reminders-management

name	reminders-management
description	Use when managing Apple Reminders via MCP - covers list organization, reminder creation/updates, search patterns, and integration with other productivity workflows
metadata	{"author":"dbmcco"}

Apple Reminders Management via MCP

When to Use This Skill

Invoke this skill when you need to:

• Create reminders for time-sensitive tasks or follow-ups
• Search existing reminders to check task status
• Update reminder priorities or due dates
• Organize reminders across different lists (Work, Personal, Projects)
• Mark reminders complete after task completion
• Integrate reminders with Obsidian @paia tags or task syncing workflows
• Set up recurring or time-based task tracking

Core Principles

1. List Organization: Use appropriate reminder lists for different contexts (Work vs Personal)
2. Priority Management: Set priorities (high=1, medium=5, low=9) for task importance
3. Due Date Discipline: Set due dates for time-sensitive tasks, leave open for aspirational tasks
4. Search First: Check existing reminders before creating duplicates
5. Completion Tracking: Mark reminders complete to maintain clean lists
6. Integration: Link reminders to Obsidian notes for full context

Available MCP Tools

Core Operations

• list_reminder_lists: Get all available reminder lists (start here)
• get_reminders: Get reminders from specific list or all lists (with optional filtering)
• search_reminders: Search reminders by name or body content
• create_reminder: Create new reminder with priority, due date, and notes
• update_reminder: Update existing reminder (priority, due date, completion status)
• delete_reminder: Delete reminder by ID

Reminder List Organization

Typical List Structure

Work Lists:
- "Work" - General work tasks
- "LightForge Works" - Business Project business tasks
- "Partner Project" - Partnership development tasks
- "Projects" - Active project tasks

Personal Lists:
- "Reminders" - Default personal list
- "Shopping" - Shopping and errands
- "Reading" - Articles and books to read
- "Someday" - Aspirational tasks

Pattern: Discover Available Lists

Use: mcp__reminders__list_reminder_lists

Result: Array of {id, name} for all available lists

When to use: Starting point before creating reminders, understanding organization

Creating Reminders

Pattern: Simple Task Reminder

Use: mcp__reminders__create_reminder

Parameters:
- name: "Follow up with Partner Contact on Partner Project partnership"
- listName: "Partner Project"
- priority: 1 (high priority)
- dueDate: "10/20/2025 09:00 AM"

Pattern: Task with Context

Use: mcp__reminders__create_reminder

Parameters:
- name: "Update email campaign messaging for Business Project"
- listName: "LightForge Works"
- body: "Update remaining 6 emails in drip sequence. Reference: Obsidian note in Areas/Business/Business Project/Email Marketing Campaign.md"
- priority: 1
- dueDate: "10/22/2025 02:00 PM"

Pattern: Recurring Task Placeholder

Note: MCP doesn't currently support recurring reminders via API
Workaround: Create individual instances with sequential due dates

Example - Weekly Review:
create_reminder(name: "Weekly Review", listName: "Work", dueDate: "10/20/2025 05:00 PM")
create_reminder(name: "Weekly Review", listName: "Work", dueDate: "10/27/2025 05:00 PM")
create_reminder(name: "Weekly Review", listName: "Work", dueDate: "11/03/2025 05:00 PM")

Searching and Filtering Reminders

Pattern: Search by Name or Content

Use: mcp__reminders__search_reminders

Parameters:
- searchTerm: "Partner Project"

Result: All reminders mentioning "Partner Project" in name or body

Pattern: Get Reminders from Specific List

Use: mcp__reminders__get_reminders

Parameters:
- listName: "LightForge Works"
- completed: false (only show incomplete)

Result: All incomplete reminders in Business Project list

Pattern: Find All Incomplete High Priority Tasks

Use: mcp__reminders__get_reminders

Parameters:
- completed: false

Then filter results where priority === 1 (high)

Updating Reminders

Pattern: Change Priority

# Step 1: Search for reminder
results = mcp__reminders__search_reminders(searchTerm: "market research")

# Step 2: Update priority
mcp__reminders__update_reminder(
  reminderId: results[0].id,
  priority: 1  # Escalate to high priority
)

