User Guide: Mobile

The Mindwtr mobile app is built with React Native and Expo. Android is fully supported; iOS is available on the App Store and via TestFlight beta.

Overview

The mobile app uses bottom tabs for core flows and a Menu page for additional views.

Interaction Patterns

Tap to open and edit tasks.
Swipe for quick actions (see Swipe Actions section below).
Share sheet adds items directly to your Inbox.

Bottom Tabs

Tab	Description
📥 Inbox	Capture and process incoming items
🎯 Focus	Daily dashboard and next actions
➕ Quick Capture	Add a task or audio note quickly
📝 Review	Daily + weekly review
☰ Menu	Access Projects, Board, Calendar, etc.

Tap the Menu tab to access additional views:

📋 Board — Kanban board view with manual drag ordering inside each status column
🗓️ Calendar — Time-based view
📁 Projects — Multi-step outcomes
🏷️ Contexts — Filter by context
⏳ Waiting For — Delegated items
💭 Someday/Maybe — Future ideas
📚 Reference — Reference material
✅ Done — Recently completed tasks
📦 Archived — Completed tasks filed away from normal lists
🗑️ Trash — Deleted tasks
⚙️ Settings — App preferences

Global Search

Tap the search icon in the header to open Global Search.

Search Operators

Use operators for powerful filtering:

Operator	Example	Description
`status:`	`status:next`	Filter by task status
`-status:`	`-status:done`	Exclude a status
`context:`	`context:@home`	Filter by context
`tag:`	`tag:#focused`	Filter by tag
`assigned:`	`assigned:Tom`	Filter by assignee
`project:`	`project:HomeReno`	Filter by project
`location:`	`location:office`	Filter by task location
`where:`	`where:office`	Alias for task location
`id:`	`id:abc123`	Find an exact task ID
`-id:`	`-id:abc123`	Exclude an exact task ID
`due:`	`due:today`	Tasks due on date
`due:<=`	`due:<=7d`	Tasks due within 7 days
`start:`	`start:>=tomorrow`	Tasks starting from date
`created:`	`created:>=30d`	Tasks created in last 30 days
`OR`	`@home OR @work`	Match either condition

Saved Searches

Saved Searches are shortcuts for reusable search queries.

Enter your search query
Tap "Save Search"
Name your search
Access from Menu → Saved Searches

To delete: Open the saved search, tap the trash icon in the header.

Saved Searches are separate from Saved Filters in Focus. Focus filters save criteria such as projects, contexts, tags, priority, energy, and time estimates for the Focus view.

Quick Capture

Mindwtr offers multiple ways to capture tasks quickly on mobile.

The capture screen is input-first. The syntax help is tucked behind a small “?” toggle to keep the interface clean.

Capture tasks from any app using the share sheet:

In any app (browser, email, notes), find something you want to capture
Tap the Share button
Select Mindwtr from the share options
Mindwtr opens the capture screen with the shared content attached as notes
Add a title, adjust any fields, and save it to your Inbox

Great for:

Saving articles to read later
Capturing emails as tasks
Adding links from web browsing

Add the Mindwtr widget to your home screen for quick access:

Long-press on your home screen
Select Widgets
Find and add the Mindwtr widget
Tap the widget to open quick capture or view focus items

Android Quick Settings Tile

On Android, add the Mindwtr capture tile to Quick Settings for one-swipe Inbox capture:

Open Android Quick Settings edit mode.
Add the Mindwtr tile.
Tap the tile to open Quick Capture.

Android Voice App Actions

Android builds expose a capture action to supported assistants, including Gemini/Assistant surfaces that route through Android App Actions. Voice-created captures open Mindwtr's confirmation flow so you can review the title and note before saving.

Android Context Automation Intents

Automation apps such as Tasker, MacroDroid, or Phone Profiles can activate a Mindwtr context. Use the Android broadcast form for background-only triggers. When activated, Mindwtr checks matching /next actions that are available now and sends a notification only when there is work to show. Tapping that notification opens the matching Contexts view.

