Things MCP Server

This Model Context Protocol (MCP) server lets you use Claude Desktop to interact with your task management data in Things app. You can ask Claude to create tasks, analyze projects, help manage priorities, and more.

This server leverages the Things.py library and the Things URL Scheme.

Features

Access to all major Things lists (Inbox, Today, Upcoming, etc.)
Project and area management
Tag operations
Advanced search capabilities
Recent items tracking
Detailed item information including checklists
Support for nested data (projects within areas, todos within projects)

Installation (for Claude Desktop)

Prerequisites

Python 3.12+
Claude Desktop
Things 3 ("Enable Things URLs" must be turned on in Settings -> General)

Install uv if you haven't already:

curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

Resart your terminal afterwards.

Clone this repository:

git clone https://github.com/hald/things-mcp

Install the required Python packages:

cd things-mcp
uv venv
uv pip install -r pyproject.toml

Edit the Claude Desktop configuration file:

code ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Add the Things server to the mcpServers key to the configuration file (be sure to update the path to the folder where you installed these files):

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "things": {
            "command": "uv",
            "args": [
                "--directory",
                "/ABSOLUTE/PATH/TO/PARENT/FOLDER/things-mcp",
                "run",
                "things_server.py"
            ]
        }
    }
}

Restart the Claude Desktop app.

Sample Usage with Claude Desktop

"What's on my todo list today?"
"Create a todo to pack for my beach vacation next week, include a packling checklist."
"Evaluate my current todos using the Eisenhower matrix."
"Help me conduct a GTD-style weekly review using Things."

Tips

Create a project in Claude with custom instructions that explains how you use Things and organize areas, projects, tags, etc. Tell Claude what information you want included when it creates a new task (eg asking it to include relevant details in the task description might be helpful).
Try adding another MCP server that gives Claude access to your calendar. This will let you ask Claude to block time on your calendar for specific tasks, create todos from upcoming calendar events (eg prep for a meeting), etc.

Available Tools

List Views

get-inbox - Get todos from Inbox
get-today - Get todos due today
get-upcoming - Get upcoming todos
get-anytime - Get todos from Anytime list
get-someday - Get todos from Someday list
get-logbook - Get completed todos
get-trash - Get trashed todos

Basic Operations

get-todos - Get todos, optionally filtered by project
get-projects - Get all projects
get-areas - Get all areas

Tag Operations

get-tags - Get all tags
get-tagged-items - Get items with a specific tag

Search Operations

search-todos - Simple search by title/notes
search-advanced - Advanced search with multiple filters

Time-based Operations

get-recent - Get recently created items

Tool Parameters

get-todos

project_uuid (optional) - Filter todos by project
include_items (optional, default: true) - Include checklist items

get-projects / get-areas / get-tags

include_items (optional, default: false) - Include contained items

search-advanced

status - Filter by status (incomplete/completed/canceled)
start_date - Filter by start date (YYYY-MM-DD)
deadline - Filter by deadline (YYYY-MM-DD)
tag - Filter by tag
area - Filter by area UUID
type - Filter by item type (to-do/project/heading)

get-recent

period - Time period (e.g., '3d', '1w', '2m', '1y')

Troubleshooting

The server includes error handling for:

Invalid UUIDs
Missing required parameters
Things database access errors
Data formatting errors

All errors are logged and returned with descriptive messages. To review the MCP logs from Claude Desktop, run this in the Terminal:

# Follow logs in real-time
tail -n 20 -f ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp*.log