Task Sorter

Task Sorter plugin for Obsidian

The plugin physically reorders the checklist under your cursor by priority and due date — right-click, pick "Sort task block at cursor", and the lines actually move in the note.

Unlike the Tasks plugin, which sorts virtually inside a query block, this one rewrites the list itself, so the order survives outside of any query. The emoji syntax is the same one Tasks uses, so both plugins work on the same notes.

Features

Sorts only the block you are standing in

The contiguous run of checklist items around the cursor is sorted; a blank line or any other line ends the block. The rest of the note is never touched.

Priority first, due date second

🔺 → ⏫ → 🔼 → no priority → 🔽 → ⏬, then 📅 YYYY-MM-DD ascending within each tier. Tasks with no due date come after the dated ones, and equal tasks keep their original order.

- [ ] Write the README
- [ ] Ship v1 🔺 📅 2026-08-20
- [ ] Reply to email 🔼
- [ ] Water the plants 🔽
- [ ] Buy milk ⏫

becomes

- [ ] Ship v1 🔺 📅 2026-08-20
- [ ] Buy milk ⏫
- [ ] Reply to email 🔼
- [ ] Write the README
- [ ] Water the plants 🔽

The cursor stays where it was

After sorting, the cursor is still on the same task, at the same spot in the line — the list moves around it, so you can keep typing.

Sub-items travel with their parent

Indented lines below a task — notes, links, nested checkboxes — move together with it as one unit.

Special tasks go where you want them

For finished tasks (- [x]), in-progress ones (- [/]) and empty ones — an unfinished - [ ] with no text yet — you pick one of three behaviours in the plugin settings: sort them together with everything else, pin them to the top of the block, or pin them to the bottom. Out of the box finished and empty tasks go to the bottom, while in-progress ones are sorted along with the active tasks. Pinned tasks keep their order relative to each other and never break the list in two; any other status marker is always sorted as an ordinary active task.

Clearing out what's done

A second command, Remove completed tasks, deletes every - [x] of the block at the cursor along with its sub-items, leaving the unfinished ones untouched. It is in the right-click menu too, and only shows up when there is something to remove.

Installation

Manual

1. Download main.js and manifest.json from the latest release
2. Put them into <vault>/.obsidian/plugins/task-sorter/
3. Reload plugins and enable Task Sorter in Settings → Community plugins

BRAT

Install via BRAT: artem98/obsidian_tasks_sort

Usage

Put the cursor on a task and either right-click and choose Sort task block at cursor, or run the same command from the command palette. The menu entry only shows up when the cursor is on a task. The same goes for Remove completed tasks, which throws away the finished items of that block.

Configure Obsidian hotkeys

1. Open Obsidian Settings
2. Go to Hotkeys
3. Filter "Task Sorter" and you should see both commands
4. Click on + icon and press hotkey (e.g. ⌘ + Shift + S)

Ideas and issues

Got an idea, a suggestion, or something that doesn't work? Feel free to open an issue — bug reports and feature requests are equally welcome.

Development

npm install
npm run dev    # watch build
npm run build  # type-check + production bundle
npm run lint
npm test       # unit tests for the sorting logic

Copy main.js and manifest.json into <vault>/.obsidian/plugins/task-sorter/ and reload the plugin to test a build.

License

MIT

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If the plugin saves you a bit of time, you can buy me a coffee. Entirely optional.