Android broadcast form:

Field	Value
Package	`tech.dongdongbh.mindwtr`
Class	`tech.dongdongbh.mindwtr.ContextAutomationReceiver`
Target	Broadcast Receiver
Activate action	`tech.dongdongbh.mindwtr.action.ACTIVATE_CONTEXT`
Deactivate action	`tech.dongdongbh.mindwtr.action.DEACTIVATE_CONTEXT`
String extra	`context=parents` or `context=@parents`

ADB examples:

bash

adb shell am broadcast -n tech.dongdongbh.mindwtr/.ContextAutomationReceiver -a tech.dongdongbh.mindwtr.action.ACTIVATE_CONTEXT --es context parents
adb shell am broadcast -n tech.dongdongbh.mindwtr/.ContextAutomationReceiver -a tech.dongdongbh.mindwtr.action.DEACTIVATE_CONTEXT --es context parents

URL form:

URL	Action
`mindwtr://contexts?token=%40parents&contextAction=activate`	Activate `@parents`
`mindwtr://contexts?token=%40parents&contextAction=deactivate`	Deactivate `@parents`

URL examples:

bash

adb shell am start -a android.intent.action.VIEW -d 'mindwtr://contexts?token=%40parents&contextAction=activate' tech.dongdongbh.mindwtr

Notes:

URL launches may open Mindwtr. Use the broadcast receiver form when the automation should stay in the background.
Context names are normalized to @context, so parents and @parents both match @parents.
Hierarchical contexts match below the selected context, so @parents also matches @parents/errands.
If no currently available /next actions match the context, Mindwtr stays silent.
Deactivation is a silent no-op for now. It acknowledges the automation exit trigger and is reserved for future active-context state; it does not delete, hide, or change tasks.
On Android, context automation URLs and intents return Mindwtr to the background after handling. Use the notification tap when you want to open the matching Contexts view.
Mindwtr does not detect locations or device states itself; the automation app owns the trigger.

Apple Shortcuts

On iPhone and iPad, Mindwtr exposes native Apple Shortcuts actions for Inbox capture and opening GTD views such as Focus, Waiting, Someday, Projects, Review, and Calendar. See Apple Shortcuts for setup, examples, and v1 limitations.

URL Scheme Quick Capture (iOS Shortcuts / Android Automations)

Mindwtr registers the URL scheme mindwtr://, so you can capture tasks from iOS Shortcuts, Tasker, or other automation tools.

Supported URLs:

URL	Action
`mindwtr://capture?title=Buy%20groceries`	Open capture with a title
`mindwtr://capture?title=Buy%20groceries&note=From%20store`	Open capture with title and note
`mindwtr://capture?title=Buy%20groceries&project=Shopping&tags=errands,home`	Open capture with project and tags

Notes:

title is required (alias: text).
note is optional (alias: description).
project matches an existing active project by title (case-insensitive), or creates it.
tags is comma-separated and normalized to #tag format before saving.

iOS Shortcuts example:

Open Shortcuts and create a shortcut.
Add Ask for Input (prompt: task title).
Add Open URLs with: mindwtr://capture?title=[Provided Input].
Run the shortcut; Mindwtr opens the capture screen so you can review and save the task.

Quick-Add Syntax

Mindwtr parses natural language when adding tasks:

Syntax	Example	Result
`@context`	`@home`	Adds context
`#tag`	`#focused`	Adds tag
`+Project`	`+HomeReno`	Assigns to project
`+Multi Word`	`+New Project`	Assigns to "New Project"
`!Area`	`Plan roadmap !Work`	Assigns to area
`/area:<name>`	`/area:Personal`	Assigns to area (no spaces)
`/due:date`	`/due:friday`	Sets due date
`/note:text`	`/note:call back`	Adds description
`/status`	`/next`, `/waiting`, `/someday`, `/done`, `/archived`, `/inbox`	Sets status

Date formats: today, tomorrow, friday, next week, in 3 days

Audio Capture

Capture tasks using your voice with AI-powered transcription.

Setup

Go to Menu → Settings → AI Assistant.
Enable Speech to Text.
Choose a Provider:
- OpenAI / Gemini: Cloud-based (requires API key).
- Offline (Whisper): Runs locally. You can download a model (e.g., Tiny or Base) directly in settings.
Set your Default Capture Method in Settings → General if you prefer audio-first.

Using Audio Capture

Quick Add: Tap the Audio tab in the Quick Capture screen.
Record: Tap the microphone to start.
Transcribe: Stop recording to process the audio.
Smart Parse: If enabled, the app will extract dates and fields automatically.