Pattern: Reschedule Due Date

# Step 1: Find reminder
results = mcp__reminders__get_reminders(listName: "Partner Project", completed: false)

# Step 2: Update due date
mcp__reminders__update_reminder(
  reminderId: results[0].id,
  dueDate: "10/25/2025 10:00 AM"  # Push out deadline
)

Pattern: Mark Complete

# Step 1: Search for completed task
results = mcp__reminders__search_reminders(searchTerm: "email campaign setup")

# Step 2: Mark complete
mcp__reminders__update_reminder(
  reminderId: results[0].id,
  completed: true
)

Pattern: Add Context to Existing Reminder

# Step 1: Find reminder
results = mcp__reminders__search_reminders(searchTerm: "partnership proposal")

# Step 2: Add body text with context
mcp__reminders__update_reminder(
  reminderId: results[0].id,
  body: "Draft partnership terms. Reference market research in Obsidian: Areas/Companies/Partner Project/market_research/"
)

Integration Workflows

Integration: Obsidian → Reminders

Goal: Create reminders from Obsidian @paia tags or action items

Workflow:
1. Process @paia tag in Obsidian: mcp__obsidian__search_notes(searchTerm: "@paia")
2. Parse action items from note content
3. For each time-sensitive action:
   mcp__reminders__create_reminder(
     name: "[action from Obsidian]",
     listName: "[appropriate list]",
     body: "Source: [Obsidian note path]",
     priority: [based on @paia context],
     dueDate: [if specified in note]
   )
4. Update Obsidian note: append_to_note("Reminder created: [reminder_id]")

Integration: Reminders → Obsidian

Goal: Sync reminder completion back to Obsidian task tracking

Workflow:
1. Get completed reminders: mcp__reminders__get_reminders(completed: true)
2. Filter for reminders with "Source: [Obsidian path]" in body
3. For each completed reminder:
   - Extract Obsidian note path from body
   - Update note: mcp__obsidian__update_note_section
   - Mark task as complete with completion date
4. Archive or delete synced reminders: mcp__reminders__delete_reminder

Integration: Task Sync Workflow (syncing-task-completions skill)

Workflow: Two-agent sync pattern

@sync-scanner agent:
1. Get all incomplete reminders: mcp__reminders__get_reminders(completed: false)
2. Get all Obsidian action items: mcp__obsidian__search_notes(searchTerm: "TODO")
3. Cross-reference to find:
   - Reminders without Obsidian entries (orphaned)
   - Obsidian TODOs without reminders (untracked)
4. Generate sync report

@sync-updater agent:
1. For orphaned reminders: create Obsidian action items
2. For untracked TODOs: create reminders
3. Update master task list in Obsidian with completion dates
4. Mark synced reminders complete

Integration: Time-Based Task Delegation

Goal: Create reminders for delegated sub-agent tasks

Workflow:
1. Coordinator Claude delegates task to sub-agent
2. Create reminder for follow-up:
   mcp__reminders__create_reminder(
     name: "Check @implementer progress on [task]",
     listName: "Work",
     body: "Delegated to @implementer at [time]. Expected completion: [estimate]",
     priority: 5,
     dueDate: "[estimated completion + 1 hour]"
   )
3. When reminder triggers: check sub-agent output
4. Mark reminder complete when sub-agent finishes

Priority Management Guidelines

Priority Levels

• High (1): Time-sensitive, blocking other work, high-impact

  • Example: "Follow up with client before deadline"
  • Example: "Fix production bug affecting users"

• Medium (5): Important but not urgent, scheduled work

  • Example: "Update email campaign messaging"
  • Example: "Review market research findings"

• Low (9): Nice-to-have, aspirational, low-priority

  • Example: "Read article about new AI framework"
  • Example: "Organize project files"

• None (0): No specific priority, informational

  • Example: "Remember to check MJ's draft later"

