Mindwtr
Local-first GTD productivity tool
Quick Take: Mindwtr
Mindwtr is a refreshing take on task management for GTD practitioners who value privacy and simplicity over feature bloat. It's the local-first GTD tool that the privacy-conscious productivity community has been waiting for.
Best For
- •GTD practitioners who want local-first data storage
- •Privacy-conscious users avoiding cloud task managers
- •Developers who prefer open-source tools
Install with Homebrew
brew install --cask mindwtrWhat is Mindwtr?
Mindwtr is a local-first GTD (Getting Things Done) productivity application for macOS. It implements David Allen's GTD methodology with an emphasis on privacy and offline capability — all your tasks, projects, and notes are stored locally on your Mac, never uploaded to cloud servers. Mindwtr provides the structured workflow of capture, clarify, organize, reflect, and engage that GTD practitioners rely on, wrapped in a clean macOS-native interface.
Key Features
GTD Workflow
A structured implementation of the Getting Things Done methodology with Inbox capture, project organization, context-based lists, and regular review prompts.
Local-First Storage
All data is stored on your Mac in a portable format. No cloud sync, no account required, no privacy concerns.
Quick Capture
A global keyboard shortcut triggers an instant capture window, letting you dump thoughts into your Inbox without switching away from your current work.
Context Lists
Organize next actions by context (@computer, @phone, @errands) so you always know what to do based on where you are and what tools you have.
Weekly Review
A guided weekly review process walks you through each GTD step, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.
Who Should Use Mindwtr?
1GTD Practitioner
A seasoned GTD user frustrated with cloud-dependent tools like Todoist switches to Mindwtr for complete data sovereignty while maintaining their established workflow.
2Privacy-Conscious Developer
A developer who avoids cloud services for personal data uses Mindwtr to manage work and personal tasks without any data leaving their machine.
3Freelancer
A freelancer managing multiple client projects uses Mindwtr's project and context views to stay organized without paying for premium task management subscriptions.
Install Mindwtr on Mac
Mindwtr is available as a Homebrew cask for macOS.
Install Homebrew
If you don't have Homebrew, open your terminal and run: `/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"`
Install Mindwtr
Run `brew install --cask mindwtr` in your terminal.
Start Capturing
Open Mindwtr and begin by capturing everything on your mind into the Inbox. Then process items using the GTD clarify and organize workflow.
Pro Tips
- • Set up the global capture shortcut immediately — it's the most important feature for building the GTD habit.
- • Start with the Inbox and resist organizing until you've captured everything.
Configuration Tips
Define Your Contexts
Create context lists that match your actual environments: @mac, @phone, @office, @home, @errands. This is the backbone of GTD's 'engage' step.
Schedule Weekly Reviews
Block 30-60 minutes every Friday for the weekly review. Mindwtr's guided review makes this painless but you still need the calendar block.
Alternatives to Mindwtr
GTD-style task managers range from simple to complex, cloud to local.
Todoist
Todoist is the most popular cloud-based task manager with GTD-style features. It offers cross-platform sync and collaboration but stores your data on their servers.
OmniFocus
OmniFocus is the gold standard for GTD on Apple platforms. It's more feature-rich but significantly more expensive and complex than Mindwtr.
Joplin
Joplin is a local-first note-taking app that can be adapted for GTD workflows. It's more flexible but lacks Mindwtr's structured GTD implementation.
Pricing
Mindwtr is free and open-source. No subscription, no account, no limits.
Pros
- ✓True local-first — complete privacy and data ownership
- ✓Proper GTD methodology implementation
- ✓No subscription required
- ✓Guided weekly review
- ✓Global quick capture shortcut
Cons
- ✗No cloud sync between devices
- ✗Smaller feature set than OmniFocus or Todoist
- ✗No mobile companion app
- ✗Community-maintained
Community & Support
Mindwtr is an open-source project hosted on GitHub. The GTD community has shown interest in local-first alternatives, and discussions happen through GitHub issues.
Frequently Asked Questions about Mindwtr
Our Verdict
Mindwtr is a refreshing take on task management for GTD practitioners who value privacy and simplicity over feature bloat. It's the local-first GTD tool that the privacy-conscious productivity community has been waiting for.
About the Author
Productivity & Workflow Analyst
Expert Tips for Mindwtr
The most important GTD habit is the weekly review. Mindwtr's guided review lowers the barrier enough to actually do it consistently.
Back up the Mindwtr data directory with git for automatic version history of your task database.
Related Technologies & Concepts
Related Topics
Productivity & Task Management
Tools for organizing tasks, projects, and personal productivity.