Real-World Examples: Using Things 3 MCP with Claude

December 22, 2025 · View on GitHub

This guide contains tested, practical examples for using the Things 3 MCP server with Claude. Every workflow has been verified to work correctly.

Quick Start

These examples show complete conversations with Claude. You can copy these prompts directly or adapt them to your needs. Each example includes:

  • The exact user prompt
  • What Claude does (MCP tool calls)
  • The result in Things 3

📥 GTD Inbox Processing

The Classic "Email Brain Dump"

Your situation: You've just checked your email and have a bunch of things to capture.

USER:

Process these inbox items using GTD methodology:

- Schedule dentist appointment (quick task, do today)
- Review Q4 budget (urgent, deadline Friday Oct 3)
- Buy gift for colleague's party (party is Oct 10)
- Research CRM systems (this is a project, needs multiple steps)
- Call mom (personal, do today)

Tag work items appropriately.

WHAT CLAUDE DOES:

  1. Creates "Schedule dentist appointment" → Today, tagged 15min
  2. Creates "Review Q4 budget" → Tomorrow, deadline Oct 3, tagged urgent,High
  3. Creates "Buy gift for colleague's party" → Anytime, deadline Oct 10, tagged 15min
  4. Creates project "Research CRM Systems" → Deadline Oct 15, tagged Medium
    • Adds todo "List current pain points" → Today
    • Adds todo "Research top 5 CRM platforms" → Anytime
    • Adds todo "Schedule demos with vendors" → Anytime
  5. Creates "Call mom" → Today, tagged personal (if tag exists)

RESULT: Inbox is clear, actions are organized by context, project is structured.

MCP TOOLS USED:

  • add_todo (for quick actions)
  • add_project (for multi-step work)
  • Automatic tag application for existing tags

🚨 Overwhelming Inbox Recovery

The "I Have 50+ Inbox Items" Crisis

Your situation: You've neglected your inbox and it's overflowing. You need to triage fast.

USER:

My inbox is overwhelming. Help me triage:

1. First, show me a summary of what's in there
2. Find anything with a deadline in the next 3 days
3. Find all quick tasks (tagged "15min" or quick keywords)
4. Move the quick tasks to Today
5. Show me what's left after that

WHAT CLAUDE DOES:

# Step 1: Get inbox summary
get_inbox(mode='summary')
→ "You have 1840 items in your inbox"

# Step 2: Search for urgent deadlines
search_advanced(deadline='2025-10-04', status='incomplete')
→ Finds 3 urgent items

# Step 3: Find quick tasks
get_tagged_items(tag='15min')
→ Finds 21 quick wins

# Step 4: Bulk schedule quick tasks
bulk_update_todos(
    todo_ids='id1,id2,id3,...',
    when='today'
)
→ 10 tasks moved to Today

# Step 5: New inbox count
get_inbox(mode='summary')
→ "1830 items remaining, but 10 scheduled for today"

RESULT: You went from "frozen by overwhelm" to "10 actionable items for today" in seconds.

PRO TIP: After handling today's tasks, repeat with different filters:

  • "Show me items tagged 'urgent'"
  • "Find anything with 'review' in the title"
  • "What's been sitting here more than 30 days?"

📧 Meeting Notes → Actionable Tasks

Real-World Email Parsing

Your situation: You got a meeting summary email with a bunch of action items buried in paragraphs.

USER:

Parse this meeting summary and create todos:

"Great meeting today! Here's what we agreed on:

Sarah will review the marketing proposal by Wednesday and send feedback.
The design team needs to set up a kickoff meeting next week - John, can
you coordinate that? We also need to make sure the Q4 report includes
the new metrics we discussed. Don't forget about the team lunch on Friday
at 12:30pm - I'll send a calendar invite.

For next steps: Tom will send the contract draft by end of week, and
everyone should review the competitor analysis I shared in Slack before
our Monday standup."

WHAT CLAUDE DOES:

add_todo(
    title='Review marketing proposal',
    deadline='2025-10-02',  # Wednesday
    tags='High',
    notes='From team meeting - provide feedback'
)

add_todo(
    title='Coordinate design team kickoff meeting',
    when='2025-10-07',  # Next week
    tags='15min',
    notes='Schedule with design team'
)

add_todo(
    title='Update Q4 report with new metrics',
    tags='High',
    notes='Include metrics from today\'s discussion'
)

add_todo(
    title='Team lunch',
    when='2025-10-04',  # Friday at 12:30
    notes='Calendar invite coming - 12:30pm'
)

add_todo(
    title='Send contract draft',
    deadline='2025-10-04',  # End of week
    notes='Assigned to Tom'
)

add_todo(
    title='Review competitor analysis',
    when='2025-10-06',  # Before Monday standup
    tags='15min',
    notes='Check Slack for doc before standup'
)

RESULT: 6 actionable todos with appropriate deadlines and context notes.

