FocusRelayMCP
FocusRelayMCP is a local Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for OmniFocus on macOS that lets AI assistants query tasks, projects, and tags using natural-language-like queries, plus a CLI with equivalent commands.
Score Breakdown
⚙ Agent Friendliness
🔒 Security
Runs locally and does not describe TLS/network transport. Security hinges on user consent for OmniFocus plugin automation (“Run Script” approval) and macOS sandbox/permission model rather than API authentication/scopes. No secrets management is discussed; dependency health is unknown. Main risk is granting automation control to the plugin via user approval.
⚡ Reliability
Best When
You have OmniFocus on macOS and an MCP-capable client (e.g., Claude Desktop/opencode) where you can run a local server and approve the OmniFocus plugin automation permission.
Avoid When
You cannot or will not approve OmniFocus automation/plugin permissions (the bridge will time out), or you need a hosted, network-accessible API with standard auth/rate-limit guarantees.
Use Cases
- • Daily planning queries for what to do next based on time windows and due dates
- • Project health checks (e.g., stalled projects / no next actions)
- • Context/tag discovery and filtering (what can I do on this context/device)
- • Task discovery for deferred/avoided/flagged items
- • Status and completion reporting (what was completed today/this week/this month, counts without listing)
Not For
- • Multi-user server deployments where a centralized API would be expected
- • Cloud/SaaS use cases requiring managed authentication, rate limiting, and hosted availability guarantees
- • Use cases that require fine-grained enterprise security controls beyond local macOS automation permissions
Interface
Authentication
The README describes a macOS/OmniFocus security approval dialog (“Allow script to control OmniFocus?”) rather than API authentication. No API keys/OAuth scopes are documented.
Pricing
No pricing information present; appears to be a local open-source tool (MIT license per README).
Agent Metadata
Known Gotchas
- ⚠ First-time OmniFocus automation approval is required; otherwise requests may time out.
- ⚠ After upgrading the plugin, OmniFocus must be restarted; otherwise the bridge may not respond.
- ⚠ Projects/tags are cached for 5 minutes; repeated queries may reflect stale cached metadata.
- ⚠ Timezone detection may require refresh after travel; incorrect time windows can occur if local settings change.
- ⚠ The MCP server relies on local IPC/plugin communication; failures may present as timeouts rather than explicit auth errors.
Alternatives
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Scores are editorial opinions as of 2026-03-30.