Opal task manager
This is the counterpart to jade, where we track tasks.
Quick Start
First-time setup:
opal setup # Interactive setup wizard
opal setup --quick # Quick setup with defaults
Basic usage:
opal add "Buy groceries" +personal due:tomorrow
opal list
opal done 1
Syntax
opal [<filter>] [<command>] [<modifier>]
Filters the Task to run a command on. Adressing a set of subtasks.
opal +home -garden status:pending list - lists all tasks with the +home tag and status pending, but excludes +garden tags. This is a compound filter with implicit AND.
add - Creates a new task
done - Completes a task
list - Lists task
count - Counts number of tasks
Modifies atributes of tasks.
Task
A task has multiple atributes:
status - pending, completed, deleted, recurring
description - One line summary
start - the most recent time at which this task was started (a task with no start key is not active)
end - if present, the time at which this task was completed or deleted
due - Use a due date to specify the exact date by which a task must be completed.created - Time task created
schedueled - represents the earliest opportunity to work on a task. If a task has a scheduled date, then once that date passes, the task is considered ready. Tasks with no scheduled is considered always ready.
wait - a wait date for a task, which has the effect of hiding the task from you until that date.
until - the point at which to mark task as deleted. an expiration date.
Recurrence
A task can be recurring. Then we have a template task and instances of that task.
opal add Change sheets due:sun recur:1w - A task to be done every sunday.
A recurring task is given a status of recurring which hides it from view. The recurring task you create is called the template task, from which recurring tasks instances are created. So the template remains hidden, and the recurring instances that spawn from it are the tasks that you will see and complete.
Setup & Configuration
Interactive Setup Wizard
Run the setup wizard on first use or to reconfigure:
opal setup # Interactive wizard
opal setup --quick # Quick setup with defaults
opal setup --profile=server # Use server profile
opal setup --show-systemd # Show systemd service template
opal setup --show-env # Show environment file template
The wizard guides you through:
- Choosing a deployment profile (personal/server)
- Configuring storage directories
- Setting task management preferences
- Optional server configuration (OAuth/JWT)
- Optional sync setup
Storage
Configuration: ~/.config/opal/opal.yml (or $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/opal/opal.yml)
Database: ~/.local/share/opal/opal.db (or $XDG_DATA_HOME/opal/opal.db)
Customizing Storage Locations
Override default locations using environment variables or command-line flags:
Environment Variables:
OPAL_CONFIG_DIR- Override config directory locationOPAL_DATA_DIR- Override data directory locationOPAL_DB_PATH- Override database file path specificallyXDG_CONFIG_HOME- Standard XDG config directory (defaults to~/.config)XDG_DATA_HOME- Standard XDG data directory (defaults to~/.local/share)
Command-Line Flags:
opal --config-dir /custom/config --data-dir /custom/data list
Production Server Setup:
# Use system-wide paths for production
OPAL_CONFIG_DIR=/etc/opal OPAL_DATA_DIR=/var/lib/opal opal server start
Migrating from Old Paths
If you previously used ~/.config/jade/, you can migrate your data:
# Backup first (recommended)
cp -r ~/.config/jade ~/.config/jade.backup
# Create new directories
mkdir -p ~/.config/opal ~/.local/share/opal
# Copy config
cp ~/.config/jade/opal.yml ~/.config/opal/
# Move database and sync data
mv ~/.config/jade/opal.db ~/.local/share/opal/
mv ~/.config/jade/sync_*.* ~/.local/share/opal/ 2>/dev/null || true
# Test that everything works
opal list
# Remove old directory after confirming it works
rm -rf ~/.config/jade
Server & Sync
Opal-task includes a REST API server for syncing tasks across multiple devices.
Quick Start
Server Setup:
# Build
go build -o opal main.go
# Generate API key
./opal server keygen --name "My Device" --db /var/lib/opal/opal.db
# Start server
./opal server start --addr :8080 --db /var/lib/opal/opal.db
Client Setup:
# Configure sync
opal sync init --url https://opal.yourdomain.com --key oak_abc123...
# Sync tasks
opal sync now
# Initial merge (for existing local database)
opal sync merge
Sync Commands
opal sync init- Configure sync with serveropal sync status- Show sync configuration and statusopal sync now- Bidirectional syncopal sync up- Push local changes to serveropal sync down- Pull server changes from serveropal sync merge- Initial database merge (for first-time sync)opal sync log- View conflict resolution log
Features
- Offline support - Queue changes when server is unreachable
- Conflict resolution - Automatic conflict handling (last-write-wins by default)
- Change tracking - Full change log with configurable retention
- API key authentication - Secure bcrypt-hashed keys
- Household sharing - Single shared database for all family members
See srv/README.md for detailed server deployment instructions.