Automations - HyperPlanner Documentation

Overview

HyperPlanner's Visual Automations let you create rules that run automatically based on triggers you define. No coding required - just connect chips to build your perfect workflow.

@work → schedule 9am-5pm

!high → notify immediately

#meeting → block 30min

"eod" → due 5pm today

⚙

No-Code Rules

Drag and drop chips to build automations visually

⚡

Instant Triggers

Actions fire the moment conditions are met

🔗

Chain Actions

One trigger can fire multiple actions in sequence

🔒

Local Processing

All automations run on your device, not in the cloud

"When X, Do Y" as Chips

Every automation in HyperPlanner follows a simple pattern: when something happens (the trigger), do something else (the action). We represent these as visual chips you can combine and customize.

Anatomy of an Automation

When

▶ Trigger Event

→ Then

⚙ Perform Action

Building Your First Automation

Open the Automations Panel
Go to Settings > Automations or press Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + A
Click "New Automation"
A blank rule canvas appears with trigger and action slots
Select a Trigger
Choose from the trigger palette: context changes, priority flags, tags, due dates, and more
Choose Your Action
Pick what happens: schedule time, send notification, add tag, move to lane, etc.
Save and Activate
Name your automation and toggle it on. It starts working immediately.

Example: Work Hours Automation

When

@ Context is @work

Then

📅 Auto-schedule between 9am - 5pm

Result: Any task tagged @work will automatically be scheduled
within your work hours. No more accidentally planning work
tasks for 10pm on a Saturday.

💡 Pro Tip

Automations run in order. Place your most specific rules first, then general catch-all rules at the bottom. HyperPlanner processes from top to bottom and stops at the first match (unless you enable "continue processing").

Trigger Types

HyperPlanner supports four primary trigger types, each designed for different workflow scenarios.

🎯 Context Change

Fire automations when a task is assigned to a specific context like @work, @personal, or @errands.

Trigger: @work context added
Action: Auto-schedule within work hours (9am-5pm weekdays)

@work → schedule 9am-5pm

More Context Change Examples:

@personal  →  hide during focus mode
@errands   →  show in location-based reminders
@urgent    →  pin to top of today view
@waiting   →  move to "Blocked" lane
@home      →  schedule after 6pm

⚠️ Priority Set

Trigger actions when a task's priority level changes. Perfect for urgent notifications and workflow escalation.

Trigger: !high priority assigned
Action: Send immediate notification + pin to Today view

!high → notify immediately

Priority Automation Examples:

!high    →  notify immediately + pin to Today
!high    →  add red accent border
!medium  →  schedule within 3 days
!low     →  move to "Someday" lane
!1       →  block 2 hours on calendar

📅 Due Offset

Transform shorthand date phrases into specific times. Your personal date vocabulary becomes actionable.

Trigger: "eod" phrase detected
Action: Set due date to today at 5:00 PM

"eod" → due 5pm today

Due Offset Examples:

"eod"        →  set to 5pm today
"eow"        →  set to Friday 5pm
"eom"        →  set to last day of month
"asap"       →  set to today + !high priority
"someday"    →  clear due date + !low priority
"next sprint"→  set to 2 weeks from today

📝 Note

Due Offset triggers process during Smart Capture, transforming your input before the task is created. This makes them perfect for personal shorthand that works every time you type.

🏷️ Tag Added

Execute actions when specific hashtags are applied to tasks. Great for categorization-based workflows.

Trigger: #meeting tag added
Action: Block 30 minutes on calendar automatically

#meeting → block 30min

Tag-Based Automation Examples:

#meeting     →  block 30 minutes on calendar
#call        →  block 15 minutes on calendar
#review      →  add to Code Review kanban lane
#planning    →  schedule during morning hours
#deep-work   →  block 2 hours + enable focus mode
#recurring   →  prompt for repeat schedule
#1on1        →  block 45 minutes + add video link

Combining Multiple Triggers

Create sophisticated automations by combining triggers:

When

@work

AND

!high

Then

Schedule today 9am

+

Notify via push

+

Add to Today view

Result: High-priority work tasks get immediate attention -
scheduled for first thing in the morning, you get a push
notification, and they appear prominently in Today view.

Planned Features

We're constantly expanding HyperPlanner's automation capabilities. Here's what's coming next:

🔗 Condition Groups (AND/OR Logic) Beta

Build complex conditional logic by grouping triggers with AND/OR operators. Create rules that match multiple conditions or any of several options.

When

(@work AND !high)

OR

(#urgent)

Then

Escalate to immediate

Condition Group Examples:

(@work AND due:today)         →  morning notification
(#bug OR #critical)           →  add to urgent queue
(@personal AND !low)          →  schedule for evening
(#meeting AND @work) OR #1on1 →  add calendar block

🌐 Webhooks Coming Soon

Connect HyperPlanner to external services. Trigger automations from external events or send task data to other apps.

Incoming: GitHub PR merged → Create "Deploy to staging" task
Outgoing: Task completed → Post to Slack channel

Webhooks will support popular services: GitHub, Slack, Discord, Zapier, Make, and custom endpoints.

