GarthDB/rust-things3
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The Model Context Protocol (MCP) server is a high-performance integration tool designed to facilitate AI/LLM environments by providing a suite of tools and resources for managing and interacting with Things 3 data.
🦀 Rust Things
A high-performance Rust library and CLI for Things 3 integration with integrated MCP (Model Context Protocol) server support for AI/LLM environments.
📦 Version 1.0.0 - Production Ready!
✨ Features
- 🚀 High Performance: Built with Rust for maximum speed and reliability
- 🔧 CLI Tool: Command-line interface for managing Things 3 data
- 🤖 MCP Integration: Integrated MCP server for AI/LLM integration
- 📊 Comprehensive API: Full access to Things 3 database with async SQLx
- 🏗️ Moon Workspace: Organized monorepo with Moon build system
- 🧪 Well Tested: Comprehensive test suite and benchmarks
- 📈 Performance Monitoring: Built-in metrics and system monitoring
- 💾 Caching Layer: High-performance caching with Moka
- 🔄 Backup & Restore: Complete backup system with metadata
- 📤 Data Export: Multiple formats (JSON, CSV, OPML, Markdown)
- 🔧 Advanced MCP Tools: 17 tools for AI/LLM integration
- ⚡ Async Database: SQLx-powered async database operations with thread safety
- 🌐 Web Servers: Health check and monitoring dashboard servers
🚀 Installation
Homebrew (macOS)
# Add the tap (when available)
brew tap GarthDB/rust-things3
# Install
brew install things3-cli
Cargo (Rust)
# Install from crates.io (when published)
cargo install things3-cli
# Or install from source
cargo install --git https://github.com/GarthDB/rust-things3
From Source
git clone https://github.com/GarthDB/rust-things3
cd rust-things3
cargo build --release
# Add to PATH
export PATH="$PWD/target/release:$PATH"
Using Moon (Development)
# Install Moon if you haven't already
curl -fsSL https://moonrepo.dev/install | bash
# Clone and setup
git clone https://github.com/GarthDB/rust-things3
cd rust-things3
moon run :dev-pipeline
⚙️ Feature Flags
New in 1.0.0: Modular compilation with feature flags! Choose only what you need.
Library (things3-core)
[dependencies]
# Minimal (core functionality only - 24% smaller binary)
things3-core = { version = "1.0", default-features = false }
# With specific features
things3-core = { version = "1.0", features = ["export-csv", "observability"] }
# Full features (recommended for most users)
things3-core = { version = "1.0", features = ["full"] }
Available Features:
export-csv: CSV export supportexport-opml: OPML export supportobservability: Metrics, tracing, and health checksfull: Enable all featurestest-utils: Testing utilities (development only)
CLI (things3-cli)
[dependencies]
# CLI with all features
things3-cli = { version = "1.0", features = ["full"] }
# CLI with specific features
things3-cli = { version = "1.0", features = ["mcp-server", "export-csv"] }
Additional CLI Features:
mcp-server: MCP server functionality (requires export features)
📚 See for detailed feature documentation and compatibility matrix.
📖 Quick Start
Get started in under 5 minutes! See the for detailed instructions.
