Feature Manual
An exhaustive tracker of every single feature, shortcut, and hidden trick within OliTick.
Capturing Tasks
To capture a new task, type it into the focused capture bar at the top of your dashboard and press Enter. You can assign labels on the fly by typing a hashtag (e.g., #Work) directly in the text — completely optional. You can always manage labels afterwards by opening the Edit dialog.
Editing a Task
Click the pencil icon on any task card (or swipe left on mobile and tap Edit) to open the full task editor. On desktop it appears as a focused modal; on mobile it slides up as a full-height bottom sheet.
From here you can update the task title, add or remove labels, write a rich Markdown comment, and manage the full sub-task checklist. All changes are saved when you click Save Changes.
Markdown Support
When writing task descriptions or comments, you can use standard Markdown to format your text. Support includes **bold**, *italics*, `inline code`, and even [links](https://olitick.com).
Top of Pile (Priority Bucket)
Any task tagged with the Top of Pile label is treated with absolute priority. This acts as your personal "do it now" bucket. The system will always force the Top of Pile label to appear at the very start of your dashboard, ensuring those critical tasks are the first things you see when you log in.
Fast Capture: When typing out a new task, you can simply use the #top shortcut. It will automatically be converted into the full Top of Pile label!
Sub-Tasks
Open the Edit dialog on any task (pencil icon, or swipe left → Edit on mobile). In the sub-tasks section at the bottom, you can add as many sub-tasks as you need to break down a larger project. You can also tick sub-tasks off directly from your dashboard without opening the editor.
Fast Sub-Task Creation:
• Direct Input: Type or paste a list of items separated by commas (e.g., Subtask A, Subtask B, Subtask C) or on new lines directly into the "Add a concrete next action..." input field. By default they are added as one sub-task. Toggle the Split by commas/newlines checkbox to split them into individual items before pressing Enter or clicking Add.
• Comment Extraction: If you type or paste a list into the comment box, highlight the text — an Extract to Sub-tasks button will appear above your selection, instantly converting the highlighted lines into checklist items.
Copy Task to Clipboard
Click the copy icon (two overlapping rectangles) on any task card to instantly copy its full title, custom tags, rich-text comments, and subtask checklists (with checkmarks indicating completion state) to your system clipboard in clean Markdown format. This makes it effortless to share action items via email, Slack, or notes.
Tap a Label to Filter
Every label badge on a task card is an interactive shortcut. Click or tap any label to instantly activate it as a filter — the list will narrow to only tasks sharing that label and the label will highlight in the sidebar filter bar.
Tap the same label again (on the card or in the sidebar) to deactivate it and return to the full list. You can combine multiple label taps to create an AND filter — only tasks carrying all selected labels will be shown.
On mobile, this is the fastest way to jump to a label view without opening the sidebar — just tap the badge directly on the card.
Deleting vs Releasing
Deleting a task (using the trash icon) permanently destroys it from your database as if it never existed. This should only be used for mistakes or totally abandoned ideas.
Releasing a task is the core philosophy of OliTick. When you check off a task, it turns green but stays visibly on your list to remind you of your momentum. Once you are ready to "release your mind" and clear the board, click the emerald green pulsating Release button at the top of your dashboard (which features a handy tooltip for first-time users). This triggers a clean, frosted "mind like water" popup. Released tasks are removed from your active view and permanently archived into your personal Analytics history.
Label Colour Guide
Every label badge in OliTick is colour-coded so you can understand its nature at a glance — without even reading it.
Top of Pile
The system recognizes the Top of Pile label and automatically pins it to the very start of your label suggestions for quick access. (Note: typing the shortcut #top when capturing a task will automatically convert into this label.)
Waiting
Tasks scheduled for the future (like #tomorrow or #12/05) are hidden from your main view to keep your mind clear. However, they are automatically tagged with the Waiting label. Selecting the "Waiting" label filter on your dashboard will temporarily override the future-hiding logic, revealing all your hibernating future tasks.
Recurring
Tasks containing #weekly or #monthly are automatically assigned the Recurring label. Just like the "Waiting" label, selecting "Recurring" in your filter will reveal these special tasks even if they are currently hibernating. Both share the same amber colour to signal they are date-aware System Labels.
Today
While not mechanically hardcoded, Today is the default fallback label used by the Focus Mode feature (the F key). We highly recommend creating a "Today" label to represent your immediate priorities!
Dynamic Label Cloud (Adaptive Sizing)
Click the Cloud icon in the Focus Labels header to toggle Dynamic Word Cloud mode. Labels scale in font size and visual prominence based on how often you filter with them, while rarely used labels rest at gentle 75% opacity. Hovering over any faded label restores full 100% opacity and displays a usage counter tooltip. You can switch back to standard uniform pills anytime, or visit Settings > Dynamic Label Cloud to reset your sizing history.
