Apple Notes and Things 3 MCP Server as a macOS App

A native macOS Swift application that implements a complete Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Things 3 and Apple Notes integration.

Status: ✅ PRODUCTION READY - Complete MCP server with GUI monitoring

1. Download the latest release
2. Open the DMG and drag TaskNote Bridge to Applications
3. Launch the app - the MCP server starts automatically
4. Configure VS Code with the settings below

Add this to your VS Code settings.json:

That's it! 🎉 You're ready to create tasks and notes via AI assistants.

• macOS: 12.0+ (Monterey or later)
• Things 3: Install from Mac App Store
• Apple Notes: Built into macOS
• VS Code: With MCP extension

• Complete MCP Server: Full Swift implementation of MCP protocol with Things 3 and Apple Notes tools
• Real-time Monitoring: Server status dashboard with live activity tracking
• TCP Transport: Network-based transport protocol for universal MCP client compatibility
• Log Streaming: Live server logs with filtering and search capabilities
• Connection Management: Monitor active client connections and request/response activity
• SwiftUI Interface: Modern macOS interface for server monitoring and control

• Access to all major Things lists (Inbox, Today, Upcoming, etc.)
• Project and area management
• Tag operations
• Advanced search capabilities
• Recent items tracking
• Detailed item information including checklists
• Support for nested data (projects within areas, todos within projects)
• Open specific tasks directly in Things 3 app

• Create new notes with titles, content, and tags
• Search notes by title
• Retrieve note content
• List all notes
• Open notes directly in Apple Notes app
• Delete notes
• Full AppleScript integration for seamless macOS experience

1. Download the latest TaskNote-Bridge-v1.0.0.dmG from the Releases page
2. Open the DMG file and drag TaskNote Bridge to your Applications folder
3. Launch the app - the MCP server starts automatically

If you prefer to build from source, you'll need:

• Xcode 14.0 or newer
• macOS 13.0 or newer

Clone the repository and build:

• Any MCP-compatible AI assistant or tool (Claude Desktop, VS Code with MCP extensions, Cursor, Continue, Zed, etc.)
• Things 3 ("Enable Things URLs" must be turned on in Settings -> General)
• Apple Notes (for note management features)
• macOS 13.0 or newer (required for SwiftUI and AppleScript integration)

1. Launch the TaskNote Bridge app and start the TCP server (default port 8000)

2. Configure your MCP client to connect to localhost:8000

Examples:

Claude Desktop:

VS Code with MCP Extension:

• Configure the extension to connect to localhost:8000

Other MCP Tools:

• Set connection type to TCP
• Host: localhost
• Port: 8000

Note: Replace the path with the actual location where you installed the app. If you moved it to your Applications folder, use: /Applications/TaskNote Bridge.app/Contents/Resources/launch_mcp_server.sh

4. Restart the Claude Desktop app.

1. First, ensure you have the TaskNote Bridge app installed and running.

2. Install the MCP extension for VS Code:

   • Open VS Code
   • Go to Extensions (Cmd+Shift+X)
   • Search for "MCP" and install the official MCP extension

3. Configure VS Code settings:

   • Open Settings (Cmd+,)
   • Click "Open Settings (JSON)" in the top right
   • Add this configuration:

Note: Replace the path with the actual location where you installed the app. If you moved it to your Applications folder, use: /Applications/TaskNote Bridge.app/Contents/Resources/launch_mcp_server.sh

4. Restart VS Code to load the MCP server.

1. Launch the TaskNote Bridge app from your Applications folder.
2. The app provides a native macOS interface for:
   • Viewing your Things 3 tasks, projects, and areas
   • Managing your Apple Notes
   • Monitoring MCP server connections
   • Seeing activity logs in real-time

With the MCP extension installed and configured:

1. Open the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P)
2. Type "MCP" to see available MCP commands
3. Use "MCP: Call Tool" to interact with Things tools
4. Or use any AI assistant that supports MCP to access your Things data

This server follows the standard MCP protocol and can work with any MCP-compatible application or AI assistant. Simply configure your tool to connect to the Swift MCP server via TCP on localhost:8000.

Compatible Applications Include:

• Claude Desktop
• VS Code with MCP extensions
• Cursor
• Continue
• Zed
• Any custom MCP client implementation

• "What's on my todo list today?"
• "Create a todo to pack for my beach vacation next week, include a packing checklist."
• "Evaluate my current todos using the Eisenhower matrix."
• "Help me conduct a GTD-style weekly review using Things."
• "Create a note with meeting minutes from today's standup"
• "Search my notes for anything about the quarterly review"

• Create a project in Claude with custom instructions that explains how you use Things and organize areas, projects, tags, etc. Tell Claude what information you want included when it creates a new task (eg asking it to include relevant details in the task description might be helpful).
• Try adding another MCP server that gives Claude access to your calendar. This will let you ask Claude to block time on your calendar for specific tasks, create todos from upcoming calendar events (eg prep for a meeting), etc.

• get-inbox - Get todos from Inbox
• get-today - Get todos due today
• get-upcoming - Get upcoming todos
• get-anytime - Get todos from Anytime list
• get-someday - Get todos from 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/notes
• search-advanced - Advanced search with multiple filters
• open-todo - Search for a todo by title and open it in Things app

• get-recent - Get recently created items

• project_uuid (optional) - Filter todos by project
• include_items (optional, default: true) - Include checklist items

• include_items (optional, default: false) - Include contained items

• status - Filter by status (incomplete/completed/canceled)
• start_date - Filter by start date (YYYY-MM-DD)
• deadline - Filter by deadline (YYYY-MM-DD)
• tag - Filter by tag
• area - Filter by area UUID
• type - Filter by item type (to-do/project/heading)

• period - Time period (e.g., '3d', '1w', '2m', '1y')

• title - Title or partial title of the todo to search for and open

• title - Exact title of the note to open in Apple Notes

The server includes error handling for:

• Invalid UUIDs
• Missing required parameters
• Things database access errors
• Data formatting errors

All errors are logged and returned with descriptive messages. To review the MCP logs from Claude Desktop, run this in the Terminal: