---
title: "Capture a task in seconds"
description: "Press N, type the thought, hit Enter. Nothing else is required, deciding comes later."
section: "Capture"
keywords: "add task, new task, capture, quick add, omnibar, inbox"
canonical: https://kairo.jaimansoni.com/support/capture
---
# Capture a task in seconds

Press N, type the thought, hit Enter. Nothing else is required, deciding comes later.

Source: https://kairo.jaimansoni.com/support/capture
Section: Capture

## Capture something

1. Press `N` anywhere in Kairo (or tap the ✦ button in the mobile bar, or **Capture** in the desktop sidebar).
2. Type the thought exactly as you'd say it.
3. Press `Enter`.

That's it. With no date, the task lands in your **Inbox**, a holding pen you triage later, when you're planning rather than thinking.

After Enter, the panel stays with you for a moment: AI reads your sentence, and the finished task appears right there, its day, time, estimate and list, with a note on what AI filled in. **Done** closes it, **Capture another** keeps going, **Open** jumps into the task.

> **Good to know:** Capturing several things at once? Use `Shift Enter` instead, it saves instantly, keeps the box open for the next one, and AI tidies in the background.

## Add details inline (optional)

You can put dates, times, estimates and lists straight into the sentence, and Kairo pulls them out as you type. Live chips under the box preview what it understood.

| You type | Kairo understands |
| --- | --- |
| `call mom tomorrow` | Planned for tomorrow |
| `gym fri 6pm` | Next Friday at 6 PM |
| `taxes due mon` | A real deadline on Monday |
| `review deck ~45m` | 45-minute estimate |
| `buy milk #home` | Filed to your Home list |
| `ship the release !` | Marked as a Spotlight must-win |

The full reference, including repeats like `every mon and wed`, is in [dates, times, and other shortcuts](https://kairo.jaimansoni.com/support/quick-add-syntax).

## Where a captured task ends up

- **No date** → your Inbox, waiting to be planned.
- **A day** (`today`, `fri`, `next week`) → planned for that day, so it shows up on [Today](https://kairo.jaimansoni.com/support/today) or the [Calendar](https://kairo.jaimansoni.com/support/calendar).
- **A time but no day** → today, at that time.
- **A repeat but no day** → the rule's first occurrence.

> **Note:** After you capture, AI quietly reviews the raw sentence and can fill in details you didn't type, see [how AI tidies your captures](https://kairo.jaimansoni.com/support/ai).

## The quick add rows

Every list, every day in the Calendar's week view, and Today itself have their own inline add row. They understand the same syntax, but default to that context, typing in Thursday's row plans it for Thursday, and typing in a list files it there.

> **Note:** The inline rows save on `Enter` and don't run the AI pass. They're for when you already know where something belongs.