UpTier

MCP-powered task management with intelligent prioritization via Claude Desktop

UpTier is a desktop to-do application that combines a clean Microsoft To Do-style interface with the power of Claude AI for intelligent task prioritization. Through the Model Context Protocol (MCP), Claude can analyze your tasks and help you focus on what matters most.

Demo

UpTier_Demo.mp4

Download

Download UpTier for Windows

Pre-built installer available. No build required.

Features

Task Management

• Lists & Tasks - Create custom lists, tasks with subtasks, and organize your work
• Smart Lists - Built-in views for My Day, Important, Planned, and Completed tasks
• Custom Filters - Create your own smart lists with visual filter rules (due date, priority, tags, energy, and more)
• Tags - Categorize tasks with colored tags for easy filtering
• Due Dates - Set due dates with notifications and overdue tracking
• Recurring Tasks - Daily, weekday, weekly, biweekly, and monthly recurrence with optional end dates
• Day Planner - Time-blocking calendar view with hourly grid, drag-and-drop scheduling, and block resizing
• Task Duration - Set estimated duration for tasks to size time blocks on the calendar
• Drag & Drop - Reorder tasks within lists and schedule tasks onto the calendar

AI-Powered Features

• Intelligent Prioritization - Let Claude analyze and prioritize your tasks
• Multiple Strategies - Eisenhower matrix, quick wins, high impact, and more
• Auto-Suggestions - Get AI recommendations for task organization

Organization

• Goal Tracking - Link tasks to goals and track progress
• Priority Tiers - Three-tier system (Do Now, Do Soon, Backlog)
• Priority Scoring - Rate tasks by effort, impact, urgency, and importance
• Data Export - Export your data for backup or analysis

Multi-Database Support

• Multiple Profiles - Create separate databases for work, personal, projects
• Easy Switching - Switch between database profiles from the sidebar
• Isolated Data - Each profile maintains its own lists, tasks, and settings

Focus Timer

• Distraction-Free Mode - Full-screen timer overlay to help you stay focused
• Flexible Durations - Preset options (30, 45, 60, 90 min) or custom duration
• Task Context - See task title and notes while working
• Keyboard Controls - Space to pause/resume, Esc to end session

User Experience

• Themes - Dark, Light, Earth Dark, Earth Light, and Cyberpunk themes
• Command Palette - Global search and navigation with Ctrl+K
• Keyboard Shortcuts - Quick actions with Ctrl+F (search), Ctrl+N (new task)
• System Tray - Minimize to tray for quick access
• Concurrent Access - SQLite with WAL mode lets both the app and Claude work simultaneously

Architecture

uptier/
├── apps/
│   ├── electron/          # Desktop application (React + Electron)
│   └── mcp-server/        # MCP server for Claude Desktop
├── packages/
│   └── shared/            # Shared types and database schema
└── pnpm-workspace.yaml

Component	Description
MCP Server	Node.js server providing 25+ task management tools via MCP
Electron App	Desktop application with React UI
SQLite Database	Shared database with WAL mode for concurrent access

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js 20+ (LTS recommended)
• pnpm 8+
• Claude Desktop (for AI features)

Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/foxintheloop/uptier.git
cd uptier

# Install pnpm (if not already installed)
npm install -g pnpm

# Install dependencies
pnpm install

# Approve build scripts for native modules (canvas, sharp, electron)
pnpm approve-builds

# Rebuild native modules
pnpm rebuild

# Rebuild better-sqlite3 for Electron's bundled Node.js
npx electron-rebuild -f -w better-sqlite3

# Build packages
pnpm --filter @uptier/shared build
pnpm --filter @uptier/mcp-server build

Note: The Electron app bundles its own Node.js runtime (v20.x), which differs from your system Node.js. The electron-rebuild step compiles better-sqlite3 for Electron's version. The MCP server deployment (below) compiles it separately for your system Node.js used by Claude Desktop.

Running the App

# Development mode
pnpm dev:electron

# Production build
pnpm --filter @uptier/electron build

Claude Desktop Integration

Deploy the MCP server for Claude Desktop:

# Deploy MCP server to standalone directory
pnpm --filter @uptier/mcp-server deploy

This deploys the MCP server to ~/.uptier/mcp-server/ with its own node_modules, automatically compiled for your current Node.js version. The Claude Desktop config is updated automatically.

Why standalone? The Electron app uses Node.js 22 (bundled), while Claude Desktop may use a different Node.js version. The standalone deployment compiles native modules (like better-sqlite3) for the correct version, preventing conflicts.

