Workflowy MCP Server

A Rust MCP server that gives Claude full read/write access to your Workflowy outline. Search, insert, organize, manage tasks, and track deadlines — all through natural language.

Works with Claude Desktop and Claude Code as an MCP server.

Prerequisites

Rust toolchain (1.70+)
A Workflowy account with API access
Claude Desktop and/or Claude Code

Install

git clone https://github.com/dromologue/workflowyMCP.git
cd workflowyMCP
cargo build --release

The compiled binary is at target/release/workflowy-mcp-server.

Configure

1. Workflowy API key

Get your API key from workflowy.com/api-key, then create .env in the project root:

WORKFLOWY_API_KEY=your-api-key

2. Claude Desktop (MCP server)

Add to your Claude Desktop config:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Option A — .env file (recommended): Set cwd so the server finds .env automatically:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "workflowy": {
      "command": "/absolute/path/to/workflowyMCP/target/release/workflowy-mcp-server",
      "cwd": "/absolute/path/to/workflowyMCP"
    }
  }
}

Option B — inline credentials:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "workflowy": {
      "command": "/absolute/path/to/workflowyMCP/target/release/workflowy-mcp-server",
      "env": {
        "WORKFLOWY_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop after saving. The 23 tools listed below become available immediately.

Large trees (100k+ nodes): Search and review tools use a max_depth parameter (default: 3–5) to avoid fetching the entire tree. Subtree fetches also cap at 10 000 nodes; every tool response includes a truncated flag (and a truncation_limit) when that cap is hit, so you can narrow with parent_id/root_id or reduce max_depth. duplicate_node, create_from_template, and bulk_update (delete) refuse to run against a truncated view to avoid partial copies or partial deletes.

3. Claude Code

claude mcp add workflowy -- /absolute/path/to/workflowyMCP/target/release/workflowy-mcp-server

Verify with claude mcp list — the entry should report ✓ Connected.

Usage

Ask Claude naturally — it will use the MCP tools:

"Search my Workflowy for anything tagged #review"
"What's overdue in my Projects?"
"Add a task to Office: Review Q2 budget"
"Give me a daily review of my tasks"

Tools (23 implemented)

Search & Navigate

Tool	What it does
`search_nodes`	Text search in node names and descriptions
`find_node`	Look up a node by name (exact, contains, or starts_with match modes)
`get_node`	Get a node by ID
`list_children`	List children of a node
`tag_search`	Search by tag (`#tag` or `@person`) in names, descriptions, and tags
`get_subtree`	Get the full tree under a node
`find_backlinks`	Find all nodes that link to a given node

Create & Edit

Tool	What it does
`create_node`	Create a new node with optional parent and position
`insert_content`	Insert hierarchical content (2-space indentation = nesting)
`smart_insert`	Search for a target node, then insert content into it
`convert_markdown`	Convert markdown to Workflowy-compatible indented format
`edit_node`	Edit a node's name or description
`move_node`	Move a node to a new parent
`delete_node`	Delete a node
`duplicate_node`	Deep-copy a node and its subtree
`create_from_template`	Copy template with `{{variable}}` substitution
`bulk_update`	Apply `delete`, `add_tag`, or `remove_tag` to filtered nodes (with `dry_run` mode). `complete` / `uncomplete` are not yet supported.

Todos & Scheduling

Tool	What it does
`list_todos`	List todo items with optional parent, status, and text filters
`list_upcoming`	Items due in the next N days, sorted by nearest deadline
`list_overdue`	Past-due items sorted by most overdue first
`daily_review`	One-call standup: overdue, upcoming, recent changes, pending todos

Project Management

Tool	What it does
`get_project_summary`	Stats, tag counts, assignees, overdue items for a subtree
`get_recent_changes`	Nodes modified within a time window

Conventions

Tags, assignees, and due dates are parsed from node text:

Tags: #inbox, #review, #urgent
Assignees: @alice, @bob
Due dates: due:2026-03-15, #due-2026-03-15, or bare 2026-03-15 (priority order)

Development

cargo build              # compile (debug)
cargo build --release    # compile (optimized)
cargo test --lib         # run 122 unit tests
cargo check              # type-check only
cargo run --bin workflowy-mcp-server  # start server

License

MIT