jeffvincent/things-3-manager

Things 3 Task Management (macOS Only)

Manage your Things 3 tasks through natural language. This skill dispatches to focused sub-skills for specific operations.

Platform: macOS only (Things 3 is a Mac app)

When to Apply

Use this skill when:

• User is on macOS with Things 3 installed
• User wants to add/create tasks or projects
• User wants to view today's tasks or inbox
• User wants to search for tasks
• User wants to complete/mark tasks as done

Do NOT use when:

• User is on Windows/Linux (Things 3 not available)
• User mentions other task apps (Todoist, OmniFocus, etc.)

Sub-Skills

| Intent | Sub-Skill | Example | |--------|-----------|---------| | Add tasks | skills/add-task.md | "Add task to write blog post" | | View today | skills/list-today.md | "What's on my plate today?" | | View inbox | skills/list-inbox.md | "Show my inbox" | | Search tasks | skills/search.md | "Find tasks tagged urgent" | | Complete tasks | skills/complete-task.md | "Mark task ABC-123 done" |

Quick Reference

Library Imports

import os, sys
sys.path.insert(0, os.path.expanduser('~/.claude/skills/things/lib'))

from reader import ThingsReader   # Database queries
from writer import ThingsWriter   # URL scheme operations
from helpers import ThingsFormatter  # Display formatting

Common Operations

# List tasks
tasks = ThingsReader.get_today()
tasks = ThingsReader.get_inbox()
tasks = ThingsReader.search(query="blog", status="incomplete")

# Add task
ThingsWriter.add_task(title="New task", when="today", tags=["work"])

# Complete task
ThingsWriter.complete_task("task-uuid")

# Format output
print(ThingsFormatter.format_task_list(tasks, verbose=True, show_uuid=True))

Setup

See README.md for installation and configuration instructions.

Quick install:

cd ~/.claude/skills/things && pip3 install -r requirements.txt

Identifying Discrete Tasks

IMPORTANT: Not everything that looks like an action item should become a Things task. Apply these filters:

✅ Create Tasks For

Discrete actions with clear completion:

• "Deliver plan by Jan 17"
• "Schedule meeting with X"
• "Send email to Y about Z"
• "Review document and provide feedback"
• "Update spreadsheet with Q4 data"
• "Create presentation for board meeting"

Characteristics of real tasks:

• Has a verb + specific object
• Can be marked "done" at a point in time
• Usually has a deadline or timeframe
• Represents single deliverable or interaction

❌ Do NOT Create Tasks For

Strategic mindsets / ongoing approaches:

• "Own entire product mentality"
• "Feel pain when platform inconsistent"
• "Think about cross-product-line value"
• "Be more responsive"
• "Pick more fights"

Framing guidance / communication style:

• "Frame work using X framing"
• "Apply Y test measurement"
• "Use Z terminology when discussing"
• "Position work as competitive necessity"

Conceptual frameworks:

• "Prioritize by user exposure"
• "Focus on crawl-walk-run"
• "Consider frequency × breadth"

Why these aren't tasks:

• No discrete completion point
• Ongoing mental models or approaches
• How to think/communicate, not what to do
• Can't check off as "done"

Examples from Real Meetings

From "Jeff - deliver these 7 things":

| Item | Real Task? | Reasoning | |------|-----------|-----------| | "Deliver plan by Jan 17" | ✅ Yes | Discrete deliverable with deadline | | "Frame all work using X framing" | ❌ No | Communication style, not action | | "Apply Jeff Bell Test measurement" | ❌ No | Ongoing evaluation approach | | "Own entire product mentality" | ❌ No | Mindset shift, not discrete action | | "Schedule 3-hour working session" | ✅ Yes | Specific action with completion | | "Prioritize by user exposure" | ❌ No | Prioritization framework | | "Figure out skeleton key scope" | ⚠️ Maybe | Could be discrete if time-boxed research task |

When Uncertain

Ask yourself:

1. Can I mark this "done" at a specific moment? If no → not a task
2. Does this have a verb + deliverable? If no → not a task
3. Is this how to think vs what to do? If "how to think" → not a task
4. Would completing this once be sufficient? If no (ongoing) → not a task

Exceptions:

• "Figure out X" CAN be a task if it's time-boxed research with deliverable (e.g., "Spend 2 hours figuring out skeleton key scope, write up findings")
• "Review X and decide Y" CAN be a task (discrete decision point)

Dispatching

When user requests Things 3 operations:

1. Identify intent from natural language
2. Filter for discrete tasks (see "Identifying Discrete Tasks" above)
3. Read the appropriate sub-skill for detailed instructions
4. Execute using the library functions
5. Report results clearly to user

Intent Mapping

| User Says | Intent | Action | |-----------|--------|--------| | "Add...", "Create task...", "New task..." | Add | Read skills/add-task.md | | "What's today?", "Show today", "My tasks" | List Today | Read skills/list-today.md | | "Inbox", "What needs organizing?" | List Inbox | Read skills/list-inbox.md | | "Find...", "Search...", "Show tasks with..." | Search | Read skills/search.md | | "Complete...", "Done...", "Finished..." | Complete | Read skills/complete-task.md |

Limitations

• macOS only - Things 3 database only exists on Mac
• No iOS sync - Cannot access Things on mobile
• Auth token needed for completing tasks (see README.md)