After deployment:

1. Restart Claude Desktop
2. The UpTier tools will be available in Claude

Manual Configuration (Alternative)

If the automatic deployment doesn't work, add UpTier manually to your Claude Desktop config:

Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "uptier": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/.uptier/mcp-server/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

MCP Tools

UpTier exposes powerful tools to Claude for managing your tasks:

Lists

Tool	Description
create_list	Create a new task list
get_lists	Get all lists with task counts
update_list	Update list name, color, or icon
delete_list	Delete a list
reorder_lists	Change list positions

Tasks

Tool	Description
create_task	Create a new task with optional attributes
get_tasks	Get tasks with filtering options
update_task	Update task properties
complete_task	Mark task as completed
delete_task	Delete a task
bulk_create_tasks	Create multiple tasks at once
move_task	Move task to a different list

Prioritization

Tool	Description
prioritize_list	Analyze tasks and get prioritization guidance
bulk_set_priorities	Set priority tiers for multiple tasks
get_prioritization_summary	Get overview of task priorities
suggest_next_task	Get AI recommendation for what to work on next

Goals

Tool	Description
create_goal	Create a goal
get_goals	Get all goals with progress
update_goal	Update goal properties
link_tasks_to_goal	Associate tasks with goals
get_goal_progress	Get completion stats for a goal

Day Planner

Tool	Description
get_day_schedule	Get scheduled tasks, unscheduled tasks, and free time blocks for a date
schedule_tasks	Schedule tasks onto the day planner time grid
unschedule_task	Remove a task from the time grid to unscheduled sidebar

Subtasks & Tags

Tool	Description
add_subtask	Add subtask to a task
update_subtask	Update subtask properties
create_tag	Create a new tag
get_tags	Get all tags
add_tag_to_task	Tag a task

Prioritization Strategies

When asking Claude to prioritize your tasks, you can request different strategies:

Strategy	Best For
Balanced	General use - weighs all factors equally
Urgent First	Deadline-driven work
Quick Wins	Building momentum with low-effort wins
High Impact	Maximum results regardless of effort
Eisenhower	Classic urgent/important decision matrix

Priority Tiers

Tasks are organized into three tiers:

• Tier 1 (Do Now) - High impact, urgent, or blocking other work
• Tier 2 (Do Soon) - Important but not time-sensitive
• Tier 3 (Backlog) - Lower priority, someday/maybe items

Data Storage

Your data is stored locally:

• Windows: %APPDATA%\.uptier\tasks.db
• macOS/Linux: ~/.uptier/tasks.db

Additional database profiles are stored in the same directory with custom names.

The database uses SQLite with WAL mode, allowing the Electron app and MCP server to access it simultaneously without conflicts.

Logs

Application logs are stored at:

• Windows: %APPDATA%\UpTier\logs\
• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/UpTier/logs/
• Linux: ~/.config/UpTier/logs/

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+K	Open command palette
Ctrl+N	Create new task
Ctrl+F	Focus search
↑ / ↓	Navigate tasks
Space	Toggle task completion
Delete	Delete selected task
Escape	Close detail panel

Focus Timer Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Space	Pause/Resume timer
Escape	End focus session

Roadmap

• Smart lists (My Day, Important, Planned, Completed)
• Themes (Dark, Light, Earth, Cyberpunk)
• Keyboard shortcuts
• Tags
• Due date notifications
• Multiple database profiles
• Data export
• List rename/delete
• Focus timer
• Resizable panels
• Recurring tasks
• Custom smart list filters
• Calendar integration
• Task templates
• Mobile companion app

Troubleshooting

"Electron uninstall" error

If you see Error: Electron uninstall when running pnpm dev:electron, the Electron binary wasn't downloaded. Run:

node node_modules/electron/install.js

Native module errors with MCP server

If Claude Desktop shows errors about better-sqlite3 or NODE_MODULE_VERSION mismatches, use the standalone deployment:

pnpm --filter @uptier/mcp-server deploy

This creates a separate MCP server installation at ~/.uptier/mcp-server/ with native modules compiled for your current Node.js version, avoiding conflicts with the Electron app.

If you still have issues, ensure you're running the deploy command with the same Node.js version that Claude Desktop uses (typically Node.js 23).

Build script warnings

If you see warnings about "Ignored build scripts" during pnpm install, run:

pnpm approve-builds

Then select the packages that need to run build scripts (canvas, sharp, electron).

"NODE_MODULE_VERSION mismatch" in Electron app

If the Electron app crashes with NODE_MODULE_VERSION mismatch (e.g., "was compiled against a different Node.js version"), rebuild better-sqlite3 for Electron:

npx electron-rebuild -f -w better-sqlite3

This typically happens after upgrading Node.js or running pnpm install, which recompiles native modules for your system Node.js rather than Electron's bundled version.

"Schema not found" error in Claude Desktop

If the MCP server reports that schema.sql cannot be found, the deployed files are stale. Rebuild and redeploy:

pnpm --filter @uptier/shared build
pnpm --filter @uptier/mcp-server build
pnpm --filter @uptier/mcp-server deploy

After upgrading Node.js

When you upgrade your system Node.js version, native modules need to be recompiled:

1. Electron app: npx electron-rebuild -f -w better-sqlite3
2. MCP server: Rebuild and redeploy:

   pnpm --filter @uptier/shared build
   pnpm --filter @uptier/mcp-server build
   pnpm --filter @uptier/mcp-server deploy

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Here's how to get started:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Make your changes
4. Run the app to test (pnpm dev:electron)
5. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
6. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
7. Open a Pull Request

Help Wanted: macOS & Linux Testing

UpTier is currently only tested on Windows. If you're on macOS or Linux, we'd love your help testing and reporting any platform-specific issues!

License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

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Built with Electron, React, and Claude