Working with Contexts¶

Contexts allow you to focus on specific subsets of tasks by applying filters automatically.

Defining Contexts¶

from taskwarrior import TaskWarrior, ContextDTO

tw = TaskWarrior()

# Create contexts for different workflows
tw.define_context(ContextDTO(name="work", read_filter="project:work or +urgent", write_filter="project:work or +urgent"))
tw.define_context(ContextDTO(name="home", read_filter="project:home or project:personal", write_filter="project:home or project:personal"))
tw.define_context(ContextDTO(name="errands", read_filter="+errand or +shopping", write_filter="+errand or +shopping"))

Applying Contexts¶

# Switch to work context
tw.apply_context("work")

# Now get_tasks() only returns work-related tasks
work_tasks = tw.get_tasks()
print(f"Found {len(work_tasks)} work tasks")

Checking Current Context¶

current = tw.get_current_context()
if current:
    print(f"Current context: {current}")
else:
    print("No context active")

Listing Contexts¶

contexts = tw.get_contexts()
for ctx in contexts:
    print(f"{ctx.name}: read={ctx.read_filter} write={ctx.write_filter}")

Removing Context¶

# Deactivate current context (show all tasks again)
tw.unset_context()

Deleting Contexts¶

# Remove a context definition
tw.delete_context("errands")

Checking Context Existence¶

if tw.has_context("work"):
    tw.apply_context("work")
else:
    tw.define_context(ContextDTO(name="work", read_filter="project:work", write_filter="project:work"))
    tw.apply_context("work")

Example Workflow¶

from taskwarrior import TaskWarrior, TaskInputDTO, Priority

tw = TaskWarrior()

# Setup contexts once
if not tw.has_context("focus"):
    tw.define_context(ContextDTO(name="focus", read_filter="priority:H or +urgent", write_filter="priority:H or +urgent"))

# Morning routine: check high-priority items
tw.apply_context("focus")
urgent_tasks = tw.get_tasks()
print(f"🔥 {len(urgent_tasks)} urgent tasks today")

for task in urgent_tasks[:5]:
    print(f"  - {task.description}")

# Switch to normal view
tw.unset_context()

Context Best Practices¶

Keep filters simple - Complex filters can be slow
Use meaningful names - work, home, urgent are clear
Combine with projects - project:work.meetings works well
Test before applying - Use tw.get_tasks(filter) first