iCal Pro for Obsidian

Manage your tasks in Markdown and expose them to Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, and Outlook via standards-compliant iCalendar feeds.

The Professional Standard for Obsidian Calendar Sync.

• High-Fidelity: Strict RFC 5545 compliance (folding, CRLF, escaping).
• Zero Dependency: Works natively with Tasks and Day Planner syntax without requiring those plugins to be installed.
• Privacy First: Local-first architecture with optional GitHub Gist sync.
• Deep Logic: Intelligent VEVENT vs VTODO semantic splitting.

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Privacy & Security

iCal Pro is built with a local-first philosophy.

• No Data Collection: We do not track your usage or collect any personal data.
• Direct Sync: Your calendar is synced directly from your device to your local file or GitHub Gist.
• Local Storage: Your GitHub PAT is stored locally by Obsidian plugin data (plaintext, not encrypted) and is only used to communicate with the GitHub API.

Core Capabilities

• Intelligent Sync: Automatically splits tasks into VEVENT (timed) and VTODO (dated/floating).
• Zero-Dependency Discovery: Inherits dates from Daily Note filenames or headings without requiring extra plugins.
• Reliable Identity: Stable UID generation ensures no duplicates when tasks move between files.
• Flexible Destinations: Sync to a local vault file or a private GitHub Gist for universal access.

Supported Syntax

iCal Pro intelligently categorizes tasks based on the presence of Time.

Feature	Syntax Example	Result (iCalendar)
Event (Timed)	- [ ] 2026-04-01 13:00-14:00 Task	VEVENT (Visible in Grid)
Event (Timed)	- [ ] 13:00-14:00 Task	VEVENT in Day Planner mode
To-Do (Dated)	- [ ] 2026-04-01 Task	VTODO (Sidebar/Reminders)
Priority	⏫ High / 🔼 Medium / 🔽 Low	PRIORITY: 1 / 5 / 9
Alarms	⏰ 15 (15 minutes before)	VALARM
Recurrence	🔁 every weekday	RRULE
Description	the description under the line - [ ]	Visible in schedule description
Day Planner Mode	# 2026-04-01 (Any Heading)	Inherited Date

[!IMPORTANT] Google Calendar Compatibility: Google Calendar does not support VTODO. To see date-only tasks in Google Calendar, enable "Show dated tasks as all-day events" in Scheduling settings, or add a time (e.g., 13:00) to each task.

• Multi-Source Rules: Bind specific vault paths to distinct calendar categories.
• Granular Filtering: Include/Exclude by global filters, tags, or categories.
• Task Fidelity: Native support for Priority (⏫🔼🔽), Recurrence (🔁), and Alarms (⏰).
• Rich Context: Full body capture from indented lists or blockquotes mapped to DESCRIPTION.
• Diagnostics: Built-in sync preview, destination reports, and redacted debug bundles.

Compatible Calendars

iCal Pro produces RFC 5545 .ics output intended to work with:

• Google Calendar subscription
• Apple Calendar
• Outlook
• Proton Calendar
• Thunderbird
• Other clients that support iCalendar subscriptions

Client support for VTODO varies. Apple-oriented ecosystems usually handle VTODO better than Google Calendar.

Getting Started

Install

Community Plugins (recommended):

1. Open Obsidian Settings > Community Plugins > Browse
2. Search for "iCal Pro"
3. Click Install, then Enable

Or install directly: Obsidian Community Plugins - iCal Pro

BRAT (beta):

1. Install BRAT
2. Add liuh886/obsidian-ical-plugin-pro as a beta plugin

Configure

1. Open the iCal Pro settings tab
2. Add at least one source path rule
3. Enable at least one destination:
   • local vault file export
   • GitHub Gist sync
4. If you use GitHub Gist sync:
   • Create a secret Gist at gist.github.com and keep the generated .ics file there.
   • Copy the Gist ID from the Gist URL. In https://gist.github.com/username/gist-id, the final segment is the Gist ID.
   • Generate a GitHub personal access token with only the gist scope selected. A classic PAT is recommended for this workflow.
   • Fill in your GitHub username, Gist ID, and PAT in iCal Pro, then click Validate.
5. Click Sync Now
6. Subscribe to the generated raw Gist URL or local .ics file

Debugging & Logs

If you encounter issues, you can enable verbose logging:

1. Open Settings > iCal Pro.
2. Scroll to the Advanced & Diagnostics section.
3. Toggle Debug Mode to ON.
4. Open the Obsidian developer console (press Ctrl+Shift+I on Windows/Linux or Cmd+Option+I on macOS).
5. Look for logs prefixed with [info][ical] or iCal Pro:.

You can also use the Copy Diagnostics button in the status card to generate a redacted summary of your configuration and recent sync history to include in bug reports.

FAQ

Q: Why don't my To-Dos (VTODO) show up in Google Calendar? A: Google Calendar natively only supports VEVENT. Enable "Show dated tasks as all-day events" in Scheduling settings to export date-only tasks as all-day events. Floating tasks (no date) will remain as VTODO and still won't appear. For full VTODO support, use Apple Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, or dedicated task managers.

Q: Is it safe to use GitHub Gist? A: Yes. Your Gist is yours. We recommend using a private Gist for maximum privacy. Your Personal Access Token never leaves your machine except to communicate with GitHub.

Compatibility & Troubleshooting

• Google Calendar does not support VTODO. By default, date-only tasks are exported as VTODO. Enable "Show dated tasks as all-day events" in Scheduling settings to export them as all-day VEVENT instead. This is optional and recommended for Google Calendar users. Floating tasks (no date) remain VTODO regardless of this setting.
• Calendar clients may refresh subscribed ICS feeds slowly. Most clients cache subscriptions and only refresh periodically (often every 1–24 hours). After syncing, you may need to manually refresh or wait for the next polling cycle.
• Local file export requires a calendar client that can read local ICS files. Not all clients support subscribing to local files. Apple Calendar and Thunderbird work well; some clients may require the file to be served over HTTP.
• Mobile support varies by client and storage workflow. If you use local file export, the .ics file lives in your Obsidian vault. Mobile calendar apps may not have direct access to vault storage. GitHub Gist sync is recommended for cross-device use.

Development

• npm run build
• npm run typecheck
• npm run test:smoke
• npm run validate

Credits

iCal Pro is a significantly enhanced and refactored version of the original obsidian-ical-plugin by Andrew Brereton.

This "Pro" edition maintains the original vision while introducing a completely re-engineered core for better performance, timezone reliability, and advanced task metadata support.

License

MIT

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Support

If you find this plugin useful and want to support its development, you can buy me a coffee!