# Mindwtr
English | [δΈζ](https://github.com/dongdongbh/Mindwtr/blob/HEAD/README_zh.md)
**Get everything out of your head.** Mindwtrβ’ is a free, open-source to-do app built on the Getting Things Done (GTD) method: it captures every task and idea in seconds, then shows you the one next thing to do. No account, no subscription, and your data stays on your device.
_Mindwtr = "mind like water": the calm you get when nothing is rattling around in your head._
[Getting Started](https://docs.mindwtr.app/start/getting-started) Β· [FAQ](https://docs.mindwtr.app/start/faq) Β· [Docs](https://docs.mindwtr.app/) Β· [Data & Sync](https://docs.mindwtr.app/data-sync/) Β· [Cloud Deployment](https://docs.mindwtr.app/data-sync/cloud-deployment) Β· [MCP Server](https://docs.mindwtr.app/power-users/mcp)
[](https://github.com/dongdongbh/Mindwtr/actions/workflows/ci.yml)
[](LICENSE)
[](https://github.com/dongdongbh/Mindwtr/releases)
[](https://discord.gg/gc4h5t58PR)
[](https://github.com/sponsors/dongdongbh)
[](https://ko-fi.com/D1D01T20WK)
Local-First GTD on desktop & mobile
## Sound familiar?
- **"I'll remember it." You won't.** One hotkey, type it, forget it safely. That's capture.
- **Your to-do list has 80 items, so you avoid it.** Focus shows only the few things you can do right now.
- **"Plan Mom's birthday" has been stuck for weeks.** Turn it into a project of small steps, so the next one is always obvious.
- **You asked a coworker for something and you both forgot.** Waiting For tracks it so you remember to follow up.
- **"Learn guitar someday" guilt-trips you from the list.** Park it in Someday/Maybe: kept, not nagging.
- **Sunday night, everything feels out of control.** A guided weekly review puts you back in charge.
## How it works
Your head is for having ideas, not for holding them (David Allen, who wrote the book on this). Mindwtr holds them for you:
1. **Dump it.** A task, an idea, a worry: type it (or speak it) and it lands in your Inbox. Global hotkey on desktop, widget and share sheet on your phone.
2. **Sort it.** A short guided pass over the Inbox. Takes two minutes? Do it now. Has a date? Schedule it. Waiting on someone else? Track it. Just a maybe? Shelve it for someday.
3. **Do it.** Open Focus and see only what you can act on right now. Everything else stays out of sight.
4. **Reset weekly.** A guided review catches loose ends, so the list stays trustworthy and your head stays clear.
If you know GTD: that is Capture, Clarify, Organize, Engage, and Reflect, end to end. If you don't, no problem: Mindwtr walks you through each step, and [GTD in 15 minutes](https://hamberg.no/gtd) is a friendly introduction whenever you're curious.
[Explore the interactive GTD flowchart](https://docs.mindwtr.app/assets/diagrams/gtd-workflow)
## Philosophy
**Don't show me a cockpit when I just want to ride a bike.**
Mindwtr is simple by default, powerful when you need it, and forgiving when life gets messy:
- Advanced options stay hidden until they matter.
- Fewer fields, fewer knobs, fewer distractions.
- Clarity beats clutter: we say no to feature creep.
- Come back after two weeks away and you get a manageable next step, not a guilt trip. No streaks, no productivity scores.
## Features
See all features
- The full GTD loop, guided: capture, sort, do, review.
- Focus view puts today's schedule and your next actions on one screen.
- Your data lives on your device. Sync is optional, and you pick where: iCloud on Apple devices, Dropbox, a shared folder, your own server, or WebDAV.
- WebDAV servers must return strong ETags and enforce conditional writes. During connection setup, Mindwtr verifies create-only writes, exact replacements, stale-write rejection, and conditional cleanup; providers that cannot prevent one device from overwriting another deviceβs generation are refused.
- Projects with sections, areas, and manual task ordering for bigger plans.
- Import tasks from your Obsidian notes, with links back to the source (desktop).
- Optional AI helper: connect your own OpenAI, Gemini, or Claude account, or run a private AI on your own computer. Off by default.
- Apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, iPhone, and Android, plus a web app that works offline.
