Mindwtr: The Best Free, Open-Source GTD App for All Platforms
I started building Mindwtr because I wanted a task app I could keep using across different computers and phones. I wanted to open my list without an internet connection, keep a copy of my data, and use the same workflow on Linux as on my phone. I didn’t want a subscription to be a condition for keeping access to my own tasks.
I wanted less to think about. If I write something down and keep rehearsing it in my head, I haven’t gained much. I need to trust that I’ll find it again at the right time.
That was the starting point for Mindwtr, a free, open-source app built around Getting Things Done, or GTD. Since I first wrote this post, I’ve added more ways to capture tasks and worked on the parts that come after capture: deciding what to do, reviewing unfinished work, and keeping devices in sync.
A place to put unfinished thoughts
The part of GTD that appealed to me was getting commitments out of my head. Write down a thought before it disappears, then decide what it means when I have time to think.
A note like “sort out the trip” helps me remember a concern, but I can’t do it in one sitting. “Check the passport expiry date” gives me somewhere to start. I wanted the app to make that distinction easy to work through.
In Mindwtr, I can capture the rough thought in Inbox and leave the details for a processing pass. I can turn it into a next action, put it in a project, or move an idea to Someday/Maybe. For a task that depends on someone else’s reply, I can use Waiting For.
I built the guided Inbox processing around those decisions. On a phone, you work through one item at a time. You don’t need to fill in a project, date, and tags before saving a thought.
The video below shows that workflow in the app, through to review and Focus.
Making the list useful after capture
Getting a thought into Inbox is the easy part to demonstrate. I care as much about what happens after the list has grown.
Focus puts the day’s agenda beside next actions. You can filter by context, available time, or energy to narrow the work you could take on. Projects have sections and manual ordering for plans with several steps. Areas let you separate ongoing responsibilities, such as work and home, without maintaining separate task systems.
For work that involves other people, you can keep a person’s name and notes with the things you need to discuss or follow up on. People and Waiting For let you track those commitments in your own task system.
Review needs attention as well. A long list of old intentions is hard to trust. The guided Weekly Review includes a Mind Sweep for loose thoughts, checks for stale actions and projects, and a pass through Waiting For. You can put a review date on something you’ve chosen to defer so it doesn’t keep coming up before you want to reconsider it.
Some additions are smaller: reusable checklists, repeating tasks that count from completion, and a Pomodoro timer in Focus. A packing list shouldn’t need retyping for each trip. A maintenance task can come back two weeks after you finish it.
Capture from a phone, smartwatch, or ring
I’ve been working on capture outside the main app. On desktop, there’s a global shortcut. On phones, you can use the share sheet or voice capture. The goal is to save a thought with as little interruption as possible.
The newest work includes smartwatches and smart rings. I’ve added a native Apple Watch companion for voice or text capture, checking off or deferring Focus tasks, and controlling a Pomodoro timer linked to the iPhone. It queues captures while the phone is unavailable and sends them when the connection returns. The companion is coming with the next stable iOS release.
For the Pebble Index 01 smart ring, you can connect its voice-note webhook to a self-hosted Mindwtr server. The transcription and recording reach your Inbox on the next sync. This route needs a server you run; the capture webhook guide covers the setup. I’ve added capture-only tokens so a capture device can submit a note without getting permission to read or delete your tasks.
In the next release, you can use native Android Tasks and Quick Capture widgets to see a task list or capture from the home screen without opening the full app.
I like this direction because an idea can arrive while you’re away from your desk. You should be able to record it and return to what you were doing, then process it in Inbox when you’re ready.
Keeping my data and connecting my tools
I use different operating systems, so cross-platform support was part of the reason to build Mindwtr. You can use it on Windows, macOS, and Linux, on iPhone and Android, or as a web app. On mobile, you get Inbox processing and review as well as capture.
You can use the app offline without a Mindwtr account. For sync, you choose the storage: iCloud on supported Apple builds, Dropbox in supported builds, a shared folder, compatible WebDAV, or a self-hosted server. You can export a backup and keep it yourself.
Recent fixes include preserving audio from server captures and keeping attachment references while files arrive through a shared folder. I want to be able to trust a task with an attached file as much as a line of text.
On desktop, you can import tasks from an Obsidian vault and open their source notes from Mindwtr. You can see calendar appointments alongside dated work, and import lists from Todoist, TickTick, and other apps without retyping them.
For scripts and assistants, there’s a local API and an MCP server. The in-app AI helper is optional and off by default. You can use your own provider key or a compatible local model to help clarify a task or suggest smaller steps. You choose which suggestions to keep.
Keeping it manageable
With each addition, I have to decide how much to put in front of someone trying to write down one task. I want to keep that screen small, with optional fields and integrations available for the people who need them.
I have the same concern about unfinished work. In the next release, you can cancel a task or project and keep its history, without marking it complete. Sometimes I decide to stop doing something. I’d like my task list to reflect that decision.
Mindwtr remains free and open source. You can inspect the code, change it, or keep running your copy. I want to keep that freedom while improving the details that make the app useful from one week to the next.
You can find downloads on the website and longer desktop and mobile walkthroughs in the video library. I’ve been expanding the guides, including one on getting back into GTD after your lists fall out of date.
If you try Mindwtr, I’d like to hear where you get stuck. A concrete example in GitHub Issues or Discussions helps me decide what to work on next.
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