Flow

approved

by Ben Phillips

Implements key processes in David Allen's Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology (Closed source)

17 stars4,256 downloadsUpdated 1mo ago
View on GitHub

Flow

GTD-powered task management for Obsidian.

Flow captures everything demanding your attention and helps you focus on what matters. Built on David Allen's Getting Things Done methodology.

Version Downloads Stable Obsidian CodeRabbit

The Problem

Your mind is constantly interrupted by things you need to remember: tasks, ideas, commitments, follow-ups. These open loops consume mental energy that should go towards your actual work.

Flow gets everything out of your head and into a trusted system, so you can focus completely on what you're doing right now. It's based on GTD principles but doesn't require you to follow the methodology rigidly.

Features

  • Quick Capture — Get thoughts out of your head instantly via command, ribbon icon, or external tools
  • Inbox Processing — Intuitive flow to categorise inbox items into projects, actions, reference, or someday/maybe
  • Sphere Organisation — Organise life areas (work, personal) with hierarchical projects
  • Focus View — Curate a focused list of next actions from across your vault
  • Waiting For — Track items you're waiting on others to complete
  • Planning Mode — Build your focus list by selecting actions from sphere views

Quick Start

Install in Obsidian

  1. Install Flow in Obsidian (Settings → Community Plugins)
  2. Click the inbox ribbon icon and capture something
  3. Run "Process Inbox" to categorise items

Installing the Beta

To get early access to new features before they're released (we're currently redesigning the inbox processing view!):

  1. Install BRAT from Community Plugins
  2. Open BRAT settings and click "Add Beta plugin"
  3. Enter tavva/flow and enable it

BRAT will automatically update to the latest beta when new versions are released. To switch back to stable, remove the plugin from BRAT.

If you use the beta we'd love to hear from you in the repo Discussions.

How It Works

Capture — When something has your attention, add it to your inbox. Don't organise yet, just get it out of your head.

Process — Review your inbox regularly. For each item you choose:

  • What category it belongs to (project, action, reference, someday)
  • Which existing project it might fit
  • The sphere, and any other metadata required

Processing Inbox

Note the above screenshot is from the redesigned inbox processing flow, available in the beta version

Plan — Open a sphere view, enter planning mode, and click actions to add them to your focus. Your focus is your curated list of what to work on.

Do — Work from your focus. When done, mark complete. When blocked, convert to waiting-for.

Project Structure

Flow projects use YAML frontmatter:

---
priority: 2
tags: project/work
status: live
parent-project: "[[Parent Project]]"
---

# Ship v1.0

## Next actions

- [ ] Write release notes
- [ ] Update documentation
- [w] Waiting for design review from Sarah

Cover Image Generation

Flow can generate cover images for projects using AI. Configure an image-capable model via OpenRouter in Settings → Flow (openai/gpt-5-image creates great cover images in our experience).

Documentation

  • GTD Guide — Understanding GTD methodology and Flow's implementation
  • Project Templates — Customising project templates, including Templater support
  • Quick Capture Methods — Tools and workflows for capturing from any device
  • Contributing — Development setup, architecture, and how to contribute

Privacy

  • AI features are optional and disabled by default — Flow works fully without them
  • API keys stored locally in Obsidian settings
  • Project data sent to your configured LLM provider if enabled (it's optional)
  • No telemetry or analytics
  • Your vault stays under your control

Support

Licence

GPL-3.0 — see LICENSE for details.

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