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Google Tasks Zapier integrationAutomate Google Tasks with Zapier.

The Google Tasks Zapier integration gives you 3 triggers, 4 actions and 2 searches. Enough to turn a ticked box into the next to-do, open new lists on demand and keep a running list in sync with the rest of the tools your work already runs on.

See the 9 operations

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Overview

What the Google Tasks Zapier integration actually does

It links your Google Tasks account to Zapier so that something happening in a list (a task added, a task ticked off, a new list) starts an automation, and so that other tools can write tasks for you. No code, no copy and paste between tabs, and it works on the free plan because Google Tasks is not a premium app.

Three results people build first. A to-do that writes itself: Create Task drops a task into the list you choose the moment another step asks for it. A done pile that reports itself: New Completed Task picks up what you ticked off, so the next stage of the job can start without you. A list that keeps itself current: Find Task spots an open task by its title and Update Task changes it, instead of stacking duplicates.

Now the limits. There is no visible action to delete a task, and no trigger for a task that changed without being completed. Every trigger here is checked on a timer, so nothing arrives the second it happens. And a Zap never looks backwards: tasks that existed before you switched it on stay where they are.

If you are weighing tools, the same app has its own Google Tasks n8n integration and Google Tasks Make integration pages, written the same way, so you can compare operation by operation.

Vocabulary

Zapier words, in one minute

Seven terms come back on every line of this page. Here they are once, in plain words.

Zap
The automation you build: one starting event, then one or more steps that run every single time that event happens.
Trigger
The event in Google Tasks that starts the Zap. Once the Zap is on, Zapier sits and waits for it to happen.
Action
What the Zap does after it starts: the step that creates, updates or writes something on your behalf.
Task (Zapier)
Zapier's billing unit: one action that completes successfully. Not to be confused with a to-do in Google Tasks.
Polling vs instant
Polling means Zapier checks the app on a timer. Instant means the app calls Zapier itself. All Google Tasks triggers poll.
Filter
A step that lets the Zap carry on only when what arrived matches your condition, and quietly stops it otherwise.
Search step
A step that looks up something already in the app, like an open task, so later steps can reuse what it found.
Cost

What it really costs

Two words get mixed up here: a to-do in Google Tasks and a task on your Zapier bill. Only the second one costs anything.

  • Premium appNo, works on the free plan
  • Free plan100 tasks a month, two-step Zaps
  • BilledEach successful action
  • Not billedTriggers, checks, failed actions

The trigger never costs a Zapier task, and neither does Zapier checking your lists, however often it looks. You pay one task each time an action completes, so a Zap with three actions burns three times more than one with a single action. An action that fails is not counted. The free plan gives you 100 tasks a month and unlimited Zaps, but only two steps per Zap: one trigger, one action. Add a filter, a search or a second action and the Zap becomes multi-step, which needs a paid plan.

Connect

Connect your Google Tasks account

  1. 01

    Open your connections

    In Zapier, go to the Apps page of your account and click + Add connection. A connection is your Google account linked once, then reused by every Zap that touches Google Tasks.

  2. 02

    Pick Google Tasks

    Type Google Tasks in the search box of the dialog, select it, then click Add connection. A new tab opens so you can sign in to Google with the account that holds your lists.

  3. 03

    Sign in and allow access

    Sign in with the Google account that owns the lists you want to automate, then grant Zapier access. Back in Zapier, the connection shows up in your list, ready for any step.

First Zap

Your first Zap: chain the next step when a task is done

GoalWhen a client task is completed in your Deliverables list, create the invoicing follow-up in your Invoicing list.

  1. 01

    Create the Zap

    From your Zapier dashboard, start a new Zap. The editor opens on the first step, the trigger, which is always where a Zap starts.

  2. 02

    Set the trigger

    Pick Google Tasks as the app and New Completed Task as the event, choose your connection, then select the Deliverables list in the Task List field.

  3. 03

    Test the trigger

    Click test. Zapier brings back the three most recent completed tasks of that list, so tick one off first if the list is empty, then pick a real one.

  4. 04

    Add a filter

    Click the plus icon under the trigger and add Filter. Set the title field, the text rule that checks how it starts, and the word Client. The Zap is now multi-step, so it needs a paid plan.