Pattern: Triage Existing Reminders

Workflow:
1. Get all incomplete reminders: mcp__reminders__get_reminders(completed: false)
2. For each reminder:
   - Evaluate urgency and impact
   - Update priority: mcp__reminders__update_reminder(reminderId, priority)
   - Add or update due dates for time-sensitive items
3. Focus on high-priority items first

Due Date Best Practices

When to Set Due Dates

Set specific due dates for:

• Client follow-ups with deadlines
• Event-based tasks (meetings, presentations)
• Time-sensitive dependencies (blocking other work)
• Recurring reviews (weekly, monthly)

Leave due dates unset for:

• Aspirational learning tasks
• Exploratory research
• "Someday/Maybe" items
• Tasks with flexible timelines

Due Date Format

Format: "MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM AM/PM"

Examples:
- "10/20/2025 09:00 AM"
- "11/15/2025 02:30 PM"
- "12/01/2025 05:00 PM"

Common Use Case Workflows

Use Case: Client Follow-Up System

Scenario: Track follow-ups with Partner Project partnership

Step 1: Create initial reminder
mcp__reminders__create_reminder(
  name: "Follow up with Partner Contact on partnership terms",
  listName: "Partner Project",
  body: "Discuss equity structure and timeline. Reference: Obsidian Partner Project Master Command Center",
  priority: 1,
  dueDate: "10/22/2025 10:00 AM"
)

Step 2: After follow-up, create next reminder
mcp__reminders__create_reminder(
  name: "Send partnership proposal to partner contact",
  listName: "Partner Project",
  body: "Based on discussion on 10/22. Include market research findings.",
  priority: 1,
  dueDate: "10/25/2025 09:00 AM"
)

Step 3: Mark previous reminder complete
mcp__reminders__update_reminder(reminderId: [id], completed: true)

Use Case: Project Milestone Tracking

Scenario: Track Business Project email campaign milestones

Step 1: Create milestone reminders
mcp__reminders__create_reminder(
  name: "Complete email 2-3 messaging updates",
  listName: "LightForge Works",
  priority: 5,
  dueDate: "10/23/2025 03:00 PM"
)

mcp__reminders__create_reminder(
  name: "Complete email 4-7 messaging updates",
  listName: "LightForge Works",
  priority: 5,
  dueDate: "10/25/2025 03:00 PM"
)

Step 2: As milestones complete, mark done
mcp__reminders__update_reminder(reminderId: [id], completed: true)

Step 3: Update Obsidian with progress
mcp__obsidian__append_to_note(
  notePath: "Areas/Business/Business Project/Email Marketing Campaign.md",
  content: "\n\n## Update 10/23/2025\n- Emails 2-3 messaging completed\n"
)

Use Case: Daily Review System

Scenario: Morning review of priorities

Step 1: Get today's due reminders
results = mcp__reminders__get_reminders(completed: false)
Filter for dueDate === today

Step 2: Get all high-priority incomplete
Filter results for priority === 1

Step 3: Triage and reschedule if needed
For each reminder:
  if still_valid:
    keep or update due date
  else:
    mark complete or delete

Use Case: Research Task Management

Scenario: Track research tasks that don't have hard deadlines

Step 1: Create low-priority reminders
mcp__reminders__create_reminder(
  name: "Research AlphaFold competitors for Partner Project market analysis",
  listName: "Partner Project",
  body: "Use Perplexity API skill. Save results to Obsidian.",
  priority: 9,  # Low priority - do when time allows
  # No due date - flexible timing
)

Step 2: When starting research, escalate priority
mcp__reminders__update_reminder(
  reminderId: [id],
  priority: 5,  # Medium - actively working
  dueDate: "10/24/2025 05:00 PM"  # Set completion target
)

Step 3: Mark complete and link to Obsidian results
mcp__reminders__update_reminder(
  reminderId: [id],
  completed: true,
  body: "Research completed. Results: Obsidian Areas/Companies/Partner Project/market_research/Competitive Landscape Synthesis.md"
)

Bulk Operations Patterns

Pattern: Weekly Cleanup

Workflow:
1. Get all completed reminders from last week
   results = mcp__reminders__get_reminders(completed: true)

2. Review and archive
   For each completed reminder:
     if important_context:
       Extract to Obsidian note
     if no_longer_relevant:
       mcp__reminders__delete_reminder(reminderId: [id])

3. Triage incomplete reminders
   incomplete = mcp__reminders__get_reminders(completed: false)
   For each:
     Evaluate: still relevant? Update priority? Reschedule?

