apple-reminders

name	apple-reminders
description	Manage Apple Reminders on macOS via AppleScript or remindctl CLI. Supports lists, CRUD operations, date filters, and completion tracking. Use when asked to manage reminders, todo lists, or tasks on macOS.

Apple Reminders

Manage Apple Reminders via AppleScript (always available) or remindctl CLI (if installed).

Method Selection

• AppleScript: Always available, no dependencies
• remindctl CLI: Better output formatting, requires brew install steipete/tap/remindctl

Permissions

Grant access in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Reminders. Terminal or the running app needs Reminders permission.

---

AppleScript Commands (Recommended)

List All Reminder Lists

osascript -e 'tell application "Reminders" to get name of lists'

Returns list names.

List Reminders in a List

osascript -e '
tell application "Reminders"
    tell list "提醒"
        get {name, completed, due date} of every reminder
    end tell
end tell
'

Create Reminder

osascript -e '
tell application "Reminders"
    tell list 1
        make new reminder with properties {name:"Task Title", body:"Optional notes"}
    end tell
end tell
'

Returns reminder ID: reminder id x-apple-reminder://AEEE72F6-9A8E-4FEF-A55F-FA711397E5CA

Reminder properties:

• name: Task title (string, required)
• body: Notes/description (string, optional)
• due date: Due date (date object, optional)
• priority: 0=none, 1=low, 5=medium, 9=high

Create Reminder with Due Date

osascript -e '
tell application "Reminders"
    tell list "提醒"
        set tomorrow to (current date) + 1 * days
        make new reminder with properties {name:"Due tomorrow", due date:tomorrow}
    end tell
end tell
'

Complete a Reminder

osascript -e '
tell application "Reminders"
    tell list "提醒"
        set theReminder to reminder id "x-apple-reminder://AEEE72F6-9A8E-4FEF-A55F-FA711397E5CA"
        set completed of theReminder to true
    end tell
end tell
'

Delete a Reminder

osascript -e '
tell application "Reminders"
    tell list "提醒"
        delete reminder id "x-apple-reminder://AEEE72F6-9A8E-4FEF-A55F-FA711397E5CA"
    end tell
end tell
'

---

remindctl CLI (Alternative)

If remindctl is installed, it provides cleaner output.

Setup

brew install steipete/tap/remindctl

Check permissions: remindctl status

View Reminders

remindctl              # Today
remindctl today        # Today
remindctl tomorrow     # Tomorrow
remindctl week         # This week
remindctl overdue      # Overdue
remindctl all          # All

Manage Lists

remindctl list                    # List all lists
remindctl list Work               # Show list
remindctl list Projects --create  # Create
remindctl list Work --delete      # Delete

Create & Complete

remindctl add "Buy milk"
remindctl add --title "Call mom" --list Personal --due tomorrow
remindctl complete 1 2 3
remindctl delete 4A83 --force

Output Formats

remindctl today --json    # JSON
remindctl today --plain   # TSV
remindctl today --quiet   # Counts only

---

Best Practices

1. Use list 1 for default list: Avoids hardcoding list names
2. Check list exists: Some accounts may have different default list names
3. AppleScript for reliability: Works even without remindctl installed
4. remindctl for scripting: Use --json for parseable output

Common Errors

Error	Solution
Reminders got an error	Check list name exists
Not authorized	Grant Reminders access in System Settings
Can't get list	List name doesn't exist; list lists first

Example: Create Reminder with Priority

osascript -e '
tell application "Reminders"
    tell list "提醒"
        set tomorrow to (current date) + 1 * days
        set hours of tomorrow to 9
        set minutes of tomorrow to 0
        make new reminder with properties {name:"Important meeting", body:"Prepare slides", due date:tomorrow, priority:9}
    end tell
end tell
'