Things 3 MCP server

Integrates with the Things 3 task management app to enable creating tasks, managing projects, and analyzing productivity patterns through natural language commands
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Setup instructions
Provider
excelsier
Release date
Mar 08, 2025
Language
Python
Stats
25 stars

This MCP server allows Claude Desktop to interact with your Things 3 task management app. You can create tasks, analyze projects, manage priorities, and more using natural language commands through Claude.

Installation

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.12+
  • Claude Desktop
  • Things 3 (with "Enable Things URLs" turned on in Settings → General)

Method 1: Install from PyPI (Recommended)

Install using pip:

pip install things-mcp

Or using uv (recommended):

uv pip install things-mcp

Run the server:

things-mcp

Method 2: Manual Installation

Step 1: Install uv

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

Restart your terminal afterwards.

Step 2: Clone the repository

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

Step 3: Set up Python environment and dependencies

uv venv
uv pip install -r pyproject.toml

Step 4: Configure Things authentication token

python configure_token.py

Step 5: Configure Claude Desktop

Edit the Claude Desktop configuration:

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

Add the Things server:

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

Step 6: Restart Claude Desktop

Using the MCP Server

Example Questions for Claude

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

Usage Tips

  • Create a Claude project with custom instructions about how you use Things (areas, projects, tags).
  • Consider adding another MCP server for calendar access to coordinate tasks with your schedule.

Available Tools

List Views

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

Basic Operations

  • get-todos - Retrieves todos, optionally filtered by project
  • get-projects - Retrieves all projects
  • get-areas - Retrieves all areas

Tag Operations

  • get-tags - Retrieves all tags
  • get-tagged-items - Retrieves 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 - Retrieves 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')

add-todo

  • title - Title of the todo
  • notes (optional) - Notes for the todo
  • when (optional) - When to schedule the todo (today, tomorrow, evening, anytime, someday, or YYYY-MM-DD)
  • deadline (optional) - Deadline for the todo (YYYY-MM-DD)
  • tags (optional) - Tags to apply to the todo
  • list_title or list_id (optional) - Title or ID of project/area to add to
  • heading (optional) - Heading to add under
  • checklist_items (optional) - Checklist items to add

update-todo

  • id - ID of the todo to update
  • title (optional) - New title
  • notes (optional) - New notes
  • when (optional) - New schedule
  • deadline (optional) - New deadline
  • tags (optional) - New tags
  • completed (optional) - Mark as completed
  • canceled (optional) - Mark as canceled

add-project

  • title - Title of the project
  • notes (optional) - Notes for the project
  • when (optional) - When to schedule the project
  • deadline (optional) - Deadline for the project
  • tags (optional) - Tags to apply to the project
  • area_title or area_id (optional) - Title or ID of area to add to
  • todos (optional) - Initial todos to create in the project

update-project

  • id - ID of the project to update
  • title (optional) - New title
  • notes (optional) - New notes
  • when (optional) - New schedule
  • deadline (optional) - New deadline
  • tags (optional) - New tags
  • completed (optional) - Mark as completed
  • canceled (optional) - Mark as canceled

show-item

  • id - ID of item to show, or one of: inbox, today, upcoming, anytime, someday, logbook
  • query (optional) - Optional query to filter by
  • filter_tags (optional) - Optional tags to filter by

Authentication Token Configuration

Getting your Things authentication token

  1. Open Things app on your Mac
  2. Go to Things → Preferences (⌘,)
  3. Select the General tab
  4. Make sure "Enable Things URLs" is checked
  5. Look for the authentication token displayed in the preferences window

Configuring the token

python configure_token.py

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

  1. Missing or invalid token: Run python configure_token.py to set up your token
  2. Things app not running: Ensure Things 3 is open when using the MCP server
  3. URL scheme not enabled: Check that "Enable Things URLs" is enabled in Things → Preferences → General

Checking Logs

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

How to install this MCP server

For Claude Code

To add this MCP server to Claude Code, run this command in your terminal:

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

See the official Claude Code MCP documentation for more details.

For Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > Tools & Integrations and click "New MCP Server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

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

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explicitly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.

For Claude Desktop

To add this MCP server to Claude Desktop:

1. Find your configuration file:

  • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
  • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
  • Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

2. Add this to your configuration file:

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

3. Restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect

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