Keep your Todoist inbox under control without constant triage. This setup reads new tasks on a schedule, uses AI to understand what each task is about, and assigns a priority based on your own rules. It is helpful for personal productivity and small teams that need clear focus each day.

A scheduled trigger starts the run. The flow pulls all tasks from a chosen Todoist project that acts as your inbox. It ignores subtasks so only top level items are handled. A Set node holds your project to priority map, like marketing equals 4 or finance equals 2. OpenAI then categorizes each task into one of your named projects or other. A filter lets only valid categories continue. The Todoist node updates the task priority using the mapped number. This turns vague task titles into consistent priorities with no manual clicking.

Add Todoist and OpenAI credentials, adjust the project to priority map, and set your Todoist project ID and schedule. Expect daily sorting time to drop and a steady system for what gets attention first. Use it for personal GTD, team inbox clean up, or to rank incoming requests that land in Todoist.

• Scheduled runs scan your Todoist inbox at set times without manual action.
• Todoist integration pulls all tasks from a selected project acting as your inbox.
• Subtask filter ensures only top level tasks get priority updates.
• Project to priority map stored in a Set node for simple editing and reuse.
• OpenAI categorizes each task into your named projects or flags it as other.
• Validation filter passes only recognized categories to avoid wrong updates.
• Todoist update sets the exact priority number based on your mapping.

• Reduce manual inbox triage from 30 minutes to 2 minutes per day
• Automate up to 80 percent of priority decisions on new tasks
• Improve consistency of priorities by using one clear rules map
• Connect Todoist and OpenAI in one place for seamless task scoring
• Handle up to 10 times more incoming tasks without extra effort

1. Import the template into n8n: Create a new workflow in n8n > Click the three dots menu > Select 'Import from File' > Choose the downloaded JSON file.
2. You'll need accounts with Todoist and OpenAI. See the Tools Required section above for links to create accounts with these services.
3. In the n8n credentials manager, create a Todoist credential. Double click any Todoist node, choose Credential to connect with, click Create new credential, and follow the on screen steps to connect your Todoist account.
4. In the n8n credentials manager, create an OpenAI credential. Double click the Categorize node, choose Credential to connect with, click Create new credential, and paste your OpenAI API key from the OpenAI website API keys page.
5. Open the Get inbox tasks node and confirm the projectId matches your Todoist inbox or the project you use for intake. Copy the correct project ID from Todoist if needed.
6. Open the Your Projects Set node and replace the sample keys with your real project names. Set each value to a Todoist priority number from 1 to 4, where 4 is highest.
7. Open the Categorize node and review the system prompt. Keep your project list in the prompt aligned with the keys you set in the Your Projects node.
8. Check the If task is not a subtask filter to ensure only top level tasks are processed. Adjust the condition if your data uses a different field to mark subtasks.
9. Review the If other or ai hallucinates filter. Make sure only categories that exist in your mapping continue to the update step.
10. Open the Update priority in todoist node and confirm the priority expression points to the Your Projects mapping and the Categorize message content.
11. Set the Schedule Trigger to your desired interval. Start with every hour, then adjust once you confirm results.
12. Run a test. Add a few sample tasks in Todoist with clear titles. Execute the workflow, then refresh Todoist to confirm priorities updated. If results are off, refine project names in the mapping and adjust the Categorize prompt.
13. Troubleshooting tip: If no updates occur, verify that the category returned by OpenAI exactly matches a key in Your Projects. Also confirm the Todoist credential is connected and the projectId is correct.