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mdoel
by mdoel
README.md
# OmniFocus MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for integrating OmniFocus with Claude Desktop. This server provides Claude with access to your OmniFocus tasks and projects, enabling AI-powered task management and weekly reviews.

## Features

- ๐ŸŽฏ **OmniFocus Integration** - Access tasks and projects from OmniFocus
- ๐Ÿ”ง **Active Task Filtering** - Get only uncompleted tasks, excluding templates and system items
- ๐Ÿš€ **TypeScript + MCP SDK** - Type-safe and maintainable
- ๐Ÿ”’ **Secure Automation** - Uses official Omni Automation JavaScript API
- ๐Ÿ“ฑ **Claude Desktop Ready** - Works seamlessly with Claude Desktop

## Current Tools

### `omnifocus:get_all_tasks`
Retrieve all tasks from OmniFocus with filtering options:
- **`includeCompleted`** (boolean) - Include completed tasks (default: false)
- **`limit`** (number) - Maximum number of tasks to return (default: 100)

### `omnifocus:get_active_tasks`
Retrieve only active (uncompleted) tasks, automatically filtering out:
- Tasks from "Templates" folders
- Tasks containing template placeholders (`ยซ`, `ยป`)
- Tasks with synced preferences markers (`โš™๏ธ`)

### `omnifocus:get_projects`
Retrieve all active projects from OmniFocus.

## Prerequisites

- **macOS** with OmniFocus installed
- **Node.js 23.10.0** or higher
- **Claude Desktop** application
- **Automation permissions** for OmniFocus

## Installation

1. **Clone the repository:**
   ```bash
   git clone https://github.com/mdoel/omnifocus-mcp
   cd omnifocus-mcp
   ```

2. **Install dependencies:**
   ```bash
   npm install
   ```

3. **Build the project:**
   ```bash
   npm run build
   ```

4. **Configure Claude Desktop:**
   
   Add this to your Claude Desktop MCP configuration:
   ```json
   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "omnifocus": {
         "command": "/path/to/omnifocus/run-server.sh",
         "args": []
       }
     }
   }
   ```
   
   **Important:** Replace `/path/to/omnifocus/` with the actual path to your project directory.

5. **Grant automation permissions:**
   
   The first time you run the server, macOS will prompt you to grant automation permissions for OmniFocus. Click "Allow" when prompted.
   
   **Note:** If you encounter permission issues, you may need to temporarily uncomment the `osascript` lines in `run-server.sh` to trigger the permission dialog. After granting permissions, comment those lines out again to avoid the dialog on every startup.

6. **Restart Claude Desktop** to load the new MCP server.

## Usage

Once configured, you can ask Claude to:

- "Get all my active tasks from OmniFocus"
- "Show me my projects"
- "What tasks do I have for today?"
- "Help me with my weekly review"

## Architecture

### Core Components

- **`OmniFocusClient`** - Handles communication with OmniFocus via Omni Automation
- **`OmniFocusJXA`** - Utility for building and executing JXA scripts
- **`OmniFocusMCPServer`** - Main MCP server implementation

### Directory Structure

```
src/
โ”œโ”€โ”€ index.ts              # Main entry point
โ”œโ”€โ”€ server.ts             # MCP server implementation
โ”œโ”€โ”€ omnifocus/
โ”‚   โ”œโ”€โ”€ client.ts         # OmniFocus automation client
โ”‚   โ””โ”€โ”€ omnifocus-jxa.ts  # JXA script utilities
โ””โ”€โ”€ types/
    โ””โ”€โ”€ omnifocus.ts      # TypeScript definitions
```

## Development

### Building

```bash
# Build the project
npm run build

# Watch mode for development
npm run dev
```

### Testing

You can test the server locally:

```bash
# Test with command line arguments
node dist/index.js all        # Get all tasks
node dist/index.js active     # Get active tasks only
node dist/index.js projects   # Get projects only
```

### Testing OmniFocus Automation

Test OmniFocus automation directly:

```bash
# Test basic connection
osascript -l JavaScript -e "Application('OmniFocus').running()"

# Test task retrieval
osascript -l JavaScript -e "
const app = Application('OmniFocus');
const doc = app.defaultDocument;
const tasks = doc.flattenedTasks();
console.log('Found ' + tasks.length + ' tasks');
"
```

## Troubleshooting

### Server Connection Issues

If Claude Desktop can't connect to the server:

1. **Check the script path** in your Claude Desktop configuration
2. **Verify permissions** - ensure the `run-server.sh` script is executable:
   ```bash
   chmod +x run-server.sh
   ```
3. **Check Node.js installation** - ensure Node.js 23.10.0+ is installed
4. **Review logs** - check Claude Desktop's MCP server logs for error messages

### Permission Issues

If you get automation permission errors:

1. Open **System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy**
2. Select **Automation** from the left sidebar
3. Find your terminal/shell and check **OmniFocus**
4. Restart your terminal and try again

### OmniFocus Not Found

- Ensure OmniFocus is installed and running
- Verify the app name is "OmniFocus" (not "OmniFocus 3" or something similar)
- Check that OmniFocus is not in the trash or disabled

### Performance Issues

If the server is slow or times out:

- The server may take time to process large OmniFocus databases
- Consider using the `limit` parameter to reduce the number of tasks returned
- Ensure OmniFocus is not performing other operations

## Contributing

This project is designed to be extensible. To add new functionality:

1. **Add new tools** in the `src/omnifocus/` directory
2. **Update the server** to register new tools
3. **Test thoroughly** with your OmniFocus data
4. **Submit a pull request** with clear documentation

## License

MIT License - see [LICENSE](LICENSE) file for details.

## Support

For issues and questions:
- Check the troubleshooting section above
- Review the Claude Desktop MCP documentation
- Open an issue in this repository

TDQS

A4/5.0

Scored across 4 tools

Disambiguation5/5

Each tool has a clearly distinct purpose with no overlap: get_active_projects vs. get_all_projects differentiate by completion status, and similarly for tasks. The descriptions explicitly clarify when to use each tool, eliminating any potential for misselection.

Naming Consistency5/5

All tool names follow a consistent verb_noun pattern with 'get_' prefix and descriptive suffixes (e.g., active_projects, all_tasks). There are no deviations in naming style, making the set predictable and easy to understand.

Tool Count4/5

Four tools are reasonable for a basic OmniFocus integration, covering core read operations for projects and tasks. However, the scope feels slightly thin as it lacks update, create, or delete capabilities, which might be expected for a task management system.

Completeness2/5

The tool set is severely incomplete for OmniFocus functionality. It only provides read operations for projects and tasks, with no ability to create, update, delete, or manage other entities like contexts, tags, or due dates. This will cause significant agent failures in handling typical task management workflows.

Maintenance

ActivityInactive
ResponsivenessNo issues