What's Next

Overview

Core principle: Query both data sources (OmniFocus + macOS Calendar), integrate the timeline, and give 1-2 directive next actions. Never present options—YOU decide based on context.

When to Use

• User asks "What's next?", "What should I work on?", "What do I focus on now?"
• User seems overwhelmed or has decision fatigue
• User is context-switching and needs direction

Quick Reference

1. Fetch macOS Calendar events → Find next hard deadline
2. Query OmniFocus tasks → Get flagged, due, next, and available items
3. Analyze time window → Calculate available time until next deadline
4. Make context-aware choice → Consider energy, estimates, flags, defer dates
5. Give 1-2 directive actions → Not options. Decide.

Implementation

Step 1: Query macOS Calendar

# Get events from now through end of day
osascript -e 'tell application "Calendar"
  set startDate to current date
  set endDate to startDate + (1 * days)
  set theEvents to {}
  repeat with cal in calendars
    set calEvents to (every event of cal whose start date ≥ startDate and start date ≤ endDate)
    set theEvents to theEvents & calEvents
  end repeat
  repeat with evt in theEvents
    log (summary of evt) & " | " & (start date of evt as string)
  end repeat
end tell'

Step 2: Query OmniFocus

// Get tasks in priority order
mcp__OmniFocus__query_omnifocus({
  entity: "tasks",
  filters: {
    status: ["Next", "Available", "DueSoon", "Overdue"]
  },
  includeCompleted: false,
  fields: ["name", "dueDate", "deferDate", "estimatedMinutes", "flagged", "projectName", "taskStatus"]
})

Step 3: Integrate and Decide

Find next hard deadline:

• Next calendar event OR next task due date
• Calculate available time window

Context-aware selection:

• If exhausted/EOD → Quick wins (< 20 min) OR "stop for today"
• If < 30 min available → Quick wins only
• If 1-2 hours → Flagged items OR next available tasks that fit
• Defer dates → Highlight newly-available tasks
• Overdue flagged → Address if time permits, else communicate plan

Output format:

Next: [Specific task name]
Why: [Time available] + [context reason]

NOT:

You could do A, B, or C. What do you think?

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Fix
"What would you like to focus on?"	Query data sources. YOU decide.
"Here are 3 options: A, B, C"	Give 1-2 directive recommendations.
"Should you continue debugging or switch?"	Make the choice based on data.
Recommending 70 min of work when user is exhausted	Consider "stop for today" or < 15 min tasks.
Forgetting to query actual data sources	ALWAYS fetch Calendar + OmniFocus data.
Ignoring defer dates	Call out newly-available deferred tasks.

Red Flags - STOP

These thoughts mean you're avoiding responsibility:

• "Let me ask what you prefer"
• "I could present some options"
• "It depends on what you want"
• "Let me get clarification first" (before querying data)

All of these mean: Query the data. Make the decision. Give directive guidance.

Special Cases

User is debugging/in middle of work: Check if that work is tracked in OmniFocus. If not, ask progress status. If stuck > 2 hours, recommend context switch.

User says "I'm beat": Consider stopping for the day. If work remains, suggest < 15 min tasks or defer to tomorrow.

Conflicting priorities: Time window wins. If meeting in 30 min and boss asked about 1.5 hour task, recommend preparing for meeting + communicating timeline for other task.

Empty or sparse data:

• OmniFocus empty → "Add tasks to your OmniFocus for what needs doing today."
• Calendar empty + OmniFocus has tasks → "No meetings today. Focus on: [specific flagged/next task]"
• Both empty → "You're clear. Take the day off." (If user pushes back, THEN suggest adding tasks)

NEVER say "either... or..." even with sparse data. Stay directive. Choose ONE recommendation.

User asks for options: Acknowledge but redirect: "Let me give you a clear recommendation instead." Then query data and decide.

User disagrees with recommendation: Defer to their preference. You're directive about initial recommendations, not dogmatic when they have different context.