Riah To-Do

Direct answer

Riah To-Do is a free to-do list that lives where you already look. On Windows it opens as a note beside the clock. On a Mac it opens as the same-looking page in your browser. Click, write today's list, click away. Data stays in one local JSON file with optional Obsidian filing. Limitations: no cloud sync or accounts; the Windows note does not need Node, but the Mac/board page does.

The to-do list you'll actually open.

On Windows it sits by the clock. On a Mac it is a page that looks the same. Write today's list, click away.

We all want to be organized. We've all downloaded twenty different to-do apps to prove it. And most of us never opened one of them twice. Not because we stopped caring, but because opening it was a chore.

This one lives where you already look. Checked-off tasks clear themselves, and land in your Obsidian vault (adjustable, of course). It's one small JSON file on your own PC.

Free, and running in about a minute.

Related MCP server: ticktick-cli

Quick start

Windows 10 or 11

1. Download the latest ZIP from Releases, or use Code → Download ZIP.

2. Extract it somewhere you'll keep it — Documents\Riah To-Do is fine.

3. Double-click Start Riah To-Do.bat.

An icon appears by the clock. Click it. (Windows 11 may hide new icons in the chevron — drag it onto the taskbar once.)

To stop later: Stop Riah To-Do.bat. For every morning: put a shortcut to Start Riah To-Do.bat in shell:startup.

Mac

1. Same ZIP, extract it somewhere you'll keep it.

2. Install Node.js 18+ if you don't have it.

3. In Terminal: chmod +x start.sh && ./start.sh

The board opens in your browser. Same list, same type.

Requirements

• Windows 10 or 11 — PowerShell 5.1 ships with Windows; nothing else to install for the note

• macOS — Node.js 18+ (the board is the app; there is no menu-bar note)

• Node.js 18+ is also optional on Windows, for the board page and the AI tools

No accounts with us. No sync. No telemetry.

System tray (Windows)

Click the tray icon to open the note. Hover does nothing — click-to-open on purpose. Click away (or Esc / the x) and it closes.

• Drag the note to move it; drag an edge or corner to resize

• Drag the top or bottom edge to lock a height — then the list scrolls inside

• Right-click the tray icon for the list, the board, what you've finished, settings, file the finished ones, quit

The icon is the status: one bar per item, green once ticked, and a single green check when the list is clear.

Using it

Ticking a task ticks its whole thread. Unfinished work carries over tomorrow. Checked-off tasks leave the list after two hours by default (adjustable) and can also land in an Obsidian vault — right-click the tray → Settings.

The board

On a Mac this is the app (./start.sh). On Windows it's optional extra room: Open The Board.bat, or npm start then http://127.0.0.1:8779. Same list, more space, keyboard-friendly. Prefer the board if you use a screen reader — the Windows note is painted, not real controls.

Privacy

• One JSON file on your own machine (%APPDATA%\Riah To-Do\ on Windows, ~/Library/Application Support/Riah To-Do on a Mac)

• Nothing leaves your machine

• No accounts, no sync, no telemetry

Point somewhere else with RIAH_TODO_FILE or RIAH_TODO_DIR — a synced folder works fine.

Letting an AI set your list

npm install
node bin/todo-mcp-server.mjs

Five MCP tools write the same file, so the note updates a second later.

Checking it still works

npm test

npm run smoke:note needs a real Windows desktop (see RELEASE-CHECKLIST.md).

From the maker

This is a vibe-coded project — I'm not a real developer and probably won't become one. It's just something cool I wanted for myself, to make my life easier, so I made it. I would love feedback if it's not too technical or aggressive 😅. Hope you guys like it!

License

MIT — free to use, fork, and ship. Keep the license file. Bundled fonts are under the SIL Open Font License (see assets/fonts/).

Something wrong? Open an issue and attach scratch/tray.log from the app folder if you can.