todoist-v1-mcp-server

A clean, reliable MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for Todoist — built on the Todoist unified API v1.

Why this exists

The official Todoist web MCP (todoist-ai) has a known persistent disconnection bug on the Anthropic side that requires reconnecting daily. Community alternatives are either built on the deprecated REST API v2 or have schema validation bugs that cause failures when Todoist returns additional fields as their API evolves.

This server:

Targets the current Todoist API v1 (not deprecated v2)
Uses stdio transport — no cloud dependency, no daily reconnections
Uses the modern MCP SDK registerTool() API (not the deprecated setRequestHandler pattern)
Never enforces strict output schemas on API responses — Todoist can add new fields freely without breaking anything
Zero SDK wrapper dependency — direct HTTP calls via axios, so there's no intermediary library drifting from the API

Tools (31 total)

Tasks

Tool	Description
`todoist_get_tasks`	List/filter tasks — supports Todoist filter strings like `"today"`, `"overdue"`, `"p1"`, `"#ProjectName"`, `"7 days"`
`todoist_get_task`	Get a single task by ID
`todoist_create_task`	Create a task with natural language due dates (`"tomorrow"`, `"every monday"`, etc.)
`todoist_update_task`	Update any field; pass `clear_due_date: true` to remove a due date
`todoist_complete_task`	Mark a task as done
`todoist_reopen_task`	Reopen a completed task
`todoist_delete_task`	Permanently delete a task

Projects

Tool	Description
`todoist_get_projects`	List all projects
`todoist_get_project`	Get a single project by ID
`todoist_create_project`	Create a project (with color, view style, parent)
`todoist_update_project`	Update a project
`todoist_delete_project`	Permanently delete a project and all its tasks

Sections

Tool	Description
`todoist_get_sections`	List sections within a project
`todoist_create_section`	Create a section
`todoist_update_section`	Rename a section
`todoist_delete_section`	Delete a section

Labels

Tool	Description
`todoist_get_labels`	List all personal labels
`todoist_create_label`	Create a label
`todoist_update_label`	Update a label
`todoist_delete_label`	Delete a label

Comments

Tool	Description
`todoist_get_comments`	List comments on a task or project (paginated)
`todoist_get_comment`	Get a single comment by ID
`todoist_create_comment`	Add a comment to a task or project (Markdown supported)
`todoist_update_comment`	Edit an existing comment's content
`todoist_delete_comment`	Permanently delete a comment

Completed tasks (Pro)

Tool	Description
`todoist_get_completed_tasks`	Query completed tasks by completion date (≤3mo) or due date (≤6wk). Pro-only.

Reminders (Pro)

Tool	Description
`todoist_get_reminders`	List reminders, optionally filtered by `task_id`. Pro-only.
`todoist_get_reminder`	Get a single reminder by ID. Pro-only.
`todoist_create_reminder`	Create a relative (`minute_offset` before due) or absolute reminder. Pro-only.
`todoist_update_reminder`	Update reminder timing or notification service. Pro-only.
`todoist_delete_reminder`	Permanently delete a reminder. Pro-only.

Pro-tier handling: Reminders and completed-task queries require a Todoist Pro subscription. If the API returns a Pro-gate error (HTTP 402, or 403 with a premium/pro/upgrade/paid/subscription keyword), the server returns a clean message explaining the feature requires Pro rather than leaking the raw API error.

Setup

1. Get your Todoist API token

Go to Todoist → Settings → Integrations → Developer and copy your API token.

2. Install and build

bash

git clone https://github.com/christulino/todoist-v1-mcp-server
cd todoist-v1-mcp-server
npm install
npm run build

3. Configure Claude Desktop

Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "todoist": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/todoist-v1-mcp-server/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "TODOIST_API_TOKEN": "your_api_token_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop. You should see "todoist" in the connected MCP servers.

4. Configure Claude Code (optional)

Terminal

claude mcp add todoist -- node /absolute/path/to/todoist-v1-mcp-server/dist/index.js

Then set the env var:

server.ts

export TODOIST_API_TOKEN=your_api_token_here

Or add it to your shell profile.

Usage examples

Once connected, Claude can handle natural language like:

"What's on my plate today?" → uses todoist_get_tasks with filter: "today"
"Add a task to call the dentist next Tuesday" → uses todoist_create_task
"Mark the dentist task as done" → uses todoist_complete_task
"Show me everything overdue" → uses todoist_get_tasks with filter: "overdue"
"Create a project called Home Renovation" → uses todoist_create_project
"What projects do I have?" → uses todoist_get_projects

Todoist filter syntax

The filter parameter in todoist_get_tasks supports Todoist's full natural language filter syntax:

Filter	Meaning
`today`	Due today
`overdue`	Past due
`7 days`	Due in the next 7 days
`p1`	Priority urgent
`#ProjectName`	Tasks in a specific project
`@labelname`	Tasks with a specific label
`no due date`	Tasks without a due date
`today \| overdue`	Today or overdue (combine with `\|`)
`today & @waiting`	Today AND labeled 'waiting'

Full filter documentation: https://todoist.com/help/articles/introduction-to-filters

Requirements

Node.js 18+
A Todoist account (free tier works)

Development

Terminal

npm run dev   # tsx watch mode with auto-reload
npm run build # compile TypeScript
npm start     # run compiled server

Testing

The test suite hits the live Todoist API and runs a full CRUD cycle across tasks, projects, sections, labels, comments, and reminders, plus a read-only smoke test for completed-task querying. Reminders and completed-task tests detect Pro-tier gating (HTTP 402/403) and report cleanly when the account is on the Free tier. All test data is prefixed with [mcp-test] and cleaned up automatically.

bash

TODOIST_API_TOKEN=your_token npm test

Your API token is at Todoist → Settings → Integrations → Developer — same token you put in claude_desktop_config.json.

Contributing

PRs welcome. The goal is a minimal, correct implementation that stays current with the Todoist API v1. Priorities:

Correctness over cleverness
Permissive output handling (never reject unknown API fields)
Helpful error messages that tell you what went wrong and how to fix it

License

MIT