Todoist MCP Server

MCP server enabling programmatic Todoist task and project management through an optimized tool set using Todoist REST API v1. Integrates seamlessly with Claude Desktop and other MCP-compatible clients.

Table of Contents

• Features
• Prerequisites
• Installation
• Configuration
• Available Tools
• Rate Limiting
• Development
• Contributing
• License

Features

• 8 Core Tools: Comprehensive task and project management
  • Tasks (CRUD + complete/uncomplete)
  • Bulk Tasks (batch operations on up to 50 tasks)
  • Projects (CRUD + archive/unarchive)
  • Sections (organize tasks within projects)
  • Comments (with file attachment support)
  • Filters (custom task queries)
  • Reminders (relative, absolute, location-based)
  • Labels (personal and shared label management)
• Natural Language Dates: "tomorrow", "every Monday", "next Friday at 3pm"
• Deadline Support: Set completion deadlines distinct from due dates
• Batch Operations: Execute up to 100 operations per request via Sync API
• Smart Rate Limiting: Token bucket algorithm with automatic retry
• Type Safety: Full TypeScript implementation with Zod validation
• Comprehensive Testing: Contract and integration test coverage

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18 or higher
• Todoist account (Sign up free)
• Todoist API token (Get yours here)
• Any of the popular MCP clients, such as:
  • Claude Desktop
  • Claude Code CLI
  • Codex CLI
  • Cursor IDE or CLI
  • Raycast MCP Extension
  • Any other MCP-compatible client

Installation

Option 1: Install from npm (Recommended)

npm i @shayonpal/mcp-todoist

Option 2: Install from source

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/shayonpal/mcp-todoist.git
cd mcp-todoist

2. Install dependencies:

npm install

3. Build the project:

npm run build

Configuration

1. Set up environment variables

cp .env.example .env

Edit .env and add your Todoist API token:

TODOIST_API_TOKEN=your_todoist_api_token_here

2. Configure your MCP client

Claude Desktop

Add to your Claude Desktop configuration file:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

If installed from npm:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "todoist": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@shayonpal/mcp-todoist"],
      "env": {
        "TODOIST_API_TOKEN": "your_api_token_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

If installed from source:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "todoist": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/mcp-todoist/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "TODOIST_API_TOKEN": "your_api_token_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: When using source installation, use absolute paths in the configuration.

Claude Code CLI

Recommended: Use CLI command

Add the server using the claude mcp add command:

# Project scope (shared with team, stored in .mcp.json)
claude mcp add todoist --scope project npx -y @shayonpal/mcp-todoist

# User scope (personal, works across all projects)
claude mcp add todoist --scope user npx -y @shayonpal/mcp-todoist

# Local scope (personal, current project only) - default
claude mcp add todoist npx -y @shayonpal/mcp-todoist

Then set your Todoist API token as an environment variable:

export TODOIST_API_TOKEN=your_api_token_here

Or manually add the environment variable to .mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "todoist": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@shayonpal/mcp-todoist"],
      "env": {
        "TODOIST_API_TOKEN": "${TODOIST_API_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Scope selection:

• Project scope (recommended for teams): Shared via .mcp.json in version control
• User scope: Personal, available across all projects on your machine
• Local scope: Personal, specific to current project only (default)

Codex CLI

Add to ~/.codex/config.toml:

[mcp_servers.todoist]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@shayonpal/mcp-todoist"]
env = { "TODOIST_API_TOKEN" = "your_api_token_here" }
startup_timeout_ms = 20000

Note: Codex uses TOML format with mcp_servers (underscore). All strings must be quoted.

Cursor IDE

Recommended: One-click install

Click the button above to automatically install the server in Cursor. Make sure you have TODOIST_API_TOKEN set as an environment variable.

Manual installation:

Configuration locations:

• Project-specific: .cursor/mcp.json in project root
• Global: ~/.cursor/mcp.json in home directory

Option 1: Using environment variables

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "todoist": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@shayonpal/mcp-todoist"],
      "env": {
        "TODOIST_API_TOKEN": "${env:TODOIST_API_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Option 2: Using environment file

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "todoist": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@shayonpal/mcp-todoist"],
      "envFile": ".env"
    }
  }
}

Supported config interpolation:

• ${env:NAME} - Environment variables
• ${userHome} - Path to home folder
• ${workspaceFolder} - Project root directory
• ${workspaceFolderBasename} - Project name

Other MCP Clients

Refer to your MCP client's documentation for configuration instructions. The server uses STDIO transport and follows MCP protocol version 2024-11-05.

