Connect Claude Code to GTD Brain
If you work in a terminal all day, your task system should be reachable from it. Connect Claude Code to GTD Brain and capturing a thought costs one sentence — “add ‘fix the flaky auth test’ to my inbox” — without breaking flow, switching windows, or losing the idea by the time the build finishes.
Claude Code speaks MCP (Model Context Protocol) natively, and GTD Brain hosts an MCP server, so the whole setup is a single command plus a browser sign-in. Your board stays the same board: everything you capture from the terminal is on the web, iOS, and Android apps in real time.
What you’ll need
- A GTD Brain account — free to create at gtdbrain.com.
- Claude Code installed (the claude command in your terminal).
Your connection address
The setup below uses this address — GTD Brain’s hosted MCP server:
Step-by-step setup
Add the GTD Brain MCP server
In a terminal, run the command below. It registers GTD Brain's hosted MCP server with Claude Code under the name “gtdbrain”.
claude mcp add --transport http gtdbrain https://mcp.gtdbrain.com/api/gtdbrain/v1/mcpSign in with your email code
A browser window opens with GTD Brain's sign-in page. Enter your email, type the code we send you, and click Allow. That's the whole handshake — no API key, no config file to edit.
Use it from any session
By default the server is added for the current project; run the same command with --scope user to make GTD Brain available in every project. Inside Claude Code, /mcp lists the connection and its status.
Try it
Ask Claude Code “what's in my GTD Brain inbox?” or tell it to capture something. It reads and updates your real board through the same tools ChatGPT and Claude use.
What you can do once connected
The terminal connection shines for capture-without-context-switching and for turning work artifacts into tasks. Things people actually say mid-session:
- “Add a card to my GTD inbox: fix the flaky auth test.”
- “Capture a card for each TODO comment you just found, with the file path in the note.”
- “What are my next actions tagged @computer?”
- “I'm done for today — capture where I left off (reviewing the payment webhook) to my inbox.”
- “Move the upgrade-CI-runners card to Done and archive it.”
- “Show my Waiting For list — anything I should chase before the weekend?”
Every change lands on the same board as the web, iOS, and Android apps — instantly. And whatever you ask, cards can be archived but never deleted, so nothing is ever lost to a misfired prompt.
Troubleshooting
claude: command not found.
Install Claude Code first (see the Claude Code documentation), then rerun the add command.
The browser sign-in never opens.
Run /mcp inside Claude Code and select gtdbrain to retry authentication — it prints the sign-in URL so you can open it yourself, useful over SSH.
GTD Brain is connected in one project but missing in another.
MCP servers are per-project by default. Re-add it with --scope user to make it available everywhere.
Frequently asked questions
Does this also work with other MCP-capable coding tools?
Yes. The command above is Claude Code's syntax, but the server address works with any MCP-capable client — point your tool of choice at the same URL and sign in the same way.
Is it safe to let an AI assistant touch my GTD board?
The connection is deliberately limited: your assistant can read, add, edit, move, and archive cards, but it can never delete one. Archived cards stay recoverable, so nothing is ever lost to a misfired prompt. You can disconnect at any time from the assistant's connector settings.
Do I need a paid GTD Brain subscription?
You can try it free: after connecting, your assistant can create your first 3 cards on a free GTD Brain account. Ongoing use of the connection needs a GTD Brain subscription — the same one subscription that covers the web, iOS, and Android apps.
What is MCP?
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard that lets AI assistants securely talk to outside tools and data. GTD Brain hosts an MCP server, so any MCP-capable assistant — ChatGPT, Claude, Claude Code, and others — can work with your board without a plugin or API key.
Do changes made by the assistant sync to my other devices?
Yes. The assistant works on the same board as the web, iOS, and Android apps, and every change syncs in real time. Add a card from a chat and it is on your phone before you switch apps.
Other assistants
New to GTD Brain? Get started free — create your board first, then connect Claude Code from this page in a couple of minutes.