Apple Notes MCP Server
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that lets Claude (Claude Code and Claude Desktop), Codex, and other MCP clients read, search, create, edit, organize, and export notes in Apple Notes on macOS. It runs locally on your Mac and talks to Notes through AppleScript, Apple Shortcuts, and read-only access to the Notes database.
Beyond creating and editing notes, it manages folders and accounts, native tags, checklists, tables, pinned notes, links, and attachments. It can also export notes as Markdown (through templates you can edit in a local web editor), HTML (with classic drawings as SVG), or JSON, read audio transcripts and drawings, link to single paragraphs with anchors that survive edits, and run a query language across your whole library.
Contents
- What is This? · Setup on your Mac · Requirements · Features
- Tool Reference: notes, folders, accounts, batch, export, attachments, and media, diagnostics, native background operations, private helper
- Usage Patterns · Installation choices and upgrades · Server settings · Full Disk Access · Public native helper · Permission broker
- Security and Privacy · Known Limitations · Troubleshooting · Recurring macOS permission prompts · Development
What is This?
This server acts as a bridge between AI assistants and Apple Notes. Once configured, you can ask Claude (or any MCP-compatible AI) to:
- "Save this conversation as a note called 'Meeting Summary'"
- "Find all my notes about the project deadline"
- "Read my shopping list note"
- "Move my draft notes to the Archive folder"
- "What notes do I have in my Work folder?"
The AI assistant communicates with this server, which then uses AppleScript to interact with the Notes app on your Mac. Some features also use packaged Apple Shortcuts (native tags, checklists, tables, pinning) or read the Notes database read-only (queries, checklist state, transcripts). Notes operations and speech recognition run locally. If you explicitly enable downloadAssets: true, the public helper may download speech models; what your MCP client does with tool results is up to that client.
Setup on your Mac
Apple Notes MCP runs on the Mac that holds your Notes library. Your assistant starts a local MCP server over stdio, and the server uses AppleScript, signed Apple Shortcuts, and read-only database access. Choose one client setup below, then complete the macOS permissions and optional feature setup you need.
Version boundary: these instructions describe v2.15.1, including the optional permission broker. Normal client registration starts an in-process server unless a matching broker is already installed and answering. Broker installation is a separate opt-in step.
Manual client entries, setup commands, and the source checkout below select v2.15.1. Run setup from the same release as the server your client actually launches. The Claude Code plugin bundles its server; the Codex plugin manifest launches an unpinned npm package even when its marketplace is pinned. For reproducible Codex setup, use the manual registration below instead of the plugin. When upgrading, update the selected version consistently in the client and setup commands.
Run each setup target separately and use the exact options shown. Version 2.15.1 does not reject all unknown or mixed setup flags; a misspelled target can fall through to Shortcut setup and open import windows.
Requirements
- macOS with Notes.app and at least one configured Notes account. Features depend on the installed macOS version and account type; inspect
get-capabilitiesbefore relying on optional features. - Node.js 20 or newer. The
npxexamples also need npm, normally included with Node.js. - A client that can launch a local stdio MCP server on this Mac. The configurations below cover Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Codex, Hermes, and Antigravity.
- Automation permission to control Notes.app for AppleScript operations. Database-backed operations also need Full Disk Access for the process macOS holds responsible for the server.
- Apple Shortcuts for native writes such as native tags, checklists, tables, pinning, and rich append. The optional native Markdown creation route needs macOS 26 or newer and an iCloud account.
- An Apple developer toolchain only if you choose to build an optional native helper or permissions window. The public helper needs a current Swift toolchain and macOS SDK that expose the macOS 26 speech APIs; older SDK compatibility is unverified.
Python is not an Apple Notes MCP runtime dependency. The package includes its compiled JavaScript server and signed Shortcut files. Python is used by developer scripts that regenerate those workflows, not by normal installation or MCP tool calls.
You do not need an Apple ID password, API key, or NotesCTL installation to configure this server. A client's own login and tool-approval policy are separate from macOS privacy permissions.
1. Choose one client registration
Use either a plugin or a manual MCP entry for the same client. Registering both can load duplicate servers or leave you using a different package version than expected. Adding a client entry does not grant macOS permissions or import Shortcuts.
Claude Code
For the plugin, run these commands inside a Claude Code session:
/plugin marketplace add sweetrb/apple-notes-mcp#v2.15.1
/plugin install apple-notes@apple-notes-mcp
The plugin bundles the server and the Apple Notes skill. For a manual MCP registration instead, run this in your terminal:
claude mcp add apple-notes -s user -- npx -y [email protected]
Check the connection with /mcp in Claude Code. claude mcp get apple-notes inspects the manually registered server. Project-scoped .mcp.json entries require workspace/server approval and can override a user-scoped entry.
