In this tutorial you will connect Claude to your Capture GTD account using the Model Context Protocol, verify that the connection works, capture a task by talking to Claude, and clarify it into a next action — all without opening the app. By the end, you will have a working AI-powered GTD workflow where you speak your mind and Claude does the organizing.

What you will need

  • A Capture GTD account with a few items in your system (complete the Getting Started tutorial first if you have not already)
  • Claude Desktop installed on your computer
  • About 10 minutes

What is MCP?

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that lets AI assistants connect to external services. When you add Capture GTD as an MCP server, Claude gains the ability to read your task lists, capture new items, clarify your inbox, and mark things complete — all through conversation. You talk, Claude acts on your GTD system.

For a deeper look at how MCP works, see the official MCP documentation.

Step 1: Add the Capture GTD server to Claude

Open Claude Desktop and navigate to settings.

  1. Click the gear icon to open Settings.

  2. Select MCP Servers from the left sidebar.

  3. Click Add Server.

  4. In the server URL field, enter:

    https://app.capture-gtd.com/mcp

  5. Click Save.

The server appears in your list with a status indicator. It will show as disconnected until you authenticate in the next step.

Step 2: Authenticate your account

Claude needs permission to access your GTD data. The first time you interact with a Capture GTD tool, Claude triggers an OAuth login flow.

  1. Go back to the main Claude conversation view and type:

    What is in my inbox?

  2. Claude attempts to call the list_inbox tool. Because you have not authenticated yet, a browser window opens to the Capture GTD login page.

  3. Sign in with your Capture GTD credentials (the same ones you use at app.capture-gtd.com).

  4. A permissions screen asks you to approve two scopes:

    • openid — identifies your account
    • offline_access — keeps the session alive so you do not need to log in every time you open Claude

  5. Click Approve.

  6. The browser confirms the connection. Switch back to Claude Desktop.

The server status indicator should now show green. Claude completes the list_inbox call and responds with your current inbox items. If your inbox is empty, Claude will tell you that too — and that is a perfectly valid result if you processed everything in the Getting Started tutorial.

You have a working connection. Everything from here on is conversation.

Step 3: Capture a task through Claude

Instead of opening the app and navigating to the Capture screen, try this. Type the following message to Claude:

I need to schedule a dentist appointment

Claude calls the capture_task tool behind the scenes and confirms that the item landed in your inbox. You should see a response like:

Done — I captured “I need to schedule a dentist appointment” into your inbox. Want me to clarify it now, or leave it for later?

Open Capture GTD in your browser and check the Inbox in the sidebar. Your new item is there, listed as Stuff — raw, unprocessed, exactly like items you capture manually.

The difference is that you never left your conversation with Claude.

Step 4: Clarify the task with Claude

Now process that inbox item. Tell Claude:

Yes, clarify it. It is a quick phone call — maybe 5 minutes. Medium importance. No deadline.

Claude walks through the GTD decision tree: it is actionable, it is a single step, so it becomes a next action. Claude calls clarify_task_as_todo with effort set to XSmall and importance set to Medium.

You should see a confirmation like:

Clarified “I need to schedule a dentist appointment” as a next action with XSmall effort and Medium importance. It is now on your Next Actions list.

Switch to Capture GTD and check Next in the sidebar. The task appears there, fully clarified, with the effort and importance you specified through conversation.

Step 5: Try a multi-step capture and clarify

The real power shows when you throw something bigger at Claude. Type:

I want to plan a birthday party for my partner next month. I need to book a venue, send invitations, order a cake, and figure out decorations.

Claude recognizes this requires multiple steps and suggests creating it as a project. It might respond:

That sounds like a project. Want me to create “Plan birthday party” as a project with the outcome “Birthday party planned and executed” and then add those four items as next actions underneath it?

Respond:

Yes, do it. The party is in 4 weeks so set a deadline. Make the effort Large.

Claude executes a series of tool calls: capture_task for the project, clarify_task_as_project with the outcome and deadline, then capture_task and clarify_task_as_todo for each sub-task. When it finishes, you have a fully organized project with four next actions — all from a single conversation.

Check the Projects page in Capture GTD to see the result.

Step 6: Use a built-in GTD prompt

Capture GTD’s MCP server includes guided prompts that turn Claude into a GTD coach. These prompts are available in Claude Desktop’s prompt picker (the / menu in the message input).

Try the mind sweep prompt:

  1. In the Claude message input, type / to open the prompt picker.
  2. Select gtd-mind-sweep.
  3. Claude begins walking you through David Allen’s Incompletion Triggers list — professional projects, commitments, upcoming events, personal obligations, household items, and more.
  4. For each category, tell Claude what comes to mind. It captures every item into your inbox instantly.
  5. When you finish, Claude reports how many items it captured and offers to help you clarify them.

Other available prompts include:

PromptWhat it does
gtd-captureHelps you capture and optionally clarify a single item
gtd-clarifyProcesses your inbox items one at a time using Allen’s decision tree
gtd-engagePresents your next actions for you to complete, skip, or delegate
gtd-reviewRuns a guided morning, nightly, weekly, or monthly review
gtd-project-plannerPlans a project using Allen’s Natural Planning Model
gtd-system-auditFinds stuck projects, stale items, and organizational gaps

What you accomplished

In this tutorial you:

  • Connected Claude to your Capture GTD account via MCP
  • Authenticated through the OAuth flow
  • Captured a task by describing it in conversation
  • Clarified that task into a next action without touching the app
  • Created an entire project with sub-tasks from a single message
  • Used a built-in prompt to run a guided GTD workflow

Tips for natural GTD conversations with Claude

Now that your connection is set up, here are prompts you can use any time:

  • Quick capture: “Remind me to buy stamps” / “I just thought of something — we need to renew the car insurance”
  • Inbox processing: “Help me clarify my inbox” / “What is in my inbox and can you help me process it?”
  • Status check: “What are my next actions?” / “Show me my projects” / “What is due this week?”
  • Completing work: “I finished the quarterly report” / “Mark ‘buy groceries’ as done”
  • Weekly review: Use the gtd-review prompt with type “weekly” to walk through the full GTD weekly review with Claude as your coach

The more you use natural language, the better. Claude understands GTD terminology and maps your words to the right tools and categories. You do not need to know the tool names — just talk about your work and life, and Claude handles the rest.

Next steps