# Cairn — Markdown Tasks — Offline planner for your vault

> Offline Markdown task and note manager for Obsidian vaults and plain text files. (iPhone/iPad app by Young Hun JEONG.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cairn-markdown-tasks/id6786663000 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Young Hun JEONG](https://appshunter.io/developer/6786662344)
- Category: Productivity, Utilities
- Price: Free
- Rating: 5.00/5 from 1 App Store ratings · 1 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 17.0 · 9 MB
- Languages: American English, Korean
- Released: 2026-07-17
- Data updated: 2026-09-13
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cairn-markdown-tasks/id6786663000/reviews.md

## What is Cairn?

Cairn is a fast, native task and note companion that lives on top of the Markdown files you already own. Point it at your Obsidian vault — or any folder of Markdown notes — and your tasks and notes appear in clean, focused views. Everything you do in Cairn is written straight back to your files as plain text, in the Obsidian Tasks format.

YOUR NOTES STAY YOURS
• No account, no sign-up, no Cairn cloud database — your tasks live in your own files
• Cairn does not send your notes or tasks to the developer
• Careful, patch-based edits change only the content you touched, preserving the rest of your note
• Works alongside Obsidian, iCloud Drive, Git, or any sync you already use

CAPTURE, BROWSE, AND PLAN
• Browse and edit Markdown notes directly in your vault
• Quick capture into your daily note, with date, tag, and priority tokens parsed as you type
• Choose where longer captures are saved
• Today, Upcoming, Inbox, and Pool views, plus a global filter for folders, tags, dates, priority, and status
• Full support for sub-tasks and task hierarchies
• Recurring tasks in Obsidian Tasks format, with safe completion handling
• Convert upcoming calendar events into tasks, or mirror your dated tasks into a calendar you choose (optional)

STAY ON TRACK
• Local reminders for due tasks — including sunrise-relative reminders computed entirely on your device
• A Live Activity keeps today's progress on your Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island
• Home Screen widgets and a Control Center quick-capture control
• Search across every task in your vault

MADE FOR OBSIDIAN — NOT ONLY OBSIDIAN
Cairn reads and writes the Obsidian Tasks plugin format (due, scheduled, start, and done dates, priorities, recurrence, tags), so your vault stays fully compatible with your desktop setup. Don't use Obsidian? Create a plain task folder in the Files app and Cairn works as a stand-alone Markdown to-do app.

Cairn asks for access only to the folder you pick. Calendar access and location (used to compute local sunrise times) are optional and processed on your device. If you choose iCloud Drive or another Files or calendar provider, that provider's own sync and privacy terms apply.

## Key features

- Native Markdown task and note management
- Works with Obsidian vaults or any folder
- Quick capture with date, tag, and priority parsing
- Multiple task views (Today, Upcoming, Inbox, Pool)
- Full support for sub-tasks and recurring tasks
- Local reminders and Live Activity integration
- Data stays local, no cloud sync required

## Recent user reviews (1 of 1)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cairn-markdown-tasks/id6786663000/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Awesome app. But bug

*2026-08-15*

I do not see a place to select the folder in which the new todos are written to. I first selected the folder that I thought was going to be the folder that the tasks were created, but I realized that need to be my vault root. It scrapes all the tasks from across my vault, but I get an error saying that path resolves outside the selected vault. 

Thanks

**Developer response:** Thanks for the kind review and for reporting this. We’ve added an explicit capture destination setting in the current version (1.1.1): open Settings → Capture → Capture Destination, then choose Monthly Inbox, A Specific File, or Today’s Daily Note. For Obsidian, select the vault root first and choose a destination inside that vault. This should also resolve the “path resolves outside the selected vault” error. If it still happens after updating, please contact us through the Support link so we can investigate.

## Frequently asked questions about Cairn

### Does Cairn have ads?

Cairn is completely ad-free, allowing for an uninterrupted user experience. This means you won't encounter any advertisements while managing your tasks and notes.

### What devices does Cairn support?

Cairn is available on iPhone and iPad, ensuring a consistent experience across your Apple mobile devices. Its design is optimized for both form factors.

### How often is Cairn updated?

The latest version, 1.3.0, was released on September 11, 2026, indicating active development and regular updates. This frequency suggests a commitment to improving features and addressing user feedback.

### Is Cairn suitable for children?

Cairn has an age rating of 4+, making it appropriate for users of all ages. The app's focus on productivity and note-taking does not contain any content unsuitable for younger audiences.

### What is the pricing for Cairn?

Cairn is available for free, with no cost to download or use its core features. This makes it an accessible option for anyone looking to manage their Markdown tasks.

### How does Cairn handle user data privacy?

Cairn prioritizes user privacy by keeping all tasks and notes within your own files. It does not require an account, sign-up, or its own cloud database, ensuring your data remains under your control.

### Can Cairn integrate with other apps?

Cairn works alongside Obsidian, iCloud Drive, Git, or any other sync service you use. It also offers optional integration to mirror dated tasks into your chosen calendar.

### What makes Cairn different from other task apps?

Cairn's unique selling proposition is its direct interaction with your existing Markdown files, eliminating the need for proprietary formats or cloud storage. This ensures your data portability and longevity.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.3.0 — 2026-09-11

Capture faster, plan with less repetition, and see sync progress.

• Suggestions for existing titles and the next task in a numbered series
• Tap to apply English and Korean date and repeat phrases
• Move overdue tasks together and duplicate tasks
• Interactive Today Home Screen widget
• Complete, snooze, or move a task to tomorrow from reminder banners
• Save your favorite views and work through a guided weekly review
• Clearer sync stages, file progress, and elapsed time, with fewer repeated file checks

### 1.2.0 — 2026-09-05

Notes, clearer scheduling, and safer recurrence handling.

• Browse and edit Markdown notes directly in your vault
• Choose where longer captures are saved
• Upcoming now shows scheduled and due dates together
• Overdue recurring tasks now advance to the next future occurrence
• Additional reliability and layout improvements

### 1.1.1 — 2026-09-02

Fixed recurring task handling: reopening a completed recurring task now removes the generated next occurrence and restores the original task correctly.

### 1.1.0 — 2026-09-01

Build habits alongside your Markdown tasks.

• New Habits view with streaks, history, and Home Screen widgets
• Choose where Quick Capture writes: a daily note, monthly inbox, or specific file
• New list display options and clearer empty and error states
• Faster vault loading, safer edits, and stronger conflict handling
• Calendar sync, reminders, recurring-task, and layout fixes

### 1.0.1 — 2026-07-25

What's new in 1.0.1

- Explore a pre-populated sample workspace without choosing a folder.
- New Insights view for completion trends, streaks, and task flow.
- Faster capture with clearer scheduling, priorities, and reminder times.
- Improved task details, calendar sync, and Markdown editing.
- Layout, reliability, and vault-safety fixes throughout the app.

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-13.*
