First Do The Thing

A productivity enforcement system that automatically turns off your LG TV when you have incomplete tasks in Things 3. Perfect for those who need a little extra motivation to complete their to-do list before relaxing with TV time.

How It Works

1. The system periodically checks Things 3 for tasks with a specific tag (default: "do the thing")
2. If any tagged tasks exist, and your LG TV is on, it will automatically turn off your TV

Prerequisites

• An LG WebOS TV with network connectivity
• Things 3 app (for task integration)
• macOS (required for Things 3 integration)

Installation

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/first-do-the-thing.git
   cd first-do-the-thing
   

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install
   

3. Copy .env.example to .env and update with your configuration:

   cp .env.example .env
   

4. Obtain your LG TV key:

   node scripts/get-tv-key.js
   

   Follow the on-screen instructions to authorize the application on your TV.

5. Update your .env file with the obtained TV key.

6. Build the project:

   npm run build
   

Usage

Start the server:

npm start

For development with auto-reload:

npm run dev

Utility Scripts

• scripts/get-tv-key.js - Get the client key for your LG TV

Configuration

The application can be configured using environment variables in the .env file:

Variable	Description	Default
PORT	Server port	3000
TV_IP	IP address of the LG TV	-
TV_PORT	WebSocket port for the TV	3001
TV_KEY	Client key for TV authentication	-
TV_STATUS_CHECK_INTERVAL	Interval for checking TV status (ms)	10000
THINGS3_TAG	Tag to search for in Things 3	do the thing
THINGS3_CHECK_INTERVAL	Interval for checking tasks (ms)	300000

Web Admin Interface

The application includes a web-based admin interface that allows you to:

• View the current system status with visual indicators
• See outstanding tasks from Things 3
• Check tasks manually
• Turn off the TV directly (when it's on)
• Monitor system logs in real-time

The admin interface automatically refreshes every 30 seconds to show the latest information, with TV status updating more frequently (every 2-3 seconds).

To access the admin interface, open your browser and navigate to:

http://localhost:3000

API Endpoints

• POST /api/check-tasks - Manually trigger a task check and TV control
• GET /api/status - Get the current status of the system
• GET /api/logs - Get system logs
• GET /api/tasks - Get outstanding tasks with the configured tag
• POST /api/tv/turn-off - Directly turn off the TV
• GET /api/tv/status - Get the current TV connection status