Mindwtr

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Get everything out of your head. Mindwtr is a free, open-source to-do app built on the Getting Things Done (GTD) method: it captures every task and idea in seconds, then shows you the one next thing to do. No account, no subscription, and your data stays on your device.

Mindwtr = "mind like water": the calm you get when nothing is rattling around in your head.

Getting Started · FAQ · Docs · Data & Sync · Cloud Deployment · MCP Server

desktop-demo.mp4

mobile-demo.mp4

Local-First GTD on Arch Linux & Android

Sound familiar?

• "I'll remember it." You won't. One hotkey, type it, forget it safely. That's capture.
• Your to-do list has 80 items, so you avoid it. Focus shows only the few things you can do right now.
• "Plan Mom's birthday" has been stuck for weeks. Turn it into a project of small steps, so the next one is always obvious.
• You asked a coworker for something and you both forgot. Waiting For tracks it so you remember to follow up.
• "Learn guitar someday" guilt-trips you from the list. Park it in Someday/Maybe: kept, not nagging.
• Sunday night, everything feels out of control. A guided weekly review puts you back in charge.

How it works

Your head is for having ideas, not for holding them (David Allen, who wrote the book on this). Mindwtr holds them for you:

1. Dump it. A task, an idea, a worry: type it (or speak it) and it lands in your Inbox. Global hotkey on desktop, widget and share sheet on your phone.
2. Sort it. A short guided pass over the Inbox. Takes two minutes? Do it now. Has a date? Schedule it. Waiting on someone else? Track it. Just a maybe? Shelve it for someday.
3. Do it. Open Focus and see only what you can act on right now. Everything else stays out of sight.
4. Reset weekly. A guided review catches loose ends, so the list stays trustworthy and your head stays clear.

If you know GTD: that is Capture, Clarify, Organize, Engage, and Reflect, end to end. If you don't, no problem: Mindwtr walks you through each step, and GTD in 15 minutes is a friendly introduction whenever you're curious.

Philosophy

Don't show me a cockpit when I just want to ride a bike.

Mindwtr is simple by default and powerful when you need it:

• Advanced options stay hidden until they matter.
• Fewer fields, fewer knobs, fewer distractions.
• Clarity beats clutter: we say no to feature creep.

Features

• The full GTD loop, guided: capture, sort, do, review.
• Focus view puts today's schedule and your next actions on one screen.
• Your data lives on your device. Sync is optional, and you pick where: iCloud on Apple devices, Dropbox, a shared folder, your own server, or WebDAV.
• Projects with sections, areas, and manual task ordering for bigger plans.
• Import tasks from your Obsidian notes, with links back to the source (desktop).
• Optional AI helper: connect your own OpenAI, Gemini, or Claude account, or run a private AI on your own computer. Off by default.
• Apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, iPhone, and Android, plus a web app that works offline.
• For developers: a local REST API, a CLI, and the mindwtr-mcp server so AI assistants can manage your tasks.

See all features

GTD Workflow

• Capture - Quick add tasks from anywhere (global hotkey popup, tray, share sheet, voice)
• Clarify - Guided inbox processing with 2-minute rule
• Organize - Projects, sections, contexts, and status lists
• Reflect - Weekly review wizard with reminders
• Engage - Context-filtered next actions
• AI Assist (Optional) - Clarify, break down, and review with your own AI account (OpenAI, Gemini, Claude) or a local/self-hosted OpenAI-compatible model

Views

• 📥 Inbox - Capture zone with processing wizard
• 🎯 Focus - Agenda (time-based) + Next Actions in one view
• 📁 Projects - Multi-step outcomes with sections, areas, and manual task ordering
• 🏷️ Contexts - Tag tasks by where or how you get them done; nested contexts like @work/meetings also match @work
• ⏳ Waiting For - Delegated items
• 💭 Someday/Maybe - Deferred ideas
• 📅 Calendar - Time-based planning with adjustable mobile week density
• 📋 Board - Kanban-style drag-and-drop
• 📝 Review - Daily + weekly review workflows
• 📦 Archived - Hidden history, searchable when needed

Productivity Features

• 🔍 Global Search - Search all areas globally with operators (status:, context:, assigned:, location:, where:, id:, -id:, due:<=7d)
• 📦 Bulk Actions - Multi-select, batch move/tag/delete
• 📎 Attachments - Files and links on tasks
• ✏️ Markdown Notes - Rich text descriptions with preview
• 🗂️ Project States - Active, Waiting, Someday, Archived
• ♾️ Fluid Recurrence - Next date is calculated after completion
• ♻️ Reusable Lists - Duplicate tasks or reset checklists
• ✅ Checklist Mode - Fast list-style checking for checklist tasks
• ✅ Audio Capture - Quick voice capture with automatic transcription and task creation
• 🧭 Copilot Suggestions - Optional context/tag/time hints while typing
• 🍅 Pomodoro Focus (Optional) - 15/3, 25/5, 50/10 timer panel in Focus view with one optional custom preset
• 🔔 Notifications - Separate start and due reminders with snooze
• 📊 Daily Digest - Morning briefing + evening review
• 📅 Weekly Review - Customizable weekly reminder