  5. 05

    Add the action

    Pick Google Tasks again and Create Task. Choose the Invoicing list, then map the title of the finished task into the new title, with a short prefix of your own.

  6. 06

    Test and publish

    Run the action test, open Google Tasks and check the new to-do landed in the right list. Then publish the Zap to switch it on. From now on it runs alone.

Triggers

Google Tasks triggers

3 events start a Zap when something happens in Google Tasks. Zapier checks for them at the interval your plan allows.

1

New Completed Task

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a task is completed in a specific task list.”

Each time a task gets ticked off in the list you pick, this trigger hands the finished task to the rest of your Zap, ready to be reported, archived or followed up.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one.
When to use it
a freelancer who closes a deliverable and wants the invoicing to-do queued in another list without retyping anything.
Watch out
one Zap watches one list, and tasks assigned to you from Google Docs only come through if you switch on Include Assigned Tasks.
2

New Task

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new task is added.”

This one reacts to fresh entries: whenever a to-do lands in the chosen list, from your phone, from Gmail or from Calendar, the Zap receives it and can pass it on.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one.
When to use it
a podcast producer who jots guest ideas into a list on the go and wants each one logged somewhere the whole team reads.
Watch out
if the same Zap also creates tasks in that very list, it sets itself off again and again and eats your task count.
3

New Task List

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new task list is created.”

Rather than watching tasks, this trigger watches the lists themselves: creating a list is the signal. It suits people who open one list per client, per trip or per project.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one.
When to use it
a consultant who opens a list for every new engagement and wants it seeded at once with the same kickoff to-do.
Watch out
lists that existed before the Zap went live are never picked up, only the ones created afterwards.
Actions

Google Tasks actions

Google Tasks gives you 4 actions. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

1

Create Task List

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new task list.”

Opens a brand new list in your Google Tasks, named however the previous step tells it to. Only the title is needed.

When to use it
a new client signs, and their dedicated checklist appears without anyone opening the app.
Watch out
the list title is the only required field, so map it from a value that tells your clients apart.
2

Create Task

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new task.”

Writes a to-do into the list of your choice, with the title you map from earlier steps. It is the action most Google Tasks Zaps end on.

When to use it
turning a form reply, a starred email or a calendar request into something you will actually see on your list.
Watch out
both the list and the title are required.
3

Update Task

Action

In Zapier“Update an existing task.”

Changes a to-do that already exists instead of adding a new one, so your list stays clean when details move.

When to use it
a detail changes in another tool and the matching task should follow.
Watch out
select the list first, then the task; the task field depends on the list, and a Find Task step is usually what feeds it.
4

API Request (Beta)

Action

In Zapier“This is an advanced action which makes a raw HTTP request that includes this integration's authentication.”

An advanced escape hatch: it sends a request of your own to the Google Tasks API, reusing the connection you already set up, for anything the ready-made actions do not cover.

When to use it
you know exactly which call you need and none of the actions above makes it.
Watch out
it only reaches addresses that belong to Google Tasks, and the Stop on error choice decides whether a failure halts the Zap.
Searches

Google Tasks searches

2 search steps look for data that already exists in Google Tasks, so a later step can use it.

A search step finds a to-do that already exists so the next steps can use it. In the editor, searches sit at the bottom of the Action event list, under their own SEARCH heading. Three settings decide what happens when the result is not the one you expected.

1

Find Task

SearchFind or create

In Zapier“Searches for an incomplete task.”

Looks inside one list for a to-do that is still open, using its title, and hands it to the steps that follow.

When to use it
just before Update Task, so the change lands on the right line. The editor also shows Find or Create Task: that is this same search with the creation box ticked, not a separate operation.
Watch out
completed tasks are out of its reach.
2

Get Tasks by List

Search

In Zapier“List all tasks by task list, results will be in a line-item format.”

Pulls every task of a list in one go, as line items the next step can loop through or summarise.

When to use it
sending a recap of a whole list, say the open items of a project, rather than one task at a time.
Watch out
finished tasks stay hidden unless you switch on Display Completed Tasks, a required toggle you set either way.

