diff --git a/src/markdown/portable/adf-to-portable-markdown.ts b/src/markdown/portable/adf-to-portable-markdown.ts
index 2b4bff6..de11ad3 100644
--- a/src/markdown/portable/adf-to-portable-markdown.ts
+++ b/src/markdown/portable/adf-to-portable-markdown.ts
@@ -275,7 +275,7 @@ function reduceTaskList(node: AdfNode, reduction: Reduction): Result<AdfNode[]>
     const standsAlone = !nestsTasks && !isTaskItem(child) && child.type !== 'taskList'
     for (const block of standsAlone ? [{ content: blocks, type: 'listItem' }] : blocks) tasks.push(block)
   }
-  const items = nestsTasks ? taskListItems({ content: tasks, type: 'taskList' }) : undefined
+  const items = nestsTasks ? taskListItems(tasks) : undefined
   return success(items === undefined ? listOf(tasksAsText(tasks), 'bulletList') : splitTaskList(items))
 }
 
diff --git a/src/markdown/portable/block-spelling.test.ts b/src/markdown/portable/block-spelling.test.ts
index e889644..bba2051 100644
--- a/src/markdown/portable/block-spelling.test.ts
+++ b/src/markdown/portable/block-spelling.test.ts
@@ -4,16 +4,8 @@ import test from 'node:test'
 import { portableWriting } from './block-spelling.ts'
 import { writeMarkdown } from '../emit/adf-to-markdown.ts'
 
-test('refuses a task list a child other than a task opens, where the portable reduction would have left none', () => {
+test('refuses a task list that opens with a child other than a task', () => {
   const list = { content: [{ content: [{ text: 'stray', type: 'text' }], type: 'paragraph' }, { attrs: { state: 'TODO' }, type: 'taskItem' }], type: 'taskList' }
   const written = writeMarkdown({ content: [{ type: 'rule' }, list], type: 'doc', version: 1 }, portableWriting)
   assert.deepEqual(written.ok ? written.value : [written.error.code, written.error.path], ['unsupported-node-shape', ['content', 1]])
 })
-
-test('names the path of a failure inside a task list by the child it writes', () => {
-  const task = { attrs: { state: 'TODO' }, content: [{ text: 't', type: 'text' }], type: 'taskItem' }
-  const unwritable = { attrs: { state: 'TODO' }, content: [{ marks: [{ type: 'strong' }, { type: 'strong' }], text: 'x', type: 'text' }], type: 'taskItem' }
-  const list = { content: [task, { content: [task], type: 'taskList' }, unwritable], type: 'taskList' }
-  const written = writeMarkdown({ content: [list], type: 'doc', version: 1 }, portableWriting)
-  assert.deepEqual(written.ok ? written.value : written.error.path, ['content', 0, 'content', 2, 'content', 0])
-})
diff --git a/src/markdown/portable/block-spelling.ts b/src/markdown/portable/block-spelling.ts
index 554f80b..d4709b5 100644
--- a/src/markdown/portable/block-spelling.ts
+++ b/src/markdown/portable/block-spelling.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@ import { blockText, emptyLine, joinedText, opening, prefixedText, type BlockText
 import { emitBlock, joinBlocks, quotedBlocks, spelledList, walkBlocks } from '../emit/adf-to-markdown.ts'
 import { emitInlineLine } from '../emit/inline-line.ts'
 import { failure, success } from '../../result.ts'
-import { isTaskItem } from '../../adf/block-nodes.ts'
 import { largestNesting } from '../../nesting.ts'
 import { nodeAttrs, nodeContent } from '../../adf/document.ts'
 import { taskListItems } from './task-list.ts'
@@ -41,21 +40,18 @@ function headed(head: string): (body: BlockText) => BlockText {
 }
 
