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Rules

Rules define which calendar events match a view. Calendars, keywords, and date range are set per view. A few global defaults live in View Defaults.

Calendars

Each view chooses which calendars contribute matches. If an event lives on a calendar you haven’t selected for that view, it won’t appear, even if keywords match.

Calendars synced to Apple Calendar all work: iCloud, Google, Outlook, Exchange, and others.

Keywords

Keywords are search terms attached to a view. Sift matches them against event titles, notes, and locations.

Keywords are per view: adding a keyword to one view does not affect any other view.

Built-in keywords

Sift ships with 35 built-in keywords across four categories:

CategoryExamples
WorkMeeting, Standup, Interview, …
SocialDinner, Birthday, Party, …
Life EventsWedding, Funeral, …
LifestyleGym, Flight, Doctor, …

All built-in keywords are available on the free tier. Enable or disable which ones appear when editing views in Settings → Preferences → Calendars & Keywords or View Defaults.

Custom keywords (Sift Plus)

With Sift Plus, add custom keywords: project names, teammates, venues, or any text that appears in your events. Manage them in View Defaults or while editing a view.

Match mode

Each view chooses how keywords combine:

ModeBehaviour
AnyMatch if any keyword hits the title, notes, or location
AllMatch only if every keyword hits (can be across different fields)
ExceptMatch events that do not contain the listed keywords

Any is the default for broad views (“anything with Meeting or Standup”). All tightens the net (“Work” and “1:1”). Except excludes noise (“everything except Holiday”).

Keywords match text; they do not read calendar colour or attendee lists.

Date range

Each view has a date range: how far ahead Sift looks for matches:

  • 7, 14, or 30 days
  • 90 days
  • 6 months
  • 1 year
  • All

Set the range while editing a view. A shorter range keeps the list focused; a longer range is useful for countdown-style views (“Holiday in 47 days”).

Default date range for new views

View Defaults (in Settings) sets the starting date range when you create a new view. Change it under Settings → Preferences → View Defaults → Default Date Range. Existing views keep their own range.

Past events window

Show Past Events is a global setting in View Defaults. It controls whether recently ended events still appear in view lists:

  • Off
  • Last 24 hours
  • Last 48 hours
  • Last week

This applies to all views. It does not change which events widgets or alerts consider “next”, those always look forward.