OmniFocus Operator
FreeNot checkedA production-grade MCP server that exposes OmniFocus as structured task infrastructure for AI agents, enabling read, write, and filter operations on tasks and p
About
A production-grade MCP server that exposes OmniFocus as structured task infrastructure for AI agents, enabling read, write, and filter operations on tasks and projects via natural language.
README
The last OmniFocus MCP Server you'll ever need.
Production-grade MCP server exposing OmniFocus as structured task infrastructure for AI agents. Agent-first design, SQLite-cached performance, 2,561 tests.
→ See the full landing page — features, architecture, benchmarks, and comparison
🚀 Quick Start
Prerequisites: macOS, OmniFocus 4, Python 3.12+
🪄 Not sure where this config goes? The setup wizard on the landing page walks you through it step-by-step — including auto-merging with your existing config.
For Claude Desktop
Paste this into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"omnifocus-operator": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["omnifocus-operator"]
}
}
}
uvx downloads, isolates, and runs the server automatically. No install step.
First run: OmniFocus shows a one-time permission dialog. Tick the box, click Run Script. You won't see it again.
For Claude Code, OpenCode, Cursor…
Ask your agent — copy this prompt:
Add this MCP server to my client config. Just edit the config file — don't install anything, don't run any scripts.
"omnifocus-operator": { "command": "uvx", "args": ["omnifocus-operator"] }
⚠️ This doesn't work with Claude Desktop — Desktop has no config-editing tools. Use the manual paste above.
Development install (contributors)
git clone https://github.com/HelloThisIsFlo/omnifocus-operator.git
cd omnifocus-operator
uv sync
See CONTRIBUTING.md for dev workflow details.
✨ Features
- ⚡ 46ms reads — SQLite caching gives 30–60x faster reads than bridge-only servers
- 🛠️ 11 MCP tools — lookups, filtered lists, task creation & editing
- 🤖 Agent-first design — warnings that teach, errors that educate, guidance in every response
- 🧪 2,561 tests, 97% coverage — strict mypy, no corners cut
- 🛡️ Graceful degradation — server stays alive no matter what, always recoverable
- 🔄 Automatic fallback — SQLite → OmniJS bridge when needed
See the full documentation for architecture details, examples, and deep dives.
🛠️ Available Tools
Lookups
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
get_all |
Full OmniFocus database as structured data (last-resort debugging) |
get_task |
Single task by ID — urgency, availability, dates, tags, parent, project |
get_project |
Single project by ID — status, review interval, next task |
get_tag |
Single tag by ID — availability, parent hierarchy |
List & Filter
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
list_tasks |
Filter by date, availability, flags, tags, project, parent subtree, search — with pagination, field selection, and presence-flag derivation |
list_projects |
Filter by status, folder, review schedule, flags |
list_tags |
List tags with parent hierarchy |
list_folders |
List folders with parent hierarchy |
list_perspectives |
List custom perspectives |
Write
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
add_tasks |
Create tasks with full field control — parent, tags, dates, flags, notes, repetition rules, parallel/sequential, completes-with-children |
edit_tasks |
Patch semantics — update fields, move tasks, complete/drop, manage tags, repetition rules, and hierarchy properties |
All read tools are idempotent. Write tools reference projects and tags by name or ID.
🔍 Tool Examples
Filter tasks (list_tasks):
{
"query": {
"flagged": true,
"due": "soon",
"availability": "remaining",
"include": ["notes"],
"limit": 10
}
}
Create a task (add_tasks):
{
"items": [{
"name": "Review Q3 roadmap",
"parent": "Work Projects",
"tags": ["Planning"],
"dueDate": "2026-03-15T17:00:00",
"flagged": true,
"estimatedMinutes": 30,
"note": "Focus on v1.3-v1.5 milestones"
}]
}
Edit with patch semantics (edit_tasks):
{
"items": [{
"id": "oRx3bL_UYq7",
"dueDate": null,
"actions": {
"tags": {"add": ["Urgent"]},
"move": {"ending": "Work Projects"}
}
}]
}
Patch semantics cheat sheet:
| Input | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Field omitted | No change |
Field set to null |
Clear the value |
| Field set to a value | Update |
🗺️ Roadmap
| Version | Focus |
|---|---|
| v1.0 | Foundation — read tools, three-layer arch, test suite ✅ |
| v1.1 | Performance — SQLite caching, 30–60x speedup ✅ |
| v1.2 | Writes & Lookups — add/edit tasks, get-by-ID ✅ |
| v1.2.1 | Architectural Cleanup — contracts, service refactor, golden master tests ✅ |
| v1.2.2 | FastMCP v3 Migration ✅ |
| v1.2.3 | Repetition Rule Write Support ✅ |
| v1.3 | Read Tools — SQL filtering, list/count, 5 new tools ✅ |
| v1.3.1 | First-Class References — name resolution, $inbox, rich refs ✅ |
| v1.3.2 | Date Filtering — 7 dimensions, shortcuts, calendar math ✅ |
| v1.3.3 | Task Ordering — dotted notation, outline order ✅ |
| v1.4 | Response Shaping & Batch Processing ✅ |
| v1.4.1 | Task Properties & Subtree — presence flags, auto-complete, parallel/sequential, parent filter ✅ |
| v1.4.2 | UNTIL Format Hotfix — parser accepts RFC 5545 DATE form; builder aligns with OmniFocus UI ✅ |
| v1.4.3 | First-Run UX — welcome banners in bridge.js that frame OmniFocus's permission dialog with two-click instructions; startup log line ✅ |
| v1.4.4 | Batch Limit Increase — add_tasks / edit_tasks accept up to 150 items per call ✅ |
| v1.5 | Project Writes — add/edit projects, review marking |
| v1.6 | UI & Perspectives — perspective switching, deep links |
| v1.7 | Smart Perspective Content — perspective-aware response shapes |
| v1.8 | Production Hardening — retry, crash recovery, serial execution |
🔗 Links
- 📖 Full Documentation — features, architecture, examples
- 📦 PyPI — package page
- 🐛 Issues
- 💬 Discussions
📄 License
Proprietary — all rights reserved. Free to use, not to redistribute. License under review.
🤝 Contributing
See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines. In short: fork, branch, test, PR.
Install OmniFocus Operator in Claude Desktop, Claude Code & Cursor
unyly install omnifocus-operatorInstalls into Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor & VS Code — handles npx, uvx and build-from-source repos for you.
First time? Get the CLI: curl -fsSL https://unyly.org/install | sh
Or configure manually
Run in your terminal:
claude mcp add omnifocus-operator -- uvx omnifocus-operatorFAQ
Is OmniFocus Operator MCP free?
Yes, OmniFocus Operator MCP is free — one-click install via Unyly at no cost.
Does OmniFocus Operator need an API key?
No, OmniFocus Operator runs without API keys or environment variables.
Is OmniFocus Operator hosted or self-hosted?
Self-hosted: the server runs locally on your machine via the install command above.
How do I install OmniFocus Operator in Claude Desktop, Claude Code or Cursor?
Open OmniFocus Operator on unyly.org, pick your client tab (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor) and press Install — the config is generated automatically, no JSON editing.
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