Things

This MCP server lets you connect Claude Desktop to your Things 3 data from Cultured Code, enabling you to create tasks, organize projects, and analyze your workflow through conversational prompts. It leverages the Things.py library and the Things URL Scheme to interact with your Things data directly from your MCP client.

How to use

You can use Claude or other MCP clients to perform common task management actions in Things 3. Start by ensuring your MCP client is configured to communicate with the Things MCP server, then ask for actions such as creating tasks, listing inbox items, or updating project details. Use the available tools to retrieve lists, filter by project or area, and perform advanced searches to find exactly what you need.

How to install

Prerequisites you need to meet first are macOS (Things 3 runs on macOS), the Things 3 app with Enable Things URLs turned on, an MCP client such as Claude Desktop or Claude Code, and the uv package manager for Python.

Install the Things MCP server using uvx directly. Run this command in your terminal:

uvx things-mcp

Configure your MCP client to use uvx with things-mcp as the argument. Example JSON configuration for Claude Desktop is shown below.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "things": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["things-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop setup steps include an optional one-click install or a manual config to connect to the Things MCP server.

Option 1: One-Click Install (Recommended) Steps:

1. Download the latest file from the releases page.

2. Double-click the .mcpb file.

3. Done.

Option 2: Manual Config

1. Go to Claude → Settings → Developer → Edit Config.

2. Add the Things server with these settings:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "things": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["things-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

3. Save and restart Claude Desktop.

Claude Code

Add the MCP server to Claude Code using this command:

claude mcp add-json things '{"command":"uvx","args":["things-mcp"]}'

To make it available globally across all projects, add the -s user flag:

claude mcp add-json -s user things '{"command":"uvx","args":["things-mcp"]}'

Verify it works

After installation, open Claude Desktop and confirm that Things MCP appears in the Search and tools list. Try a simple query like: What’s in my Things inbox?

Sample usage with Claude Desktop

Useful prompts to start with include: “What’s on my todo list today?”, “Create a todo to pack for my beach vacation next week, including a packing checklist.”, “Evaluate my current todos using the Eisenhower matrix.”, “Help me conduct a GTD-style weekly review using Things.”, “Show me tasks that haven’t been modified in over a month.”

Available tools

get-inbox

Retrieve todos from the Inbox list.

get-today

Fetch todos due today.

get-upcoming

List upcoming todos.

get-anytime

Get todos from the Anytime list.

get-someday

Get todos from the Someday list.

get-logbook

Get completed todos.

get-trash

Get trashed todos.

get-todos

Get todos, optionally filtered by project.

get-projects

Get all projects.

get-areas

Get all areas.

get-tags

Get all tags.

get-tagged-items

Get items with a specific tag.

search-todos

Simple search by title or notes.

search-advanced

Advanced search with multiple filters.

get-recent

Get recently created items.

add-todo

Create a new todo.

add-project

Create a new project.

update-todo

Update an existing todo.

update-project

Update an existing project.

show-item

Show a specific item or list in Things.

search-items

Search for items in Things.