This MCP Task Manager Server provides backend tools for client-driven project and task management using a SQLite database, following the Model Context Protocol (MCP). It allows AI agents or scripts to manage structured task data within distinct projects through a standardized set of tools.
To install and run the MCP Task Manager Server, you'll need:
npm install
npm run dev
npm run build
npm start
The server connects via stdio, with logs in JSON format printed to stderr. By default, the SQLite database is created at ./data/taskmanager.db.
You can customize the server behavior with environment variables:
./data/taskmanager.db)debug, info, warn, error) - default is infoExample:
DATABASE_PATH=./custom/path/tasks.db LOG_LEVEL=debug npm start
createProject: Creates a new project
// Returns: { project_id: string }
{
"name": "createProject",
"params": {
"projectName": "My New Project" // optional, max 255 chars
}
}
exportProject: Exports complete project data as JSON
// Returns: JSON string of project data
{
"name": "exportProject",
"params": {
"project_id": "uuid-of-project",
"format": "json" // optional, currently only json supported
}
}
importProject: Creates a new project from exported JSON
// Returns: { project_id: string }
{
"name": "importProject",
"params": {
"project_data": "exported-json-string",
"new_project_name": "Optional New Name" // optional
}
}
deleteProject: Permanently deletes a project and all its data
// Returns: { success: true }
{
"name": "deleteProject",
"params": {
"project_id": "uuid-of-project"
}
}
addTask: Adds a new task to a project
// Returns: TaskData object of created task
{
"name": "addTask",
"params": {
"project_id": "uuid-of-project",
"description": "Task description", // required, 1-1024 chars
"dependencies": ["task-id-1", "task-id-2"], // optional
"priority": "medium", // optional: 'high'|'medium'|'low', default 'medium'
"status": "todo" // optional: 'todo'|'in-progress'|'review'|'done', default 'todo'
}
}
listTasks: Lists tasks for a project with optional filtering
// Returns: Array of TaskData or StructuredTaskData objects
{
"name": "listTasks",
"params": {
"project_id": "uuid-of-project",
"status": "todo", // optional filter by status
"include_subtasks": false // optional, default false
}
}
showTask: Retrieves details for a specific task
// Returns: FullTaskData object
{
"name": "showTask",
"params": {
"project_id": "uuid-of-project",
"task_id": "uuid-of-task"
}
}
setTaskStatus: Updates status of one or more tasks
// Returns: { success: true, updated_count: number }
{
"name": "setTaskStatus",
"params": {
"project_id": "uuid-of-project",
"task_ids": ["task-id-1", "task-id-2"],
"status": "in-progress" // 'todo'|'in-progress'|'review'|'done'
}
}
expandTask: Breaks a task into subtasks
// Returns: Updated parent FullTaskData object with subtasks
{
"name": "expandTask",
"params": {
"project_id": "uuid-of-project",
"task_id": "uuid-of-task",
"subtask_descriptions": ["Subtask 1", "Subtask 2"],
"force": false // optional, replace existing subtasks if true
}
}
getNextTask: Identifies the next actionable task
// Returns: FullTaskData object or null
{
"name": "getNextTask",
"params": {
"project_id": "uuid-of-project"
}
}
updateTask: Updates details of an existing task
// Returns: Updated FullTaskData object
{
"name": "updateTask",
"params": {
"project_id": "uuid-of-project",
"task_id": "uuid-of-task",
"description": "Updated description", // optional
"priority": "high", // optional
"dependencies": ["task-id-1", "task-id-2"] // optional, replaces existing
}
}
deleteTask: Deletes one or more tasks
// Returns: { success: true, deleted_count: number }
{
"name": "deleteTask",
"params": {
"project_id": "uuid-of-project",
"task_ids": ["task-id-1", "task-id-2"]
}
}
Here's a complete example workflow showing how to use the MCP tools:
{
"name": "createProject",
"params": {
"projectName": "Website Redesign"
}
}
// Returns: { "project_id": "123e4567-e89b-12d3-a456-426614174000" }
{
"name": "addTask",
"params": {
"project_id": "123e4567-e89b-12d3-a456-426614174000",
"description": "Redesign homepage",
"priority": "high"
}
}
// Returns task object with task_id "abc123"
{
"name": "addTask",
"params": {
"project_id": "123e4567-e89b-12d3-a456-426614174000",
"description": "Update contact form",
"dependencies": ["abc123"],
"priority": "medium"
}
}
// Returns task object with task_id "def456"
{
"name": "expandTask",
"params": {
"project_id": "123e4567-e89b-12d3-a456-426614174000",
"task_id": "abc123",
"subtask_descriptions": [
"Create wireframe mockups",
"Design new hero section",
"Optimize for mobile"
]
}
}
// Returns updated parent task with subtasks included
{
"name": "getNextTask",
"params": {
"project_id": "123e4567-e89b-12d3-a456-426614174000"
}
}
// Returns the highest priority task with no incomplete dependencies
{
"name": "setTaskStatus",
"params": {
"project_id": "123e4567-e89b-12d3-a456-426614174000",
"task_ids": ["abc123"],
"status": "in-progress"
}
}
// Returns: { "success": true, "updated_count": 1 }
{
"name": "exportProject",
"params": {
"project_id": "123e4567-e89b-12d3-a456-426614174000"
}
}
// Returns JSON string with all project data
The server handles all the data persistence and relationships while your client application manages the workflow and user interaction.
To add this MCP server to Claude Code, run this command in your terminal:
claude mcp add-json "mcp-task-manager-server" '{"command":"npx","args":["-y","mcp-task-manager-server"]}'See the official Claude Code MCP documentation for more details.
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.
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": {
"mcp-task-manager-server": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"mcp-task-manager-server"
]
}
}
}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.
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.
To add this MCP server to Claude Desktop:
1. Find your configuration file:
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json2. Add this to your configuration file:
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-task-manager-server": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"mcp-task-manager-server"
]
}
}
}3. Restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect