Apple Reminders MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides seamless integration between Claude and macOS Apple Reminders app. Built with TypeScript and AppleScript for reliable, native Reminders access.

Features

• Complete Reminders Management: Create, read, update, and delete reminders

• List Management: Access and organize reminders across multiple lists

• Advanced Filtering: Search by text, filter by completion status, or target specific lists

• Rich Metadata: Due dates, priorities, notes, creation/modification timestamps

• Native Integration: Direct AppleScript integration with zero external dependencies

• Type-Safe: Built with TypeScript for reliability and maintainability

Related MCP server: quick-reminder-mcp

Requirements

• macOS: This server uses AppleScript and requires macOS with the Reminders app

• Node.js: Version 16 or higher

• Claude Desktop or Claude Code CLI: For MCP integration

Installation

From Source

1. Clone this repository:

git clone https://github.com/dbmcco/apple-reminders-mcp.git
cd apple-reminders-mcp

2. Install dependencies:

npm install

3. Build the server:

npm run build

Configuration

For Claude Desktop

Add this to your Claude Desktop configuration file (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "reminders": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/apple-reminders-mcp/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

For Claude Code CLI

Run this command:

claude mcp add -s user reminders node /absolute/path/to/apple-reminders-mcp/dist/index.js

Important: Replace /absolute/path/to/apple-reminders-mcp with the actual path where you cloned this repository.

Available MCP Tools

list_reminder_lists

Get all available reminder lists.

Returns: Array of lists with name and id properties.

Example:

// Response:
[
  {"name": "Reminders", "id": "x-apple-reminder://..."},
  {"name": "Work", "id": "x-apple-reminder://..."},
  {"name": "Personal", "id": "x-apple-reminder://..."}
]

get_reminders

Retrieve reminders with optional filtering.

Parameters:

• listName (string, optional): Filter by specific list name

• completed (boolean, optional): Filter by completion status

• searchTerm (string, optional): Search in names and bodies

Returns: Array of reminder objects with full metadata.

Examples:

// Get all incomplete reminders
get_reminders(undefined, false)

// Get all reminders from "Work" list
get_reminders("Work")

// Get completed reminders from "Personal" list
get_reminders("Personal", true)

// Search for reminders containing "meeting"
get_reminders(undefined, undefined, "meeting")

create_reminder

Create a new reminder in a specified list.

Parameters:

• name (string, required): Reminder title

• listName (string, required): Target list name

• body (string, optional): Notes/description

• dueDate (string, optional): Due date in format "MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM AM/PM"

• priority (number, optional): 0=none, 1=high, 5=medium, 9=low

Returns: ID of the created reminder.

Examples:

// Simple reminder
create_reminder("Buy groceries", "Personal")

// Reminder with due date and priority
create_reminder(
  "Submit report",
  "Work",
  "Include Q4 metrics",
  "12/31/2025 5:00 PM",
  1
)

// Reminder with notes
create_reminder(
  "Call dentist",
  "Personal",
  "Schedule annual checkup"
)

update_reminder

Update an existing reminder.

Parameters:

• reminderId (string, required): ID of the reminder to update

• name (string, optional): New title

• body (string, optional): New notes

• completed (boolean, optional): Completion status

• dueDate (string, optional): New due date

• priority (number, optional): New priority

Examples:

// Mark reminder as complete
update_reminder("x-apple-reminder://...", {completed: true})

// Update due date
update_reminder("x-apple-reminder://...", {
  dueDate: "01/15/2026 2:00 PM"
})

// Update multiple fields
update_reminder("x-apple-reminder://...", {
  name: "Updated title",
  body: "New notes",
  priority: 1
})

delete_reminder

Delete a reminder permanently.

Parameters:

• reminderId (string, required): ID of the reminder to delete

Example:

delete_reminder("x-apple-reminder://...")

search_reminders

Search for reminders by text in names or bodies.

Parameters:

• searchTerm (string, required): Text to search for

Returns: Array of matching reminder objects.

Example:

// Find all reminders mentioning "Claude"
search_reminders("Claude")

Usage Examples

Example 1: Daily Task Management

You: Show me all incomplete tasks from my "Today" list
Claude: [uses get_reminders("Today", false)]

You: Mark the first one as complete
Claude: [uses update_reminder with completed: true]

Example 2: Quick Capture

You: Remind me to call John tomorrow at 2pm
Claude: [uses create_reminder with due date]

Example 3: Project Organization

You: Show me all reminders related to the "Website" project
Claude: [uses search_reminders("Website")]

You: Move them all to the "Work" list
Claude: [uses update_reminder for each result]

Example 4: Weekly Review

You: What did I complete this week in my "Personal" list?
Claude: [uses get_reminders("Personal", true)]

Data Model

Reminder Object

{
  id: string;                 // Unique reminder ID
  name: string;               // Reminder title
  body?: string;              // Optional notes/description
  completed: boolean;         // Completion status
  list: string;               // Parent list name
  dueDate?: string;           // Optional due date
  priority: number;           // 0=none, 1=high, 5=medium, 9=low
  creationDate: string;       // When reminder was created
  modificationDate: string;   // When last modified
}

RemindersList Object

{
  name: string;  // List display name
  id: string;    // Unique list ID
}

Development

Build

npm run build

Watch Mode

npm run dev

Run Server Directly

npm run start

Architecture

This MCP server uses a clean architecture:

1. MCP Server Layer (index.ts): Handles MCP protocol communication

2. AppleScript Executor (applescript-executor.ts): Manages all Reminders app interactions

3. Type Safety: Zod validation and TypeScript for reliability

The AppleScript integration uses osascript for direct system integration, avoiding external dependencies and app translocation issues.

Troubleshooting

Permission Issues

If you get permission errors, ensure:

1. Terminal (or your app) has Automation permissions for Reminders

2. Go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Automation

3. Enable access for the app running this server

Date Format Issues

Due dates must use the format: "MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM AM/PM"

Examples:

• "12/25/2025 9:00 AM"

• "01/01/2026 11:30 PM"

Reminder IDs

Reminder IDs are system-generated Apple URLs (e.g., x-apple-reminder://...). They're not portable across systems but are stable within a single macOS installation.

Credits

Built with Claude (Anthropic) using the Model Context Protocol SDK.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues or pull requests.

Support

For issues, questions, or feature requests, please open an issue on GitHub.