# apple-reminders [Health: Active]

**Category:** 🏢 Workplace & Productivity  
**Repository:** https://github.com/high5-ventures/apple-reminders-for-claude  
**GitHub Stars:** 10  
**npm Downloads (last month):** 181  
**Views:** 0  
**Installs:** 0  
**Upvotes:** 0  
**Directory Page:** https://allmcps.com/mcp/apple-reminders

## Description
Fast, native macOS Apple Reminders via EventKit. 10-200x faster than AppleScript alternatives.

## Tools
Capabilities this server exposes over MCP:

- **get_lists** — List all reminder lists with open/completed counts
- **get_list_info** — Metadata for one list by name or id
- **list_reminders** — List reminders in a list (open/completed/all)
- **search_reminders** — Full-text search across all lists
- **get_today** — Reminders due today
- **get_overdue** — Overdue open reminders
- **get_scheduled** — All open reminders with a due date
- **get_reminder** — Fetch one reminder by ID
- **create_reminder** — Create a new reminder
- **update_reminder** — Update an existing reminder
- **complete_reminder** — Mark as completed
- **uncomplete_reminder** — Unmark completed
- **delete_reminder** — Permanently delete

## Claude Desktop Quick Installation
Install path detected from listing signals. Uses `npx` (confidence: high):

```json
"mcpServers": {
  "apple-reminders": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": ["-y","@high5ventures/apple-reminders-mcp"],
    "env": {
      "REMINDERS_BINARY": ""
    }
  }
}
```

**Requires environment variables:** `REMINDERS_BINARY` — the values above are empty placeholders; fill in real credentials before running (see the repository for what each one is for).

## Documentation

## What apple-reminders does

The apple-reminders MCP server gives MCP-compatible AI clients structured access to the macOS Reminders app. It uses Apple’s EventKit framework through a signed Swift binary rather than AppleScript or direct database scraping. The server can inspect reminder lists, find reminders by text, retrieve date-based views, and modify individual reminders.

Reminder identifiers are stable UUIDs that remain usable across sessions. Responses use a consistent JSON envelope: successful calls return `status: "ok"` with data, while failures return an error status, code, and message. The implementation is local and does not perform network I/O.

The package is intended for macOS 11 or later and supports both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. The published release is signed and notarized by Apple.

## How it works

An MCP client starts the server and communicates with the EventKit-backed binary. On the first request that needs Reminders access, macOS prompts the user for permission. That permission can later be changed in System Settings under Privacy & Security and Reminders.

Three distribution paths use the same binary and tool behavior:

- A `.mcpb` bundle for Claude Desktop and Claude Cowork
- A Claude Code plugin installed from the project’s marketplace
- An npm package for other MCP clients, including clients configured with a standard stdio command

The implementation includes a 30-second ceiling for the Node wrapper and a 16 MB response payload limit. The project reports a full CRUD smoke test completing in under one second against a database containing more than 300 reminders.

## Setup and configuration

For Claude Desktop, download `apple-reminders.mcpb` from a release, open it, and approve the installation dialog. Grant Reminders permission when the first tool call triggers the macOS prompt. Updating uses the same bundle installation flow.

Claude Code users can add the marketplace and install the plugin with:

```text
/plugin marketplace add high5-ventures/apple-reminders-for-claude
/plugin install apple-reminders@high5-apple-reminders-for-claude
```

Reload Claude Code after adding the marketplace so the plugin becomes available.

For another MCP client, install the npm package globally and configure the `apple-reminders-mcp` command, or use `npx -y @high5ventures/apple-reminders-mcp` directly in the client’s MCP configuration. The npm distribution may require `REMINDERS_BINARY` to point to the absolute path of the `reminders-eventkit` executable when the client uses a non-standard setup. The bundle and Claude Code plugin set that value automatically.

Building from source requires macOS 11 or later, Xcode Command Line Tools, and Node.js 18 or later. The build script produces the EventKit binary, Claude Code skill, and Claude Desktop bundle; source builds are unsigned.

## Tools and capabilities

The apple-reminders MCP server exposes 13 tools:

- `get_lists` returns reminder lists with open and completed counts.
- `get_list_info` retrieves metadata for a list by name or ID.
- `list_reminders` lists open, completed, or all reminders in a list.
- `search_reminders` performs full-text search across lists.
- `get_today`, `get_overdue`, and `get_scheduled` provide date-based views.
- `get_reminder` fetches one reminder by ID.
- `create_reminder` creates a reminder.
- `update_reminder` changes an existing reminder.
- `complete_reminder` and `uncomplete_reminder` change completion state.
- `delete_reminder` permanently removes a reminder.

Tools include read-only and destructive safety annotations so clients can distinguish queries from mutations and request confirmation where appropriate. Text containing umlauts, accents, CJK characters, and emoji is preserved.

## Limitations and notes

This server requires a Mac running macOS 11 or later and access to the local Reminders database. It does not provide a remote or cross-platform Reminders service. Normal use requires no configuration, but macOS permission must be granted before reading or changing reminders. Deletion is permanent, so clients may treat that operation differently from ordinary updates.

_Full upstream README: https://allmcps.com/mcp/apple-reminders/readme_