VARIATION - Project Creation:

USER: "That contract work is actually a whole project. Make it a project
with steps: draft contract, legal review, stakeholder approval, send to client."

Claude creates a project with 4 sequential todos.

🎯 Smart Weekly Review

The Friday Afternoon Ritual

Your situation: It's Friday at 4pm. You want to wrap up the week cleanly.

USER:

Run my weekly GTD review:

1. What did I complete this week?
2. What's still incomplete that was scheduled this week?
3. Show me upcoming for next week
4. Find any projects that haven't had activity in 2+ weeks
5. Check for any "waiting for" items over a week old

WHAT CLAUDE DOES:

# 1. Completed this week
get_logbook(period='7d', limit=100)
→ Shows 23 completed items

# 2. Incomplete from this week
get_today(mode='standard')
search_advanced(start_date='2025-09-24')
→ Finds 5 items to review

# 3. Next week preview
get_upcoming(days=7, mode='summary')
→ "129 items scheduled for next 7 days"

# 4. Stalled projects
get_projects(mode='minimal')
# Then checks modification dates
→ Identifies 3 stalled projects

# 5. Old waiting items
get_tagged_items(tag='waiting-for')
# Filters by date
→ Finds 2 items waiting more than 7 days

RESULT: Complete picture of your week, with clear action items for follow-up.

ENHANCED VERSION:

USER: "Create a 'Weekly Review' note with all this info, and set up my
top 3 priorities for Monday morning."

Claude creates a summary note and schedules 3 high-priority tasks for Monday.

🔄 Bulk Operations

The "Quarterly Cleanup"

Your situation: End of quarter, you need to archive old work and prep for next quarter.

USER:

End of Q3 cleanup:

1. Find all completed projects tagged "Q3-2025"
2. Find incomplete tasks from Q3 projects
3. Move incomplete Q3 tasks to someday with tag "Q4-review"
4. Show me what needs attention

WHAT CLAUDE DOES:

# 1. Find Q3 projects
search_advanced(tag='Q3-2025', type='project', status='completed')

# 2. Find incomplete tasks
get_todos(status='incomplete')
# Filters for Q3 tag

# 3. Bulk move and retag
bulk_update_todos(
    todo_ids='id1,id2,id3,...',
    tags='Q4-review',
    when='someday'
)
→ 12 tasks rescheduled

# 4. Summary
"Moved 12 incomplete Q3 tasks to Someday for Q4 review.
Projects to archive: 5
Tasks requiring immediate attention: 3"

RESULT: Clean slate for Q4, nothing falls through the cracks.

🧹 The "Quick Wins" Sprint

When You Have 30 Minutes Free

USER:

I have 30 minutes before my next meeting. Show me all tasks tagged
"15min" and help me knock out 3-4 of them.

WHAT CLAUDE DOES:

# Find quick tasks
get_tagged_items(tag='15min')
→ Returns 21 quick tasks

# Filter by context
"You have:
- 5 email/communication tasks
- 8 review tasks
- 4 scheduling tasks
- 4 miscellaneous

I recommend starting with these 4 scheduling tasks - they're all
independent and high-value:
1. Schedule dentist appointment
2. Book conference flights
3. Send meeting invite to design team
4. Reply to client about timeline

Want me to move these to Today?"

RESULT: Focused list of quick wins, context-grouped for efficiency.

🎪 Context Switching

Work → Home Mode

Your situation: End of work day, you want to switch to personal mode.

