OmniFocus Claude Extension - Enhanced Edition

A powerful OmniFocus integration for Claude Desktop that enables advanced task management using GTD (Getting Things Done) methodology. This enhanced version addresses previous limitations with comprehensive new features.

🚀 What's New in Version 2.0

Previous Limitations - Now Resolved! ✅

~~Single Task Creation Only~~ → Batch Operations: Create multiple tasks with subtasks in one command
~~No Search History~~ → Advanced Search: Search across all projects, contexts, and notes
~~No Task Editing~~ → Full Edit Capabilities: Modify any task property including defer dates
~~No Repeat Fields~~ → Recurring Tasks: Create tasks with daily, weekly, monthly, or custom repeat patterns
Enhanced Project Management: List projects with statistics, move tasks between projects
Comprehensive Views: Deferred tasks, flagged items, overdue tasks, and more

Features

🆕 Enhanced Features

Search Tasks

Search across your entire OmniFocus database:

"Search for tasks containing 'budget'"
"Find all available tasks with 'meeting'"
"Search remaining tasks for 'review'"

Edit Tasks

Modify any property of existing tasks:

"Change the due date of 'Review proposal' to next Friday"
"Add a note to 'Call client' saying 'Discuss contract terms'"
"Flag the task 'Prepare presentation'"
"Move 'Write report' to the Work project"
"Set defer date for 'Start research' to Monday"

Batch Task Creation

Create multiple tasks with subtasks in one command:

"Create tasks: Research options|-Compare prices|-Make decision|Follow up with team"
"Add tasks to Project X: Phase 1|-Design|-Implementation|Phase 2|-Testing|-Deployment"

Note: Use | to separate tasks and - prefix for subtasks

Recurring Tasks

Set up tasks with repeat patterns:

"Create a daily recurring task 'Review inbox'"
"Add weekly recurring 'Team meeting' every Monday"
"Create monthly task 'Pay bills' due on the 1st"
"Set up task 'Quarterly review' repeating every 3 months"

Advanced Views

List Projects: View all active projects with task counts
Deferred Tasks: See tasks that aren't available yet
Flagged Tasks: Quick access to all flagged items
Overdue Tasks: Track tasks past their due date

📝 Original Features

Add Tasks: Create tasks with notes, projects, due dates, defer dates, and flags
Inbox Management: View and process tasks in your OmniFocus inbox
Today's Tasks: See all tasks due today at a glance
Complete Tasks: Mark tasks as complete by name
Weekly Review: Get a comprehensive summary for your GTD weekly review

Requirements

macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later
OmniFocus 3 or later
Claude Desktop app
Node.js 14+ (for development only)

Installation

Quick Install

Download the latest omnifocus-gtd-enhanced.dxt from the Releases page
Open Claude Desktop
Navigate to Extensions settings
Drag and drop the .dxt file onto the Claude Desktop window
The extension will be installed and available immediately

Build from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/omnifocus-claude-extension.git
cd omnifocus-claude-extension

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the enhanced extension
npm run build:enhanced

# The extension will be created at dist/omnifocus-gtd-enhanced.dxt

Usage Examples

Task Management

"Add task 'Review Q3 reports' due Friday to Work project, defer until Wednesday"
"Search for all tasks about 'budget'"
"Edit 'Team meeting' to be due tomorrow at 2pm"
"Complete the task about reviewing reports"

Batch Operations

"Create project plan: Research phase|-Literature review|-Market analysis|Development|-Prototype|-Testing|Launch"

Recurring Tasks

"Create weekly recurring task 'Process inbox' due every Sunday"
"Add monthly recurring 'Review finances' on the 15th"

Views and Reviews

"Show me my flagged tasks"
"List all overdue tasks"
"What tasks are deferred?"
"Show all projects with task counts"
"Give me a weekly review"

Available Commands

Command	Description	Example
`add_task`	Add a task with full properties	"Add task to buy milk due tomorrow, defer until morning"
`search_tasks`	Search across all tasks	"Search for budget tasks"
`edit_task`	Modify existing task	"Change due date of 'Report' to Friday"
`batch_add_tasks`	Create multiple tasks	"Add tasks: Task1\|Task2\|-Subtask"
`create_recurring_task`	Set up repeating task	"Create daily task 'Review email'"
`list_inbox`	Show inbox tasks	"Show my inbox"
`today_tasks`	List due today	"What's due today?"
`list_projects`	Show all projects	"List projects with counts"
`list_deferred_tasks`	Show deferred items	"What tasks are deferred?"
`list_flagged_tasks`	Show flagged items	"Show flagged tasks"
`list_overdue_tasks`	Show overdue items	"What's overdue?"
`complete_task`	Mark as complete	"Complete budget review"
`weekly_review`	GTD weekly review	"Show weekly review"

Development

Project Structure

omnifocus-claude-extension/
├── src/
│   ├── server/
│   │   ├── index.js              # Original MCP server
│   │   └── index-enhanced.js     # Enhanced server with new features
│   ├── scripts/
│   │   ├── enhanced/              # New AppleScript implementations
│   │   │   ├── search_tasks.applescript
│   │   │   ├── edit_task.applescript
│   │   │   ├── batch_add_tasks.applescript
│   │   │   └── create_recurring_task.applescript
│   │   └── ...                    # Original scripts
│   └── manifest.json              # Extension manifest
├── dist/
│   └── omnifocus-gtd-enhanced.dxt # Built extension
└── build-dxt-enhanced.js          # Enhanced build script

