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Things MCP

by jimfilippou

Connects AI assistants to Things 3 on macOS for creating, organizing, searching, and updating todos and projects.

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Install Things MCP

Pick your client, then add it in one click or paste the config.

STDIONode.js
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "jimfilippou-things-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "things-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Settings → Developer → Edit Config, merge this into mcpServers, then fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop.

We couldn’t confirm it starts correctly

The install command started, but didn't respond the way we expected when we tried to talk to it.

npx -y things-mcp

initialize succeeded but no response to tools/list.

This is an experimental automated check and can have false negatives — missing environment variables, a slow cold install, etc. It doesn’t necessarily mean something’s wrong. Last checked 18d ago.

Overview

The jimfilippou/things-mcp MCP server connects MCP-compatible assistants to Things 3 on macOS through the app’s URL scheme. It exposes commands for creating todos and projects, updating items, searching data, opening lists, and running JSON batch operations. Scheduling, tags, areas, headings, checklists, notes, and project nesting are supported where Things URLs allow them. Reach for it when an assistant needs to manage a Things 3 task system, provided Things is installed and running locally.

Use cases

  • Create Things todos from natural-language requests
  • Build projects with nested tasks and headings
  • Reschedule or complete existing Things items
  • Search Things lists and filter by tags
  • Batch-create structured projects with JSON

Key features

  • Todo and project creation
  • Todo and project updates
  • Natural-language scheduling
  • Tags, areas, headings, and checklists
  • Search and list navigation
  • JSON batch operations

Security & health

What it can reach and how reliably it runs — from our own checks, not the maintainer’s claims.

ActiveLast checked 2d ago

Recent health check succeeded.

19/19 checks healthy over the last 78d

Supply-chain signal

No high-severity advisories surfaced by our automated scan.

Critical 0High 0Medium 0Low 0

Scanned 11d ago via OSV.dev · things-mcp (npm)

Adoption & maintenance

Factual signals from GitHub, npm, and our automated checks — not a rating.

GitHub stars10Stargazers on the source repository.
npm downloads45Package downloads in the last 30 days.
Last commit1y agoMost recent push to the default branch.
Install checkInconclusiveStarted but did not complete the MCP handshake in our test.
Directory activity2 viewsConfig copies, upvotes, and views on AllMCPs.

How Things MCP works

What jimfilippou/things-mcp MCP server does

The jimfilippou/things-mcp MCP server lets an MCP client operate Things 3 through Things URL commands. It focuses on todos and projects, with options for notes, scheduling, deadlines, tags, areas, headings, checklist items, completion state, and navigation.

The server supports both individual actions and structured operations. An assistant can create one todo or several todos, create a project with nested todos, change existing items, search Things data, or open a built-in list such as Today, Inbox, Anytime, or Someday. It can also return Things app and URL scheme version information.

How it works

The server runs as an MCP process and sends requests to the Things application using its URL scheme. Things must be installed and running on macOS for the integration to work. Natural-language values such as “today,” “tomorrow,” “next week,” and specific dates can be passed to scheduling and deadline fields.

The main operations are add-todo, add-project, update, update-project, show, search, json, and version. The json operation accepts structured data for more complex batches, including projects with headings and nested todos. The server validates parameters with Zod and reports URL, authorization, network, and system errors.

Updates need an item identifier and an authorization token from Things. Item IDs can be copied from Things share links on macOS or iOS. The token is obtained from Things settings after enabling Things URLs.

Setup and configuration

The jimfilippou/things-mcp MCP server requires macOS, Things 3, Node.js 16 or later, and an MCP-compatible client. Things URLs must be enabled in the app settings. The package can be run without a separate installation with:

Terminal
npx things-mcp

It can also be installed globally with npm install -g things-mcp, then started with things-mcp.

For Claude Desktop, add a things entry to claude_desktop_config.json. The command can use npx with the -y flag, or the globally installed executable. After changing the configuration, restart Claude Desktop or the relevant MCP client and inspect its logs if the connection does not start.

Tools and capabilities

  • Create one or multiple todos with titles, notes, dates, tags, checklists, project placement, headings, and status fields.
  • Create projects with notes, scheduling, deadlines, tags, area placement, and an initial set of todos.
  • Update todos and projects, including notes, dates, tags, locations, checklists, completion, cancellation, and duplication.
  • Search Things data and show items, lists, or tag-filtered results.
  • Submit JSON structures for batch creation of projects, headings, and nested todos.
  • Reveal newly created items or navigate to selected Things locations.

Limitations and notes

This integration is macOS-specific because it depends on the Things application. It is not suitable for an environment without Things 3 installed and running. Update operations require a valid Things authorization token, while item-specific changes also require the corresponding Things ID.

The server works through Things URLs rather than a separately described remote Things API, so Things URL settings must be enabled. If Things does not open, verify the app installation and version, confirm URL support is enabled, and check the MCP client configuration.

Read the full README View source on GitHub

Reviews

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Frequently Asked Questions about Things MCP

jimfilippou/things-mcp is an MCP server that connects AI assistants to Things 3 on macOS through the Things URL scheme. Its main tools create todos and projects, update existing items, search Things data, show lists or items, run JSON batch operations, and report Things app and URL scheme versions.

Install it by running `npx things-mcp`, or install it globally with `npm install -g things-mcp`. You also need macOS, Things 3, Node.js 16 or newer, and an MCP-compatible client.

Configure it by adding a `things` MCP server entry to Claude Desktop’s `claude_desktop_config.json`. Use `npx` with `-y` for the recommended setup, or use the `things-mcp` command after a global npm installation.

Only update operations require a Things authorization token. Enable Things URLs in Things settings, copy the token from the URL management area, and provide it with update requests.

No; the documented integration requires macOS because Things 3 must be installed and running locally.

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