# Tasks & commitments

Canonical URL: https://docs.perisclaw.com/track-commitments-and-tasks

A task is anything that still needs a next step: something you promised, a
question you haven't answered, or something another person owes you.

Tasks come from two places. Perisclaw picks them up from your conversations on
its own, and you can add your own anytime, like "add this to my to-do list" or
"keep the visa renewal on my task list."

## What becomes a task

When a conversation goes quiet, Perisclaw reviews it and picks out the open
work. It reads meaning, not keywords, and tracks three kinds of tasks:

* **You owe the next step:** you promised to send, share, decide, call, or do
  something.
* **Someone needs your reply:** they made a clear request and the conversation
  still needs an answer from you.
* **You are waiting on someone else:** you asked for something, or they
  promised it, and it has not arrived yet.

Casual conversation, generic thanks, FYIs, and broadcasts don't become tasks.
When later messages show the work is done, Perisclaw closes the task on its
own. You can always correct or close one yourself.

You can also hand it tasks directly: tell it what to track, forward a message
and ask it to follow up, or give it a list of things to do.

## How tasks reach you

You do not have to remember to check a separate inbox.

* **In self-chat:** your morning digest brings back the important open items
  and links to the full list. Afternoon updates, evening reviews, and weekly
  reviews are optional too.
* **When you ask:** just ask, anytime, in plain language.
* **On the dashboard:** open **Tasks** when you want to sort, snooze, complete,
  or work through the whole list.

> **Ask for the current picture:** What have I promised, who is waiting for my reply, and what am I still waiting on from other people?

## Ask, update, and close tasks

Speak to Perisclaw as you would to an assistant. You do not need task IDs or a
special command.

* **Add one:** “Remind me to send Priya the revised proposal tomorrow.”
* **Check the list:** “What is overdue, and what can wait until next week?”
* **Close one:** “Mark the revised proposal task done.”
* **Bring it back later:** “Snooze the invoice follow-up until Tuesday.”
* **Correct it:** “I am waiting on Daniel for the figures, not the other way
  around.”

Perisclaw uses the person, topic, and recent conversation to find the right
item. If more than one task could match, be more specific rather than relying
on a number from an older digest.

### Teach it what is worth tracking

If Perisclaw keeps tracking the wrong things, give it a rule once instead of
correcting items one by one:

* “Stop tracking pings from the family group.”
* “Always flag anything about a payment.”
* “Anything from Anita is critical.”
* “When I say next week, that means Friday.”

Perisclaw reads the rule back so you can check what it saved, then applies it to
future tracking.

## Manage Tasks on the dashboard

Choose the view that matches the job. **Swipe (card) view** keeps one item in
focus: mark it done, snooze it, move it later, or tell the assistant what to do
next. **List view** shows the wider schedule, including overdue work, dated
items, later work, and things you are waiting on.

You can also create a task without leaving the dashboard: choose **New task**,
then type or record the request. Perisclaw creates it and it shows up in the
list in a few seconds. If a key detail is missing, it asks you in your
WhatsApp self-chat.

### Swipe (card) view

* Choose **Done** when it's finished.
* Choose **Snooze** when it should return later. For items that cannot be
  snoozed, move them to **Later** instead.
* Swipe up to put the item at the back of the current deck.
* Type or use voice when you want the assistant to act on the item. Perisclaw
  handles the instruction in the background and reports the result in WhatsApp.
  Handing an item to the assistant doesn't complete it. The card stays open
  until the work is actually done.

### List view

Scan sections such as **Overdue**, upcoming dates, **Later**, and **Waiting on
them**. From the list you can complete, snooze, or reopen an item, and clear
finished work in bulk when you no longer need it in view.

**Swipe (card) — Clear one item at a time**

Use Done or Snooze, or type or speak the next instruction.

![Tasks Swipe view showing one waiting item with Snooze, Done, and voice actions](/images/tasks-swipe-view.png)

**List view — Review the full list**

Scan open work together when you need the wider picture.

![Tasks List view showing open commitments and the person responsible for each one](/images/track-commitments-3.png)

## What happens after you act

A completed item moves to history. A snoozed item returns at the time you chose.
If you hand work to the assistant from the dashboard, continue the conversation
in WhatsApp when its reply arrives.

### [Hand off a whole outcome](/missions)

Let Perisclaw own a multi-step goal, like chasing five invoices until they close.

### [Make follow-ups automatic](/automations)

Turn a recurring chase or check-in into work that runs on its own.

### [Bring something back later](/schedule-reminders-and-messages)

Set a reminder or schedule a message for the right moment.