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Connect GTD Brain through Docker's MCP Toolkit

If Docker Desktop's MCP Toolkit is how you manage the tools your AI assistants can use, GTD Brain is in its catalog: add it like any other server, sign in once, and every client you have connected to Docker's MCP gateway — Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, Claude Code, and the rest — can capture to your Inbox, list your next actions, and move cards on the same board you see on the web and your phone.

GTD Brain is a remote MCP (Model Context Protocol) server, so nothing runs in a container: the toolkit proxies to GTD Brain's hosted server and keeps the sign-in for you. There is no API key to create or paste — the authorization step is the same email-code login the web app uses, and Docker stores the resulting token securely.

What you’ll need

  • A GTD Brain account — free to create at gtdbrain.com.
  • Docker Desktop 4.48 or later with the MCP Toolkit enabled (Settings → Beta features on older releases).
  • At least one MCP client you want to use through the gateway — Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, Claude Code, or another client the Clients tab supports.

Your connection address

The setup below uses this address — GTD Brain’s hosted MCP server:

Step-by-step setup

  1. Add GTD Brain from the catalog

    In Docker Desktop open MCP Toolkit → Catalog, search for “GTD Brain” and click its plus button to add it to your profile. The same entry is on Docker Hub at hub.docker.com/mcp/server/gtd-brain with an “Add to Docker Desktop” button, and the CLI does it in one line:

    docker mcp server enable gtd-brain

  2. Authorize with your email code

    Open the server's Configuration tab, choose OAuth as the authentication method, and follow the Authorize link (from a terminal: docker mcp oauth authorize gtd-brain). Your browser opens GTD Brain's sign-in page — enter your email, type the code we send you, and click Allow. Docker keeps the token; you never see or copy it.

  3. Connect your client to the gateway

    In MCP Toolkit → Clients, click Connect next to the client you use (Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, …) and restart that client. It now reaches every server in your profile — GTD Brain included — through Docker's single MCP gateway, so there is nothing to configure per client.

  4. Try it

    In the connected client, ask “what's in my GTD Brain inbox?” or tell it to capture something. GTD Brain's tools are discovered after you sign in, so the tool list fills in once the authorization step is done.

What you can do once connected

The gateway serves every client the same board, so the prompts are whatever fits the tool you are in — a coding agent capturing what it just noticed, a desktop chat running your review. Things people actually say:

  • “Add a card for booking a dentist appointment to my inbox.”
  • “What are my next actions I can do from my phone?”
  • “Capture a card for each TODO comment in this file, with the file path in the note.”
  • “Go through my inbox with me and sort everything into the right lists.”
  • “Who am I waiting on? Show my Waiting For list.”
  • “Help me run my weekly review.”

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

GTD Brain does not show up in the Catalog.

Update Docker Desktop — the catalog ships with the app and older releases carry an older snapshot. On 4.48 or later, search the Catalog tab for “GTD Brain”; the entry's name in the CLI is gtd-brain.

The server is enabled but shows no tools.

GTD Brain's tools are only listed once you are signed in. Open the server's Configuration tab and complete the OAuth authorization; the tool list appears right after.

I signed in, but my client still cannot see GTD Brain.

The client reads the gateway's server list when it starts. Restart the client after enabling and authorizing GTD Brain, and check MCP Toolkit → Clients still shows it as connected.

I run Docker Engine without Docker Desktop.

The open-source gateway supports a standalone mode: set DOCKER_MCP_USE_CE=true, configure a Docker credential helper, then run docker mcp oauth authorize gtd-brain — the sign-in callback lands on localhost instead of going through Docker Desktop.

Frequently asked questions

Which clients does this cover?

Any client connected to Docker's MCP gateway. The toolkit's Clients tab connects Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, Claude Code, Gemini CLI, Codex, and more with one click each, and all of them get GTD Brain through the same sign-in. If you use only one client, its own guide (Claude, Claude Code, Cursor) is the shorter route.

Does anything run in a container?

No. GTD Brain is listed as a remote server, so Docker pulls no image — the gateway forwards requests to GTD Brain's hosted MCP server over HTTPS and adds your stored sign-in to each one.

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 connections

Connect ChatGPT · Connect Claude · Connect Claude Code · Connect Cursor · VS Code extension · Obsidian plugin · Connect Telegram · Connect Gemini CLI

New to GTD Brain? Get started free — create your board first, then connect Docker MCP Toolkit from this page in a couple of minutes.