Relative #due(7 days) Smart Overview does not update when the date changes

[deadstar1980oyo]

I believe there may be a regression/bug with relative due dates in Smart Overviews.

I created a Smart Overview on September 14, 2026 using:

due(7 days)

When saving the search, Agenda converted this to:

due(Sep 21, 2026)

In the Save Overview dialog, I selected:

“7 Days From Today”

rather than the absolute date option.

On September 14, the overview worked as expected and included notes with, for example:

due(2026-09-19)

However, after the date changed to September 15, the same Smart Overview did not include a note with:

due(2026-09-22)

Since the overview was saved as “7 Days From Today”, I expected the relative date to move automatically from September 21 to September 22.

I also tested creating a new Smart Overview with the same search on September 14. The newly created overview initially worked correctly, but it also failed to advance when the date changed to September 15.

So the behavior seems to be:

Sep 14:
due(7 days) → due(Sep 21, 2026) → works

Sep 15:
due(7 days) should effectively become due(Sep 22, 2026) → does not update

To clarify, my understanding is that entering:

due(7 days)

and saving it with “7 Days From Today” should create an overview that always searches for due dates up to seven days from the current date, including overdue due dates.

The important point is that the overview works correctly on the day it is created, but does not appear to recalculate the relative due date when the calendar date changes.

Agenda’s documentation says that relative dates in saved searches should move as the current date changes. I also noticed that the release notes for Agenda 14.1 previously mentioned:

“Relative due dates now work again in saved overviews.”

This appears to be related to the historical issue discussed in “Due tags search as overview”, where relative due dates could not be maintained in saved overviews. That functionality was later implemented, but it now appears to fail to recalculate when the date changes.

So I wonder if this is a regression of a previously fixed issue.

I am using Agenda on macOS.

I can provide screenshots showing the Save Overview dialog and the behavior before and after the date changed if needed.

[drewmccormack]

Hmm, not sure.

It is true that some date based tags should be treated as relative, but “due” is special. By definition, a due date is a fixed deadline. At least, I think that is how we treated it.

I can see now what you are trying to do, and perhaps we got it wrong. It perhaps should obey the relative setting.

I’ll look into it. Thanks!

Drew

[drewmccormack]

23.3.2 is out on the App Store now, and due follows the relative setting in it. You were right and I was wrong about that.

Two things worth knowing. You will need to save the overview again to pick it up. And a due date with a specific time on it stays fixed, so it is only plain days that move.

Thanks for the clear report.

Drew

[deadstar1980oyo]

Hi Drew,

Sorry to bother you again, especially so soon after your fix.

I did some further testing with 23.3.2, and I’m wondering if I may still be misunderstanding something, because it seems that the relative #due behavior may not be working as expected.

I created a Smart Overview called:

TEST #due - 3 days

on September 24, using #due(3 days) and selecting “3 Days From Today”.

Today, September 25, I created a note with:

#due(Sep 28, 2026)

If the existing Smart Overview is correctly following the relative setting, I would expect this note to appear in TEST #due - 3 days, since September 28 is three days from today.

However, it does not appear there. The note does appear normally in the Inbox.

I’ve attached screenshots showing both views.

I’m sorry to come back to you with another question after you already looked into this and released a fix. I just wanted to check whether I’m misunderstanding how the relative due setting is supposed to work, or whether there might still be an issue here.

Thanks again for taking the time to look into this!

[drewmccormack]

No need to apologise, this is useful.

One thing I notice in your screenshot is that the test note is in the Inbox. The Inbox is a bit special, so could you try two things?

1. Move the test note into a regular project. Does it show up in the overview then?
2. Make a fresh overview today with the same due(3 days) search. Does the note show up in that one?

That will tell us whether it is the relative date not moving, or the Inbox not being included.

Drew

[deadstar1980oyo]

I ran both tests.

1. I moved the test note from the Inbox into a regular project, but it still did not appear in the existing TEST #due - 3 days overview, which was created on September 24.
2. I created a fresh Smart Overview today with the same #due(3 days) search, named #due - 3 days (created Sep 25), and selected “3 Days From Today”. The test note did appear in this new overview.

So it looks like the Inbox was not the issue. The existing overview created on September 24 does not seem to update its relative due date, while a newly created overview works correctly.

This seems to point specifically to existing Smart Overviews not picking up the updated relative date, even though newly created ones do.

I’ve attached screenshots showing the two overviews for comparison.

Thanks again for helping me narrow this down!

---

1. I moved the test note from the Inbox

2: I created a fresh Smart Overview today

[drewmccormack]

Thanks, that narrows it down nicely. So a new overview is right on the day you make it, but it doesn’t move along with the date after that.

When making the smart overview, do you see an option to choose “relative” dates? Are you definitely selecting that? There should be two options, and only one will move the dates each day.

Drew

PS I realize it is annoying to have to keep making new overviews each time. We have plans to add overview editing in our next major release.

[deadstar1980oyo]

Yes, I’m definitely selecting the relative option.

For example, when I create the due(3 days) overview, Agenda shows two options:

• 3 Days From Today
• Sep 28, 2026

I select 3 Days From Today, not the specific date.

The newly created overview works correctly on the day I create it, but on the following day it doesn’t seem to move forward with the date.

I’ve attached a screenshot of the Save Overview dialog as well, just to make sure we’re talking about the same setting.

And no worries about not being able to edit existing overviews yet — it’s great to hear that overview editing is planned for the next major release!

Thanks again for looking into this.

[drewmccormack]

OK, we will investigate. Thanks for letting us know.