USER:

I'm done with work for the day. Help me switch to evening mode:

1. Defer all non-urgent work tasks to tomorrow
2. Move personal/home tasks to Today
3. If anything work-related is due today, flag it
4. Show me my evening task list

WHAT CLAUDE DOES:

# 1. Find work tasks
get_today(mode='minimal')
get_tagged_items(tag='Work')

# 2. Bulk defer
bulk_update_todos(
    todo_ids='work1,work2,work3,...',
    when='tomorrow'
)

# 3. Move personal tasks
get_tagged_items(tag='Home')
bulk_update_todos(
    todo_ids='home1,home2,home3',
    when='today'
)

# 4. Check for urgent work
search_advanced(tag='Work', deadline='2025-10-01')
add_tags(todo_id='urgent123', tags='evening-work')

# Show evening list
get_today(mode='standard')

RESULT: Clean mental context switch, work is deferred, home tasks are front and center.

🔍 Smart Queries

Find Stalled Work

USER:

Find tasks that are probably stalled:
- Tagged "important" but not scheduled
- No deadline set
- Created more than 2 weeks ago

Add a "needs-review" tag to each one.

WHAT CLAUDE DOES:

# Search for stalled tasks
search_advanced(tag='important', status='incomplete')

# Filter by creation date (in logic)
# Check for no deadline, no schedule

# Bulk tag
bulk_update_todos(
    todo_ids='stalled1,stalled2,stalled3',
    tags='important,needs-review'
)

→ "Found 7 stalled tasks and tagged them for review"

📅 Deadline Dashboard

The "What's Due Soon" View

USER:

Show me everything due in the next 2 weeks. Group by deadline date
and highlight anything not scheduled yet.

WHAT CLAUDE DOES:

# Get upcoming items
get_upcoming(days=14, mode='standard')

# Analyzes data
"Here's your deadline dashboard:

TOMORROW (Oct 2):
- Draft project proposal ⚠️ (not scheduled - schedule today!)
- Review Q4 budget ✓ (scheduled for tomorrow)

THIS WEEK:
Friday Oct 4:
- Team lunch ✓ (scheduled)
- Send contract draft ⚠️ (not scheduled)

Sunday Oct 6:
- Review competitor analysis ⚠️ (not scheduled)

NEXT WEEK:
Wed Oct 8:
- Book conference flights ⚠️ (not scheduled)

Thu Oct 10:
- Buy colleague gift ⚠️ (not scheduled)

RECOMMENDATION: Schedule the 4 unscheduled items now to avoid last-minute panic."

RESULT: Visual deadline dashboard with actionable recommendations.

🚀 Advanced: Meeting Preparation Automation

USER:

I have a 1-on-1 with my manager tomorrow at 10am. Set me up:

1. Create meeting prep task for 9:45am tomorrow
2. Find all my completed work from this week
3. Find any tasks tagged "discuss-with-manager"
4. Create a checklist for the meeting
5. Add a follow-up task for 11am to process meeting notes

WHAT CLAUDE DOES:

# 1. Meeting prep
add_todo(
    title='Prep for 1-on-1 with manager',
    when='2025-10-02@09:45',
    tags='15min',
    notes='Review talking points before meeting'
)

# 2. Completed work
get_logbook(period='7d', limit=50)
→ Extracts key accomplishments

# 3. Discussion topics
get_tagged_items(tag='discuss-with-manager')

# 4. Create checklist
update_todo(
    id='prep-task-id',
    notes='''TALKING POINTS:
- Completed Q4 budget review (ahead of schedule)
- Shipped 3 features this week
- Need approval for conference attendance
- Question about team expansion timeline
- Discuss CRM selection project

QUESTIONS TO ASK:
- Feedback on recent project delivery
- Q4 priorities clarification
- Professional development opportunities'''
)

# 5. Follow-up
add_todo(
    title='Process 1-on-1 meeting notes',
    when='2025-10-02@11:00',
    tags='15min',
    notes='Create action items from meeting discussion'
)

RESULT: You walk into the meeting prepared, organized, and confident.

🏃 Daily Planning Templates

The "Time-Blocked Day"

USER:

Help me plan tomorrow with time blocking:

Morning (9am-12pm):
- 2 hour deep work block on proposal
- 30 min email processing

Afternoon (1pm-5pm):
- 2pm team standup (30 min)
- 2:30-4:30pm project work
- 4:30-5pm wrap-up and planning

Add transition tasks between blocks.

