# Fast capture (/docs/guides/users/fast-capture)



The fastest way to create a task is to type one line. RyTask reads a tiny grammar out of
that line and fills the fields in for you. The same grammar works everywhere capture
happens:

* the **quick-add** box in the web app,
* the **`/task`** slash command in Slack,
* the **`quick_add_issue`** tool when an AI agent creates work over MCP.

## The grammar [#the-grammar]

A marker only counts at the **start of a word**, so `C#` in a title or `foo@bar.com` are
left alone.

| Token       | Sets                                                  | Example                                                |
| ----------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ |
| `@handle`   | Assignee                                              | `@sam`                                                 |
| `#label`    | Label                                                 | `#bug`                                                 |
| `!priority` | Priority (urgent, high, medium, low, none — any case) | `!high`                                                |
| `^date`     | Due date — ISO or natural language, up to four words  | `^friday`, `^2026-07-01`, `^next Friday`, `^in 3 days` |

There is no estimate token today — set the estimate on the item after capture.

## Worked examples [#worked-examples]

| You type                            | You get                                                              |
| ----------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `Fix login @sam #bug !high ^friday` | "Fix login", assigned to Sam, labeled bug, high priority, due Friday |
| `Renew SSL cert ^in 3 days !urgent` | "Renew SSL cert", urgent, due three days from now                    |
| `Ship the C# client #release`       | "Ship the C# client", labeled release — the `C#` stays in the title  |
| `Email foo@bar.com about invoice`   | Title kept whole — `@` mid-word is not a marker                      |
| `Post \#general update`             | "Post #general update" — `\#` escapes a literal `#`                  |

To put a literal marker at the start of a word, escape it with a backslash: `\@`, `\#`,
`\!`, `\^`.

## When a token doesn't resolve [#when-a-token-doesnt-resolve]

Capture **never fails** because of a token. If `@sami` matches nobody, `!hgh` isn't a
priority, or `^somday` isn't a date, the task is still created instantly — and the
unresolved tokens are shown back to you so you know which fields to fix on the item. Speed
first, tidy after.

One nice touch: an unknown `#label` isn't an error at all — labels are created on the fly.

## Where each capture lands [#where-each-capture-lands]

Every item remembers its capture source — Web, Slack, Agent, or API — and shows it as a
badge on the item. The interruption ledger in [Reporting](/docs/guides/users/reporting) uses
this to show you where your unplanned work actually comes from.

For the formal token-by-token reference, see
[Capture syntax](/docs/reference/capture-syntax).