Checklist View

Turn any sheet into a checklist — a focused view for tracking tasks, steps, or any list where things need to get done. Check items off, track progress at the top, and keep completed work out of the way as you go.

Create a checklist

You have two paths: connect an existing sheet, or start from a template.

From an existing sheet

If your data already lives in a sheet, you can connect it directly.

1. Click the + button, then select Checklist.

2. Choose From existing sheet.

3. Select your sheet. Obvious infers the field mapping automatically — map a title field and a completion field, and you're set.

4. Click Create.

The checklist reflects your sheet in real time. Check something off in the checklist and the underlying sheet record updates instantly.

From a template

Starting fresh? Pick one of three starter templates:

• Basic — 3 items with a title and done field. Good for personal task lists or one-off checklists.

• Project Checklist — 6 items with owner, priority, due date, and section fields. Good for team projects with multiple people involved.

• Launch / Go-Live — 8 items with owner, category, verified-by, and notes fields. Good for release readiness or milestone reviews.

Select a template, give the checklist a name, and click Create. Obvious creates a new sheet in the background and connects it automatically. You can rename and add to the template items once it's open.

Check items off

Click the circle next to an item to mark it complete. A checkmark and strikethrough appear. Click again to uncheck.

A progress bar at the top tracks how many items are done out of the total. When every item is checked, an "All done!" banner replaces the bar.

Reorder items

Hover over any item and grab the grip handle on the left side to drag it into a new position. The order you set here is specific to the checklist view — it doesn't rearrange your sheet.

Add and delete items

Type in the Add item… field at the bottom and press Enter. New items appear at the end and write back to the sheet immediately.

To delete an item, right-click it and select Delete, or open the context menu on the item's right side.

Control how completed items appear

Once you've got a few items checked off, you can control whether they stay visible or get out of the way. Three modes are available:

• Show — Completed items remain fully visible alongside unchecked items.

• Dim — Completed items fade to 50% opacity. Your eye naturally goes to what's left.

• Hide — Completed items disappear from the list entirely. A summary at the bottom shows how many are hidden; click it to restore them.

You can switch between these from the checklist toolbar, or set your default in Settings (see below).

Edit item details

Double-click any item to open a detail panel on the right. From there you can edit any field on the record — title, assignee, due date, priority, or any custom field on the sheet.

If the item has inline labels next to its title (like a status badge or an owner), those are clickable for quick inline edits without opening the full panel.

Settings

Open the ⋮ menu in the checklist header and select Settings to customize how your checklist looks and behaves. Settings are organized into two areas: field mappings and display options.

Field mappings

Control which fields from the underlying sheet map to each part of the checklist:

• Content field — The field that displays as the item title.

• Completion field — The field that tracks whether an item is done.

• Assignee — The field that shows who's responsible for each item.

• Due Date — The field that displays deadlines on each item.

• Visible fields — Add or remove fields that appear as inline labels on each item.

Display options

Fine-tune the checklist experience for your workflow:

• Group by — Select any field to organize items into collapsible sections. Useful for grouping by category, owner, priority, or any other field on your sheet.

• Completed items — Choose Show, Dim, or Hide as the default behavior when you open the checklist.

• Row density — Switch between Comfortable (more spacing, easier to scan) and Compact (fits more items on screen).

• Default mode — Pick how items behave when you open them:

  • All (do-confirm) — Every item is visible and ready to check off. Good for quick checklists where you already know what's involved.

  • Focused (read-do) — Items reveal one at a time. Good for step-by-step processes where you read the instruction, then mark it done.

• Double verification — Turn this on to require a second person to verify each item. The original person checks it off, and a second person confirms. Good for launch checklists, compliance reviews, or anything where two sets of eyes matter.

The underlying sheet

Every checklist connects to a sheet. That relationship goes both ways: changes in the checklist show up in the sheet, and edits made directly in the sheet show up in the checklist. If you want to add new fields, adjust field types, or bulk-edit records, do it from the sheet — the checklist picks up the changes automatically.

Next steps

Kanban View — Visualize work as cards moving through stages

Calendar View — Track deadlines and events by date

Working with the Agent — Let the agent set up a checklist from a description of what you're tracking