Query TODO

Flexible summaries of inline TODOs (to-do) with JSON-based query configs on filtering, sorting and grouping per summary note.

NOTE: This plugin is in early stage and should be considered alpha quality.

Features

• Write inline TODOs anywhere in your notes using markdown checkbox syntax
• Query-based summaries with JSON configuration for advanced filtering
• Multi-level sorting and grouping with custom sort orders
• Customizable entry format with template placeholders

Installation

Recommended method:

1. Go to Tools -> Options -> Plugins (macOS: Joplin -> Preferences -> Plugins)
2. Search for "Query TODO"
3. Click Install and restart Joplin
4. Create a query summary note: Tools -> Create Query summary note

Alternative method: Download *.jpl from Releases and install it from Joplin Tools -> Options -> Plugins, install from file and select this jpl file.

Quick Start

Basic TODO Format

Write inline TODO entries everywhere you want using the style like:

- [ ] @category +tag1 +tag2 //2026-02-15 Your TODO text here

Components:

• @category - Single category (optional)
• +tag - Multiple tags (optional)
• //YYYY-MM-DD - Due date (optional)
• Checkbox state: [ ] = open, [x] = done

Query Summary Note

Create with Tools -> Create Query summary note:

```json:query-summary
{
  "query": {
    "AND": [
      {"CATEGORY": "work"},
      {"STATUS": "open"}
    ]
  },
  "sortOptions": [
    {
      "sortLevel": "1",
      "sortBy": "category",
      "sortOrder": "ascend"
    }
  ],
  "groupLevel": 1,
  "entryFormat": "- {{{STATUS}}} {{{CATEGORY}}} {{{TAGS}}} {{{CONTENT}}} [link](:/{{{NOTE_ID}}})"
}
```

After reloading, the plugin will query your inline TODOs according to the config written in the json:query-summary block, and show the results above the block on this summary page (only for viewing, not editable).

Query Configuration

Query Types

Filter TODOs by:

• CATEGORY - Filter by category (@work, @personal, etc.)
• TAG - Filter by tag (+urgent, +important, etc.)
• STATUS - Filter by status (open, done)
• NOTE - Filter by note ID
  • Summary notes themselves are already excluded from TODO extraction to prevent self-referencing.
• NOTEBOOK - Filter by notebook ID (supports recursive: true)
• AND - All conditions must match
• OR - At least one condition must match

All queries support negated: true to invert the match.

Sorting

Sort by category, tag, date, or status with:

• ascend - Ascending order
• descend - Descending order
• custom - Custom order with sortOrderCustom: "val1,val2,val3"

Entry Format

Customize TODO display with placeholders:

• {{{STATUS}}} - [ ] or [x]
• {{{CATEGORY}}} - @category
• {{{TAGS}}} - +tag1 +tag2
• {{{DATE}}} - //YYYY-MM-DD
• {{{CONTENT}}} - TODO text
• {{{NOTE_ID}}} - Source note ID
• {{{NOTE_TITLE}}} - Source note title
• {{{NOTEBOOK}}} - Parent notebook name

Plugin Settings

Access via Tools -> Options -> Query TODO

• Apply styling to metalist style todos - Apply styling in the markdown renderer (Restart Required) (default: true)
• Force sync after summary note update - Important for data consistency (default: true)
• Refresh query summary notes when opening them - Auto-refresh on note selection (default: false)
• Auto-refresh query summary notes every N seconds - Periodic auto-refresh (default: 0 = disabled, max: 86400)

Examples

Filter work TODOs by priority

{
  "query": {
    "AND": [
      {"CATEGORY": "work"},
      {"STATUS": "open"}
    ]
  },
  "sortOptions": [
    {
      "sortLevel": "1",
      "sortBy": "tag",
      "sortOrder": "custom",
      "sortOrderCustom": "urgent,high,normal,low"
    }
  ],
  "groupLevel": 1
}

Show TODOs NOT from work

{
  "query": {
    "CATEGORY": "work",
    "negated": true
  }
}

Multi-level grouping

{
  "query": {"STATUS": "open"},
  "sortOptions": [
    {"sortLevel": "1", "sortBy": "category", "sortOrder": "ascend"},
    {"sortLevel": "2", "sortBy": "date", "sortOrder": "ascend"}
  ],
  "groupLevel": 2
}

Custom format with links

{
  "query": {"STATUS": "open"},
  "entryFormat": "[{{{CONTENT}}}](:/{{{NOTE_ID}}}) - {{{CATEGORY}}} {{{DATE}}}"
}

License

MIT

Credits and History

This plugin was originally a fork of Inline TODOs in terms of GitHub repo. It's been largely modified since then. Note that Query TODO is not a "plus" version of Inline TODOs, but a very different plugin.

This plugin has also been inspired by Inline Tag Navigator.

I created Query TODO because I spent days tweaking and switching between Inline TODOs and Inline Tag Navigator, and unfortunately neither suited my needs.