Basic Library Usage
use things3_core::{ThingsDatabase, ThingsError};
#[tokio::main]
async fn main() -> Result<(), ThingsError> {
// Connect to database
let db_path = things3_core::get_default_database_path();
let db = ThingsDatabase::new(&db_path).await?;
// Get inbox tasks
let tasks = db.get_inbox(Some(10)).await?;
for task in tasks {
println!("- {}", task.title);
}
// Search for tasks
let results = db.search_tasks("meeting").await?;
println!("Found {} matching tasks", results.len());
Ok(())
}
CLI Commands
# Show help
things3 --help
# Health check
things3 health
# Show inbox tasks
things3 inbox
things3 inbox --limit 5
# Show today's tasks
things3 today
things3 today --limit 3
# Show all projects
things3 projects
things3 projects --area <AREA_UUID>
# Show all areas
things3 areas
# Search for tasks
things3 search "meeting"
things3 search "report" --limit 10
# Start MCP server (for AI/LLM integration)
things3 mcp
# Start health check server
things3 health-server --port 8080
# Start monitoring dashboard
things3 dashboard --port 8081
Environment Variables
# Set custom database path
export THINGS_DB_PATH="/path/to/things.db"
# Enable fallback to default path
export THINGS_FALLBACK_TO_DEFAULT=true
# Enable verbose logging
export RUST_LOG=debug
🌐 Web Servers
The CLI includes built-in web servers for monitoring and health checks:
Health Check Server
# Start health check server
things3 health-server --port 8080
# Test health endpoint
curl http://localhost:8080/health
curl http://localhost:8080/ping
Monitoring Dashboard
# Start monitoring dashboard
things3 dashboard --port 8081
# Access dashboard
open http://localhost:8081
The dashboard provides:
- Real-time metrics and statistics
- Database health monitoring
- Performance metrics
- System resource usage
- Task and project analytics
🤖 MCP Integration
The MCP (Model Context Protocol) server provides 21 tools for AI/LLM integration:
Available MCP Tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
get_inbox | Get tasks from the inbox |
get_today | Get tasks scheduled for today |
get_projects | Get all projects, optionally filtered by area |
get_areas | Get all areas |
search_tasks | Search for tasks by title or notes |
create_task | Create a new task |
update_task | Update an existing task |
get_productivity_metrics | Get productivity metrics |
export_data | Export data in various formats |
bulk_create_tasks | Create multiple tasks at once |
get_recent_tasks | Get recently modified tasks |
backup_database | Create a database backup |
restore_database | Restore from a backup |
list_backups | List available backups |
get_performance_stats | Get performance statistics |
get_system_metrics | Get system resource metrics |
get_cache_stats | Get cache performance stats |
Configuration
Cursor
// .cursor/mcp.json
{
"mcpServers": {
"things3": {
"command": "things3",
"args": ["mcp"],
"env": {
"THINGS_DB_PATH": "/path/to/things.db"
}
}
}
}
VS Code
// .vscode/mcp.json
{
"servers": {
"things3": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "things3",
"args": ["mcp"],
"cwd": "${workspaceFolder}",
"env": {
"THINGS_DB_PATH": "/path/to/things.db"
}
}
}
}
Zed
// .zed/settings.json
{
"mcp": {
"things3": {
"command": "things3",
"args": ["mcp"],
"env": {
"THINGS_DB_PATH": "/path/to/things.db"
}
}
}
}
Documentation
Getting Started
- - Get started in under 5 minutes
- - Comprehensive usage guide
- - Error handling patterns and recovery strategies
Release Documentation (1.0.0)
- - What's new in 1.0.0
- - Upgrade from 0.x to 1.0.0
- - Modular compilation with feature flags
- - Security audit results
- - Future development plans
- - Complete version history
Core Documentation
- - System design and component overview
- - Complete MCP server guide
- - Connection pooling, error recovery, and resilience patterns
- - Benchmarks and optimization strategies
- - Things 3 database structure
- - Setup and development workflow
- - Test coverage report
Examples
Basic Examples
See the directory for practical usage examples:
basic_usage.rs- Basic database operations (connect, query, create, update)bulk_operations.rs- Bulk operation examples (move, complete, delete)search_tasks.rs- Advanced search functionalityexport_data.rs- Data export in multiple formats (JSON, CSV, Markdown)
cargo run --package things3-core --example basic_usage
cargo run --package things3-core --example bulk_operations
cargo run --package things3-core --example search_tasks
cargo run --package things3-core --example export_data
Integration Examples (New in 1.0.0)
Real-world integration patterns in :
mcp_client.rs- Custom MCP client implementationcli_extension.rs- Extending the CLI with custom commandsweb_api.rs- REST API with Axum web frameworkbackground_service.rs- Long-running service with graceful shutdowncustom_middleware.rs- Custom middleware for cross-cutting concerns
cd examples/integration
cargo run --example mcp_client
cargo run --example cli_extension -- today
cargo run --example web_api
cargo run --example background_service
cargo run --example custom_middleware
See for detailed documentation.