- For developers: a local REST API, a CLI, and the [`mindwtr-mcp`](https://www.npmjs.com/package/mindwtr-mcp) server so AI assistants can manage your tasks.
[](https://mcptoplist.com/server/io.github.dongdongbh%2Fmindwtr)
### GTD Workflow
- **Capture** - Quick add tasks from anywhere (global hotkey popup, tray, share sheet, voice)
- **Clarify** - Guided inbox processing with 2-minute rule
- **Organize** - Projects, sections, contexts, and status lists
- **Reflect** - Weekly review wizard with reminders
- **Engage** - Context-filtered next actions
- **AI Assist (Optional)** - Clarify, break down, and review with your own AI account (OpenAI, Gemini, Claude) or a local/self-hosted OpenAI-compatible model
### Views
- π₯ **Inbox** - Capture zone with processing wizard
- π― **Focus** - Agenda (time-based) + Next Actions in one view
- π **Projects** - Multi-step outcomes with sections, areas, and manual task ordering
- π·οΈ **Contexts** - Tag tasks by where or how you get them done; nested contexts like @work/meetings also match @work
- β³ **Waiting For** - Delegated items
- π **Someday/Maybe** - Deferred ideas
- π **Calendar** - Time-based planning with adjustable mobile week density
- π **Timeline** - Dated tasks and projects as bars from start to due date, colored by project, with day/week/month zoom (desktop, optional)
- π **Board** - Kanban-style drag-and-drop
- π **Review** - Daily + weekly review workflows
- π¦ **Archived** - Hidden history, searchable when needed
### Productivity Features
- π **Global Search** - Search all areas globally with operators (`status:`, `context:`, `assigned:`, `location:`, `where:`, `id:`, `-id:`, `due:<=7d`)
- π¦ **Bulk Actions** - Multi-select, batch move/tag/delete
- π **Attachments** - Files and links on tasks
- βοΈ **Markdown Notes** - Rich text descriptions with preview
- ποΈ **Project States** - Active, Waiting, Someday, Archived
- βΎοΈ **Fluid Recurrence** - Next date is calculated after completion
- β»οΈ **Reusable Lists** - Duplicate tasks or reset checklists
- β **Checklist Mode** - Fast list-style checking for checklist tasks
- β **Audio Capture** - Quick voice capture with automatic transcription and task creation
- π§ **Copilot Suggestions** - Optional context/tag/time hints while typing
- π **Pomodoro Focus (Optional)** - 15/3, 25/5, 50/10 timer panel in Focus view with one optional custom preset
- π **Notifications** - Separate start and due reminders (snooze on mobile)
- π **Daily Digest** - Morning briefing + evening review
- π **Weekly Review** - Customizable weekly reminder
### Data & Sync
- π **Sync Options** - See the [Data & Sync docs](https://docs.mindwtr.app/data-sync/) for supported backends and setup
- π **iCloud Sync** - Built-in sync on supported iPhone, iPad, and macOS builds (CloudKit)
- βοΈ **Dropbox Sync (Optional)** - Sign in with Dropbox and sync through a private app folder (store builds; not in FOSS builds)
- π€ **Export/Backup** - Export data to JSON
- β»οΈ **Restore from Backup** - Replace local data from a validated Mindwtr backup with a recovery snapshot first
- π₯ **TickTick + Todoist + DGT GTD + OmniFocus + Apple Reminders + CSV Import** - Import TickTick CSV/ZIP, Todoist CSV/ZIP, DGT GTD JSON/ZIP, OmniFocus exports, incomplete Apple Reminders, or any app via a documented generic CSV format into Mindwtr
- π **Obsidian Integration** - Desktop vault task import with deep links back to source notes
- ποΈ **External Calendars (System + ICS)** - Mobile reads system calendars and pushes dated tasks; macOS desktop reads Apple Calendar and can push dated tasks; desktop/web also support ICS subscriptions and task creation from events
### Automation
- π **CLI** - Add, list, complete, search from terminal by running the repo helper
- π **REST API** - Optional desktop localhost API server for token-authenticated scripting
- π **Web App** - Runs in your browser, works offline (PWA)
- π§ **MCP Server** - Lets AI assistants read and manage your tasks (a local Model Context Protocol server), available as [`mindwtr-mcp`](https://www.npmjs.com/package/mindwtr-mcp) and in the [MCP Registry](https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/)
Desktop builds can start the local REST API from **Settings -> Advanced** on `127.0.0.1` with default port `3456` and a generated bearer token. The CLI remains a repo helper; the stdio MCP server can be installed from npm with `npm install -g mindwtr-mcp` or launched by MCP clients with `npx -y mindwtr-mcp`.