Available Tools

todoist_tasks

Complete task management with create, get, update, delete, list, complete, uncomplete, and list_completed actions. Supports natural language dates, deadlines, priorities, labels, recurring tasks, and querying completed tasks within time-bounded windows.

Key parameters: action, task_id, content, due_date, due_string, deadline, priority, labels, project_id, completed_query_type, since, until

Completed tasks querying:

• list_completed action retrieves completed tasks
• Query by completion date (3-month window) or due date (6-week window)
• Supports filtering by project, section, workspace, labels, and more
• Cursor-based pagination for large result sets
• Example: Query all tasks completed in September with Work label

  {
    "action": "list_completed",
    "completed_query_type": "by_completion_date",
    "since": "2025-09-01T00:00:00Z",
    "until": "2025-09-30T23:59:59Z",
    "filter_query": "@Work",
    "limit": 50
  }

todoist_projects

Project management with create, get, update, delete, list, archive, and unarchive actions. Organize work with hierarchical projects and custom views.

Key parameters: action, project_id, name, color, is_favorite, view_style

todoist_sections

Section management within projects for better task organization. Create, get, update, delete, list, and reorder sections.

Key parameters: action, section_id, project_id, name, order

todoist_comments

Add and manage comments on tasks and projects with file attachment support (up to 15,000 characters).

Key parameters: action, comment_id, task_id, project_id, content, attachment

todoist_filters

Create and manage custom filters for advanced task queries. List, create, update, delete, and query filters.

Key parameters: action, filter_id, name, query, color, is_favorite

todoist_reminders

Set reminders for tasks with three types: relative (X minutes before due), absolute (specific datetime), and location-based (geofenced).

Key parameters: action, reminder_id, item_id, type, minute_offset, due, loc_lat, loc_long

todoist_labels

Manage personal and shared labels with create, get, update, delete, list, rename, and remove actions. Includes caching for optimal performance.

Key parameters: action, label_id, name, color, is_favorite, order

todoist_bulk_tasks

Perform bulk operations on up to 50 tasks simultaneously. Supports update, complete, uncomplete, and move operations with automatic deduplication and partial execution mode.

Key parameters: action, task_ids (1-50 items), project_id, section_id, labels, priority, due_string, deadline_date

Supported Actions:

• update - Modify task fields (due date, priority, labels, etc.)
• complete - Mark multiple tasks as done
• uncomplete - Reopen completed tasks
• move - Change project/section/parent for multiple tasks

Usage Examples:

// Bulk update due dates for 5 tasks
{
  "action": "update",
  "task_ids": ["7654321", "7654322", "7654323", "7654324", "7654325"],
  "due_string": "tomorrow"
}

// Bulk complete 10 tasks
{
  "action": "complete",
  "task_ids": ["7654321", "7654322", "7654323", "7654324", "7654325",
               "7654326", "7654327", "7654328", "7654329", "7654330"]
}

// Bulk move 7 tasks to different project
{
  "action": "move",
  "task_ids": ["7654321", "7654322", "7654323", "7654324", "7654325",
               "7654326", "7654327"],
  "project_id": "2203306141"
}

// Bulk update multiple fields for 8 tasks
{
  "action": "update",
  "task_ids": ["7654321", "7654322", "7654323", "7654324",
               "7654325", "7654326", "7654327", "7654328"],
  "priority": 2,
  "labels": ["urgent", "work"],
  "deadline_date": "2025-12-31"
}

Limitations:

• Maximum 50 unique tasks per operation (after deduplication)
• Cannot modify content (task title), description, or comments in bulk
• All tasks receive the same field updates
• Performance: <2 seconds for 50-task operations

Response Structure:

• Individual results for each task (success/failure)
• Summary counts (total, successful, failed)
• Automatic deduplication metadata
• Execution time tracking

Rate Limiting

The server implements intelligent rate limiting to respect Todoist API constraints:

• REST API: 300 requests/minute (token bucket: 300 capacity, 5 tokens/sec refill)
• Sync API: 50 requests/minute (token bucket: 50 capacity, ~0.83 tokens/sec refill)
• Automatic Retry: Exponential backoff on 429 responses
• Batch Operations: Use for bulk updates to minimize API calls

Development

# Run in development mode with hot reload
npm run dev

# Build TypeScript
npm run build

# Run all tests
npm test

# Run tests in watch mode
npm run test:watch

# Generate test coverage report
npm run test:coverage

# Lint code
npm run lint

# Auto-fix linting issues
npm run lint:fix

# Format code with Prettier
npm run format

# Type-check without emitting
npm run typecheck

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

License

GNU General Public License v3.0 - see LICENSE for details.

Copyright (C) 2025 Shayon Pal