Data & Sync

• 🔄 Sync Options - See the Data & Sync docs for supported backends and setup
• 🍎 iCloud Sync - Built-in sync on supported iPhone, iPad, and macOS builds (CloudKit)
• ☁️ Dropbox Sync (Optional) - Sign in with Dropbox and sync through a private app folder (store builds; not in FOSS builds)
• 📤 Export/Backup - Export data to JSON
• ♻️ Restore from Backup - Replace local data from a validated Mindwtr backup with a recovery snapshot first
• 📥 TickTick + Todoist + DGT GTD + OmniFocus + Apple Reminders Import - Import TickTick CSV/ZIP, Todoist CSV/ZIP, DGT GTD JSON/ZIP, OmniFocus exports, or incomplete Apple Reminders into Mindwtr
• 🔗 Obsidian Integration - Desktop vault task import with deep links back to source notes
• 🗓️ External Calendars (System + ICS) - Mobile reads system calendars and pushes dated tasks; macOS desktop reads Apple Calendar and can push dated tasks; desktop/web also support ICS subscriptions and task creation from events

Automation

• 🔌 CLI - Add, list, complete, search from terminal by running the repo helper
• 🌐 REST API - Optional desktop localhost API server for token-authenticated scripting
• 🌍 Web App - Runs in your browser, works offline (PWA)
• 🧠 MCP Server - Lets AI assistants read and manage your tasks (a local Model Context Protocol server), available as mindwtr-mcp and in the MCP Registry

Desktop builds can start the local REST API from Settings -> Advanced on 127.0.0.1 with default port 3456 and a generated bearer token. The CLI remains a repo helper; the stdio MCP server can be installed from npm with npm install -g mindwtr-mcp or launched by MCP clients with npx -y mindwtr-mcp.

Cross-Platform

• 🖥️ Desktop - Tauri v2 (macOS, Linux, Windows)
• 📱 Mobile - React Native/Expo (iOS via App Store/TestFlight, Android) with in-app tips for gestures and app shortcuts
• 📲 Android Widget - Home screen focus/next widget
• ⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts - Standard (Gmail-style), Vim, and Emacs presets
• 🎨 Themes - Light, Dark, OLED, Nord, Sepia, E-ink, and Material 3
• 🌍 i18n - English, Vietnamese, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Spanish, Hindi, Arabic, German, Russian, Japanese, French, Portuguese, Polish, Korean, Czech, Italian, Turkish, Dutch
• 🐳 Docker - Run the PWA + self-hosted sync server with Docker

Why Mindwtr (Quick Comparison)

Mindwtr is for people who want the full GTD method in one app, with data they own and no lock-in. Here is a brief, respectful comparison with mainstream task apps and GTD-focused alternatives.

Capability	Mindwtr	Todoist	TickTick	Everdo	NirvanaHQ
Open source	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌
Follows the full GTD method out of the box	✅	⚠️	⚠️	✅	✅
Works everywhere: Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, Android, web	✅	✅	✅	⚠️	⚠️
Works offline, no account needed	✅	❌	❌	✅	❌
Optional AI helper (your own AI account, or one on your computer)	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌
You pick where your data syncs (Dropbox, your server, a folder, WebDAV)	✅	❌	❌	⚠️	❌
Completely free	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌

Legend: ✅ = yes, ❌ = no, ⚠️ = partial/limited support.

This comparison is based on the current public capabilities of each product. If any entry is outdated, feel free to open an issue or PR with sources.

Installation

For the complete and current install guides, see Desktop Installation and Mobile Installation.

Quick options:

• Windows: Microsoft Store, Winget, Chocolatey, Scoop, or GitHub Releases.
• macOS: Mac App Store, Homebrew, TestFlight beta, or GitHub Releases.
• Linux: Flathub, Snap, AUR, APT/RPM repos, or GitHub Releases.
• Android: Google Play, F-Droid, IzzyOnDroid, or GitHub Releases APK.
• iOS: App Store or TestFlight beta.
• Web / self-hosted: Cloud Deployment or the Docker guide.

Package manager quick commands

flatpak install flathub tech.dongdongbh.mindwtr
yay -S mindwtr-bin
brew install --cask mindwtr

winget install dongdongbh.Mindwtr

For APT/RPM repo setup, source builds, portable ZIPs, mobile store variants, and Docker setup, use the full install guides above.

Community

Mindwtr is shaped by its users and contributors. Thank you for helping improve it.

♥️ Contributing & Support

If you want to get involved for coding, start with CONTRIBUTING.md.

You can help in several ways:

1. Spread the word: Share Mindwtr with friends and communities, and support it on Product Hunt and AlternativeTo.
2. Leave store reviews: A good rating/review on the App Store, Google Play, or Microsoft Store helps a lot.
3. Star and share: Star the repo and post about Mindwtr on X, Reddit, or LinkedIn.
4. Report bugs and request features: Open issues on GitHub Issues.
5. Join the community chat: Come to Discord.
6. Help with translations: Contribute locale updates in packages/core/src/i18n/locales/.
7. Contribute code/docs: Open a pull request and follow the contribution guide and commit conventions.
8. Pick and build: Community members are welcome to pick any open issue and submit a PR.
9. Sponsor the project: Support ongoing development via GitHub Sponsors or Ko-fi.

Documentation

• 📚 Official Docs
• 🚀 Getting Started
• ❓ FAQ
• 🔄 Data & Sync
• 🛠️ Cloud Deployment
• ☁️ Cloud API
• 🧠 MCP Server
• 📝 Release Notes Index

Star History

Sponsors

Thanks to these monthly sponsors for supporting Mindwtr.

_{@jarrydstan · @ronmolenda · @karl1990 · @srijan · @davibicudo · @PLPeeters · @danhs}