Building

# Build the enhanced DXT extension
npm run build:enhanced

# Build legacy version
npm run build:legacy

# Clean and rebuild
npm run rebuild

# Run tests
npm test

# Validate the built extension
npm run validate

Adding New Tools

Create AppleScript in src/scripts/enhanced/
Add tool definition to src/server/index-enhanced.js
Update the manifest if needed
Rebuild the extension
Test thoroughly with different OmniFocus configurations

Architecture

The enhanced extension uses an improved Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that:

Receives commands from Claude Desktop via JSON-RPC
Routes to appropriate AppleScript (enhanced or original)
Executes AppleScript with proper parameter handling
Manages complex operations like batch creation and searches
Returns formatted, actionable results to Claude

Key Improvements

Modular Script System: Separate enhanced scripts for maintainability
Parameter Validation: Robust input handling and error messages
Batch Processing: Efficient handling of multiple operations
Advanced Date Parsing: Natural language date interpretation
State Management: Better handling of task relationships

Troubleshooting

Extension Not Loading

Check Claude Desktop logs: ~/Library/Logs/Claude/
Ensure OmniFocus is installed and running
Verify macOS permissions for automation
Try reinstalling the extension

Tasks Not Appearing

Ensure OmniFocus default document is open
Check that you're not in a filtered view
Verify AppleScript automation is enabled:
- System Preferences → Security & Privacy → Privacy → Automation
- Ensure Claude Desktop can control OmniFocus

Common Issues and Solutions

Issue	Solution
"Script Error"	Enable automation permissions for Claude Desktop
"OmniFocus not found"	Ensure OmniFocus is in /Applications
"No tasks found"	Check search terms and task availability
"Multiple matches"	Be more specific in task names
"Cannot create recurring"	Ensure OmniFocus Pro features are available

Security

This extension:

✅ Only reads and writes to OmniFocus via AppleScript
✅ Does not store or transmit personal data
✅ Runs entirely locally on your machine
✅ Requires explicit user permission for automation
✅ Open source for full transparency

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please read CONTRIBUTING.md for details.

Development Guidelines

Semantic Commits: Use conventional commit messages
- feat: New features
- fix: Bug fixes
- docs: Documentation updates
- refactor: Code refactoring
- test: Test additions/changes
AppleScript Best Practices:
- Properly escape special characters
- Handle missing values gracefully
- Provide meaningful error messages
- Test with different OmniFocus configurations
Testing Checklist:
- Test with empty OmniFocus database
- Test with large database (1000+ tasks)
- Test with various project structures
- Test error handling and edge cases

Changelog

Version 2.0.0 (Current)

✨ Added task search across all projects
✨ Added task editing capabilities
✨ Added batch task creation with subtasks
✨ Added recurring task support
✨ Added defer date support
✨ Added project listing with statistics
✨ Added deferred, flagged, and overdue task views
🔧 Improved error handling and messages
🔧 Enhanced date parsing
📝 Comprehensive documentation

Version 1.0.0

Initial release with basic functionality

Roadmap

Version 2.1 (Planned)

Version 3.0 (Future)

Two-way sync capabilities
Advanced filtering and smart searches
Integration with other GTD tools
Natural language processing improvements
Workflow automation

Acknowledgments

OmniFocus by The Omni Group
Claude Desktop by Anthropic
GTD methodology by David Allen
Community contributors and testers

Support

For issues, questions, or feature requests:

🐛 Open an issue on GitHub
📚 Check the Wiki for detailed guides
💬 Join our Discord community
📧 Email: support@example.com

Made with ❤️ for the GTD community

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 47 Commits
.github/workflows		.github/workflows
src		src
tests		tests
.gitignore		.gitignore
CHANGELOG.md		CHANGELOG.md
CLAUDE.md		CLAUDE.md
CONTRIBUTING.md		CONTRIBUTING.md
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md
build.js		build.js
jest.config.ci.js		jest.config.ci.js
jest.config.js		jest.config.js
package-lock.json		package-lock.json
package.json		package.json
test-manifests.js		test-manifests.js
test-server.js		test-server.js
test.js		test.js
validate-dxt.js		validate-dxt.js

License

geoffdavis/omnifocus-claude-extension

Folders and files

Latest commit

History

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OmniFocus Claude Extension - Enhanced Edition

🚀 What's New in Version 2.0

Previous Limitations - Now Resolved! ✅

Features

🆕 Enhanced Features

Search Tasks

Edit Tasks

Batch Task Creation

Recurring Tasks

Advanced Views

📝 Original Features

Requirements

Installation

Quick Install

Build from Source

Usage Examples

Task Management

Batch Operations

Recurring Tasks

Views and Reviews

Available Commands

Development

Project Structure

Building

Adding New Tools

Architecture

Key Improvements

Troubleshooting

Extension Not Loading

Tasks Not Appearing

Common Issues and Solutions

Security

License

Contributing

Development Guidelines

Changelog

Version 2.0.0 (Current)

Version 1.0.0

Roadmap

Version 2.1 (Planned)

Version 3.0 (Future)

Acknowledgments

Support

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