Subtasks and dependencies

Two ways to link tasks. Subtasks are about breakdown — a parent contains children. Dependencies are about order — one task is blocked by another.

Subtasks

Open any task and use the subtasks panel in the modal to add children. Nesting can go any depth — subtasks of subtasks of subtasks. There’s no “subtask” type internally; a subtask is just a task whose parentId points at another task.

Adding subtasks

1. Open a task.
2. In the subtasks panel, click + add subtask.
3. Type a title and press Enter.

The new subtask is a real task file in the same _tasks/ folder, with its parentId set to the parent’s ID.

You can also use the command palette: Create new subtask prompts for the parent and creates a subtask under it.

Progress rollup

A parent task’s progress is computed from its children:

• If a task has subtasks, its progress is the average of its children’s progress (which themselves roll up).
• If a task has no subtasks, its progress is whatever you set on it directly.

Setting progress manually on a parent that has subtasks is allowed, but the rollup will overwrite it next time anything in the tree changes.

Collapsing

Each task has a collapsed flag that controls whether its subtasks are hidden in the table and kanban (when “show subtasks on board” is on). Click the chevron next to a parent row to toggle.

Dependencies

A dependency is a “this task is blocked by these tasks” link. Open a task and use the dependencies field to add task IDs.

Why dependencies matter

1. They show up as arrows in the gantt view — predecessor → dependent.
2. Auto-schedule uses them to shift dependent dates when a predecessor moves.

There’s no “blocks” inverse field in storage — the relationship is stored once, on the dependent side, and the plugin computes the reverse when rendering.

Auto-schedule

When Auto-schedule is on (Settings → Project Manager → Scheduling), changing a task’s dates ripples to its dependents:

• For a normal task with both start and due dates: duration is preserved. If the new earliest-start (one day after the latest predecessor’s due) is later than the current start, both dates shift forward by the same amount.
• For a milestone (only due is set): the milestone’s due moves to one day after the latest predecessor’s due.
• For a task with only one of start or due: that single date moves to the earliest-start.
• Archived predecessors are skipped — they don’t trigger any cascade.
• Tasks whose status is marked complete are skipped — they aren’t shifted, and they don’t push dependents.

The plugin only shifts dates forward. If a predecessor moves earlier, dependents stay put.

If your graph has a cycle, the affected tasks are skipped rather than rescheduled into oblivion.

Where to go next

• Gantt view — see dependency arrows visually.
• Settings reference — the auto-schedule toggle.

Tips

Subtasks vs. dependencies — use subtasks when work is part of a larger task, dependencies when work is ordered after another task. A subtask of “Launch v2” might be “Write release notes”. A dependency of “Launch v2” might be “Sign off from legal.”

Auto-schedule is off-by-default-safe — it only moves dates forward and never deletes anything. Turn it off if you want full manual control.