Google Tasks MCP

Use Google Tasks from Codex or any MCP client that can run a local STDIO server. The server can list task lists and tasks, create or edit tasks, mark tasks complete, and delete tasks after explicit confirmation.

Everything runs locally. The server talks directly to the Google Tasks API and stores the OAuth token on your computer.

What you need

• Node.js 20 or newer
• A Google account with Google Tasks enabled
• A Google Cloud project
• Codex, the ChatGPT desktop app, or another MCP client with local STDIO support

Set up the project

1. Download and install

git clone <repository-url>
cd google-task-mcp
npm install

Run the checks to confirm that your local copy is ready:

npm run verify

2. Create Google OAuth credentials

1. Open the Google Cloud Console and create or select a project.
2. Enable the Google Tasks API.
3. Open Google Auth platform → Branding and configure the consent screen.
4. Under Audience, use Internal for a Google Workspace organization or External for a personal Google account. If the app is in testing, add the Google account you will use as a test user.
5. Open Google Auth platform → Clients, select Create client, and choose Desktop app.
6. Copy the generated client ID and client secret.

Google supports loopback addresses for desktop OAuth clients, so the included local callback URL works without hosting a web server. See Google's Tasks API Node.js quickstart and desktop OAuth guidance for more detail.

3. Add your credentials

Create a local .env file from the example:

Copy-Item .env.example .env

On macOS or Linux, use cp .env.example .env instead. Then replace the placeholder values:

GOOGLE_TASKS_CLIENT_ID=your-client-id.apps.googleusercontent.com
GOOGLE_TASKS_CLIENT_SECRET=your-client-secret
GOOGLE_TASKS_REDIRECT_URI=http://127.0.0.1:53682/oauth2callback

The server loads this .env file from the repository directory even when it is launched from somewhere else. .env is ignored by Git.

4. Connect Codex

The simplest development setup is to add this repository as a local MCP server. Replace the example path with the absolute path to your clone:

codex mcp add google-task-mcp -- node C:\path\to\google-task-mcp\server\index.js

You can also add it in the ChatGPT desktop app under Settings → MCP servers → Add server:

• Name: google-task-mcp
• Type: STDIO
• Command: node
• Arguments: the absolute path to server/index.js

Save the server and restart the app. Codex's MCP configuration is shared with the desktop app and IDE extension; the current options are documented in the official MCP setup guide.

This repository also contains .codex-plugin/plugin.json and .mcp.json for packaging it as a Codex plugin.

5. Authorize Google Tasks

Start a new chat and ask:

Connect my Google Tasks account.

The client should call google_tasks_get_authorization_url. Open the returned URL, approve access, return to the chat, and ask it to finish authorization. The authorization attempt expires after 10 minutes.

Try one of these prompts afterward:

• “Show my open Google Tasks.”
• “Create a task called Pay electricity bill due tomorrow.”
• “Mark my grocery task complete.”

Available tools

Tool	Purpose
google_tasks_get_authorization_url	Start local Google OAuth authorization
google_tasks_complete_authorization	Finish authorization after browser consent
google_tasks_list_tasklists	List task lists
google_tasks_list_tasks	List tasks, optionally including completed or hidden tasks
google_tasks_create_task	Create a task or subtask
google_tasks_update_task	Change a task's title, notes, or due date
google_tasks_set_task_completion	Complete or reopen a task
google_tasks_delete_task	Permanently delete a task after explicit confirmation

Task list IDs default to @default. Due dates use RFC 3339 timestamps, such as 2026-08-18T17:00:00Z; Google Tasks stores the date and may discard the time portion.

Local data and safety

• The OAuth token is stored at %APPDATA%\google-task-mcp\token.json on Windows or ~/.config/google-task-mcp/token.json on macOS and Linux.
• Set GOOGLE_TASKS_TOKEN_PATH in .env to use a different location.
• Delete the token file to disconnect the Google account. You can also revoke access from your Google Account settings.
• The server requests only https://www.googleapis.com/auth/tasks.
• Task deletion requires confirm: true; clients should show the exact task and ask before calling it.
• .env, token directories, logs, and dependencies are excluded from Git. Never commit credentials or tokens.

Troubleshooting

The MCP server exits immediately

Check that .env exists beside package.json and contains both GOOGLE_TASKS_CLIENT_ID and GOOGLE_TASKS_CLIENT_SECRET.

Google reports redirect_uri_mismatch

Confirm that you created a Desktop app OAuth client and kept GOOGLE_TASKS_REDIRECT_URI set to the included loopback URL.

The authorization URL expires

Run google_tasks_get_authorization_url again. Only one authorization attempt can be active at a time.

Port 53682 is already in use

Choose an unused local port in .env, restart the MCP server, and begin authorization again.

Development

The server is split by responsibility:

server/
  config.js       Environment and path configuration
  google-auth.js  OAuth callback and Google API client
  index.js        Server startup
  mcp-result.js   MCP text response formatting
  tools.js        Tool schemas and handlers
test/              Node.js unit tests

Useful commands:

npm run check   # Syntax-check server files
npm test        # Run unit tests
npm run verify  # Run both checks
npm start       # Start the STDIO server manually

OAuth and live Google API calls require real credentials and interactive browser consent. Unit tests do not contact Google.

License

Released under the MIT License.