CLI Options

CLI Options

Command line options for TaskFlow.

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Basic Usage

taskflow [OPTIONS]

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Available Options

Help

taskflow --help
taskflow -h

Shows all available options.

Version

taskflow --version
taskflow -V

Shows version information.

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Storage Options

Backend Selection

taskflow --backend json
taskflow --backend yaml
taskflow --backend sqlite
taskflow --backend markdown

Override the configured storage backend.

Data Directory

taskflow --data-dir /path/to/data
taskflow -d ~/Dropbox/taskflow

Use a custom data directory.

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View Options

Start in Specific View

taskflow --view today
taskflow --view upcoming
taskflow --view all
taskflow --view overdue
taskflow --view calendar

Start with Filter

taskflow --filter "tag:work"
taskflow --filter "project:Home"
taskflow --filter "priority:high"

# Complex boolean filters
taskflow --filter "priority:high AND !status:done"
taskflow --filter "(tags:bug OR tags:urgent) AND project:backend"

# Date ranges
taskflow --filter "due:2025-01-01..2025-03-31"

# Numeric ranges
taskflow --filter "estimate:30..120"

See Views-and-Filtering#Advanced-Filter-DSL for complete filter DSL documentation.

Start with Search

taskflow --search "report"

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Quick Add

Add a task without entering the TUI:

taskflow --add "Buy groceries due:tomorrow #personal"
taskflow -a "Call mom @Personal !high"

Uses Quick-Add-Syntax for parsing.

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Configuration

Specify Config File

taskflow --config /path/to/config.toml
taskflow -c ~/.config/taskflow/work.toml

Ignore Config

taskflow --no-config

Start with default settings.

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Output Options

List Tasks (Non-Interactive)

taskflow --list
taskflow -l

Print tasks to stdout and exit.

List with Filter

taskflow --list --filter "due:today"
taskflow -l --filter "tag:urgent"

JSON Output

taskflow --list --json

Output tasks as JSON.

Quiet Mode

taskflow --quiet
taskflow -q

Suppress non-essential output.

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Import/Export

Export Data

taskflow --export tasks.csv
taskflow --export tasks.json
taskflow --export tasks.ics

Import Data

taskflow --import tasks.csv
taskflow --import calendar.ics

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Debugging

Verbose Output

taskflow --verbose
taskflow -v
taskflow -vv   # More verbose
taskflow -vvv  # Debug level

Log File

taskflow --log-file /tmp/taskflow.log

Dry Run

taskflow --dry-run --import tasks.csv

Preview import without making changes.

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Shell Completions

Generate shell completion scripts:

Bash

taskflow --completions bash > ~/.local/share/bash-completion/completions/taskflow

Zsh

taskflow --completions zsh > ~/.zfunc/_taskflow

Fish

taskflow --completions fish > ~/.config/fish/completions/taskflow.fish

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Examples

Quick Daily Workflow

# See today's tasks
taskflow --view today

# Add a quick task
taskflow -a "Review PR #work !high due:today"

# List overdue tasks
taskflow -l --filter "overdue"

Scripting

# Count pending tasks
taskflow --list --json | jq '.[] | select(.status=="todo")' | wc -l

# Export for backup
taskflow --export ~/backup/tasks-$(date +%Y%m%d).json

# Import from calendar
taskflow --import ~/calendar-export.ics

Multiple Profiles

# Work profile
alias tf-work='taskflow --config ~/.config/taskflow/work.toml'

# Personal profile
alias tf-home='taskflow --config ~/.config/taskflow/home.toml'

Portable Mode

# Run from USB drive
taskflow --data-dir /media/usb/taskflow --config /media/usb/taskflow/config.toml

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Option Summary

Option	Short	Description
--help	-h	Show help
--version	-V	Show version
--backend		Storage backend
--data-dir	-d	Data directory
--config	-c	Config file
--no-config		Use defaults
--view		Starting view
--filter		Apply filter
--search		Search query
--add	-a	Quick add task
--list	-l	List and exit
--json		JSON output
--quiet	-q	Quiet mode
--verbose	-v	Verbose output
--export		Export data
--import		Import data
--completions		Shell completions

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Environment Variables

Variable	Description
TASKFLOW_DATA_DIR	Data directory
TASKFLOW_CONFIG	Config file path
TASKFLOW_BACKEND	Storage backend
NO_COLOR	Disable colors
TERM	Terminal type

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See Also

• Installation - Installation guide
• Configuration - Config file options
• Quick-Add-Syntax - Task creation syntax
• Import-Export - Data import/export