Todo Lists

NIP-XX

Todo Lists

draft optional

This NIP defines a standard for creating and managing todo lists on Nostr, enabling interoperability between different todo list applications.

Abstract

This specification introduces two new event kinds for managing todo items: kind 713 for creating todos and kind 714 for updating todo status. It supports both public and encrypted private todos, with a simple status system for tracking progress.

Specification

Event Kind 713: Todo Item

A new todo item is represented by an event with kind 713.

The content field contains the todo description. For private todos, the content should be encrypted according to NIP-44.

{
  "kind": 713,
  "content": "<todo description>",
  "tags": [],
  ...
}

For encrypted todos, an encrypted tag should be added to indicate the encryption method:

{
  "kind": 713,
  "content": "<encrypted todo description>",
  "tags": [["encrypted", "NIP-44"]],
  ...
}

Event Kind 714: Todo Status Update

Todo status updates are represented by events with kind 714. The status is stored in the content field and references the todo event using an e tag.

Supported statuses:

• DOING - Todo is in progress
• DONE - Todo is completed
• BLOCKED - Todo is blocked/waiting on something

By default, todos have no status marker and are considered "pending" or "to do". Status events should only be created when the status changes.

{
  "kind": 714,
  "content": "<status>",
  "tags": [["e", "<todo-event-id>"]],
  ...
}

Deleting Todos

To delete a todo, use the deletion event as specified in NIP-09.

Todo Lifecycle

1. Creation: A todo is created with kind 713 event
2. In Progress (optional): A kind 714 event with content DOING marks the todo as in progress
3. Completion: A kind 714 event with content DONE marks the todo as completed
4. Deletion (optional): A deletion event per NIP-09 removes the todo

Client Behavior

Clients SHOULD:

• Display todos without status events as "pending" or "to do"
• Only show the most recent status for each todo
• Support both encrypted and unencrypted todos
• Respect deletion events and hide deleted todos

Security Considerations

• Private todos SHOULD use NIP-44 encryption
• Clients MUST clearly indicate which todos are encrypted vs public
• Users should be aware that todo metadata (event kind, timestamp) remains public even for encrypted todos

Examples

Creating a Public Todo

{
  "kind": 713,
  "content": "Write documentation for the new feature",
  ...
}

Creating an Encrypted Todo

{
  "kind": 713,
  "tags": [["encrypted", "NIP-44"]],
  "content": "<base64-encoded encrypted content>",
  ...
}

Marking a Todo as In Progress

{
  "kind": 714,
  "tags": [["e", "<todo-event-id>"]],
  "content": "DOING",
  ...
}

Marking a Todo as Completed

{
  "kind": 714,
  "tags": [["e", "<todo-event-id>"]],
  "content": "DONE",
  ...
}

Marking a Todo as Blocked

{
  "kind": 714,
  "tags": [["e", "<todo-event-id>"]],
  "content": "BLOCKED",
  ...
}