The three settings every search exposes

  1. Successful if no search results are found?
    Left as it is, a search that finds nothing stops the Zap and skips the steps that relied on it. Switch it on and the Zap carries on empty-handed.
  2. Create Task if it doesn't exist yet?
    Ticking this turns Find Task into its find-or-create version: the setting above disappears and Zapier asks for what it needs to create the missing task.
  3. If multiple search results are found?
    Three ways out when several tasks match: keep the first, which is the default, stop the Zap, or pass every match along together.
When it breaks

When it breaks

Before blaming Google Tasks, check how the Zap reads it.

Zapier keeps a help article on common problems with Google Tasks. Before going there, check the four cases below: they come from how Zapier handles every trigger. When a Zap still misbehaves, our Zapier troubleshooting page walks through the method.

  • Old tasks never show up

    A Zap only reacts to what happens after you switch it on. Tasks and lists that already existed stay out of it; moving them is a separate job.

  • The Zap keeps firing itself

    If a Zap creates tasks in the very list its trigger watches, every new task restarts it, in a loop that drains your task count fast.

  • A bulk import gets held back

    When a list suddenly returns a huge batch, after an import or a migration, Zapier's flood protection can hold the run back instead of firing on everything.

  • The same task does not run twice

    Zapier remembers what it has already seen on a polled trigger, so the same task never starts the Zap twice.
Need help

Need help automating Google Tasks with Zapier?

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FAQ

Google Tasks and Zapier: common questions

01Is the Google Tasks Zapier integration free?
Yes, Google Tasks is not a premium app on Zapier, so it works on the free plan. That plan gives you 100 tasks a month and unlimited Zaps, but each Zap is limited to two steps: one trigger and one action. As soon as you add a filter, a search step like Find Task or a second action, the Zap becomes multi-step and needs a paid plan. For a simple flow, such as a completed task creating a follow-up in another list, free is enough.
02How many Zapier tasks does a Google Tasks Zap use?
One per action that completes. The trigger costs nothing, and neither do the checks Zapier runs on your lists, however often it looks. A Zap that creates one to-do uses one task each time it runs; a Zap with two actions uses two, since every action that succeeds counts on its own. An action that fails is not billed. On the free plan, that means 100 completed actions a month across all your Zaps.
03Does Google Tasks trigger a Zap in real time?
No. All three Google Tasks triggers are polling triggers: Zapier asks Google Tasks for new items on a timer rather than being told the moment something happens. On the free plan it checks every 15 minutes, on Professional every 2 minutes, and on Team and Enterprise every minute. Paid plans also let you change how often a trigger checks and run a check by hand from the editor, which helps when you are testing a new Zap.
04What does it take to connect Google Tasks to Zapier?
A Google account that holds the lists you want to automate, and a Zapier account. You add the connection once from the Apps page, sign in with Google in the tab that opens and grant access. After that, every Zap reuses it. If the lists belong to someone else, the account you connect still needs to see them, because most triggers and actions ask you to pick a Task List and only offer the ones that account can open.
05Why does Find Task not find a task that is in the list?
Most often because that task is already completed. Find Task searches open tasks only, by title and inside the one list you select, so a ticked-off item is invisible to it. If what you need is a full picture including finished work, Get Tasks by List does that once you switch on Display Completed Tasks. Also check the setting for an empty result: left on its default, a search that finds nothing stops the Zap right there.
06What if a Google Tasks action is missing from Zapier?
Check the list on this page first: it covers every visible trigger, action and search. If the operation is missing, there are two routes. API Request (Beta) lets you send your own call to the Google Tasks API through the same connection, for people comfortable reading API documentation. Otherwise, a different tool may expose that operation for Google Tasks, which is why it is worth comparing the n8n and Make pages for the same app before building around a gap.
07Zapier, Make or n8n for Google Tasks?
It depends on the criterion that matters most to you, not on a general winner. Look at which operations each tool offers for Google Tasks, since the lists differ. Look at how each one bills: on Zapier, only completed actions count, and triggers are free. Look at speed: on Zapier, every Google Tasks trigger polls, so your plan decides the delay. Our pages for the same app on n8n and Make follow the same structure, which makes the side-by-side check quick.
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