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Apple Reminders

Apple Reminders

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cupertino.mgcrea.ioProductivity5Updated today
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About Apple Reminders

An MCP server for Apple Reminders on macOS, using Apple Events with an optional read-only SQLite index for additional read access. Write tools are not registered by default and can be enabled through configuration.

Key features

  1. 01Browse accounts, lists, and reminders
  2. 02Search and read reminders
  3. 03Tags and attachments require Full Disk Access
  4. 04Write tools disabled by default

Use cases

  1. 01Find specific reminders
  2. 02Review reminders and their lists
  3. 03Enable write tools to create or complete reminders

MCP support

Exposes Apple Reminders read and search tools to MCP clients. Create, update, complete, move, and delete tools are registered only when APPLE_REMINDERS_ALLOW_WRITES=1; writes always use Apple Events.

Configuration

Local server config is the same for every client. Copy it into your client’s MCP config file.

mcp.json · Universal config
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mgcrea-mcp-apple-reminders": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@mgcrea/mcp-apple-reminders"
      ],
      "env": {
        "APPLE_REMINDERS_ALLOW_WRITES": "<APPLE_REMINDERS_ALLOW_WRITES>",
        "APPLE_REMINDERS_LISTS": "<APPLE_REMINDERS_LISTS>",
        "APPLE_REMINDERS_ACCOUNTS": "<APPLE_REMINDERS_ACCOUNTS>"
      }
    }
  }
}
Run commandnpx -y @mgcrea/mcp-apple-reminders
Environment variables to set
APPLE_REMINDERS_ALLOW_WRITESRegister the mutating tools. Off by default, and the gate decides whether the write tools exist at all rather than merely refusing — an agent with writes off cannot see them.
APPLE_REMINDERS_LISTSRestrict every read and write to these Reminders lists, by name.
APPLE_REMINDERS_ACCOUNTSRestrict every read and write to these Reminders accounts, by name or id. Bounds reading, not just writing.

Local servers need a runtime on your machine (e.g. Node.js 18+). Config file locations differ by client; see your client’s docs.

Packages
npm@mgcrea/mcp-apple-reminders1.31.0

Tools

No tool list yet

Local servers expose tools only once running on your machine, and the maintainer has not provided a tool list.

Details

From the project README

@mgcrea/mcp-apple-reminders

Model Context Protocol server for the macOS Apple Reminders app.

Unofficial. Not affiliated with Apple. It drives the Reminders app that is already on your Mac.

Two lanes

  • Apple Events lane — accounts, lists, reminders, and every mutation. Reminders' scripting dictionary is complete enough that this alone is a working server.
  • Index lane — read-only SQLite over the Group Containers store, for the things the dictionary does not expose. Needs Full Disk Access.

Like Notes and unlike Mail, the Apple Events lane alone is usable. You can install this, use it, and only then decide whether to grant Full Disk Access. apple_reminders_diagnostics tells you which lane is answering.

PermissionNeeded forWithout it
Automation → Reminderseverythingnothing works; you get a -1743 error
Full Disk Accesstags, attachmentsthe server still runs, on the Apple Events lane

Neither is granted to Reminders.app — it is the reader that needs permission. Grant it to whatever launches the server (Terminal, iTerm, VS Code, Claude), then restart it.

Tools

Read: diagnostics, list_accounts, list_lists, list_reminders, search_reminders, get_reminder.

Write, registered only when APPLE_REMINDERS_ALLOW_WRITES=1 — with the flag off they are invisible to the model, not merely refused: create_reminder, update_reminder, complete_reminders, move_reminders, delete_reminders.

Configuration

VariableDefault
APPLE_REMINDERS_ALLOW_WRITESoffRegister the mutating tools.
APPLE_REMINDERS_ACCOUNTSallRead-side allowlist, comma-separated.
APPLE_REMINDERS_LISTSallRead-side allowlist, comma-separated.
APPLE_REMINDERS_DEFAULT_LISTReminders'List a new reminder goes to when none named.
APPLE_REMINDERS_INCLUDE_COMPLETEDoffInclude completed reminders in reads.
APPLE_REMINDERS_INDEX_MODEautoauto | ro | immutable | off.
APPLE_REMINDERS_STOREautoExplicit store path.
APPLE_REMINDERS_DEGRADED_MAX_REMINDERS500Cap when running without the index.
APPLE_REMINDERS_SEARCH_CACHE_TTL_MS30000How long the corpus stays warm.
APPLE_REMINDERS_ATTACHMENT_DIR~/DownloadsThe only directory attachments may reach.
APPLE_REMINDERS_OSASCRIPT_TIMEOUT_MS30000Sized for the first-run permission prompt.

Notes that will bite you

  • ~/Library/Reminders does not exist. Reminders lives under ~/Library/Group Containers/group.com.apple.reminders/. The path commonly cited elsewhere is wrong on a current macOS.
  • Writes always go through Apple Events, never the store. The Reminders app holds the SQLite file open and reconciles it against a server, so writing to it corrupts sync state.
  • Completed reminders are excluded by default. A search that "loses" a reminder has usually just found it completed; set APPLE_REMINDERS_INCLUDE_COMPLETED=1.

Licence

MIT.

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