Focus Mode Toggle (The F-Key)
Right-click any label on your dashboard to instantly set it as your target. From then on, simply press the F key to instantly toggle between your full list and your targeted focus label.
Custom Ordering (Drag & Drop)
At the top left of your list, click the sorting dropdown and select "My Custom Order". A drag-handle (three horizontal lines) will appear next to every task, allowing you to drag and drop them into the exact order you want.
Shift + Click (Isolate Label)
Normally, clicking multiple labels in your filter bar will select them all to combine filters. If you hold Shift and click a label, it will instantly clear all other selections and isolate only that specific label.
Finding a Buried Task (Search)
A search box lives at the bottom of the left sidebar, right underneath the Sorting controls. Type anything and it instantly searches your task's title, comment, labels, and sub-tasks.
Search looks everywhere, on purpose. Unlike the label filters and the Hide Done / Hide Shared switches above it, search ignores all of them — it will surface completed tasks, hibernating "Waiting" or "Recurring" tasks, and anything hidden by your current label filters. The goal is to always find the task you're looking for, no matter how it's currently being filtered out of view.
Advanced syntax:
• Combine words (AND): gym call mum only shows tasks containing both "gym" and "call mum".
• Exclude a word: put a minus sign directly in front of it, e.g. gym -morning finds "gym" tasks but hides any that also mention "morning".
• Exact phrase: wrap words in quotes, e.g. "monthly report" matches that exact phrase rather than the two words separately. You can also exclude a phrase with -"monthly report".
Click the small info icon next to "Find a Task" for a quick reminder of this syntax, or the × inside the search field to clear it and return to your normal filtered view.
Zen Mode & Compact View
Zen Mode (activated via the switch in the main dashboard header) completely hides your sidebar and centers your task list to eliminate visual distractions.
When Zen Mode is active, a new control bar appears at the top of your list. From here, you can activate Compact Mode. This drastically reduces UI padding, hides comments and sub-tasks, and shrinks text. It is incredibly useful when combined with Custom Ordering, allowing you to see and organize a massive list of tasks on a single screen without scrolling!
Mobile: Swipe-to-Reveal Actions
On a phone or tablet, the action buttons (edit, delete, etc.) are hidden by default to keep cards compact and readable. To reveal them, swipe the card to the left. Four colour-coded buttons will slide in from the right edge:
• Save — saves the task as a reusable template blueprint.
• Edit — opens the full Edit Task dialog.
• Copy — copies the task to your clipboard in Markdown format.
• Delete — permanently deletes the task (with confirmation).
Swipe right, or tap anywhere on the card body, to dismiss the action panel without doing anything.
Creating Multiple Labels
When capturing a new task, you can add as many labels as you want simply by typing them. For example, typing `Buy Milk #groceries #errands` will instantly create the task and assign both labels.
Note on Focus Mode: If you select multiple labels in your dashboard's Focus Mode, it acts as an AND filter. This means it will only show tasks that contain all of the selected labels (e.g., tasks tagged with BOTH `#groceries` AND `#errands`), helping you drill down to highly specific intersections.
Eisenhower Matrix Workspace
Access the Eisenhower Matrix View from the main navigation menu to organize tasks visually using the classic urgency-importance framework.
The matrix divides your inbox into four quadrants:
• Do (Important & Urgent): Tasks that require immediate crisis-level focus.
• Schedule (Important & Not Urgent): The highly productive "Focus Zone" to work calmly on items before they become crises.
• Delegate (Not Important & Urgent): Deferrable tasks that can be automated or assigned to others.
• Eliminate (Not Important & Not Urgent): Distractions that should be purged.
How to prioritize: Simply drag tasks from your inbox container and drop them directly into the appropriate zones, then click Apply Quadrants to automatically update task labels and sync them instantly to your main active list.
Boomerang Engine (Guilt-Free Recurring)
Because OliTick doesn't use due-dates, we rely on "Boomerangs". When you create a task, add `#daily`, `#weekly`, or `#monthly` to the description.
Take out trash #weekly #thursday will defer the task so it remains hidden until the upcoming Thursday. Once you complete it on that Thursday, the weekly boomerang takes over and it will reappear exactly 7 days later.Hard-Coded Due Dates & Deferred Starts
Because OliTick firmly believes that artificial due dates cause "alert fatigue" and guilt, the platform has actively stripped away traditional deadline inputs. We believe true penalty-bound deadlines belong on a real Calendar app.
However, if you absolutely must defer a task or note a deadline, you can manually hard-code a start date by typing exactly #DD/MM (e.g., `#15/10`), #tomorrow, or a specific day of the week like #wednesday anywhere in your description. The task will instantly hibernate in your "Waiting" bucket. All deferred tasks wake up at 00:00:00 (midnight) on their target date and appear in your Morning Briefing banner at the top of your dashboard, where you can click "Add to Today" to pull them into your active priorities.