Inbox

Your capture zone for quick task entry.

Use Mind Sweep when you want guided capture prompts for work, home, people, errands, and open loops instead of starting from a blank input.

Adding Tasks

Tap the input field at the bottom
Use the share sheet from other apps
Tap the home widget
Type your task with quick-add syntax
Tap the add button or press Enter

Processing Inbox

Tap Process Inbox to start the clarify workflow:

Is this actionable?
- Yes → Continue
- No → Trash or Someday/Maybe
Will it take less than 2 minutes?
- Yes → Do it now, mark Done
- No → Continue
Who should do it?
- I'll do it → Add context, move to Next Actions
- Delegate → Move to Waiting For
Where will you do this?
- Select contexts (@home, @work, etc.)
- Add custom contexts
Assign to a project? (Optional)
- Select a project or skip

Focus

Your primary dashboard for doing. Focus is an Engage dashboard, not a full inventory of every task with status next.

Sections

Section	Content
Today	Tasks focused for today, due today/overdue, or starting today
Next	Available next actions that are not blocked or deferred

Focus hides future-start tasks and later tasks in sequential projects so the list stays limited to what you can act on now. Use Contexts, Projects, or Search when you want to inspect the broader task inventory.

Default Next Actions order is due-soon actions first, undated actions next, and far-future due actions last. Within the same bucket, Focus uses priority when enabled, then start time, creation date, title, and id. See GTD Workflow in Mindwtr for the full logic.

Features

Context filter — Tap a context chip to filter the Next list.
Saved Filters — Save reusable Focus criteria such as projects, contexts, tags, priority, energy level, and time estimates.
Swipe to Focus — Swipe a task right to toggle "Focus" status (moves it to Today).
Quick Status — Tap the status badge to change status.
Pomodoro (Optional) — Enable in Settings → GTD → Features → Pomodoro timer to show a compact focus/break timer. Leave it as Timer only, or turn on Link timer to task to show the Timer task picker and Mark task done action.

Review

Review your tasks and update their status.

See task details (description, start time, deadline, contexts)
Quickly mark tasks as done
Navigate between tasks
Select mode: Batch select tasks and share them
During Weekly Review, use the Process Inbox step to clear captured items before continuing through calendar, waiting-for, projects, and someday review.

Task Editor (Task + View)

The task editor has two modes:

Task — edit fields, checklists, dates, tags, contexts
View — clean read-only summary with tappable checklist

Swipe left/right to switch between Task and View.

Checklist-first tasks default to View mode for faster checking.

The editor starts minimal. Tap More options to reveal advanced fields; any field with existing content stays visible.

Description markdown supports unordered lists and task checkboxes (- item, [ ] item, [x] item). Type [[ in task descriptions or project notes to link another task or project from the link picker sheet. Those links are navigational only; they do not sync completion state between tasks. Markdown checkbox lines can populate checklist items when you save. The Assignee / Person field stores delegated people for Waiting For, suggestions, and assigned: search. Manage saved people, notes, and reference links from Settings → Manage.

Recurring tasks support two strategies:

Strict (fixed cadence)
Repeat after completion (next date from completion time)
Ends: Never / On date / After N occurrences

Mindwtr keeps one active instance of a recurring task. The Calendar shows that current instance when it has a due date or start time; future occurrences are not pre-filled until the current one is completed unless Show next occurrence in Calendar is enabled for a planning-only preview.

Use the recurrence field in the task editor, then toggle Repeat after completion or Show next occurrence in Calendar when needed. The same sheet lets you stop a series on a target date or after a fixed number of total occurrences.

Attachments

You can attach files or links to a task from the editor. Audio notes can be saved as attachments when Save audio attachments is enabled.

See Attachments for details on syncing and cleanup.

AI Assistant (Optional)

Enable in Settings → Advanced → AI assistant:

Clarify — turn vague tasks into concrete next actions
Break down — generate checklist steps for big tasks
Review analysis — highlight stale tasks during review
Copilot — context/tag/time suggestions while typing

AI is optional and only runs when you request it.

Reusable Lists

Use checklists as templates:

Duplicate task — copy a master list (packing, travel prep)
Reset checklist — uncheck everything for reuse (groceries)

Calendar Integration

Mindwtr can overlay external calendars and push dated Mindwtr tasks to the device calendar. Detailed setup lives in Calendar Integration.

