Troubleshooting

Each section below covers something you're trying to get working, and what to check if it isn't.

#Capture with ⌘C twice

• Check the switch. Settings → Capture & shortcuts → Press ⌘C twice to capture should be on.
• Check the menu bar. You should see the TodoCity icon there. If you don't, open TodoCity from Applications.
• Copy from another app. Anything you copy inside TodoCity itself doesn't count.
• Press ⌘C the second time straight after the first, with the same text selected.

Pressing ⌘C twice doesn't need any permission. Accessibility is only needed for the capture shortcut and Watch.

#Capture with the shortcut (⇧⌘S)

• Allow Accessibility. Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility, turn on TodoCity, then press the shortcut again. If this is what's needed, the card will say Allow Accessibility to capture.
• Check the menu bar to make sure the TodoCity icon is there.
• Does another app use the same keys? Pick a different shortcut in Settings → Capture & shortcuts.

#Allow Accessibility again after an update

Sometimes macOS needs a fresh go after an update. In System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility, remove TodoCity with –, then capture again and allow it once more.

#“Select some text first”

Select the text again and press the shortcut. Keep in mind that password fields always stay private. You can also right-click the selected text and choose Add to TodoCity.

#“Copy the text first”

This means your clipboard is holding something large, like an image. Copy the text with ⌘C, then press the shortcut again.

#Add to TodoCity in the right-click menu

Open TodoCity from Applications once, then log out and back in. You can also switch it on in System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts → Services → Text. In some apps, you'll find it under Services.

#Finish a model download

• Resume it. In Settings → Open models, click Resume download, and it picks up where it left off.
• Download it again if TodoCity says the file was changed on the way. Every model is checked against its SHA-256 before it's used.
• Carry on in the meantime. Until the model is ready, the capture card opens for you to fill in yourself.
• Already have a GGUF model from Ollama, LM Studio or Hugging Face? You can use it without downloading anything. See AI models.

#Find your Things library

• Open Things 3 on this Mac first and let it finish syncing. If you only use Things on your iPhone or iPad, install Things 3 for Mac and sign in to Things Cloud.
• Click Allow if macOS asks whether TodoCity can access data from other apps.
• Choose it yourself. Click Choose the database myself…, then in Finder choose Go → Go to Folder…, paste ~/Library/Group Containers/JLMPQHK86H.com.culturedcode.ThingsMac, open the ThingsData-… folder and pick Things Database.thingsdatabase.
• If macOS blocks it, give TodoCity Full Disk Access in System Settings → Privacy & Security, or copy the ThingsData-… folder to your Desktop and choose the copy.

See Things 3.

#Connect Todoist with a token

If TodoCity says “Todoist didn't accept that token”, try these:

• Copy it again from Todoist, using Settings → Integrations → Developer → Copy API token, and make sure you paste the whole thing.
• Made a new token in Todoist? The old one stops working, so paste the new one.
• No token? Choose No token? Use CSV files instead. See Todoist.

#See a change sync

#Between your Macs

• Keep both Macs open. While both are open, changes show up within about 30 seconds. A Mac that was asleep or offline catches up within a minute of coming back.
• Click Sync now in Settings → Your other Macs. The card tells you whether it's up to date, or how many changes are waiting to send.
• Check Keep on this Mac only. Any project switched on there stays on one Mac.
• Was this Mac removed from sync? Its tasks are still here. Just pair it again with a code. See Sync between your Macs.

#With Todoist or Things 3

• Click Sync now on the app's card in Settings → Connectors. Otherwise, it syncs every few minutes.
• Check that the project still syncs. If you stopped syncing a project from its ⋯ menu, or moved a task into a project that doesn't sync, it stays as it is in each app.
• Deleted a lot at once? The safety brake holds back any sync that would delete more than 20 tasks when that's also more than half of the linked ones.
• Using two Macs? New tasks and finished repeats from your other Mac wait 10 minutes, so the Mac that made the change goes first.

#With Apple Reminders or Calendar

Click Sync now on the card in Settings → Connectors. The card also shows when it last synced.

#Get reminders

Settings → Notifications tells you whether TodoCity is allowed to send notifications. If it isn't, click Open System Settings to turn them on, then use Send a test to check.

#Connect an agent

Move TodoCity into Applications and open it from there, then click Connect in Settings → Agents. To make sure it worked, use Test the connection under More: another app, or test the connection.

#Place the menu-bar icon

Hold ⌘ and drag it wherever you like. macOS remembers the spot, even after updates.

#Something else

If you're still stuck, Settings → Help → Log file opens TodoCity's log. It stays on your Mac unless you share it, so attach it to an issue on GitHub and we'll take a look.