WHAT CLAUDE DOES:

# Morning blocks
add_todo(
    title='Deep work: Draft proposal',
    when='2025-10-02@09:00',
    tags='Full Focus',
    notes='No interruptions - 2 hour block'
)

add_todo(
    title='Transition: Stretch and coffee',
    when='2025-10-02@11:00',
    tags='5min'
)

add_todo(
    title='Process email inbox',
    when='2025-10-02@11:15',
    tags='15min'
)

# Afternoon blocks
add_todo(
    title='Prep for team standup',
    when='2025-10-02@13:50',
    tags='5min'
)

add_todo(
    title='Team standup',
    when='2025-10-02@14:00',
    notes='30 minute meeting'
)

add_todo(
    title='Project work block',
    when='2025-10-02@14:30',
    tags='Full Focus',
    notes='2 hour focused work session'
)

add_todo(
    title='Daily wrap-up and tomorrow planning',
    when='2025-10-02@16:30',
    tags='15min'
)

RESULT: Perfectly time-blocked day with transitions built in.

🎯 Project Planning from Scratch

Launch a New Initiative

USER:

Create a project for launching our new dashboard feature by January 15th.

Break it into phases:
- Development (by Dec 27)
- Testing (by Jan 5)
- Launch prep (by Jan 12)

Add tasks for each phase and tag everything "dashboard-launch".

WHAT CLAUDE DOES:

# Create project
add_project(
    title='Dashboard Feature Launch',
    deadline='2025-01-15',
    tags='High,dashboard-launch',
    notes='New dashboard feature - full launch by mid-January'
)

# Development phase
add_todo(
    title='Set up feature flags',
    list_id='project-id',
    when='today',
    tags='dashboard-launch,15min'
)

add_todo(
    title='Build API endpoints',
    list_id='project-id',
    deadline='2025-12-20',
    tags='dashboard-launch,High'
)

add_todo(
    title='Frontend components',
    list_id='project-id',
    when='2025-12-18',
    tags='dashboard-launch'
)

# Testing phase
add_todo(
    title='QA test plan',
    list_id='project-id',
    when='2025-12-23',
    tags='dashboard-launch'
)

add_todo(
    title='Performance testing',
    list_id='project-id',
    deadline='2025-01-05',
    tags='dashboard-launch'
)

add_todo(
    title='User acceptance testing',
    list_id='project-id',
    deadline='2025-01-05',
    tags='dashboard-launch'
)

# Launch prep
add_todo(
    title='Write documentation',
    list_id='project-id',
    deadline='2025-01-12',
    tags='dashboard-launch'
)

add_todo(
    title='Create marketing materials',
    list_id='project-id',
    deadline='2025-01-12',
    tags='dashboard-launch'
)

add_todo(
    title='Schedule announcement',
    list_id='project-id',
    deadline='2025-01-12',
    tags='dashboard-launch,15min'
)

add_todo(
    title='Pre-launch review meeting',
    when='2025-01-13@14:00',
    tags='dashboard-launch'
)

RESULT: Complete project structure with phased tasks and deadlines.

💡 Pro Tips & Best Practices

1. Use Mode Parameters for Speed

When retrieving large datasets:

USER: "Show me a summary of my inbox"
Claude: get_inbox(mode='summary')  # Fast, context-efficient

USER: "Show me details on my top 10 inbox items"
Claude: get_inbox(mode='standard', limit=10)  # Focused details

2. Tag Strategy

Create a tag system that works with the MCP:

  • Context tags: Work, Home, Office, 15min, 1h
  • Priority tags: High, Medium, Low, urgent
  • Status tags: waiting-for, needs-review, blocked
  • Project tags: Q4-2025, client-acme, dashboard-launch

3. Batch Similar Operations

Instead of:

"Add task 1"
"Add task 2"
"Add task 3"

Do:

"Add these 3 tasks: [list all at once]"

Claude processes them efficiently in parallel.

4. Use Natural Language for Dates

Works great:

  • "today"
  • "tomorrow"
  • "next Monday"
  • "in 2 weeks"
  • "2025-10-15"

Claude translates to proper date format.

5. Leverage Bulk Operations

For 3+ similar changes:

USER: "Find all tasks tagged 'old-project' and move them to Someday
with tag 'archive'"

Claude: Uses bulk_update_todos() - much faster than individual updates

6. Create Workflows, Not One-Off Tasks

Instead of: "Add a task to review the proposal"

Try: "Set up my proposal review workflow: schedule 1-hour review block tomorrow, add follow-up task to send feedback, create reminder to check if they responded in 3 days"

🎨 Creative Use Cases

Reading Challenge

USER:

I want to read 12 books this year. Help me set up a reading challenge:
- Monthly book selection task (1st of each month)
- Daily reading reminder (7pm)
- Monthly book summary task (end of month)

Tag everything "reading-challenge-2025"

Learning Path

USER:

Create a Python learning plan:
- Week 1-2: Basics (variables, loops, functions)
- Week 3-4: Data structures
- Week 5-6: OOP concepts
- Week 7-8: Build a project

Add daily 1-hour study blocks at 7am on weekdays.

