Todobar

Todobar is a native dockable todo sidebar for macOS and Windows, with an Android companion APK now building from the same product direction. It stays out of the way as a small edge handle, opens into a clean task panel, and is built for fast capture while you work in other apps.

The app is early, but the foundation is real: Tauri v2, React, local persisted tasks, reminders, custom in-app reminder toasts, global shortcuts, autostart, single-instance behavior, and release automation for Windows, macOS, and Android.

Why

Most todo apps are full windows. Todobar is designed as a desktop utility:

• always reachable from the edge of the screen
• fast enough for one-line capture
• clean enough to leave visible during focused work
• local-first by default
• ready for future AI and MCP integrations without making AI mandatory

Current Features

• Dockable native sidebar for Windows and macOS
• Right, left, and wider top dock placement modes
• Small draggable handle that opens and closes the panel
• Global shortcut: Alt + T, with Alt + Shift + T as a fallback
• Native tray/menu-bar control for open, settings, and quit
• Autostart on system login
• Single-instance desktop behavior
• Always-on-top frameless window
• Click-through transparent area outside the handle and open panel
• Compact icon command rail for Today, Calendar, Lists, and setup
• Planning status strip with today's progress, open task count, and list count
• Today tasks
• Real calendar view with month navigation, selected-day capture, and scheduled task and event actions
• Custom task lists
• Pin custom lists onto Today as goal groups
• Add, edit, complete, prioritize, collapse, and delete tasks
• Rename and delete custom lists
• Add reminder times while capturing tasks
• Quick reminder cycling on existing tasks
• Clean icon rail for Today, Calendar, Lists, and Settings
• Custom Todobar reminder toasts that appear inside the overlay instead of the operating system notification tray
• 10-minute snooze from reminder toasts
• Optional completed-task visibility
• Local persistence through browser storage
• Light and dark modes with matching mode-specific theme presets
• Custom theme dropdown with five matching light presets and five matching dark presets
• Optional custom backdrop image with strength, dim, and blur controls
• Custom backdrop images also texture the visible edge tab/native dock surface
• Optional hover-only visible tab mode for a quieter desktop edge
• Theme-matched custom scrollbars in the sidebar and settings surfaces
• Rearrange Today, Calendar, and Lists from settings
• Collapse settings groups while tuning the sidebar, with the open/closed state remembered locally
• Gmail read-only connector foundation is implemented in code but hidden from the product UI until Google OAuth verification and a public rollout plan are ready.
• Adjustable panel width, visible tab size, handle height, edge position, motion speed, corner radius, task sort mode, task row height, task spacing, task text size, completed-task visibility, launch-at-login, notifications, and surface opacity
• Responsive sizing for different monitor heights and widths
• Native Android companion with a floating edge bubble, Today, Calendar, Lists, Settings, local tasks, reminders, and matching English product language

Platform Status

Platform	Status	Notes
Windows	Working	Built locally and in GitHub Actions. Release includes .exe and .msi.
macOS Apple Silicon	Built in CI	Release includes .dmg. Unsigned until Apple signing is configured.
macOS Intel	Built in CI	Release includes .dmg. Unsigned until Apple signing is configured.
Android	Companion APK	Release includes an installable .apk. Overlay permission is required for the floating bubble.

Verification Status

The current main branch is checked by GitHub Actions on Windows and macOS. The release process publishes platform artifacts only after those workflows pass.

What is verified:

• TypeScript and Vite production build
• ESLint
• Project consistency checks for versions, docs links, scripts, and workflows
• Playwright sidebar smoke test
• Responsive sidebar layout checks for desktop, narrow, and short viewports
• Rust check
• Tauri no-bundle native build smoke test
• Android release APK build

What is not fully verified yet:

• Physical macOS QA on real hardware
• Windows certificate signing and Apple notarization
• Signed auto-update
• Full keyboard/accessibility pass

Roadmap

Todobar is planned in product layers:

• Version 0: dockable planner with local Today, Calendar, custom lists, launch-at-login, global shortcut, tray/menu-bar control, and responsive native shell.
• Version 1: better planner with editable tasks, undo, reminders, notifications, recurring tasks, keyboard-first triage, SQLite storage, and import/export.
• Version 2: assistant layer with AI suggestions, task splitting, Today planning, source/confidence display, approval flow, and audit log.
• Version 3: MCP/context connectors for local files, GitHub, Gmail, calendar, Notion/docs, and issue trackers.
• Companion manager: a larger settings/planning window for connectors, notification rules, provider setup, bulk editing, backups, and assistant history.

The detailed plan lives in Product vision and Roadmap.

Install

Download the latest Windows, macOS, or Android build from GitHub Releases.

Current stable release: v0.1.14.

Windows:

• Prefer Todobar_<version>_x64-setup.exe for a normal installer.
• Use Todobar_<version>_x64_en-US.msi for MSI-based install flows.

macOS:

• Use Todobar_<version>_aarch64.dmg on Apple Silicon Macs.
• Use Todobar_<version>_x64.dmg on Intel Macs.

macOS builds from public CI are currently unsigned until code signing and notarization certificates are configured. You may need to right-click the app and choose Open.

Android:

• Use todobar-android-v<version>.apk.
• Android will ask for overlay permission so the floating sidebar bubble can appear above other apps.
• The Android app is a native companion and is being aligned with the desktop experience over time.

