Task Limiter

An Obsidian plugin that enforces a limit on task items per section using [limit=N] tags. Lines that exceed the limit are visually marked with a subtle background.

Useful for systems like Personal Kanban (Benson & Barry, 2011) where you want a WIP (work-in-progress) limit per column—e.g. "In progress [limit=3]" keeps you focused on finishing before starting more.

Purpose

Use [limit=N] in your note headers to cap how many task items (e.g. - [ ] or * [ ]) are allowed in that section. This helps keep lists focused and prevents sections from growing too large. Over-limit lines are highlighted so you can see when you've exceeded the cap.

Installation

From Obsidian Community Plugins

1. Open Obsidian and go to Settings
2. Go to Community plugins and disable Safe mode if needed
3. Click Browse and search for "Task Limiter"
4. Click Install, then Enable

Manual Installation

1. Download the latest release
2. Extract the ZIP to your vault's plugins folder: <vault>/.obsidian/plugins/task-limiter/
3. Reload Obsidian
4. Enable "Task Limiter" in Settings > Community plugins

Usage

Tag format

Add [limit=N] where N is the maximum number of tasks allowed in that section.

In a header:

## In progress [limit=3]
- [ ] first task
- [ ] second task
- [ ] third task
- [ ] fourth task   ← marked as over limit

On its own line (right after a header):

## My section
[limit=5]
- [ ] task 1
...

What counts as a task

• Unchecked: - [ ] or * [ ] (with optional indentation)
• Optionally checked: - [x] or * [x] — enable "Count completed tasks" in settings to include these

Section boundaries

A section runs from the header that has (or precedes) [limit=N] until the next header of the same or higher level. For example, a ## section ends at the next # or ##.

Configuration

Setting	Description
Count completed tasks	When enabled, both unchecked [ ] and checked [x] tasks count toward the limit. When disabled (default), only unchecked tasks count.
Use theme color	Use your theme's error color for the over-limit highlight. Turn off to pick a custom color.
Highlight color	Custom color for over-limit lines (when "Use theme color" is off).
Highlight opacity	How visible the highlight is (5–100%). Lower = more subtle, higher = more noticeable.

Development

npm install
npm run dev    # watch mode
npm run build  # production build

Copy main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css to your vault's .obsidian/plugins/task-limiter/ folder.

Reference

Benson, J., & Barry, T. D. (2011). Personal Kanban: Mapping Work, Navigating Life. Modus Cooperandi Press.