How to Connect Todoist to Claude

A step-by-step guide to setting up the Todoist MCP connector in Claude. Takes about two minutes.

// before you start

Claude Pro or Max plan required. Custom MCP connectors are not available on the free plan. You need a Claude Pro or Max subscription to add custom connectors.
Use Claude Desktop or Claude web (not mobile). The Claude mobile app cannot add new MCP connectors. However, once you set up the connection on desktop or web, it will be available on mobile too.
You need a Todoist account. Any Todoist plan works, including free.

// why connect Claude to Todoist

Without the Todoist connector, Claude can talk about productivity but can't actually touch your task list. With it, conversations turn into action:

Turn conversations into tasks. This might be the biggest one. You're discussing a project with Claude, brainstorming an approach, or debugging a problem — and at the end, Claude can create the follow-up tasks directly in Todoist. You go from "that was a useful chat" to having concrete next steps scheduled on your calendar. It closes the gap between thinking and doing.
Bulk audits and cleanup. Coming back from vacation with 50 overdue tasks? Ask Claude to go through everything, push deadlines to realistic dates, and re-prioritize based on what matters now. What would take you 30 minutes of manual triage takes one sentence.
AI-powered scheduling. Claude can read your tasks, understand deadlines and priorities, and help you plan your day or week. It can schedule tasks into time blocks, flag deadline risks, and reshuffle when things change. I built a full time management system on this exact capability.

// setup steps

Step 1: Open Customize

In Claude Desktop or on claude.ai, click Customize in the left sidebar.

Step 2: Go to Connectors

Click Connectors in the Customize panel.

Step 3: Add a custom connector

Click the + (plus) icon, then click Add custom connector.

Step 4: Paste the Todoist MCP URL

In the URL field, paste:

https://ai.todoist.net/mcp

Click Add to save the connector.

Step 5: Authenticate with Todoist

The connector will appear in your list, but it's not connected yet. Click on the connector to open it. This will launch Todoist's OAuth flow in your browser, where you authorize Claude to access your Todoist account.

Grant the permissions and you'll be redirected back to Claude. The connector should now show as connected.

Step 6: Test it

Start a new conversation and try something like "What tasks do I have due today?" or "Add a task to buy groceries." Claude should be able to read and write to your Todoist.

// using Todoist on Claude mobile

The Claude mobile app (iOS and Android) cannot add or configure MCP connectors. But once you've set up the Todoist connector on Claude Desktop or claude.ai in a browser, it will automatically be available on mobile.

If the connection breaks while you're on mobile, you'll need to switch to a browser to reconnect (see troubleshooting below). This is one of the main pain points with the native Todoist connector.

// when the connection breaks

This is the part nobody tells you upfront: the Todoist connection will break. It might last a day, it might last a week, but eventually Claude will tell you it can no longer access Todoist.

Todoist help page showing a known issue: Claude is experiencing frequent disconnections from the Todoist MCP server. Platforms affected: All. Workaround: None available.

Source: Todoist Known Issues — frequent disconnections, all platforms, no workaround.

When this happens:

Go to Customize > Connectors
Find the Todoist connector
Click Reconnect
Re-authorize in your browser

This is quick if you're at your desktop. It's disruptive if you're mid-conversation, on your phone, or using Claude as part of a daily workflow where you depend on Todoist being there.

The underlying issue is that Todoist doesn't issue refresh tokens, so Claude's MCP client can't silently renew the connection. Once the token expires, manual re-auth is the only option. You can read more about why this happens across all MCP integrations in The Broken Promise of Claude MCP Tools.

// making the connection permanent with Bindify

If you rely on Claude + Todoist daily, the re-auth cycle gets old fast. Bindify is an MCP proxy that handles token management so the connection stays alive.

The setup process is almost identical to what you just did:

Sign up at app.bindify.dev and connect Todoist (one-time OAuth)
Copy your Bindify secret URL from the dashboard
In Claude, go to Customize > Connectors > + > Add custom connector
Paste the Bindify URL instead of the Todoist URL

That's it. Bindify maintains the Todoist connection on your behalf. No more reconnecting, no more mid-conversation interruptions, and it works across all your devices — including mobile.

Full setup guide: Connect Todoist to Claude via Bindify →

// troubleshooting

I don't see the "Add custom connector" option

Custom connectors require a Claude Pro or Max subscription. Check your plan at claude.ai/settings/billing. If you're on mobile, switch to Claude Desktop or claude.ai in a browser — the mobile app can't add connectors.

The connector was added but Claude can't access Todoist

You need to open/activate the connector after adding it. Click on the Todoist connector in your list to trigger the OAuth authentication flow. The connector isn't live until you complete authorization.

Authentication opens in the browser but nothing happens

Make sure you're logged into Todoist in that browser. Try clearing cookies for todoist.com and attempting the auth flow again.

Claude says "tool not available" or "connection lost"

The OAuth token has expired. Go to Customize > Connectors and click Reconnect on the Todoist connector. If this keeps happening, consider using Bindify to keep the connection stable.

I set this up on desktop but it's not working on mobile

Connectors set up on Claude Desktop or claude.ai should sync to mobile automatically. Try closing and reopening the Claude mobile app. If the connection is broken, you'll need to reconnect from a browser — the mobile app can't trigger re-auth.

// related

How Claude + Todoist Can Superpower Your Workflow — what you can do once connected
How I Replaced My Scheduling App with Claude, Todoist, and Google Calendar — a full AI time management system built on this connection
Connect Todoist via Bindify — permanent connection setup
The Broken Promise of Claude MCP Tools — why MCP auth breaks