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

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

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

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

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

Output Formats

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