things-mac

What This Skill Does

The things-mac skill acts as a powerful bridge between OpenClaw and your Things 3 task management system on macOS. By leveraging the things CLI, this tool allows for comprehensive interaction with your task database. It enables you to search, list, and filter existing todos, projects, and areas while providing robust write capabilities through the Things URL scheme. Whether you are managing your daily inbox or organizing complex projects, this skill ensures your task management is as automated as your workflow.

Installation

To install, run the following command in your terminal: clawhub install openclaw/skills/skills/steipete/things-mac. Note that for the read-only database functionality, the calling application (such as the Clawbot or Terminal) must be granted Full Disk Access in System Settings > Privacy & Security to access the local Things SQLite database. For Apple Silicon users, installation via Go is recommended: GOBIN=/opt/homebrew/bin go install github.com/ossianhempel/things3-cli/cmd/things@latest.

Use Cases

This skill is ideal for power users who want to bridge their AI agent with their personal productivity system. Use it to quickly dump ideas from a chat conversation directly into your Inbox, update project status while reviewing meeting notes, or retrieve your "Today" list without switching focus from your current workspace. It effectively turns your chat interface into a command center for your task list.

Example Prompts

1. "Add a task to my Inbox called 'Review project proposal' and set a deadline for tomorrow."
2. "Show me what is in my 'Today' list in Things 3."
3. "Find any tasks related to 'Marketing' and add the tag 'priority' to them."

Tips & Limitations

• Safety First: Always utilize the --dry-run flag during initial setup to preview the URL actions before execution.
• Auth Token: For update operations, ensure the THINGS_AUTH_TOKEN environment variable is set to avoid repetitive credential passing.
• Limitations: The current implementation does not support physical deletion of tasks. You should use the --completed or --canceled flags instead to clear items from your active view. The skill is strictly limited to macOS environments where the Things 3 application is installed, as it relies on the local database and app-specific URL schemes.