Universal Integration: These scheduling tags work universally! They are processed automatically on the server, meaning that whether you add tasks via the web dashboard, speak them to Siri, or capture them remotely through your AI assistant of choice (like ChatGPT or Claude), your due dates and Boomerang recurring rules will schedule perfectly out-of-the-box.
We highly advise using this sparingly, as it violates the core Eisenhower philosophy: manage your workload today, don't kick it into your future.
Templates Vault & Task Blueprints
Templates (or task blueprints) let you save recurring workflows or multi-step checklists so you can reuse them at any time without recreating them from scratch.
• Saving a Blueprint: Click the bookmark icon () next to any active task on your dashboard to save it as a template. This saves the task title, description, comment, labels, and all checklist subtasks. All subtasks are automatically reset so they start unchecked in your new template.
• The Templates Vault: Access your saved templates by clicking the templates button in the dashboard header (or visiting /dashboard/templates).
• Editing and Customizing: Click the edit pencil on any template inside the Vault to edit it in full. You can update its description, labels, and subtask checklist item text directly. If you have a Pro subscription, you can also use the AI Auto-Breakdown (Sparkle) tool to build out complete checklists.
• Spawning Tasks: Click the spawn button (the play icon) on any template card in the Vault to instantly create a fresh, active copy of the task on your live dashboard. Any custom labels on the template are automatically synced to your dashboard tags.
Collaborative Workspaces
Any label can be promoted into a secure, real-time collaborative workspace at any time — directly from its chip on a task card. No need to decide at creation time.
How to Setup a Shared Space:
- Promote a Label: On any task card, hover over a label chip for about 2 seconds (desktop) — a small purple
⋯dot will appear. Click it to open the per-label options menu. On mobile the dot is always visible; simply tap it. - Make Shared: Select Make Shared Label from the menu. A confirmation dialog will appear naming the label — confirm with Yes, Make Shared. OliTick creates the collaborative workspace in real time. (Requires OliTick Pro. If the label is already shared, you will see Manage in Settings instead.)
- Get the Invite Code: Click the Gear icon on your navigation bar to go to Settings. Scroll down to the Shared Labels section under Workspace Maintenance.
- Copy & Share: Under your shared labels catalog, click Copy Invite Code. Pass this unique key securely to friends, family, or colleagues.
- Join the Space: The invitee opens their Settings > Shared Labels panel, pastes the code under Join a Workspace, and clicks Verify & Join.
💡 Real-time Syncing: Once linked, any updates, comment additions, subtask adjustments, or state completions made by either collaborator are synced instantly across both active dashboards. Access can be revoked entirely at any time by the owner by deleting the shared label from their Settings panel.
Auto-Breakdown (Sparkle)
When creating a massive task (e.g., "Build a new landing page"), click the Sparkle button in the input field. Our AI model will analyze your prompt and instantly split it into bite-sized, actionable sub-tasks before adding them to your list.
Siri Integration API
In your settings, Pro users (including the 7-day trial) can generate a unique API key that hooks effortlessly into Apple Shortcuts. This allows you to say "Hey Siri, tell OliTick I need to buy milk" and have it instantly appear in your dashboard. If your trial ends without upgrading, connected assistants will tell you an upgrade is needed; upgrade and the same connection works again straight away.
Read the Siri and AI Integration Guide →
Custom GPT & AI Assistant Sync
Pro users (including the 7-day trial) can sync their workspace directly with Custom ChatGPT Assistants, Claude (web, desktop and iPhone) or Gemini. This unlocks a bi-directional workflow where your AI of choice can read your pending tasks, update completion statuses, add comments or sub-tasks, and capture new scheduled tasks during natural brainstorming sessions.
Real examples: ask Claude each morning to read your emails and add anything actionable as tasks with sub-tasks; keep a running list like Deliveries up to date; or use voice mode in the car to capture a task and review it later at your desk.
To set this up, go to Settings > External Integrations and select ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini. Copy the provided schema or configuration to link your live database in minutes.
Claude & Model Context Protocol (MCP)
OliTick includes native support for Anthropic's Model Context Protocol (MCP), letting Claude directly view, create, organize, and update your tasks in real-time.
Remote / Mobile MCP (Claude on iPhone, iPad & Web)
Connect Claude on your mobile device or web browser directly to OliTick's cloud server over secure Server-Sent Events (SSE). No terminal commands or running Mac required.
Because the Claude iOS app inherits MCP connections from your account, you must configure the connector on the Claude Web version (claude.ai) first:
- Log in to claude.ai and go to Customize (or Account Settings).