Planned Webhook Integrations:

GitHub       →  PR events, issue updates
Slack        →  Post notifications, receive commands
Discord      →  Channel notifications
Calendar     →  Google Calendar, Outlook sync
Zapier/Make  →  Connect to 5000+ apps
Custom URL   →  Your own API endpoints

⏲ Time-Based Automations Coming Soon

Trigger actions based on the passage of time. Auto-archive old tasks, escalate stale items, or run daily maintenance routines.

Example: If task is completed AND older than 7 days → Auto-archive
Example: If task has no activity for 14 days → Move to "Stale" lane

completed 7+ days → auto-archive

Time-Based Automation Ideas:

completed + 7 days     →  auto-archive
no activity + 14 days  →  move to "Stale" lane
due in 1 hour          →  send reminder notification
overdue + 3 days       →  escalate priority to !high
every Monday 9am       →  create weekly review task
every day 6pm          →  generate daily summary

⚠️ Coming Features

Features marked "Coming Soon" are in active development. Join our beta program to get early access and help shape these features with your feedback.

Your Capture Language

Beyond predefined automations, HyperPlanner lets you define your own natural language processing rules. Create a personal vocabulary that the capture system understands.

Custom NLP Rules

Define patterns that Smart Capture recognizes and transforms automatically:

Pattern: "standup"

Expands to: tomorrow 9:30am @work #daily #meeting 15min

Pattern: "deploy [project]"

Expands to: [project] deployment @work !high #release > pre-deploy checks > run deployment > verify > notify team

Pattern: "1on1 [name]"

Expands to: 1:1 with [name] @work #1on1 45min > prep notes > discussion > action items

Creating Custom Rules

Open Capture Settings
Go to Settings > Smart Capture > Custom Rules
Define Your Pattern
Enter the phrase or pattern you want to recognize. Use [brackets] for variable parts.
Set the Expansion
Define what your pattern expands to, including dates, contexts, tags, and even subtasks.
Test and Refine
Use the preview to see how your rule transforms input before saving.

Advanced Pattern Syntax

Syntax	Description	Example
[word]	Capture single word variable	"call [name]" matches "call Sarah"
[phrase...]	Capture multiple words	"review [title...]" matches "review Q4 budget proposal"
[time]	Capture time expression	"meeting [time]" matches "meeting 2pm"
[date]	Capture date expression	"deadline [date]" matches "deadline friday"
[duration]	Capture duration	"block [duration]" matches "block 2hrs"

Advanced Custom Rule Examples:

Pattern:   "weekly [topic...]"
Expansion: Weekly [topic...] review friday 4pm @work #review #planning

Pattern:   "bug [id] [description...]"
Expansion: Fix bug [id]: [description...] @work !high #bug #dev

Pattern:   "ship [feature] by [date]"
Expansion: Ship [feature] @work !high #release due:[date] > final testing > deploy > announce

Pattern:   "learn [topic] [duration]"
Expansion: Study: [topic] @personal #learning [duration]

Rule Priority and Conflicts

When multiple rules could match, HyperPlanner uses these priorities:

Most specific match wins - Longer patterns beat shorter ones
Custom rules before built-in - Your rules override defaults
Order matters - Earlier rules in your list take precedence

💡 Pro Tip

Start simple. Create rules for phrases you type repeatedly, like project names, meeting types, or workflow stages. As you get comfortable, add more sophisticated patterns with variables and subtasks.

Sharing Your Language

Export your custom rules to share with teammates or across devices:

# Export format (JSON)
{
  "capture_rules": [
    {
      "pattern": "standup",
      "expansion": "tomorrow 9:30am @work #daily 15min",
      "enabled": true
    },
    {
      "pattern": "deploy [project]",
      "expansion": "[project] deployment @work !high #release",
      "enabled": true
    }
  ]
}

📝 Note

Custom capture rules are powerful but require care. Test new rules thoroughly before relying on them for important tasks. Use the preview feature to verify transformations match your expectations.

Quick Reference

Common automation patterns at a glance:

Context Automations

@work → 9am-5pm weekdays

@personal → evenings/weekends

@errands → location reminder

Priority Automations

!high → notify + pin

!medium → schedule 3 days

!low → someday lane

Tag Automations

#meeting → block 30min

#call → block 15min

#deep-work → block 2hr + focus

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + A	Open Automations panel
Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + N	New automation
Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + T	Toggle automation on/off
Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + D	Duplicate automation

Troubleshooting

Check these common issues:

Ensure the automation is toggled ON (green indicator)
Verify the trigger conditions exactly match your task
Check if another automation is catching the task first
Look at the automation log (Settings > Automations > History) to see what ran

Automations run in order from top to bottom. By default, only the first matching automation runs. To allow multiple automations to process the same task, enable "Continue processing" on each rule. Reorder automations by dragging to change priority.

Custom phrases process after the title is extracted. Try placing your phrase after the main task text: "review document eod" instead of "eod review document". Also verify the phrase is saved in Settings > Smart Capture > Custom Rules.

Calendar blocking requires both a date/time AND a duration. Ensure your automation or task includes both. For tags like #meeting, verify the default duration is set in Settings > Automations > Default Durations.