get_anytime

Instructions

Implementation Reference

• src/things_mcp/server.py:114-124 (handler)

  The get_anytime handler function: fetches todos from Things' Anytime list via things.anytime(), filters out tasks belonging to Someday projects (matching Things UI behavior), formats each todo using format_todo(), and joins them with separators. Returns 'No items found' if list is empty or entirely filtered.

  async def get_anytime() -> str:
      """Get todos from Anytime list"""
      todos = things.anytime(include_items=True)
      if not todos:
          return "No items found"
      # Filter out tasks from Someday projects
      todos = filter_someday_project_tasks(todos)
      if not todos:
          return "No items found"
      formatted_todos = [format_todo(todo) for todo in todos]
      return "\n\n---\n\n".join(formatted_todos)

• src/things_mcp/server.py:113-114 (registration)

  The @mcp.tool decorator registers get_anytime as an MCP tool on the FastMCP server instance.

  @mcp.tool
  async def get_anytime() -> str:

• src/things_mcp/server.py:58-74 (helper)

  filter_someday_project_tasks helper: filters out tasks belonging to Someday projects. Called by get_anytime (line 120) to exclude tasks from Someday projects, matching Things UI behavior.

  def filter_someday_project_tasks(todos):
      """Filter out tasks that belong to Someday projects.
  
      This matches Things UI behavior where tasks from Someday projects
      don't appear in Today, Upcoming, or Anytime views. Handles both
      direct project membership and tasks under headings in Someday projects.
  
      Args:
          todos: List of todo dictionaries
  
      Returns:
          Filtered list excluding tasks from Someday projects
      """
      someday_project_ids, heading_to_project = _get_someday_context()
      if not someday_project_ids:
          return todos
      return [todo for todo in todos if not _is_in_someday_project(todo, someday_project_ids, heading_to_project)]

• src/things_mcp/formatters.py:40-144 (helper)

  format_todo helper: formats a single todo dictionary into a readable multi-line string with title, UUID, type, status, dates, notes, project, heading, area, tags, and checklist. Called by get_anytime (line 123) to format each todo.

  def format_todo(todo: dict) -> str:
      """Helper function to format a single todo into a readable string."""
      logger.debug(f"Formatting todo: {todo}")
      todo_text = f"Title: {todo['title']}"
  
      # Add UUID for reference
      todo_text += f"\nUUID: {todo['uuid']}"
  
      # Add type
      todo_text += f"\nType: {todo['type']}"
  
      # Add status if present
      if todo.get('status'):
          todo_text += f"\nStatus: {todo['status']}"
  
      # Look up parent project once (used for both List status and Project display)
      # For heading-level tasks without a project field, resolve heading -> project
      parent_project = None
      if todo.get('project'):
          try:
              parent_project = things.get(todo['project'])
          except Exception:
              pass
      elif todo.get('heading'):
          try:
              heading_obj = things.get(todo['heading'])
              if heading_obj and heading_obj.get('project'):
                  parent_project = things.get(heading_obj['project'])
          except Exception:
              pass
  
      # Add start/list location with Someday inheritance
      if todo.get('start'):
          effective_start = todo['start']
          if effective_start != 'Someday' and parent_project and parent_project.get('start') == 'Someday':
              effective_start = 'Someday'
              todo_text += f"\nList: {effective_start} (inherited from project)"
          else:
              todo_text += f"\nList: {effective_start}"
  
      # Add dates
      if todo.get('start_date'):
          todo_text += f"\nStart Date: {todo['start_date']}"
      if todo.get('deadline'):
          todo_text += f"\nDeadline: {todo['deadline']}"
      if todo.get('stop_date'):  # Completion date
          todo_text += f"\nCompleted: {todo['stop_date']}"
  
      # Add creation and modification dates
      if todo.get('created'):
          todo_text += f"\nCreated: {todo['created']}"
          # Calculate age since creation
          try:
              age_text = _calculate_age(todo['created'])
              todo_text += f"\nAge: {age_text}"
          except (ValueError, TypeError):
              pass
  
      if todo.get('modified'):
          todo_text += f"\nModified: {todo['modified']}"
          # Calculate time since last modification
          try:
              modified_age = _calculate_age(todo['modified'])
              todo_text += f"\nLast modified: {modified_age}"
          except (ValueError, TypeError):
              pass
  
      # Add notes if present
      if todo.get('notes'):
          todo_text += f"\nNotes: {todo['notes']}"
  
      # Add project info if present
      if parent_project:
          todo_text += f"\nProject: {parent_project['title']}"
  
      # Add heading info if present
      if todo.get('heading'):
          try:
              heading = things.get(todo['heading'])
              if heading:
                  todo_text += f"\nHeading: {heading['title']}"
          except Exception:
              pass
  
      # Add area info if present
      if todo.get('area'):
          try:
              area = things.get(todo['area'])
              if area:
                  todo_text += f"\nArea: {area['title']}"
          except Exception:
              pass
  
      # Add tags if present
      if todo.get('tags'):
          todo_text += f"\nTags: {', '.join(todo['tags'])}"
  
      # Add checklist if present and contains items
      if isinstance(todo.get('checklist'), list):
          todo_text += "\nChecklist:"
          for item in todo['checklist']:
              checkbox = "✓" if item.get('status') == 'completed' else "☐"
              todo_text += f"\n  {checkbox} {item['title']}"
  
      return todo_text