Claude Desktop
Open Settings → Developer → Edit Config. Merge the following server entry into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json, preserving any existing servers:
{
"mcpServers": {
"apple-notes": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "[email protected]"]
}
}
}
Fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop. This npx route does not require a preceding global npm installation. If the desktop app cannot find npx, use an absolute executable path or the fixed Node configuration below. The desktop app may have a different PATH from your interactive shell.
Codex
For the plugin and its Apple Notes skill:
codex plugin marketplace add sweetrb/apple-notes-mcp --ref v2.15.1
codex plugin add apple-notes@apple-notes-mcp
For a manual MCP registration instead:
codex mcp add apple-notes -- npx -y [email protected]
The equivalent entry in ~/.codex/config.toml is:
[mcp_servers.apple-notes]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "[email protected]"]
If codex is not on your terminal's PATH, use the desktop client's Settings → MCP servers → Add server: choose STDIO, enter npx with arguments -y and [email protected], save, and restart the server.
Restart the relevant local Codex session or client. Use /mcp in the CLI or the client's MCP settings to inspect the connection. codex mcp list lists manually configured servers. The desktop client, CLI, and IDE extension share the Codex configuration; select local execution on the Mac containing your Notes library.
The plugin's server entry runs the published npm package through unpinned npx, despite the marketplace ref above. Its server may therefore differ from v2.15.1. Use the manual entry to pin the runtime for these instructions, or run setup from the release matching the plugin's actual server. This is a different distribution path from the Claude Code plugin's bundled server.
Hermes
Register a local stdio server:
hermes mcp add apple-notes --command npx --args -y [email protected]
Or merge this entry into ~/.hermes/config.yaml:
mcp_servers:
apple-notes:
command: npx
args: ["-y", "[email protected]"]
Restart the Hermes session. This repository supplies an MCP configuration route for Hermes; see its CLI commands and MCP configuration reference.
Antigravity
In the IDE, open MCP Servers → Manage MCP Servers → View raw config. Merge the same mcpServers JSON entry shown for Claude Desktop into the global ~/.gemini/config/mcp_config.json, or use the workspace configuration at .agents/mcp_config.json. Refresh or restart the client so it loads the server. Google's MCP guide describes the current menu and configuration paths.
The repository's .antigravity-plugin/mcp_config.json supplies an unpinned stdio server entry; the JSON above pins the audited release. Use command and args; this package does not provide a remote serverUrl.
Gemini Spark (macOS Local MCP)
In Gemini macOS builds that offer Local MCP, open Connected Apps, click + Custom, and select Local MCP in "Set up a custom connected app". Fill in the form with:
You can print these instructions from the installed server:
npx -y apple-notes-mcp setup --gemini-spark
The command only prints the guide. It exits before loading server configuration, checking Notes, or running the other setup commands, and it doesn't register the app or change permissions. Exit 0 means the guide was printed, not that Gemini connected. Run it by itself; combining it with other setup options exits 2.
Keep Sandbox settings at Default initially, then click Next and review the discovered tools and permission requests before connecting. If Gemini can't launch the server, inspect Show Logs and check whether npx is available to the app. For a stable local installation, npm install -g apple-notes-mcp provides the apple-notes-mcp command; you can also use absolute paths to your Node executable and the installed build/index.js if the app can't find them. Keep that installation available, and update the command if you move it or replace Node.
Gemini's sandbox and macOS permissions are separate. Review any additional filesystem access the launcher needs; Full Access isn't a required setup step. Automation of Notes.app enables the AppleScript tools, while database tools need the runtime's Full Disk Access. Shortcut operations need the packaged bridge setup above. After connecting, ask Gemini to run get-capabilities for tool availability, then doctor for Notes access diagnostics before attempting a write. A successful terminal check doesn't verify the permissions of Gemini's process.
This integration uses the Mac app's Local MCP command interface and the server's existing stdio transport. Availability depends on your Gemini build. Google's custom apps documentation currently describes URL-based setup in the web app; it doesn't document this local form. Cloud MCP, Gemini web/mobile, and a hosted HTTP endpoint aren't supported by this server. These instructions apply to Gemini Spark, separately from Gemini CLI and Antigravity.
Other MCP clients and remote execution
A local MCP client can use the command npx with arguments -y and [email protected]. Follow that client's stdio configuration format: JSON mcpServers, TOML, and YAML are not interchangeable.
Apple Notes MCP has no built-in HTTP, SSE, WebSocket, or OAuth MCP endpoint. A cloud-only client cannot access your Mac's Notes library merely by installing the npm package in a Linux container or entering a URL. A separately managed transport bridge or client feature that delegates tool execution to your Mac needs its own configuration and security review; it is not part of this package's supported setup. GUI reveal and clipboard tools also need your logged-in desktop session.