 function tryTaskList(node: AdfNode, path: ConvertErrorPath, depth: number, writing: Writing): Result<EmittedBlock> {
-  const items = taskListItems(node)
-  // The portable reduction opens every task list with a task: a child nesting in no task would have no list item to stand in.
+  const items = taskListItems(nodeContent(node))
+  // The portable reduction opens every task list with a task.
   if (items === undefined) return failure('unsupported-node-shape', 'a task list opens with a child other than a task', path)
   const inners: BlockText[] = []
   let headroom = largestNesting - depth - 1
-  let index = 0
   for (const { after, task } of items) {
     const blocks: PlacedBlock[] = []
-    for (const child of [task, ...after]) {
-      const childPath = [...path, 'content', index]
-      const walk = isTaskItem(child) ? taskBlocks(child, childPath, depth + 1, writing) : placedBlock(child, childPath, depth + 1, writing)
+    const walks = [taskBlocks(task, path, depth + 1, writing), ...after.map((child) => placedBlock(child, path, depth + 1, writing))]
+    for (const walk of walks) {
       if (!walk.ok) return walk
       headroom = Math.min(headroom, walk.value.headroom)
       for (const block of walk.value.blocks) blocks.push(block)
-      index += 1
     }
     inners.push(joinBlocks(blocks, 'list-item'))
   }
diff --git a/src/markdown/portable/task-list.test.ts b/src/markdown/portable/task-list.test.ts
index 92cbd52..2bfe955 100644
--- a/src/markdown/portable/task-list.test.ts
+++ b/src/markdown/portable/task-list.test.ts
@@ -26,15 +26,15 @@ test('groups a task list into tasks, each with the children after it up to the n
   const first: AdfNode = { attrs: { state: 'TODO' }, type: 'taskItem' }
   const nested: AdfNode = { content: [first], type: 'taskList' }
   const second: AdfNode = { attrs: { state: 'DONE' }, content: [{ type: 'paragraph' }], type: 'blockTaskItem' }
-  assert.deepEqual(taskListItems({ content: [first, nested, nested, second], type: 'taskList' }), [
+  assert.deepEqual(taskListItems([first, nested, nested, second]), [
     { after: [nested, nested], task: first },
     { after: [], task: second },
   ])
-  assert.deepEqual(taskListItems({ type: 'taskList' }), [])
+  assert.deepEqual(taskListItems([]), [])
 })
 
-test('groups no task list a child other than a task opens', () => {
+test('returns no items for a task list that opens with a child other than a task', () => {
   const task: AdfNode = { attrs: { state: 'TODO' }, type: 'taskItem' }
-  assert.equal(taskListItems({ content: [{ type: 'paragraph' }, task], type: 'taskList' }), undefined)
-  assert.equal(taskListItems({ content: [{ content: [task], type: 'taskList' }, task], type: 'taskList' }), undefined)
+  assert.equal(taskListItems([{ type: 'paragraph' }, task]), undefined)
+  assert.equal(taskListItems([{ content: [task], type: 'taskList' }, task]), undefined)
 })
diff --git a/src/markdown/portable/task-list.ts b/src/markdown/portable/task-list.ts
index 02a729b..0b61af2 100644
--- a/src/markdown/portable/task-list.ts
+++ b/src/markdown/portable/task-list.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ export function splitTaskList(items: readonly TaskListItem[]): AdfNode[] {
     const { kept, rest } = itemParts(item)
     for (const node of kept) tasks.push(node)
     if (rest.length === 0) continue
-    if (tasks.length > 0) blocks.push({ content: tasks, type: 'taskList' })
+    blocks.push({ content: tasks, type: 'taskList' })
     tasks = []
     for (const block of rest) blocks.push(block)
   }
@@ -19,13 +19,12 @@ export function splitTaskList(items: readonly TaskListItem[]): AdfNode[] {
   return blocks
 }
 
-// A task and the children after it up to the next task, which nest in it.
+// A task, then every child before the next task.
 export type TaskListItem = { after: AdfNode[]; task: AdfNode }
 
-// The list's items, or undefined where a child other than a task opens it.
-export function taskListItems(list: AdfNode): TaskListItem[] | undefined {
+export function taskListItems(children: readonly AdfNode[]): TaskListItem[] | undefined {
   const items: TaskListItem[] = []
-  for (const child of nodeContent(list)) {
+  for (const child of children) {
     const item = items.at(-1)
     if (isTaskItem(child)) items.push({ after: [], task: child })
     else if (item === undefined) return undefined