TaskHolder Support

Help for TaskHolder Desktop on Mac and Windows.

1. Getting started
2. Importing a plan
3. The canvas and the sidebar
4. Sending cards to Claude Code
5. Exporting
6. Agent Control Tower
7. Trial, purchase and your licence
8. Updates
9. Your data
10. Troubleshooting

Getting started

• Download TaskHolder from taskholder.app/download. The Mac version runs on Apple Silicon and Intel; the Windows version needs Windows 10 or later.
• The first time you open it, sign in with Google. Your browser opens, you choose your account, and TaskHolder continues by itself. The sign-in holds your trial and your licence.
• A short welcome and a guided tour show the basics. Replay the tour any time from Help ▸ Tutorial.

Importing a plan

• Drop a .md file on the canvas, use File ▸ Import Markdown (⌘ I / Ctrl I), or the sidebar's Import Markdown button.
• TaskHolder picks how to read the file (Keyword, Numbered, Checklist or Heading) and shows the mode in the footer. Click the badge to read the same file with another mode, including Identifier for legal or academic numbering.
• Importing into a project that already has cards offers Open as New Project or Merge into Current. A merge can be undone with one ⌘ Z / Ctrl Z.
• When you create a project you can choose a mode, Code, Video or Blog; card names and menus follow it.
• If the source file changes on disk, TaskHolder asks whether to keep your version or load the new one.

The canvas and the sidebar

• Click a card's status to cycle Not Yet → In Progress → Testing → Done.
• Tools: Select V, Hand H (or hold Space), Connect C, Export E. Every shortcut can be changed in Settings ▸ Shortcuts.
• Attach files, links and prompts to cards as clips; double-click a clip to open it.
• The Task Structure sidebar shows the numbered tree: search it, drag to reorder or move a task under another, pin, and select several tasks to export only those.
• Undo and redo go back 50 steps.

Sending cards to Claude Code

Press E for Export mode, select cards and drag them into a Claude Code terminal, any command-line tool or a chat window. They arrive as Markdown. Up to 10 cards at once is recommended (50 at most).

Exporting

• File ▸ Export writes Markdown, JSON, YAML or plain text, for the whole project or only the selected cards.
• With Preserve source document on (Settings), a full export of an imported plan changes only the lines of the cards you edited; the rest of your file stays exactly as it was.
• Projects save as .taskflow files with everything in them. Double-click one to open it.

Agent Control Tower

• An optional set of features for Claude Code (version 2.1.269 or later, installed on the same computer): a session list, a live activity feed, needs-input alerts, an optional chime when a turn ends, and badges and progress on the cards you sent.
• Turn it on in Settings ▸ Agent, then Connect to Claude Code. Before anything changes, TaskHolder shows which Claude Code settings file it will edit and exactly what it will add, and saves a backup first. Disconnect puts the file back as it was.
• It reads only what Claude Code reports on your own computer: no API key, no account, no extra cost, and nothing is sent over the internet.
• Auto-apply card status (optional) moves a card to In Progress and Testing. Done is always yours to set.
• On Mac, right-click a card for Run in Claude Code (in Terminal or in the background).
• Codex, Gemini CLI and other agents are not supported.

Trial, purchase and your licence

• The trial lasts 14 days from your first sign-in, with every feature and no payment details. It belongs to your account, so reinstalling does not start a new one.
• Three days before it ends, TaskHolder reminds you to make a backup.
• When the trial ends, the app asks you to buy before you keep editing. Export all to Markdown stays available, and your .taskflow files stay on your disk.
• Buy on taskholder.app, signed in with the same account as the app. It is a one-time purchase, not a subscription. Payment is handled by Polar, our payment provider (merchant of record), which sends the receipt and handles taxes.
• Your licence follows your account: on a new computer or after reinstalling, sign in and you are licensed. There are no licence keys.
• A network or server problem never locks out a paid licence.
• Refunds: email us within 14 days of purchase. If a refund is issued, the licence is removed from your account.

Updates

TaskHolder checks for a new version when it starts and shows it under the bell in the header. You decide when to download and install it.

Your data

• Your plans, cards and attached file references stay on your computer, in the app's storage and in the .taskflow files you save. They are never uploaded to us.
• Keep backups: save .taskflow files where your backup tool (Time Machine, File History, a cloud folder) covers them, or export to Markdown.
• Uninstalling the app does not delete its stored data. It lives in ~/Library/Application Support/TaskHolder Desktop (Mac) or %APPDATA%\TaskHolder Desktop (Windows).
• Delete your account on taskholder.app/account. This removes your sign-in, trial and licence; a purchased licence cannot be recovered afterwards. Your local files are not affected.
• Details: Privacy Policy.

Troubleshooting

Mac: "TaskHolder Desktop can't be opened"

Open System Settings ▸ Privacy & Security, scroll down and click Open Anyway next to TaskHolder Desktop, then open the app again.

Windows: "Windows protected your PC"

Click More info, then Run anyway. Download the installer only from taskholder.app.

Sign-in opens the browser but the app doesn't continue

Finish choosing your Google account in the browser, then switch back to TaskHolder. If it still waits, close the browser tab and try again. Firewall or security tools that block connections to 127.0.0.1 on your own computer can stop the browser from handing the sign-in back to the app.

I bought TaskHolder but it still shows the trial

Make sure you bought with the same account you use in the app. Bring TaskHolder to the front, or open Settings ▸ Account and refresh. If it doesn't change within a few minutes, email us with your sign-in email and the Polar receipt.

A message says my computer's clock is wrong

Turn on automatic date and time in your system settings and restart TaskHolder while online. Your data is not affected.

The imported plan doesn't look right

Click the mode badge in the footer and try another mode, or change the card depth. If a file still imports badly, email it to us (or a sample with the same structure).

Agent Control Tower shows no sessions

Check that Claude Code 2.1.269 or later is installed (claude --version), that the panel filter is on All folders, and that the folder you run Claude Code in is trusted in Claude Code. Click Check again in the panel. If an organisation policy turns off Claude Code hooks, only the session list works.

My projects are gone after reinstalling

Projects you saved as .taskflow files are where you saved them: open them with File ▸ Open. Data in the app's own storage stays in the folder listed under Your data unless it was deleted.

Still need help?

Email magenta23.lab@gmail.com. We reply within 72 hours.

See also: Privacy Policy · Terms of Use