### Cross-Platform
- π₯οΈ **Desktop** - Tauri v2 (macOS, Linux, Windows)
- π± **Mobile** - React Native/Expo (iOS via App Store/TestFlight, Android) with in-app tips for gestures and app shortcuts
- π² **Android Widget** - Home screen focus/next widget
- β **Apple Watch Companion** - Capture Inbox items by voice or text, complete or defer Focus tasks, and control a linked Pomodoro timer from your wrist; included starting with the next stable iOS release
- β¨οΈ **Keyboard Shortcuts** - Standard (Gmail-style), Vim, and Emacs presets
- π¨ **Themes** - Light, Dark, OLED, Nord, Catppuccin Macchiato, Dracula, Sepia, E-ink, and Material 3
- π **i18n** - English, Vietnamese, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Spanish, Hindi, Arabic, German, Russian, Japanese, French, Portuguese (Brazil), Polish, Korean, Czech, Italian, Turkish, Dutch, Persian, Swedish
- π³ **Docker** - Run the PWA + self-hosted sync server with Docker
## Why Mindwtr (Quick Comparison)
Mindwtr is for people who want the full GTD method in one app, with data they own and no lock-in. Here is a brief, respectful comparison with mainstream task apps and GTD-focused alternatives.
| Capability | Mindwtr | Todoist | TickTick | Everdo | NirvanaHQ |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------- | ------- | -------- | ------ | --------- |
| Open source | β | β | β | β | β |
| Follows the full GTD method out of the box | β | β οΈ | β οΈ | β | β |
| Works everywhere: Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, Android, web | β | β | β | β οΈ | β οΈ |
| Wearable support (smartwatches or smart rings) | β | β | β | β | β |
| Works offline, no account needed | β | β | β | β | β |
| Optional AI helper (your own AI account, or one on your computer) | β | β | β | β | β |
| You pick where your data syncs (Dropbox, your server, a folder, WebDAV) | β | β | β | β οΈ | β |
| Completely free | β | β | β | β | β |
Legend: `β ` = yes, `β` = no, `β οΈ` = partial/limited support.
_This comparison is based on the current public capabilities of each product. If any entry is outdated, feel free to open an issue or PR with sources._
## Installation
For the complete and current install guides, see [Desktop Installation](https://docs.mindwtr.app/start/desktop-installation) and [Mobile Installation](https://docs.mindwtr.app/start/mobile-installation).
Quick options:
- Windows: Microsoft Store, Winget, Chocolatey, Scoop, or GitHub Releases.
- macOS: Mac App Store, Homebrew, TestFlight beta, or GitHub Releases.
- Linux: Flathub, Snap, AUR, APT/RPM repos, or GitHub Releases.
- Android: Google Play, F-Droid, IzzyOnDroid, or GitHub Releases APK.
- iOS: App Store or TestFlight beta.
- Web / self-hosted: [Cloud Deployment](https://docs.mindwtr.app/data-sync/cloud-deployment) or the [Docker guide](https://github.com/dongdongbh/Mindwtr/blob/HEAD/docker/README.md).
Windows builds: free code signing provided by [SignPath.io](https://signpath.io/), certificate by [SignPath Foundation](https://signpath.org/) β application approved, certificate pending issuance. See the [code signing policy](https://mindwtr.app/signing).
Package manager quick commands
```bash
flatpak install flathub tech.dongdongbh.mindwtr
yay -S mindwtr-bin
brew install --cask mindwtr
```
```powershell
winget install dongdongbh.Mindwtr
```
For APT/RPM repo setup, source builds, portable ZIPs, mobile store variants, and Docker setup, use the full install guides above.
## Community
Mindwtr is shaped by its users and contributors. Thank you for helping improve it.
