Things MCP Server

Secure MCP server for Things 3 integration

Local serverstdio

What is the Things MCP MCP server?

Things MCP MCP server exists for a simple reason — assistants are far more useful when they can act on Things MCP directly instead of describing what you should do. Secure MCP server for Things 3 integration.

What you get

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Things 3 integration. Enables Claude Desktop and Claude Code to interact with Things 3 on macOS.

  • Create to-dos and projects with full metadata
  • Update existing to-dos and projects
  • List items from any Things list (Inbox, Today, Logbook, Trash, etc.)
  • Retrieve all projects, areas, and tags
  • Navigate to specific items or lists
  • Search within Things

Setting it up

The server ships on npm as github, so your MCP client can launch it on demand — there is no separate build step. Add the server block to your client's configuration, restart it, and the tools register themselves.

What the assistant can call

Once Things MCP is connected, these are the calls the assistant has available:

  • things_add_todo — Create a to-do with all options
  • things_add_project — Create a project with sections (headings), todos, and hierarchical organization
  • things_update_todo — Update an existing to-do using JSON API for full feature support
  • things_update_project — Update an existing project using JSON API for full feature support
  • things_add_items_to_project — Add structured todos and headings to an existing project
  • things_get_inbox — List inbox items
  • things_get_today — List today's items
  • things_get_upcoming — List scheduled items
  • things_get_anytime — List anytime items
  • things_get_someday — List someday items
  • things_get_logbook — List completed items
  • things_get_trash — List trashed items

Configuration and credentials

You will need one environment variable: THINGS_AUTH_TOKEN. The server will not start without them, which is usually why the tools fail to appear on a first run. Keep credentials in your client's env block or a secrets manager rather than in a file you might commit.

  • macOS with Things 3 installed - Node.js 18 or later - Things URL scheme enabled (automatic on first use)

Before you rely on it

  • It runs with your machine's permissions. That is convenient and also the reason to think about what you point it at before you approve a tool call.
  • With 14 tools registered it takes up a noticeable share of the context window; turn it off in projects that never touch Things MCP.
  • Missing credentials fail quietly in some clients — if no tools show up, check the environment block first.
  • MCP clients confirm each tool call by default. Leave that on until you have watched what the things mcp mcp server does with a few real requests.

Choosing this one

This sits in the developer tooling group, where several servers overlap in what they claim to do but differ sharply once you actually set them up. Things MCP's toolset — things_add_todo, things_add_project, things_update_todo and 11 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by hildersantos; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

This entry was verified against Things MCP's own documentation before publication; SyncDev keeps the directory reviewed rather than auto-generated.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
things_add_todoCreate a to-do with all options
things_add_projectCreate a project with sections (headings), todos, and hierarchical organization
things_update_todoUpdate an existing to-do using JSON API for full feature support
things_update_projectUpdate an existing project using JSON API for full feature support
things_add_items_to_projectAdd structured todos and headings to an existing project
things_get_inboxList inbox items
things_get_todayList today's items
things_get_upcomingList scheduled items
things_get_anytimeList anytime items
things_get_somedayList someday items
things_get_logbookList completed items
things_get_trashList trashed items
things_get_projectsList all active projects
things_get_areasList all areas

How to install the Things MCP MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "things": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "github"],
      "env": {
        "THINGS_AUTH_TOKEN": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to claude_desktop_config.json, then restart Claude Desktop.

Configuration

  • macOS with Things 3 installed - Node.js 18 or later - Things URL scheme enabled (automatic on first use)
VariableDescriptionRequired
THINGS_AUTH_TOKENCredential the server authenticates with.Yes

Example prompts to try

  • Use Things MCP to things add todo.
  • Use Things MCP to things add project.
  • Use Things MCP to things update todo.

Frequently asked questions

It connects Things MCP to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 14 tools (things_add_todo, things_add_project, things_update_todo, and more) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with Things MCP directly.