Tana Fundamentals 01 – Getting Started with Tana

Tana’s core pitch is that it behaves like an outliner on the surface, but turns every note into a connected, queryable object—so work can be pulled into place, kept up to date, and even drafted or extracted with AI. Instead of writing in isolated pages, users create fresh notes quickly (type a title, press Enter for a new note, Tab/Shift-Tab to indent, and “focus” into a note for a dedicated page view) while gaining the ability to reference, link, and restructure information without hunting across the workspace.

The biggest leap beyond a standard outliner is linking and referencing. Notes can be pulled into the current context in two ways: by typing “@” and selecting a target note (which inserts the note’s contents inline and keeps edits synchronized back to the original), or by creating a link and using Shift-click to expand it in place. That synchronization matters because it lets action items and meeting notes travel forward in time—e.g., a product strategy meeting captured on Wednesday can be referenced during a later product review, with fields like “Q1 2025” staying consistent wherever the note is expanded.

Tana then adds structure through Fields, letting users attach metadata to notes and tasks. A meeting note can include an “attendees” field, while each task can include an “assigned to” field. When users focus on a person, Tana can show a reference section listing where that person’s name appears—both as an attendee and as the assignee for specific tasks—creating an explicit relationship between otherwise separate notes.

Super tags turn that metadata into reusable “things.” Tagging a note with #task automatically applies a bundle of fields (such as status, due date, and related project) so users don’t have to recreate the same schema repeatedly. Tags can also be extended: a #colleague tag can inherit the fields from the built-in #person tag, letting teams define specialized categories without losing the underlying structure.

Once tags and fields exist, searches and live feeds become the operational layer. Clicking a super tag surfaces all matching notes in a sortable, filterable table; filters can be saved as searches like “open tasks.” Views can switch to a Kanban board or group tasks by assignee. Users can also create ad hoc searches by typing “?” and building conditions such as “task where due date is today,” with results updating as dates change. Location-aware queries using “parent” make searches portable across the hierarchy—so a colleague-specific search can automatically pull tasks assigned to that colleague wherever it’s placed, and it updates live when new tasks appear.

Finally, AI integration ties the system together. On the Core plan, pressing Space in an empty note opens an AI chat, but the more distinctive workflow is AI that uses workspace context. An “investor update” draft can be generated from a live search of completed projects, summarizing only the relevant notes. The reverse is also supported: voice capture (via command-driven capture voice memo) can be transcribed, then AI extracts tasks and tags them automatically—so dictation becomes structured work items. The throughline is clear: Tana aims to keep information connected, continuously current, and actionable—without forcing users to leave their workspace to manage it.