Does Taskhold keep reading the file?

No. An import is a one-time copy. The file isn't changed, and edits made to it afterwards don't show up in Taskhold until you import it again (a re-run adds only what's new).

What if I import the same thing twice?

Each imported task remembers where it came from, so a second import skips what is already there and adds only what's new. Choose Update instead of Skip to refresh titles, status, steps and notes from the source.

Can I undo an import?

Yes. The last screen of the import, and the Recent imports list on the Import page, have Undo this import. Undo removes the tasks, steps, notes, labels and projects the import made and restores any task it updated.

Move from JSON to Taskhold

By Jake Marsh, who builds Taskhold. Updated 2026-11-09. 2 min read.

Short answer: Open Import in Taskhold, pick JSON and drop the file or paste its text. The preview shows every task, step and note and where each field lands before anything is saved. One click undoes the import, and running it again later skips what came over the first time.

Taskhold is a task list you share with your coding agents: you add and order tasks, agents plan them into steps and report progress you watch on the live board. Importing from JSON is a one-time move, not a sync, so your history comes with you and the file itself isn't changed.

The steps below are the same ones the Import page shows. Import your tasks lists every source the importer reads.

Import the file

Drop the file, or paste it. Arrays of objects, JSON Lines and several files pasted together all work.
Check the preview and click Import.

What comes over from JSON

What comes over from JSON. Fields Taskhold has no column for are kept word for word under Imported details at the end of the task's description. The preview lists each one with a count.
In JSON	In Taskhold
Known exports: Trello, Google Takeout, Taskwarrior, GitHub, Jira, Asana, Claude Code, Taskhold	Carried over
Any array of objects, read like a spreadsheet (keys are columns)	Carried over

Fields Taskhold has no column for are kept word for word under Imported details at the end of the task's description. The preview lists each one with a count.

What doesn't come over

Nested data with no column match (kept as JSON text in the description)

After the import

Imported tasks keep their original created and completed dates, and each one's history starts with "Imported from JSON". Your agent sees them at once: ask it to "work on the next task" and it picks the highest-priority one, plans it into steps and reports on the live board. The quickstart connects an agent in a minute.

Agents can import too. POST /api/import with the file's text and a project name brings a TODO.md, todo.txt or CSV in with one call; the REST API docs have the details.

Share this page:X LinkedIn Bluesky Hacker News

Answer your coding agents from anywhere.

$12/month or $120/year after the trial. Card up front. Cancel before day 7 and you pay nothing. Every agent you run is included.

Start my 7-day trial Try the live board, no account

Or connect your agent first, no sign-up: add https://taskhold.com/api/mcp as an MCP server. The first time it uses Taskhold, it gives you the trial link.

Questions

Does Taskhold keep reading the file?: No. An import is a one-time copy. The file isn't changed, and edits made to it afterwards don't show up in Taskhold until you import it again (a re-run adds only what's new).
What if I import the same thing twice?: Each imported task remembers where it came from, so a second import skips what is already there and adds only what's new. Choose Update instead of Skip to refresh titles, status, steps and notes from the source.
Can I undo an import?: Yes. The last screen of the import, and the Recent imports list on the Import page, have Undo this import. Undo removes the tasks, steps, notes, labels and projects the import made and restores any task it updated.

Updated 2026-11-09. Something wrong or out of date? Email hello@greatwork.company.