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Get Started with Stardust

This guide will have you creating and managing tasks in under a minute. Let’s go.

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Create Your First Task

1

Open Stardust

Launch the Stardust desktop app from your Applications folder or menu bar.
2

Press Cmd+N

Or click the + button to create a new task.
3

Type what you need to do

Use natural language - Stardust understands you:
Review Q1 roadmap before Thursday
Stardust automatically extracts:
  • Task: Review Q1 roadmap
  • Due: Thursday
4

Press Enter

Done! Your task is created.
That’s it. You’ve created your first task.

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The Core Loop

Stardust is built around a simple, powerful workflow: 
Capture → Clarify → Focus → Review → Ship

Capture

Get things out of your head. Voice, text, natural language. Don’t worry about organization yet.

Clarify

Turn vague intentions into clear commitments. Who owns it? When does it matter?

Focus

See what matters right now. Not everything - just what you should do next.

Ship

Bias toward action. The goal isn’t a perfect plan - it’s shipped outcomes.

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See What Matters

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In the Desktop App

  1. Today View: Press G T to see tasks due today
  2. Ready Tasks: Unblocked tasks you can work on now
  3. AI Triage: Get AI-powered recommendations on what to focus on

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With the CLI

# What's ready to work on?
stardust tasks ready

# Get AI recommendations
stardust tasks prioritize

# What's the single most important thing?
stardust tasks next

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Complete Tasks

  • Click the checkbox next to a task, or
  • Select a task and press C

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AI Triage

When you have too many tasks and don’t know where to start:
  1. Click AI Triage in the sidebar
  2. Stardust analyzes your tasks
  3. Get recommendations on:
    • What to focus on first
    • What can wait
    • What to delete

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Natural Language

Stardust understands how you think: 
# These all work:
stardust add "Follow up with Sarah after her PTO"
stardust add "Review roadmap before Thursday"
stardust add "Deploy hotfix by end of day"
stardust add "Schedule 1:1 with Alex next week"
Stardust extracts:
  • Due dates and deadlines
  • People mentioned
  • Priority indicators
  • Dependencies

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Keyboard Shortcuts

Speed up your workflow:
ShortcutAction
Cmd+NNew task
Cmd+KCommand palette
G TGo to Today
CMark complete
J / KNavigate down/up
?Show all shortcuts

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Example: Your Day

Here’s how a typical day looks with Stardust:
1

Morning: Capture

Brain dump everything on your mind:
stardust add "Finish auth implementation"
stardust add "Review PRs from team"
stardust add "Update meeting notes"
stardust add "Book dentist appointment"
2

Morning: Focus

Ask Stardust what matters:
stardust tasks ready
Focus on the top items. Everything else can wait.
3

Afternoon: Ship

Complete tasks as you go:
stardust task done tk-001
stardust task done tk-002
4

Evening: Review

What’s left? Delete or defer what doesn’t matter.
stardust tasks list --status todo

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Tips for Success

Don’t try to migrate your entire backlog. Start with today’s work. Build the habit first.
AI recommendations are helpful, but you’re the decision-maker. If a suggestion doesn’t feel right, ignore it.
The best task is the one you don’t do. If something’s been sitting for weeks, delete it.
Set a recurring time to review your commitments. What’s still relevant? What can go?

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What’s Next?

Learn the Philosophy

Understand the principles behind Stardust

CLI Commands

Complete CLI reference for power users

Workflows

Common patterns for daily work

Features

Explore all Stardust features