Create and use task templates

Use a task template to reuse a checklist on cards on the same board. For example, a move-in template might contain “Confirm move-in date,” “Arrange key pickup,” and “Send move-in instructions.”

Use a template when the steps repeat. Use a one-off task for an exception or a single follow-up. For task types and basic editing, see Create a task.

A template defines the work to create; it does not perform that work. If a later automation depends on completing a particular template task, confirm that the rule references the intended template task rather than a similarly named one-off task.

Task templates are available from the board header:

You can also apply a saved template from a card’s Tasks section, as described below.

To update a checklist, select it from Task List to open Edit Template. Review each task before saving.

Use a safe sample card to check the resulting tasks before making the template a default or connecting it to an active automation.

Review Include Assignee before saving:

After loading the template, check the resulting owners. Do not assume that every task belongs to the card’s assignee, especially when assignment rules or other automations also apply.

Use Sequential when later work should follow earlier work—for example, confirm the move-in date before arranging key pickup. The setting is labeled Next task unavailable until prior task completed. Leave it off when people can work on checklist items independently.

Put the tasks in the intended order and verify the sequence on a sample card. Before completing a test task, check for completion-triggered automations that could send messages or make other changes.

Open a task in the checklist to review its details. The controls depend on the task type. For an email task, check Send To, any selected contact types, Send From Inbox, and Email Template. Also review when the task gets created, its assignee, priority and due date.

Saving a task configuration is not proof that an email was sent. Review the resulting task and any automation actions separately.

A reusable task can both show information and collect an update:

For example, create a To Do template called Confirm the prospect’s next step. Insert the prospect’s name as a merge field, then insert an existing card field—such as Follow-up outcome, if your board has that field—as a form input. The name gives the assignee context; the input records the outcome on the card rather than only in the task’s text.

While authoring a template, there is no default card supplying values. Gray merge-field chips and non-editable form previews are expected there; they are placeholders, not a completed task.

After applying the template to a task attached to a card:

Use only fields available in the task’s related-card scope. Do not select an unrelated card as a substitute when a field or value is missing. A required-field asterisk reflects the board field’s configuration; it does not by itself establish that completing the task is blocked.

When opening the task from a card or another task view, check the related card and rendered values rather than assuming every dashboard or embedded view provides the same editing controls.

See Add merge fields and form fields to tasks for the difference between merge fields, form inputs and record references.

Review each task’s due-date settings rather than assuming the saved checklist has the right schedule for every card. Where a card date field is offered, select the intended field and the number of days before or after it—for example, two days before Move-In Date.

Check that the sample card contains the source date, then confirm the actual due dates on the created tasks. Avoid a fixed date that will become outdated when the checklist is reused.

You can put a saved template to work in three ways.

This is the direct way to apply a template to one card:

Check whether the checklist is already present before loading it again. Do not assume repeated loading will remove or replace existing tasks.

If a template should apply to every new card on a board (not just the ones you remember to load it onto by hand), you can set it as the board's default instead of building an automation to add it:

A board default is broader than loading a checklist onto one card. Review existing creation automations first so two mechanisms do not add the same checklist. Do not assume changing a default updates previously created cards or their tasks.

Use this when the template should load based on something other than a card simply being created, or when you're layering it into a larger automation:

Use an automation for conditional work, such as adding a checklist at a particular stage. Avoid adding both a default checklist and an automation for the same event unless that duplication is intentional.