Pattern: List-Specific Review

Workflow: Review specific project list

Step 1: Get all reminders for project
reminders = mcp__reminders__get_reminders(listName: "Partner Project", completed: false)

Step 2: Sort by priority and due date
Sort results by: priority ASC, dueDate ASC

Step 3: Update or complete as needed
For each reminder:
  Evaluate status and update accordingly

Error Handling and Edge Cases

Handle: Reminder Not Found

# Search returns no results
results = mcp__reminders__search_reminders(searchTerm: "obscure task")
if not results or len(results) == 0:
  # Create new reminder instead
  mcp__reminders__create_reminder(...)

Handle: Duplicate Prevention

# Before creating, search for existing
existing = mcp__reminders__search_reminders(searchTerm: "Follow up with partner")
if existing and len(existing) > 0:
  # Update existing instead of creating duplicate
  mcp__reminders__update_reminder(
    reminderId: existing[0].id,
    dueDate: "[new date]"
  )
else:
  # Create new
  mcp__reminders__create_reminder(...)

Handle: List Doesn't Exist

# Before creating, verify list exists
lists = mcp__reminders__list_reminder_lists()
list_names = [l.name for l in lists]

if "ProjectName" not in list_names:
  # Fall back to default list
  listName = "Work"
else:
  listName = "ProjectName"

mcp__reminders__create_reminder(listName: listName, ...)

Reminders Management Checklist

Before creating or updating reminders:

• Duplicate Check: Have I searched for existing reminders on this topic?
• List Selection: Am I using the appropriate list for this task context?
• Priority Setting: Have I set priority based on urgency and impact?
• Due Date Decision: Does this task need a specific due date, or is it flexible?
• Context Addition: Have I added body text with links to Obsidian or other resources?
• Integration Plan: Should this reminder be synced to Obsidian or other systems?
• Completion Tracking: Will I remember to mark this complete when done?

Common Patterns Summary

Goal	Primary Tool	Parameters	Notes
Discover lists	list_reminder_lists	None	Start here
Create task	create_reminder	name, listName, priority, dueDate, body	Always set priority
Find reminders	search_reminders	searchTerm	Search name and body
Get list tasks	get_reminders	listName, completed	Filter by list
Change priority	update_reminder	reminderId, priority	1=high, 5=med, 9=low
Reschedule	update_reminder	reminderId, dueDate	Format: MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM AM/PM
Mark complete	update_reminder	reminderId, completed: true	Always mark done
Add context	update_reminder	reminderId, body	Link to Obsidian
Delete reminder	delete_reminder	reminderId	Use sparingly

Integration with Other Skills

With coordinating-sub-agents

Create reminders for follow-up on delegated tasks
Track sub-agent progress with time-based reminders
Mark reminders complete when sub-agent delivers

With syncing-task-completions

Bi-directional sync between Reminders and Obsidian
Update master task lists with completion dates
Create reminders for untracked Obsidian TODOs

With processing-paia-tags

Create reminders for time-sensitive @paia actions
Link reminders back to source Obsidian notes
Mark @paia complete when reminder is done

With obsidian-vault-intelligence

Reference Obsidian notes in reminder body text
Create reminders from Obsidian action items
Update Obsidian when reminders complete

Apple Reminders as Task Management Layer

Think of Apple Reminders as:

• Time-Based Task Tracking: Due dates and notifications for time-sensitive work
• Priority Queue: High/medium/low priority organization
• Cross-Device Sync: Tasks accessible on all Apple devices
• Integration Hub: Bridge between Obsidian, Claude, and daily workflow
• Completion Tracking: Clear record of what's done and when

Use it proactively for:

• Client follow-up tracking
• Project milestone reminders
• Weekly/monthly review triggers
• Time-sensitive task delegation
• Bi-directional sync with Obsidian task system

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