things-setup

Things 3 Setup

Connect Things 3 so Dex can work with your Things tasks whenever you ask. No account needed. Everything stays on your Mac. Works offline.

What this enables (on request): Once connected, say "sync with Things" — Dex pushes new tasks to the right Things Area (mapped from your pillars), marks completions via AppleScript, and pulls tasks you completed or added to Things Inbox. Everything stays local — no network calls, no accounts. Sync runs on demand when you ask.

What This Enables

Once connected, you can ask Dex to:

• See your Things lists: "What's in my Things Today list?" — including alongside your daily plan
• Create there instead: "Put that in Things, not Dex" in any conversation
• Complete from chat: "Mark the deck task done in Things"
• Cross-check: "Anything in Things that isn't tracked in Dex?"

Privacy

• Everything is local. Things 3 uses AppleScript — no cloud API, no tokens, no accounts
• Dex reads and writes Things only when you ask. Nothing leaves your machine
• No credentials to store. No tokens to expire. No OAuth flows
• Works completely offline

When to Run

• User types /things-setup
• User asks about connecting Things 3
• User wants Dex working with a Mac-native task app
• During /integrate-mcp if Things is mentioned
• During onboarding if user mentions Things 3

---

Setup Flow

Step 1: Platform Check

Things 3 is macOS only. Verify:

1. Check if running on macOS (process.platform === 'darwin' or uname check)
2. If not macOS:

   Things 3 is a macOS-only app. It won't work on this platform.
   
   For a cross-platform task app connection, consider:
   - /todoist-setup (works everywhere)
   - /trello-setup (web-based)
   

   Stop here.

Step 2: Check if Already Connected

1. Read System/integrations/config.yaml
2. If things.enabled: true, skip to Step 7 (Reconfigure)
3. If not configured, continue

Step 3: Check if Things 3 is Installed

Run a quick AppleScript test:

osascript -e 'tell application "System Events" to (name of processes) contains "Things3"'

Or check if the app exists:

ls /Applications/Things3.app 2>/dev/null || ls "$HOME/Applications/Things3.app" 2>/dev/null

If Things 3 is not found:

I can't find Things 3 on your Mac.

Things 3 is available from the Mac App Store:
https://apps.apple.com/app/things-3/id904280696

Once installed, run /things-setup again.

Stop here.

If found:

Things 3 detected. This is the simplest integration to set up — no accounts or API keys needed.

Everything stays on your Mac and works offline. Ready?

Wait for confirmation.

Step 4: Add the things3-mcp Server

Check the user's MCP configuration. If things3-mcp is not listed:

1. Explain:

I need to add the Things 3 connector to your Dex configuration.

This uses a lightweight AppleScript bridge — no accounts, no API keys.
It talks directly to Things 3 on your Mac.

2. Add to the user's .mcp.json:

{
  "things3-mcp": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": ["-y", "things3-mcp"],
    "env": {}
  }
}

3. Tell the user the MCP server needs to restart for changes to take effect.

Step 5: Test the Connection

Run a quick test to verify AppleScript access:

1. List Things Areas:

   osascript -e 'tell application "Things3" to get name of areas'
   

2. List Things Projects:

   osascript -e 'tell application "Things3" to get name of projects'
   

If macOS prompts for AppleScript permission:

macOS is asking for permission to control Things 3. Click "OK" to allow.

This is a one-time prompt. Things 3 uses AppleScript for local communication —
no network access is involved.

Show results:

Connection test passed.

Your Things 3 setup:
- Areas: [list of areas]
- Projects: [list of projects]

If the test fails, jump to Troubleshooting.

Step 6: Configure Mapping

First, read System/pillars.yaml and extract the user's pillar id and name fields. If pillars are empty/not yet configured, prompt the user to run /quarter-plan first.

Map Dex pillars to Things Areas:

Now let's map your Dex pillars to Things Areas.

Your Dex pillars (from System/pillars.yaml):
[list each pillar name, numbered]

Your Things Areas:
[list from Step 5]

I'll suggest a mapping — adjust if needed:

| Dex Pillar | Things Area |
|------------|-------------|
| [pillar 1 name] | [best match or "[pillar 1 name]"] |
| [pillar 2 name] | [best match or "[pillar 2 name]"] |
...

Does this mapping look right? I can create any missing Areas in Things.

If areas don't exist, offer to create them (run once per missing pillar):

osascript -e 'tell application "Things3" to make new area with properties {name:"[pillar name]"}'

Step 7: Save Configuration

Write to System/integrations/config.yaml — update the things section. Build area_mapping dynamically from the user's pillars: use each pillar's id as the key and the confirmed Things Area name as the value (used when the user asks Dex to file something in Things under the right Area).

things:
  enabled: true
  configured_at: YYYY-MM-DD
  mcp_server: things3-mcp
  auth_type: none
  area_mapping:
    [pillar_id]: [Things Area name]   # one entry per pillar

If the file already exists, only update the things: section. Preserve other integration configs.

Step 8: Capability Cascade

Now that Things is connected, highlight what changes:

Things 3 is connected.

Here's what you can do now:

- **Ask about Things anytime** — "What's in my Today list?", "Put that in
  Things", "Mark the deck task done in Things"
- **Bring it into planning** — during /daily-plan, ask me to include your
  Things tasks and I will
- **Right Area, automatically** — when I file something in Things for you,
  your pillars map to your Things Areas
- **Sync on demand** — say "sync Dex with Things" and Dex pushes pending tasks, marks
  completions, and reviews anything new in your Things Inbox

No accounts. No tokens. No expiration. Works offline.

**Sync is on demand** — say "sync with Things" anytime. No background polling.

---

Troubleshooting

Things 3 Not Installed

Things 3 must be installed from the Mac App Store. It's a paid app (~$49.99). Once installed, run /things-setup again.

AppleScript Permission Denied

macOS may block AppleScript access. To fix:

1. Open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Automation
2. Find your terminal app (Terminal, iTerm2, etc.)
3. Enable the toggle for Things3
4. Retry the setup

"Things3 got an error" Messages

Things 3 must be running for AppleScript to work. Open Things 3, then retry.

Areas Not Showing

If no Areas appear during setup:

1. Open Things 3
2. Go to Settings > General
3. Make sure Areas are enabled
4. Create at least one Area, then retry

---

Reconfiguration

If the user runs /things-setup when already configured:

1. Show current config from System/integrations/config.yaml
2. Offer options:
   • Update pillar-to-area mapping
   • Re-test the connection
   • Disconnect Things

Disconnect Flow

If user wants to disconnect:

1. Update System/integrations/config.yaml:

   things:
     enabled: false
   

2. Confirm: "Things 3 is disconnected. Tasks will no longer sync. Run /things-setup anytime to reconnect."