GTD Brain for VS Code
Half of what you need to remember shows up while you are coding: the TODO you just wrote, the flaky test you promised to look at, the message to send once the PR lands. The GTD Brain extension captures those to your Inbox in one keystroke — the code you selected, the TODO comment under the cursor, or the file and line you are on, each with a link back — so a code smell becomes a next action without copying and pasting, and without leaving the editor.
It is a free extension for Visual Studio Code. Sign in with the same email code you use everywhere else — no API key, no password — and everything you capture is on the web, iOS and Android apps, and in ChatGPT or Claude if you have connected them, in real time.
What you’ll need
- Visual Studio Code 1.90 or newer.
- An email address — signing in with a new one creates your GTD Brain account.
Where to get it
Free to install from marketplace.visualstudio.com.
Step-by-step setup
Install the extension
Open the Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X), search for “GTD Brain”, and click Install — or open the listing below.
Sign in with your email code
Click the GTD Brain icon in the Activity Bar and press Sign in. Enter your email, type the code we send you, and you are connected. New email, new account — nothing to set up on the web first.
Capture what is under your cursor
Select some code, or put the cursor on a TODO comment, and press Ctrl+Alt+G (Cmd+Alt+G on a Mac) — or run “GTD Brain: Capture” from the Command Palette. The selection arrives as a quote, a TODO as its own card, and anything else as the file and line you were on, each with a link back to that line. The same capture sits above every TODO comment as a CodeLens and in the editor's right-click menu.
Type a thought in the sidebar
The GTD Brain view has a capture field at the top: type the thought, press Enter, and it lands at the top of your Inbox. Below it are your lists — the top of your Inbox, your Next Actions with their context, and your Projects — and the status bar shows your Inbox count. Clarifying and editing happen on the dashboard, one click away, so the editor stays a capture-and-glance surface.
What you can do once installed
The extension is built for capture without a context switch, and for turning code artifacts into tasks. Things people do with it:
- Capture “fix the flaky auth test” the moment it fails, keep debugging, clarify it in the evening review.
- Click the CodeLens above a TODO comment and it becomes a card with a link back to the line.
- Glance at Next Actions tagged @computer before starting the day, without opening a browser tab.
- Capture “ask Sam about the payment webhook” while reading the code, and move it to Waiting For later from your phone.
- Let ChatGPT or Claude clarify the Inbox you filled from the editor — they see the same board.
Every capture lands on the same board as the web, iOS, and Android apps — instantly. And cards can be archived but never deleted, so nothing is ever lost to a stray keystroke.
One board: web, iPhone, Android, ChatGPT and Claude
GTD Brain is one board, and every surface reads and writes the same cards: the web app, the iPhone app, the Android app, and the assistants you connect over MCP — ChatGPT, Claude and the rest on the connect page. One account and one subscription cover all of them; the AI clarifying and the guided weekly review are described on GTD with AI.
Troubleshooting
I can't find the extension in Cursor, Windsurf or VSCodium.
Those editors install from Open VSX, not the VS Code Marketplace, and the extension is not on Open VSX yet. Connect those editors to your board over MCP in the meantime — the Cursor guide has the two-line config — and capture from the sidebar of the web app.
The sign-in code never arrives.
Check the spam folder for a message from Minosin, and make sure the email is spelled the way you use it on the dashboard. Requesting a new code invalidates the old one — use the latest.
The sidebar is empty or says I'm signed out.
Sign-in is per machine. Press Sign in again in the GTD Brain view; if the view stays blank, run “Developer: Reload Window” from the Command Palette and try once more.
Frequently asked questions
Does the extension send my code to GTD Brain?
Only what you capture: the text you typed, the selection or TODO line you chose to capture, and the file name and line in the note. Nothing else in your workspace is read or sent. The extension talks to api.minosin.com (GTD Brain's backend) for sign-in and capture and to nothing else.
Does it work in Cursor, Windsurf and VSCodium?
Not yet. Those editors install from Open VSX rather than the VS Code Marketplace, and the extension is only on the Marketplace today. Cursor can still reach the same board over MCP — see the Cursor guide.
Do I need a paid GTD Brain subscription?
The extension is free to install and comes with a free start. Ongoing use of your board needs the GTD Brain subscription — the same one subscription that covers the web, iOS, and Android apps.
Do captures sync to my other devices?
Yes. The extension writes to the same board as the web, iOS, and Android apps and every AI assistant you connected, so a thought you capture in the editor is on your phone before you switch apps.
Further reading
Other connections
Connect ChatGPT · Connect Claude · Connect Claude Code · Connect Cursor · Obsidian plugin · Connect Telegram · Connect Gemini CLI · Connect Docker MCP Toolkit · Connect Notion · Connect Microsoft 365 Copilot
New to GTD Brain? Get started free — or skip the web entirely: installing the VS Code extension and signing in creates your board.