Apple Reminders

List, add, edit, complete, or delete Apple Reminders and reminder lists via remindctl.

Apple Reminders CLI (remindctl)

Use remindctl to manage Apple Reminders directly from the terminal.

When to Use

Use when:

• User explicitly mentions "reminder" or "Reminders app"
• Creating personal to-dos with due dates that sync to iOS
• Managing Apple Reminders lists
• User wants tasks to appear in their iPhone/iPad Reminders app

When NOT to Use

Do not use when:

• Scheduling OpenClaw tasks or alerts -> use cron tool with systemEvent instead
• Calendar events or appointments -> use Apple Calendar
• Project/work task management -> use Notion, GitHub Issues, or task queue
• One-time notifications -> use cron tool for timed alerts
• User says "remind me" but means an OpenClaw alert -> clarify first

Setup

• Install: brew install steipete/tap/remindctl
• macOS-only; grant Reminders permission when prompted
• Check status: remindctl status
• Request access: remindctl authorize

Common Commands

View Reminders

bash

remindctl                    # Today's reminders
remindctl today              # Today
remindctl tomorrow           # Tomorrow
remindctl week               # This week
remindctl overdue            # Past due
remindctl all                # Everything
remindctl 2026-01-04         # Specific date

Manage Lists

bash

remindctl list               # List all lists
remindctl list Work          # Show specific list
remindctl list Projects --create    # Create list
remindctl list Work --delete        # Delete list

Create Reminders

bash

remindctl add "Buy milk"
remindctl add --title "Call mom" --list Personal --due tomorrow
remindctl add --title "Meeting prep" --due "2026-02-15 09:00"

Complete/Delete

bash

remindctl complete 1 2 3     # Complete by ID
remindctl delete 4A83 --force  # Delete by ID

Output Formats

bash

remindctl today --json       # JSON for scripting
remindctl today --plain      # TSV format
remindctl today --quiet      # Counts only

Date Formats

Accepted by --due and date filters:

• today, tomorrow, yesterday
• YYYY-MM-DD
• YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm
• ISO 8601 (2026-01-04T12:34:56Z)

Example: Clarifying User Intent

User: "Remind me to check on the deploy in 2 hours"

Ask: "Do you want this in Apple Reminders (syncs to your phone) or as an OpenClaw alert (I'll message you here)?"

• Apple Reminders -> use this skill
• OpenClaw alert -> use cron tool with systemEvent