API Documentation
Generate and view API documentation:
cargo doc --workspace --no-deps --open
Testing
Test Coverage
- Total Tests: 438 tests
- Coverage: ~85%+ (target: 85%+)
- Test Categories:
- Database operations (Phase 1)
- MCP I/O layer (Phase 2)
- Middleware chain (Phase 3)
- Observability system (Phase 4)
Running Tests
# All tests
cargo test --workspace
# Specific package
cargo test --package things3-core
# With coverage
cargo llvm-cov --workspace --all-features --html
open target/llvm-cov/html/index.html
See for more testing details.
Development
Prerequisites
- Rust 1.70+
- Moon (for workspace management)
- Things 3 (for testing)
- cargo-llvm-cov (for coverage)
Setup
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/GarthDB/rust-things3
cd rust-things3
# Install dependencies
moon run :local-dev-setup
# Run tests
moon run :test-all
# Run development pipeline
moon run :dev-pipeline
Quick Commands
# Format code
cargo fmt --all
# Lint code
cargo clippy --workspace -- -D warnings
# Run coverage
cargo llvm-cov --workspace --all-features --html
# Generate docs
cargo doc --workspace --no-deps
See for comprehensive development information.
Project Structure
rust-things3/
├── apps/
│ └── things3-cli/ # CLI application with MCP server
├── libs/
│ ├── things3-core/ # Core library
│ └── things3-common/ # Shared utilities
├── tools/
│ └── xtask/ # Development tools
└── tests/ # Integration tests
API Reference
Core Library
Basic Usage
use things3_core::{ThingsDatabase, Task, Project, Area, ThingsConfig};
use anyhow::Result;
#[tokio::main]
async fn main() -> Result<()> {
// Create database connection with SQLx
let db = ThingsDatabase::new("/path/to/things.db").await?;
// Get inbox tasks
let tasks = db.get_inbox(Some(10)).await?;
// Get today's tasks
let today_tasks = db.get_today(None).await?;
// Get all projects
let projects = db.get_projects(None).await?;
// Search tasks
let search_results = db.search_tasks("meeting").await?;
Ok(())
}
Advanced Configuration
use things3_core::{ThingsDatabase, ThingsConfig};
use std::path::Path;
// Custom database path with SQLx
let db = ThingsDatabase::new(Path::new("/custom/path/to/things.db")).await?;
// From environment variables
let config = ThingsConfig::from_env();
let db = ThingsDatabase::new(&config.database_path).await?;
Error Handling
use things3_core::{ThingsDatabase, ThingsError};
use anyhow::Result;
async fn handle_errors() -> Result<()> {
let db = ThingsDatabase::new("/path/to/things.db").await?;
match db.get_inbox(Some(5)).await {
Ok(tasks) => println!("Found {} tasks", tasks.len()),
Err(ThingsError::Database(msg)) => {
eprintln!("Database error: {}", msg);
}
Err(e) => {
eprintln!("Other error: {}", e);
}
}
Ok(())
}
Caching and Performance
use things3_core::{ThingsDatabase, CacheConfig};
use std::time::Duration;
// Configure caching
let cache_config = CacheConfig {
max_capacity: 1000,
time_to_live: Duration::from_secs(300),
time_to_idle: Duration::from_secs(60),
};
let db = ThingsDatabase::with_cache_config(cache_config)?;
// Get cache statistics
let stats = db.get_cache_stats().await?;
println!("Cache hits: {}, misses: {}", stats.hits, stats.misses);
Data Export
use things3_core::{DataExporter, ExportFormat, ExportConfig};
// Export to JSON
let exporter = DataExporter::new_default();
let json_data = exporter.export_json(&tasks, &projects, &areas).await?;
// Export to CSV
let csv_data = exporter.export_csv(&tasks, &projects, &areas).await?;
// Custom export configuration
