Margin

Margin Minimalist Launcher

Sync & services

A short guide to connecting the services you already use.

Sync is free in Margin 0.4.0. Open Settings › Sync in the app. Margin syncs your to-dos with one service at a time. Notes can go to an Obsidian or Markdown folder, to Notion, or to both.

Margin connects directly from your phone to each service, with no Margin server in between. Tokens you paste are encrypted with a key that stays on your phone, and they aren’t backed up.

Todoist (to-dos, two-way)

  1. Open Todoist › Settings › Integrations › Developer: app.todoist.com/app/settings/integrations/developer.
  2. Copy your API token.
  3. In Margin, paste the token under Todoist and tap Connect. Margin creates a “Margin” project and syncs it both ways.

If Margin says the token was revoked, the token was reset or deleted in Todoist. Tap Reconnect and paste the new token. Your to-dos stay safe on the phone in the meantime.

Notion (to-dos two-way, notes one-way)

  1. Open Notion integrations. Tap New integration, pick your workspace, choose type Internal, and give it any name.
  2. Copy the Internal Integration Secret.
  3. In Notion, open the database you want to use, tap ••• › Connections, and add your integration.
  4. In Margin, paste the secret and the database link (Share › Copy link).
    • To-dos: the database needs a title column and a checkbox column (Margin prefers one named “Done”. Without one, ticks stay on the phone).
    • Notes: each note becomes a page in the notes database. Margin updates that page when you edit the note. Edits made in Notion aren’t copied back.

“Notion can’t see that database”: the integration hasn’t been added to that database yet. Repeat step 3.

“That link isn’t a database”: the link points to a page. Open the database itself and copy its link.

Tasks.org / OpenTasks (with DAVx5 for CalDAV, Nextcloud, iCloud, and more)

Install Tasks.org or OpenTasks. To use a CalDAV server, also add your account in DAVx5. Then tap Connect in Margin and allow access to tasks. Margin uses a “Margin” list, creating one if it can. Everything happens between apps on your phone.

Tasks.org can also sync with Microsoft To Do, so you can reach To Do this way too.

Obsidian / Markdown folder (notes)

Tap Choose folder and pick your vault or any folder. Margin writes each note as a .md file with a little front matter. It can also write a Margin to-dos.md checklist. With Import new files on, other .md files in the folder become Margin notes (each file is imported once). Include to-dos controls the checklist file. Photos, video, and voice notes aren’t exported.

When sync runs

Pull down on Notes to sync now. Sync also runs about every 30 minutes and a few seconds after each change. With no network, Margin waits and tries again later without losing anything.

Not available yet

  • Microsoft To Do: needs a Microsoft app registration. Use Tasks.org for now.
  • TickTick: its API only works with a registered developer app.
  • Evernote: new API keys need Evernote’s approval.
  • Google Keep: Google doesn’t offer a Keep API for apps.
  • Plain CalDAV: use DAVx5 with Tasks.org or OpenTasks. It’s two-way and handles every server’s quirks.

For what leaves the phone when a service is on, see the privacy policy.