Usage

• Click the edge handle to open or close Todobar.
• Drag the handle along its docked edge to change its position.
• Press Alt + T to toggle it from any app.
• If that shortcut is already owned by another app, use Alt + Shift + T.
• Use the tray/menu-bar icon to toggle Todobar, open settings, or quit.
• Press Esc to close the panel.
• Use the command rail to jump between Today, Calendar, Lists, and setup without turning the sidebar into a full dashboard.
• Use the settings button to adjust appearance, dock edge, desktop startup, window size, handle shape, task density, sorting, backdrop image, motion, radius, and opacity.

Gmail Integration Status

Gmail is implemented as a production-minded foundation, not as a frontend placeholder, but it is currently hidden from the normal Todobar UI:

• Primary path: direct Gmail API OAuth, not MCP.
• Scope: https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.readonly.
• Current reads: recent unread Inbox threads only.
• Current actions: convert a selected suggestion into a local Todobar task, open the original Gmail thread, or ignore the suggestion locally.
• Not implemented: sending email, composing drafts, deleting email, archiving, labeling, or mutating Gmail in any way.
• Token storage: native OS credential store only. Windows uses Credential Manager. macOS uses Keychain. OAuth tokens are never stored in frontend localStorage.
• Browser preview uses mock connector state for tests and design QA only.

Normal users should not need a Google Cloud project. Maintainers of public builds still need to configure and verify the Google OAuth client before publishing a Gmail-enabled release. Until then, Gmail remains an internal foundation rather than a visible product feature.

Data and Privacy

Todobar is local-first in this prototype. Task data and settings are stored in local browser storage inside the app webview. Gmail-derived tasks stay local in the same task store. There is no analytics layer and no general network sync.

When Gmail is connected, Todobar uses the Gmail API only for the read-only connector features listed above. Every Gmail read performed by the UI is shown in the connector activity area. Disconnecting Gmail removes the stored OAuth token from the native OS credential store.

Future AI and MCP features should stay optional, permissioned, and visible. The core task app must remain useful without AI.

Development

Requirements:

• Node.js LTS
• Rust stable
• Platform prerequisites for Tauri v2

Install dependencies:

npm install

Run the web preview:

npm run dev

Run the native desktop app:

npm run tauri:dev

For local Gmail OAuth testing, provide a Google OAuth desktop client ID to the native process:

$env:TODOBAR_GMAIL_CLIENT_ID="your-client-id.apps.googleusercontent.com"
npm run tauri:dev

If your OAuth client requires a secret, keep it in the native environment only:

$env:TODOBAR_GMAIL_CLIENT_SECRET="your-client-secret"

Do not put OAuth secrets in React code, static assets, or browser storage.

Build the app locally:

npm run tauri:build

Validate the project:

npm run verify
npm run build
npm run lint
npm run test:smoke
npm run test:native
cargo check --manifest-path src-tauri/Cargo.toml

Build the Android APK locally:

cd android
.\gradlew.bat assembleRelease

npm run test:smoke runs a browser smoke test against the Vite preview. If Chromium is missing locally, run npx playwright install chromium once.

npm run test:native runs a no-bundle Tauri release build. It validates the native desktop shell without creating installers.

Release Builds

The repository includes GitHub Actions workflows:

• ci.yml checks TypeScript, linting, browser smoke tests, Rust, and no-bundle native Tauri builds on Windows and macOS.
• release.yml builds release artifacts for:
  • Windows
  • macOS Apple Silicon
  • macOS Intel
• android.yml builds an Android release APK and attaches it to version releases.

Create a release by pushing a version tag:

git tag vX.Y.Z
git push origin vX.Y.Z

Before tagging, bump the version in package.json, package-lock.json, src-tauri/Cargo.toml, src-tauri/Cargo.lock, src-tauri/tauri.conf.json, and android/app/build.gradle.kts.

The Tauri release workflow uploads the platform installers to GitHub Releases.

Current release workflow output:

• Windows setup .exe
• Windows .msi
• macOS Apple Silicon .dmg
• macOS Intel .dmg
• macOS .app.tar.gz archives
• Android .apk

Architecture

Todobar uses:

• React + TypeScript for the UI
• Tauri v2 for native desktop APIs
• @tauri-apps/plugin-global-shortcut for the open/close shortcut
• @tauri-apps/plugin-autostart for launch-at-login
• Tauri tray/menu-bar APIs for desktop control while the window is skipped from the taskbar
• tauri-plugin-single-instance to prevent duplicate sidebars
• local browser storage for the current prototype task store

Native window behavior is intentionally kept in a small layer:

• the Tauri window is positioned per dock edge
• the visible tab remains docked to the chosen screen edge
• transparent regions pass clicks through to the app behind Todobar
• panel width is clamped so it still fits on narrow monitors

The long-term architecture keeps native integrations behind adapters so the UI can stay portable while desktop capabilities remain explicit and permissioned.

Open Source

Todobar is licensed under the Apache License 2.0.

Roadmap and release follow-ups are kept in the docs so the public issue tracker stays focused on real user reports:

• physical macOS QA
• Windows signing and macOS notarization
• signed auto-update channel
• keyboard and accessibility hardening

Contributions are welcome, especially around:

• Windows and macOS edge-window behavior
• accessibility and keyboard-first task flows
• local-first data storage
• release signing and auto-update
• MCP connector design
• AI planning UX with strong privacy boundaries

Documentation

Planning and research notes live in docs/.

Useful starting points:

• Architecture
• Gmail integration
• Product vision
• UI direction
• Platform support
• Release verification
• Roadmap
• Native test matrix
• Security model
• Open source plan