Amnosia: A Rust-Based CLI for Terminal-Integrated Task Management

The CLI Tool that opens whenever your terminal does

Gennaro Biondi created Amnosia to solve the problem of forgetting to open standalone todo applications. The system functions as a persistent reminder layer triggered by shell initialization.

Why This Matters

Traditional productivity apps rely on the user’s active habit of opening a separate interface, creating a friction point where the tool is forgotten. By shifting the trigger from manual application launch to the shell startup (e.g., .zshrc or .bashrc), Amnosia replaces reliance on user habit with automated technical execution.

Key Insights

• Automated Visibility: Using ‘amnosia remind -n 7’ in shell config files ensures tasks are displayed upon every terminal session (Biondi, 2026).
• Fuzzy Search Deletion: The ‘demind’ command implements fuzzy searching to streamline entry removal rather than requiring exact ID matching.
• Rust Tooling: The project utilizes Cargo for installation and PATH management to provide a native binary experience.

Working Examples

Installation process via GitHub clone and Cargo.

git clone https://github.com/GennaroBiondi/amnosia
cd amnosia
cargo install --path .

Core commands for adding, listing, and removing reminders.

amnosia mind "ENTRY"
amnosia remind
amnosia demind

Shell configuration line for .zshrc or .bashrc to automate reminders.

amnosia remind -n 7

Practical Applications

• …Use case: Developers using Zsh or Bash who require immediate visibility of pending tasks upon opening their IDE terminal. …Pitfall: Relying on separate GUI todo apps which leads to forgotten tasks due to lack of integration into the primary workspace.
• …Use case: Fast task entry via ‘amnosia mind’ without leaving the command line. …Pitfall: Manual list management which becomes cumbersome without fuzzy search capabilities for deletion.

References:

• https://dev.to/gennarobiondi/i-built-a-rust-cli-because-i-kept-forgetting-to-open-my-todo-app-46cc

https://github.com/GennaroBiondi/amnosia