To push tasks to Android/Google Calendar or Apple Calendar on iOS:

Go to Settings -> Calendar
Enable Push tasks to calendar
Grant calendar permission
Expand Sync target
Choose a dedicated Mindwtr calendar or another writable calendar target

For Android Google Calendar and iOS Apple Calendar target setup, see Calendar Integration.

To overlay external calendars with ICS subscriptions:

Go to Settings -> Calendar
Add your ICS URL
Refresh to fetch events

External events are view-only and are not synced back to their source. Tap an external event and choose Create task to make a separate Mindwtr task; Mindwtr copies the event title, date/time, location, description, and calendar name where available.

Calendar

Time-based view with scheduling capabilities.

Views

Month View — Overview of tasks with due dates
Day View — Detailed timeline with scheduled tasks and external events

Scheduling Tasks

On the Calendar day view, tap Schedule Tasks
Select from Next Actions (shown first) or search Todo tasks
Mindwtr finds the earliest free slot (avoids conflicts with external events)
Task gets a start time based on its time estimate

The scheduling panel is the mobile planning surface: use it when you are looking at a day and want to turn unscheduled Next Actions or due-but-unscheduled work into concrete time blocks. Collapse it when you want to focus on the calendar grid.

Drag to Reschedule

Long-press a scheduled task block
Drag to a new time slot (snaps to 5-minute intervals)
Release to update the start time

External Calendars (iCal/ICS)

Subscribe to external calendars to see events alongside your tasks:

Go to Settings → Advanced → Calendar
Enter the calendar URL (ICS/webcal format)
Give it a name and tap Add
External events appear as gray blocks in Day view

Projects

Manage multi-step outcomes.

Open Projects from Menu → Projects.

Project List

View all active projects
See task count per project
Tap to view project details

Project Details

View all tasks in the project
Add new tasks
Group tasks with Sections inside the project. Sections are headings inside one project, not subtasks or separate projects.
Tap a task to assign a Section in the task editor
Edit project settings (name, color, notes)
Assign Area of Focus (e.g., Work, Personal)
Add Project tags for filtering
Set sequential or parallel mode
Set review date
Reorder project tasks with the drag handle when custom ordering is enabled
Complete or archive the project

The Project Section field in the task editor assigns a task to one of the sections in its current project. It only matters after the task belongs to a project that has sections; otherwise, leave it blank.

Sequential vs Parallel

Mode	Behavior
Sequential	Only the first available project task appears in Focus
Parallel	All available project tasks can appear in Focus

Sequential projects can run project-wide or section-by-section. Section-scoped sequencing shows the first available task in each project section, so separate phases or workstreams can move forward in parallel without making every task visible.

Swipe Actions

Quickly manage tasks with swipe gestures:

View	Swipe Right	Result
Inbox	Done	Marks task as done
Focus	Focus	Toggles focus status

Contexts

Browse and filter tasks by context.

Location Contexts

@home — Tasks to do at home
@work — Tasks for the office
@errands — Out and about
@agendas — Discussion items
@computer — Need a computer
@phone — Need a phone
@anywhere — Can do anywhere

Waiting For

Track items delegated or waiting on external events.

View all waiting tasks
See deadlines
Move to Next when ready
Mark as Done when received

Someday/Maybe

Incubate ideas for the future.

Review periodically during Weekly Review
Activate by moving to Next status
Archive if no longer relevant

Notifications & Reminders

Mindwtr sends push notifications to keep you on track.

Types of Notifications

Due date reminders — Alerts when tasks are due
Start time alerts — Reminds you when it's time to begin
Recurring task reminders — Notifications for recurring items

Tap the notification body to jump directly to the Review screen.

