The task and goal MCP server for AI agents
Add one server to the AI app you already talk to, and it can read your goal tree, add subtasks, reschedule them and mark them done. It's one block of config and a restart. Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, Kiro and every other MCP client get the same four tools.
What is the PerspecTask MCP server?
A small local process, @perspectask/mcp, that your MCP client launches over stdio. It turns the PerspecTask API into four tools: perspectask_list_tasks, perspectask_get_task, perspectask_create_task and perspectask_update_task. Each tool advertises the exact arguments the API takes, generated from the same OpenAPI spec, so your agent fills in deadline, status or parent by name instead of guessing. Your API key stays in that process on your machine.
{
"mcpServers": {
"perspectask": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@perspectask/mcp@latest"],
"env": {
"PERSPECTASK_API_KEY": "pt_live_your_key_here"
}
}
}
}The server block every MCP client takes: Claude Desktop's claude_desktop_config.json, Cursor's .cursor/mcp.json, Kiro's .kiro/settings/mcp.json. In Claude Code it's one command: claude mcp add perspectask --env PERSPECTASK_API_KEY=pt_live_... -- npx -y @perspectask/mcp@latest.
From config to a planned week
Create a scoped key
In the app, under Account → API Keys. tasks:read plus tasks:write:meta lets the agent move and reschedule tasks but never rewrite your titles.
Paste the server block
Add it to your client’s MCP config with the key in env, then restart the app. The four perspectask_ tools appear next to your other servers, with no name collisions.
Ask about your goals
“What’s still open under my launch goal?” calls perspectask_get_task with tree. “Move the passport renewal to next month” is one perspectask_update_task with deadline set to next month.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a task manager MCP server?
- A local process that exposes a task manager as Model Context Protocol tools, so an AI client can read and change your tasks by calling tools instead of you copying lists into the chat. The PerspecTask server covers listing, reading, creating and updating tasks, including their deadlines, statuses and parent goals.
- Which tools does the PerspecTask MCP server provide?
- Four: perspectask_list_tasks (open tasks, flat or as a tree), perspectask_get_task (one task, optionally with its subtree), perspectask_create_task (a task or subtask with a one-token deadline like q3) and perspectask_update_task (status, priority, deadline, parents, blockers, or text).
- Should my agent use the MCP server or the CLI?
- Use MCP when your client supports it and you want PerspecTask available in every session without reinstalling anything: it is configured once in the app settings. Use the pt CLI when the agent only has a shell, or needs it working in the current session right away. Both call the same API and see the same tasks.
- Can the MCP server read my encrypted tasks?
- No. End-to-end encrypted tasks are decrypted only in the PerspecTask app with your password, and the key never leaves your device, so the API and this server cannot read or modify them. They are left out of the list by default; with includeEncrypted they show up as placeholders with encrypted set to true and no title, and in a tree view an encrypted task is kept when it sits above one the agent can read, so the path to it stays intact. Keep a task plaintext if you want the agent to work on it.
- Does the MCP server cost anything?
- The server is free, Apache-2.0 licensed, and runs on your machine through npx. PerspecTask itself is free to start, and API keys are available on the free plan.
Give your MCP client your goals
Create a free scoped key, paste one server block, and let Claude, Cursor or Kiro keep your tasks in order while you steer from the app.