mmap-tools

Read, write, and convert MindJet MindManager .mmap files. Pure Python, zero dependencies.

Features

• Read .mmap files into a clean Python object model
• Write back to .mmap with round-trip fidelity (preserves styles, icons, layout)
• Export to Obsidian-compatible markdown (with Tasks plugin syntax)
• Import from markdown back to .mmap
• CLI for quick inspection and conversion
• No dependencies — only Python stdlib

Install

pip install mmap-tools

Quick Start

import mmap_tools

# Read a mind map
m = mmap_tools.read("ToDo List.mmap")
print(m)  # MindMap('ToDo', 186 topics)

# Navigate the tree
for branch in m.root.children:
    print(f"{branch.text}: {len(branch.children)} children")

# Find topics
health = m.find("Health & Fitness")
for item in health.walk():
    print("  " * item.depth + item.text)

# List tasks
for topic in m.tasks(status=mmap_tools.TaskStatus.NOT_STARTED):
    print(f"TODO: {topic.text}")

# Modify
new_task = health.add_child("Book dentist appointment")
new_task.task = mmap_tools.Task(priority=mmap_tools.TaskPriority.HIGH)

# Export to markdown
md = mmap_tools.to_markdown(m)
print(md)

# Write back to .mmap
mmap_tools.write(m, "updated.mmap")

CLI

# Show map summary
mmap-tools info "ToDo List.mmap"

# Print full tree
mmap-tools tree "ToDo List.mmap" --depth 3

# List open tasks
mmap-tools tasks "ToDo List.mmap" --status open

# Search
mmap-tools find "ToDo List.mmap" "insurance"

# Export to markdown
mmap-tools export "ToDo List.mmap" -o tasks.md

How .mmap files work

MindManager .mmap files are ZIP archives containing:

• Document.xml — the map structure (topics, tasks, icons, notes, hyperlinks)
• bin/ — embedded images and attachments
• xsd/ — XML schema definitions
• Preview.png — thumbnail

This library reads and writes Document.xml while preserving all other contents.

Obsidian Integration

The markdown export uses Obsidian Tasks syntax:

- [ ] Book dentist ⏫ 📅 2026-03-15
- [x] Submit tax return
- [ ] Review insurance (25%)

Import back to .mmap:

md = open("tasks.md").read()
m = mmap_tools.from_markdown(md)
mmap_tools.write(m, "from_obsidian.mmap")

License

AGPL-3.0 — see LICENSE