mstodo

The user invoked /mstodo to work on their Microsoft To Do tasks via the mstodo MCP tools (todo_login, todo_get_lists, todo_get_tasks, todo_create_task, todo_complete_tasks, todo_update_task, todo_add_note, todo_checklist, todo_set_groups).

Requested list/group: "$ARGUMENTS"

Follow this flow:

1. Install self-check — first /mstodo of the conversation only. If you have already run this check earlier in this conversation, skip straight to step 1; do not re-check, and do not re-report a problem you already reported. On the first invocation, run the single Bash call in Install self-check below. If everything is fine, say nothing about it and carry on silently — this check is invisible when healthy. If it reports a problem, tell the user in one or two lines, then carry on with the request anyway using whatever still works. Never repair it on your own initiative. Do not go looking for where the repo moved to, do not rewrite the symlink, do not edit cli-path.json — not even if you can see the correct path. Say what is broken and what would fix it, then wait to be asked. A fresh conversation re-runs the check, and the user can also just ask you to check again.

2. reset (also accept --clear-default) — check for this before parsing the text as a list name. Delete this project's entry from ~/.mstodo-mcp/defaults.json (see Per-project default list below), confirm in one line — "Cleared the default list for this project." — and stop. Leave every other project's entry untouched.

3. No argument given (the text above is empty): read ~/.mstodo-mcp/defaults.json and look up the current working directory.

   • A default is stored → use it immediately, without asking. But announce it in one line first, before any tool call: Using your default list for this project: **Backlog** (Work). Then continue at step 4 with that list (and group). Never silently load a list.
   • No default, or the file is missing/unreadable → call todo_get_lists, show the lists grouped by folder (and any ungrouped ones), and ask which list to work on. Then stop and wait. Once the user names a list, fetch it — and then ask once: "Make X the default list for this project?" Write it to defaults.json only if they say yes.

4. Argument given: interpret it as a list name that may include a group. Accept natural phrasings — "Backlog from Work", "Work / Backlog", "Work: Backlog", or just "Backlog". Extract the group when present and call todo_get_tasks with list (and group if identified). Defaults to open tasks only, which is what you want. An explicit argument wins for that invocation and never changes the stored default — not even when it names a different list, not even when it's used all session. The user often works two or more lists at once for different purposes. The stored default is only what a bare /mstodo reaches for, and it changes only when the user explicitly asks.

5. Handle the tool's response:

   • needs_clarification (ambiguous or not found): show the returned candidates/suggestions and ask the user which they mean, then retry with the group set (or list_id). Do not guess when two lists share a name.
   • not_signed_in: call todo_login, relay the sign-in URL and code to the user, and wait for them to confirm they've signed in before retrying. Don't loop silently.

6. If any returned task has notesTruncated: true — its note was cut at 1000 characters by the MCP server. Fetch the full text immediately, before you present that task, using the read-only companion CLI (see Reading full notes below). Do not summarize or plan around a truncated note, and do not ask permission first — the user would rather always see everything than risk missing something buried in a long note. If several tasks are truncated, fetch them all in one Bash call.

7. Once tasks are fetched, present them clearly — group by status, surface due dates, importance, notes (full text, per step 5) and checklist subtasks. Then plan together: help prioritize, break big items into checklist subtasks (todo_checklist), set or adjust due dates/importance (todo_update_task), or create new tasks (todo_create_task) as the conversation calls for it.