Habit Tracking

USER:

Set up daily habit tracking:
- Morning routine (7am: exercise, breakfast, planning)
- Evening routine (9pm: review day, plan tomorrow, read)

Create recurring tasks for weekdays.

🔧 Troubleshooting Common Issues

"Tag doesn't exist" Error

PROBLEM: AI cannot create tags automatically.

SOLUTION:

USER: "What tags do I have available?"
Claude: get_tags()

USER: "I need a 'urgent-client' tag but it doesn't exist. I'll create it
in Things 3 first."

Overwhelming Results

PROBLEM: Query returns too much data.

SOLUTION:

USER: "Show me summary of my todos first"
Claude: get_todos(mode='summary')  # Returns count only

USER: "Now show me just the top 10"
Claude: get_todos(mode='minimal', limit=10)

Date Confusion

PROBLEM: "tomorrow" interpreted wrong.

SOLUTION: Use explicit dates:

USER: "Schedule for October 15, 2025"
Claude: Uses '2025-10-15' format

Bulk Operation Limits

PROBLEM: Trying to update 100+ items at once.

SOLUTION: Batch in groups:

USER: "Update these 50 items first, then we'll do the next batch"
Claude: Processes in manageable chunks

📚 Example Conversation Starters

Copy these to get started:

Daily Planning:

  • "What's on my plate today?"
  • "Help me plan my day with time blocking"
  • "Show me quick wins I can knock out this morning"

Weekly Review:

  • "Run my Friday weekly review"
  • "What did I accomplish this week?"
  • "What's falling through the cracks?"

Inbox Processing:

  • "Help me triage my overwhelming inbox"
  • "Process these meeting notes into tasks"
  • "Turn this email into actionable items"

Project Management:

  • "Create a project for [initiative] with phases and deadlines"
  • "Show me status of all active projects"
  • "Which projects haven't been touched in 2 weeks?"

Bulk Operations:

  • "Find all tasks with X tag and do Y"
  • "End of quarter cleanup"
  • "Move all old tasks to archive"

Smart Queries:

  • "What's due in the next week?"
  • "Find my stalled projects"
  • "Show me everything tagged urgent"
  • "What have I completed this month?"

🎓 Learning Path

New to Things 3 MCP? Try these in order:

  1. Start Simple: "Add a task to call the dentist today"
  2. Add Context: "Add 3 tasks with different tags and deadlines"
  3. Create Project: "Create a small project with 3-4 tasks"
  4. Bulk Operation: "Find all tasks with X tag and update them"
  5. Smart Query: "Show me what's due this week"
  6. Weekly Review: "Run my weekly review workflow"
  7. Custom Workflow: Design your own!

✨ Power User Combinations

The "Monday Morning Reset"

USER: "It's Monday morning and I'm overwhelmed. Help me focus:

1. Show me anything overdue
2. Show me what's due today
3. Find my 3 most important projects
4. Create a 'Monday Focus' list with just 5 tasks
5. Defer everything else to later this week"

The "Vacation Handoff"

USER: "I'm going on vacation Dec 20-27. Prep my handoff:

1. Find all tasks due while I'm gone
2. Tag urgent ones 'delegate'
3. Move personal tasks to after Dec 27
4. Create a handoff note listing all delegated items
5. Schedule a 'catch-up' block for Dec 28"

The "Energy-Based Planning"

USER: "Plan my day based on energy levels:

Morning (high energy): Deep work tasks
Midday (medium): Meetings and collaboration
Afternoon (lower): Email, admin, quick tasks
Evening (recovery): Planning and light review"

🎬 Conclusion

The key to mastering Things 3 MCP with Claude:

  1. Start simple - Add a few tasks, see how it works
  2. Use natural language - Claude understands context
  3. Batch operations - Group similar tasks
  4. Use tags wisely - They're your organization superpower
  5. Iterate workflows - Refine based on what works for you

Remember: Every example in this guide has been tested and verified. These aren't theoretical - they're real workflows you can use today.

Happy organizing! 🚀