- Click on Connectors.
- Select Add Custom Connector.
- Provide your hosted MCP URL containing your Personal Access Token:
https://www.olitick.com/api/mcp?apiKey=YOUR_API_KEY - Adjust the permissions as required (grant permissions so Claude can view, capture, and update tasks).
✨ Once saved, open the Claude app on your iPhone — the OliTick connector will be active and ready to use in your chats!
How your assistant handles your list
- It reads a task before editing it, so ticked sub-tasks stay ticked and nothing is overwritten by accident.
- It reuses your existing labels (matching ignores capital letters) and won't invent near-duplicates.
- Checklists go into sub-tasks; notes and links go into the comment.
- Hashtags work when it captures tasks:
#tomorrow,#friday,#25-12,#daily,#weekly,#monthly. - Recurring tasks come back on schedule whether you tick them in the app or your assistant does, and only once.
- ChatGPT, Copilot and Claude all follow the same rules, so switching assistant never changes how your list is handled.
- Tasks it creates carry the MCP label so you can see what it added.
Local Claude Desktop (Mac)
If using the desktop Claude app on your Mac, you can also run the local olitick-mcp package via stdio.
Find the copy-pasteable JSON configuration for both setups under the Claude tab in Settings > External Integrations.
Microsoft Copilot (M365 & Copilot Studio) & GitHub Copilot
OliTick integrates seamlessly with the Microsoft Copilot ecosystem — including Microsoft 365 Copilot, Copilot Studio, and GitHub Copilot in VS Code.
Microsoft 365 Copilot & Copilot Studio
In corporate or enterprise environments using Microsoft 365 Copilot (Teams, Word, Outlook):
- Open Microsoft Copilot Studio (
copilotstudio.microsoft.com) and navigate to Plugins / Actions > Add an Action. - Select OpenAPI / REST Connector and provide the server URL:
https://www.olitick.com/api(you can copy the full OpenAPI YAML schema directly from Settings > External Integrations > ChatGPT). - Under Authentication, select API Key (Bearer) and paste your Personal Access Token from Settings.
- Publish the action to your M365 Copilot. You can now chat in Microsoft Teams or Outlook: "Copilot, create a task in OliTick to prepare quarterly report #friday" or "List my pending tasks from OliTick".
GitHub Copilot (VS Code & Visual Studio)
Developers can connect GitHub Copilot directly via our Hosted MCP Server by adding this block to their .vscode/mcp.json or VS Code settings:
{
"mcpServers": {
"olitick": {
"url": "https://www.olitick.com/api/mcp",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
}
}
}
}Ask GitHub Copilot in the chat window: "Find all TODOs in this repo and capture them to OliTick" or "What tasks am I working on today?".
AI Task Planning Workspace
Access a dedicated workspace where you can collaborate directly with our AI to brainstorm, structure, and plan your tasks. The AI can help you analyze your current workload, prioritize effectively, and draft out complex projects into manageable steps before they even hit your dashboard.
Accessing Your Dashboard
Access your personal Task Analytics by clicking the Bar Chart icon located at the top right of your main dashboard. This portal gives you a deep, private look into your historic performance across the platform.
Deep Data Views
Clicking the metric cards at the top of the page unlocks granular breakdowns. Click To Do to see pending task aging and your most-used labels. Click Completed to view an accomplishment log of your recent task clears.
Global Productivity Benchmarks
The analytics suite analyzes your focus habits (such as average task release time and peak productive days) and compares them anonymously against the global OliTick network. This dynamically calculates if you are a "Quick Win" executor or a "Long Term Planner", compared to the platform average!
Hints & FAQs
Click the OliTick Logo at the top left of your main dashboard at any time to instantly open the Hints & FAQs page. This is a searchable database filled with quick tips to help you get the most out of the platform.
The Expert Guide
The ultimate masterclass on the Eisenhower framework and the philosophical "Why" behind OliTick. You can access the Expert Guide directly from the top of your main dashboard (next to the title), or at any time from your Settings page under Mindful Purging.
Workspace Maintenance & Database Purging
Regular maintenance keeps your workspace fast, focused, and free of database clutter. Access the following database tools from your Workspace Maintenance (Settings) page:
• Mindful Purging (Purge Unused Labels): Automatically analyzes your database to identify and permanently delete virtual labels that are no longer attached to any active tasks. This keeps your quick hashtag autocomplete suggestions clean and responsive.
• CSV Backup & Import (Pro): Export your entire task, comment, recurrence, and subtask history to a standard CSV file for secure backups. You can also re-import your CSV backups at any time to restore your history.
• Absolute Wipe (Danger Zone): Permanently clears all active tasks, released task archives, and labels from your account to give you a completely fresh, empty canvas to rebuild your productivity.