Permissions

Make sure notifications are enabled:

Go to device Settings → Apps → Mindwtr
Enable Notifications
Allow alerts and sounds as desired

Settings

General

Appearance — System, Light, or Dark
Language — English, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Spanish, Hindi, Arabic, German, Russian, Japanese, French, Portuguese, Polish, Korean, Italian, Turkish

Notifications

Task Reminders:

Enable/disable notifications for due dates and start times

Daily Digest:

Morning Briefing — Summary of due today, overdue, and focus tasks
Evening Review — Prompt to review and wrap up the day
Configure times for each

Weekly Review:

Reminders — Get a weekly notification to start your review
Time/Day — Customize when you want to review (e.g., Friday at 4 PM)

GTD

Customize how Mindwtr works for your GTD workflow:

Features (Optional):

Priorities — Show a priority flag on tasks
Time Estimates — Add a duration field for time blocking

Time Estimate Presets:

Choose which time estimates appear in the task editor
Options: 5m, 10m, 15m, 30m, 1h, 2h, 3h, 4h, 4h+
Default: 10m, 30m, 1h, 2h, 3h, 4h, 4h+

Auto-Archive:

Automatically move Done tasks to Archived after a set number of days (default: 7 days)
Set to "Never" to keep completions in the Done list indefinitely

Inbox Processing:

Mobile keeps the card-based inbox processing flow
The same shared settings can hide or show the 2-minute shortcut, project-first prompt, contexts/tags section, scheduling section, and reference option

Task Editor Layout:

Tap a field to toggle visibility (hidden fields still show when they have values)
Long-press the drag handle to reorder fields
Move fields between sections like Basic, Scheduling, Organization, and Details
Choose which collapsible sections open by default
Hidden fields can be revealed with the More button in the editor

Manage:

Use Settings → Manage to edit saved Areas, People, Contexts, and Tags
This is the fastest place to clean up duplicates or rename reusable metadata

Data & Sync

See Data and Sync for sync setup.

Sync Backend:

Cloud Sync — Dropbox in supported builds, plus iCloud on iOS where available
Folder / File Sync — File sync via a shared JSON file/folder (Google Drive, Syncthing, OneDrive, etc.)
Advanced / Custom Server — WebDAV or Self-Hosted Mindwtr Cloud

Other Options:

Sync — Manually trigger sync
Last sync status — View when data was last synced
Sync history — Collapsed by default; tap to expand recent entries
Export Backup — Save data to a file
Apple Reminders import — Choose a Reminders list and import incomplete reminders into Inbox. Imported reminders remain in Apple Reminders, and already imported, completed, or untitled reminders are skipped.
Settings sync options — Choose which preferences sync across devices (theme, language/date format, GTD defaults, external calendar URLs, AI settings, and Saved Filters). API keys and local model paths are never synced.

GTD Options:

Focus task limit — Choose how many tasks can be marked for Today's Focus.

Advanced

AI Assistant:

Optional BYOK assistant for clarifying and breaking down tasks

Calendar (ICS/iCal):

Add Calendar — Enter a name and URL
Enable/Disable — Toggle visibility of each calendar
Remove — Delete a subscription
Test — Verify the calendar loads correctly

About

Version number
Check for updates
Send feedback for bug reports, feature requests, or other notes when the build has feedback enabled. You can include a reply email if you want follow-up.
Website and GitHub links

User Guide: Mobile ​

Overview ​

Interaction Patterns ​

Navigation ​

Bottom Tabs ​

Menu Tab ​

Global Search ​

Search Operators ​

Saved Searches ​

Quick Capture ​

Share Sheet ​

Home Widget ​

Android Quick Settings Tile ​

Android Voice App Actions ​

Android Context Automation Intents ​

Apple Shortcuts ​

URL Scheme Quick Capture (iOS Shortcuts / Android Automations) ​

Quick-Add Syntax ​

Audio Capture ​

Setup ​

Using Audio Capture ​

Inbox ​

Adding Tasks ​

Processing Inbox ​

Focus ​

Sections ​

Features ​

Review ​

Task Editor (Task + View) ​

Attachments ​

AI Assistant (Optional) ​

Reusable Lists ​

Calendar Integration ​

Calendar ​

Views ​

Scheduling Tasks ​

Drag to Reschedule ​

External Calendars (iCal/ICS) ​

Projects ​

Project List ​

Project Details ​

Sequential vs Parallel ​

Swipe Actions ​

Contexts ​

Location Contexts ​

Tags ​

Waiting For ​

Someday/Maybe ​

Notifications & Reminders ​

Types of Notifications ​

Permissions ​

Settings ​

General ​

Notifications ​

GTD ​

Data & Sync ​

Advanced ​

About ​

See Also ​