you shouldn't have to think about when adding a task
PopTask
also, it detects your weekdays according to the region .. as we, middle eastern start our week on sunday :') so it will start from sunday to thursday
Clipboard Canvas v2.0
Looks solid for quick task entry, but I'm curious about how well it handles context. What happens with tasks that require follow-ups or details?
PopTask
heyy @trydoffΒ ππ½ you can add notes to any task for extra context, and the AI breakdown button splits it into clear steps .. and for now, follow-ups are just new tasks, you type "follow up with xyz on fri" and it schedules it instantly
but yes, gonna add this too in the next version ππ½
Since the task data is just a local JSON file on the Mac, have you thought about documenting the format so people can pipe tasks in from scripts? Something like `echo task | poptask add` from the terminal. Keeps the no-cloud thing going and opens it up to the developer crowd without touching the main UI.
PopTask
heyy @juelzΒ ππ½ yeah this is actually on the list, the json format is pretty simple right now, just title, due date, recurrence, and subtasks .. a CLI tool that writes directly to the file and triggers a refresh would be totally doable π―
The "just type whatever and it figures it out" approach is underrated. I've been building a focus timer app and the biggest UX lesson I keep learning is that fewer inputs = more people actually use it. Does the on-device AI handle stuff like "call dentist sometime next week" or is it more structured than that?
PopTask
@thenomadcodeΒ yeaa, thatβs something iβm trying to keep in mind while building this too, fewer inputs usually means people actually use the app cuz it's easy
PopTask tries to handle both messy and structured inputs, if you type something vague like βcall dentist sometime next weekβ it understands the context but wonβt force a specific time
but if you write something clearer like βcall dentist next wed 3ishβ then it can schedule it automatically
the goal is just to let people type naturally and only structure things when thereβs enough info