An overview of the most important terms in TandemLoop, with a short definition and a link to the detailed chapter.
| Term | Definition | More |
|---|---|---|
| AI agent | An external AI program (for example, Claude Code, Codex) that works
along in the data folder: It creates new items, maintains tasks assigned
to it, and hands them back to you. What it may change directly is set
out in AGENTS.md and depends on whether proposals are
turned on. |
Working with AI Agents |
| AI Tandem | The collaboration model: You set the direction, the AI agent provides the power—as on a tandem bicycle. The agent may delete only at your explicit request; with proposals, you also review every change before it takes effect. | Working with AI Agents |
| AI tool | The program your AI agent runs in, which you start yourself (for example, Claude Cowork, Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI). TandemLoop doesn’t include its own AI. | Connecting an AI Tool |
| Area | The big area of life or work that groups projects, folders, and standalone tasks (for example, “Work,” “Personal”). | Areas |
| Assignment | The assigned_to field determines whether a task is
meant for the human (human) or the AI (ai). It
determines who’s responsible and which delegation rules apply. |
Tasks |
| Attribute | A custom field for tasks, projects, or milestones (for example, “Client”), with the type Text, Number, Date, Yes/No, Choice, or Link. The definitions are stored in the data folder. | Custom Attributes |
| Data folder | The folder on your device (optionally in iCloud Drive, to use it on several devices) where TandemLoop stores all data as Markdown files. Readable by other tools too. | Data Folder & File Format |
| Data folder language | The language of the few texts TandemLoop writes into files itself (for example, log headings). Independent of your device’s language. | Data Folder Language |
| Defer date | The date (defer_date) from which a task should be
visible or workable. Tasks with a defer date in the future can be
filtered out of views. |
Tasks |
| Delegation | Specifies how the AI agent approaches a task assigned to it:
Do (do), Draft (draft), or
Ask (ask). Relevant only with
assigned_to: ai. |
Tasks |
| Do date | The date (do_date) on which you plan to work on a
task—independent of the due date. |
Tasks |
Effective tags (@effective_tags) |
A task’s tags together with the tags of its project and milestone.
Views filter by these when you filter on tags. |
Effective Tags |
| Folder | An optional grouping level within an area to bundle several projects by topic. | Folders |
| Handback | The AI agent hands a task assigned to it back to you—for review when it has delivered something, or with a question when it needs a decision or information. Back from Agent collects all handbacks; each of your replies is added to the task’s log. | Back from Agent |
| Inbox | The quick inbox outside the hierarchy. Everything you capture with Quick Entry and haven’t sorted yet lands here. | Inbox & Quick Entry |
| Inspector | The column on the right where you edit all fields of the selected task, project, or milestone. | Editing: Inspector & Inline |
| Milestone | A phase or intermediate goal within a project. Contains tasks and has its own status and an optional due date. | Milestones |
| Project | A focused initiative with several tasks, optionally divided into milestones. Always belongs to exactly one area. | Projects |
| Proposal | A change proposal that an AI agent creates as a file—only if proposals are turned on (off by default). Describes one or more changes with a rationale; none of it takes effect before you approve. | What Are Proposals? |
| Quick Entry | A small window or sheet for capturing a task straight into the Inbox—on the Mac, also system-wide with ⌃ + ⌥ + Space. | Inbox & Quick Entry |
| Read-only mode | The state without an active subscription: You see all your data but can’t change anything. (On the spec page, the view without editing is called Reading View.) | Subscription & Read-Only Mode |
| Recurring task | A task with a repeat rule (repeat:). When you complete
it, TandemLoop creates exactly one follow-up task for the next
date. |
Recurring Tasks |
| Reminder | A point in time (remind_at) at which TandemLoop reminds
you of a task with a notification—independent of the due date and do
date. |
Tasks, System Integration |
| Spec | A task’s specification for the AI agent: goal, requirements, acceptance criteria. Status Draft or Ready for AI Agent. | Specs for AI Agents |
| Standalone task | A task directly in an area (or folder), without a project. For quick one-off tasks that don’t need to be assigned to a project. | Standalone Tasks |
| Status | The current state of a task, project, or milestone. Possible values: Active, Waiting, On Hold, Completed, Dropped, Someday; for tasks also For Review and Question (set only by the AI agent). | Tasks, Projects |
| Subscription | A monthly or annual subscription through your Apple Account; it applies on Mac, iPad, and iPhone. Without an active subscription, the app is in read-only mode. | Subscription & Read-Only Mode |
| Tag | A freely definable keyword for marking tasks, projects, and milestones by topic. Tags can be structured hierarchically (as a tree). | Tags |
| Task | The smallest unit of work—the thing you actually check off. Always belongs to a context: the Inbox, a standalone task in an area, a project, or a milestone. | Tasks |
| Theme | A color scheme with appearance (light, dark, system) and font family. Themes are stored in the data folder; you choose which one is active per device. | Settings, Themes |
| View | A saved, filtered, and/or sorted list of tasks, projects, or milestones—across the entire hierarchy. | What Is a View? |
| Widget | A display of TandemLoop tasks on the Home Screen, Lock Screen, or Mac desktop; you can check off tasks there. | Widgets |
| With the Agent | Tasks whose handback you’ve answered with requested changes or a reply and that the AI agent hasn’t picked up again yet. A separate section in Back from Agent. | Back from Agent |