let config = ExportConfig {
include_completed: false,
date_format: "%Y-%m-%d".to_string(),
time_format: "%H:%M:%S".to_string(),
};
let exporter = DataExporter::new(config);
MCP Server Integration
use things3_cli::mcp::{ThingsMcpServer, CallToolRequest};
use serde_json::json;
// Create MCP server
let server = ThingsMcpServer::new(config)?;
// List available tools
let tools = server.list_tools().await?;
println!("Available tools: {:?}", tools.tools);
// Call a tool
let request = CallToolRequest {
name: "get_inbox".to_string(),
arguments: Some(json!({
"limit": 10
})),
};
let result = server.call_tool(request).await?;
CLI Library
use things3_cli::{Cli, Commands, print_tasks, print_projects};
use std::io::stdout;
// Parse CLI arguments
let cli = Cli::parse();
// Use CLI functions programmatically
match cli.command {
Commands::Inbox { limit } => {
let tasks = db.get_inbox(limit).await?;
print_tasks(&mut stdout(), &tasks)?;
}
Commands::Projects { area_uuid, limit } => {
let projects = db.get_projects(area_uuid, limit).await?;
print_projects(&mut stdout(), &projects)?;
}
// ... other commands
}
Common Utilities
use things3_common::utils::{
get_default_database_path,
format_date,
format_datetime,
parse_date,
is_valid_uuid,
truncate_string
};
// Get default database path
let db_path = get_default_database_path();
println!("Default path: {}", db_path.display());
// Format dates
let formatted = format_date(chrono::Utc::now().date_naive());
println!("Today: {}", formatted);
// Parse dates
let date = parse_date("2024-01-15")?;
println!("Parsed date: {}", date);
// Validate UUIDs
let is_valid = is_valid_uuid("550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000");
println!("Valid UUID: {}", is_valid);
// Truncate strings
let truncated = truncate_string("Very long string", 10);
println!("Truncated: {}", truncated);
Architecture
The project is organized as a Moon-managed Rust workspace:
rust-things3/
├── apps/things3-cli/ # CLI application with MCP server
├── libs/things3-core/ # Core database and business logic
├── libs/things3-common/ # Shared utilities
├── examples/ # Usage examples
├── docs/ # Documentation
└── tests/ # Integration tests
Key features:
- Async-first: Built on Tokio for concurrent operations
- Type-safe: SQLx for compile-time SQL verification
- MCP Protocol: Industry-standard AI agent communication
- Middleware: Extensible request/response processing
- Observability: Built-in metrics, logging, and tracing
See for detailed system design.
Troubleshooting
Database Not Found
# Find your Things 3 database
find ~/Library/Group\ Containers -name "main.sqlite" 2>/dev/null
# Set custom path
export THINGS_DB_PATH="/path/to/main.sqlite"
Permission Issues
Ensure Things 3 is closed when running the CLI:
killall Things3
Test Failures
Run tests single-threaded if experiencing database lock issues:
cargo test -- --test-threads=1
See for more troubleshooting tips.
Contributing
We welcome contributions! Please see our for detailed information on:
- Development setup
- Code style guidelines
- Testing requirements
- Pull request process
- Issue reporting
Quick Start
- Fork the repository
- Create a feature branch
- Make your changes
- Add tests (maintain 85%+ coverage)
- Run the development pipeline:
moon run :dev-pipeline - Submit a pull request
For more details, see and .
License
MIT License - see file for details.
Acknowledgments
- Inspired by things3
- Built with Moon workspace management
- Follows evelion-apps/things-api patterns