### :hearts: Contributing & Support
If you want to get involved for coding, start with [CONTRIBUTING.md](https://github.com/dongdongbh/Mindwtr/blob/HEAD/docs/CONTRIBUTING.md).
You can help in several ways:
1. **Spread the word:** Share Mindwtr with friends and communities, and support it on [Product Hunt](https://www.producthunt.com/products/mindwtr) and [AlternativeTo](https://alternativeto.net/software/mindwtr/).
2. **Leave store reviews:** A good rating/review on the [App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/mindwtr/id6758597144), [Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tech.dongdongbh.mindwtr), or [Microsoft Store](https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9n0v5b0b6frx?ocid=webpdpshare) helps a lot.
3. **Star and share:** Star the repo and post about Mindwtr on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=I%20like%20Mindwtr%20https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2Fdongdongbh%2FMindwtr), [Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2Fdongdongbh%2FMindwtr&title=I%20like%20Mindwtr), or [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2Fdongdongbh%2FMindwtr&title=I%20like%20Mindwtr).
4. **Report bugs and request features:** Open issues on [GitHub Issues](https://github.com/dongdongbh/Mindwtr/issues).
5. **Join the community chat:** Come to [Discord](https://discord.gg/gc4h5t58PR).
6. **Help with translations:** Contribute locale updates in [`packages/core/src/i18n/locales/`](https://github.com/dongdongbh/Mindwtr/blob/HEAD/packages/core/src/i18n/locales/).
7. **Contribute code/docs:** Open a pull request and follow the [contribution guide](https://github.com/dongdongbh/Mindwtr/blob/HEAD/docs/CONTRIBUTING.md) and commit conventions.
8. **Pick and build:** Community members are welcome to pick any open issue and submit a PR.
9. **Sponsor the project:** Support ongoing development via [GitHub Sponsors](https://github.com/sponsors/dongdongbh) or [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/D1D01T20WK).
## More videos
The introduction and GTD walkthrough are embedded above. Explore more with English captions, either directly on the website or on YouTube:
| Video | Website | YouTube |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Feature tour | [Watch](https://mindwtr.app/features#features-video) | [Watch](https://youtu.be/oDU8vZXfSoM) |
| Desktop quick tour | [Watch](https://docs.mindwtr.app/start/videos#desktop) | [Watch](https://youtu.be/pSLajUzSZ2Q) |
| Mobile quick tour | [Watch](https://docs.mindwtr.app/start/videos#mobile) | [Watch](https://youtu.be/l-aBufpt0c0) |
[All videos on the website](https://docs.mindwtr.app/start/videos) Β· [Mindwtr Intro playlist](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHqy3tAh5WlE) Β· [Mindwtr App Demos playlist](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLwV6zeTfB_k)
## Star History
## Sponsors
Thanks to these monthly sponsors for supporting Mindwtr. Companies interested in sponsoring Mindwtr β README/website placement or partnerships β see [SPONSORS.md](https://github.com/dongdongbh/Mindwtr/blob/HEAD/SPONSORS.md).
# Mindwtr
English | [δΈζ](https://github.com/dongdongbh/Mindwtr/blob/HEAD/README_zh.md)
**Get everything out of your head.** Mindwtrβ’ is a free, open-source to-do app built on the Getting Things Done (GTD) method: it captures every task and idea in seconds, then shows you the one next thing to do. No account, no subscription, and your data stays on your device.
_Mindwtr = "mind like water": the calm you get when nothing is rattling around in your head._
[Getting Started](https://docs.mindwtr.app/start/getting-started) Β· [FAQ](https://docs.mindwtr.app/start/faq) Β· [Docs](https://docs.mindwtr.app/) Β· [Data & Sync](https://docs.mindwtr.app/data-sync/) Β· [Cloud Deployment](https://docs.mindwtr.app/data-sync/cloud-deployment) Β· [MCP Server](https://docs.mindwtr.app/power-users/mcp)
[](https://github.com/dongdongbh/Mindwtr/actions/workflows/ci.yml)
[](LICENSE)
[](https://github.com/dongdongbh/Mindwtr/releases)
[](https://discord.gg/gc4h5t58PR)
[](https://github.com/sponsors/dongdongbh)
[](https://ko-fi.com/D1D01T20WK)
