Launched this week
PopTask
Light menu bar task manager for quickly capturing tasks
506 followers
Light menu bar task manager for quickly capturing tasks
506 followers
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.
PopTask
@lilhadi 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 @rohanrecommends 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
@rohanrecommends @lilhadi 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
@apparentforgmail heyy jared, i just fixed it .. apologies for that 🙏🏽
@lilhadi 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_paliwal 👋🏽 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" 🙌🏽
Apparent for Gmail
Upvoted and downloaded! Will see how it goes.
Do you see the possibility of integrating this with other task managers? One bane of them is not having something "universal" that connects through systems/platforms to keep things truly organized.
PopTask
@apparentforgmail thanks 🙌🏽 really appreciate the download and upvote!
integrations are definitely on my list, things like syncing with Apple reminders would make PopTask way more powerful as a universal capture layer .. not in the current version but it's a direction i find really interesting, would love to know which task manager you're coming from, might help me prioritize what to build first!
Apparent for Gmail
@lilhadi I use Apple Reminders, but through GoodTask, which is basically just a wrapper on Reminders. Got to be honest, I hate how Apple Reminders functions, but love that its private, no-cost, and syncs between everything.
PopTask
that's actually a perfect use case .. PopTask could work as the fast capture layer on top of Apple Reminders, you type naturally and it pushes straight to Reminders which then syncs everywhere, that's exactly the kind of integration i want to build .. noted!
@lilhadi Does it offer MCP integration?
I think it would be great if I could use the cli tool to break down tasks for myself during my daily development process.
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_deryckere1 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 💯 once i go live with focus mode)
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
@thenomadcode yeaa, that’s something i’m 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 “call dentist sometime next week” it understands the context but won’t force a specific time
but if you write something clearer like “call dentist next wed 3ish” then it can schedule it automatically
the goal is just to let people type naturally and only structure things when there’s enough info
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 @dannygreer 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 💯
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!
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 @trydoff 👋🏽 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 🙌🏽
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 can’t afford to get distracted.
PopTask
@mykyta_semenov_ heyy .. no voice mode right now, but macOS dictation works in the text field if you want to try it in the meantime