The optional anchors serve command is a paragraph-link resolver, and templates edit is a template editor. Neither is a remote MCP server.
2. Verify the server and macOS access
In the configured client, ask it to run get-capabilities and then doctor. get-capabilities inspects feature availability without opening Notes or running the bridges. doctor also sends a read-only Apple event to Notes and may trigger the macOS Automation prompt. Run these from the actual client because a successful terminal check does not establish that a different desktop app has the same permissions.
Which process needs Full Disk Access? For a brokered session, grant the signed Apple Notes MCP Broker.app access; doctor reports whether that session uses it. Without the broker, Claude Desktop needs the exact Node executable printed by doctor; granting Claude.app alone does not reach the server in that launch path. For a terminal-launched client, the terminal app is normally the responsible app; for an editor-launched server, check that editor. Use the actual running client's diagnostics instead of assuming that all clients share grants.
Client sandbox access is a separate boundary. A sandboxed client must be able to launch the executable and reach its files; a brokered client also needs access to the broker's local Unix socket. Full Disk Access and Automation grants do not expand the client's sandbox. Diagnose a launch or socket-access refusal in the client before changing macOS privacy permissions.
To inspect setup from a terminal without opening permission panes or requesting Automation access:
npx -y [email protected] setup --permissions --check --json
The Automation result is intentionally unknown in this mode. When you are at the Mac and want to check it, this command sends a read-only Apple event and may show the macOS consent prompt:
npx -y [email protected] setup --permissions --once --probe-automation
For an interactive checklist that also opens the relevant settings panes:
npx -y [email protected] setup --permissions --open --probe-automation
The command checks permissions; it does not grant them. --check and SSH sessions suppress the Automation probe even when --probe-automation is supplied. Without the probe, exit status 0 does not establish Automation access.
Full Disk Access is optional if you only need operations that can safely run through AppleScript, but many capabilities and safety checks depend on it. It can also be required by guards on existing-note writes, including rich-content and revision verification; it is not merely an enhancement for read tools. Do not interpret an unavailable database-backed feature as an empty result. In particular, sync results without database visibility do not prove that iCloud sync is idle. Use the tool reference and get-capabilities for individual requirements, and see the Full Disk Access guide.
3. Enable the native Shortcut features you need
Run explicit setup on your Mac:
npx -y [email protected] setup
Approve Add Shortcut for the missing signed workflows that macOS opens:
Apple Notes MCP - Native TagsApple Notes MCP - Background Operations v5Apple Notes MCP - Create Markdown Note, offered only on macOS 26 or newer and optional for native Markdown creation
Then check installation:
npx -y [email protected] setup --check
The first two bridges determine this check's readiness; the optional Markdown bridge is reported separately. Keep only one installed copy of each named bridge. The server refuses duplicate bridge names.
After installation or upgrade, run each installed bridge once in the foreground in Shortcuts.app and answer its access prompts. Choose Always Allow if you want that bridge to run unattended. For the Markdown bridge, use the first-run request in shortcuts/README.md; running it without input stops before it asks Notes for access. That request creates a disposable check note.
An installed bridge is not proof of consent: shortcuts list, setup --check, and doctor cannot observe the first-run consent state. A background native write can stall on an unanswered prompt. After a timeout or an indeterminate write result, read the exact note before retrying because the write may already have happened.
4. Build optional helpers
These commands are separate from registering the MCP client. If xcrun swiftc or clang is unavailable, install Apple's Command Line Tools with xcode-select --install before building a helper. The public helper's source references SpeechAnalyzer and SpeechTranscriber, so its build needs a current Swift toolchain and macOS SDK exposing those macOS 26 APIs. Runtime availability checks do not establish compatibility with an older SDK; builds with older SDKs are unverified.
Public native helper
Needed for get-note-drawings and transcribe-note-audio. Brokered sessions do not load external helpers; set APPLE_NOTES_MCP_BROKER=off for this client and restart it before using these tools:
npx -y [email protected] setup --public-helper
npx -y [email protected] setup --public-helper --check
It compiles locally, signs ad hoc, verifies its handshake, and records source and binary checksums. The server refuses stale or modified helpers; rerun setup after a relevant package upgrade. This helper uses public Apple frameworks and does not open or write the Notes database. The server still needs Full Disk Access to read the drawing/audio assets it passes to the helper.
On older macOS versions, speech transcription needs Speech Recognition access for the responsible host. The helper never requests this silently. On macOS 26 and newer, the SpeechAnalyzer route has been observed to work without a prior grant; explicit denial or restriction still blocks it. Inspect the returned capability/permission status on your Mac.
Private helper setup
Optional read-only NotesShared state inspection, disabled by default. Brokered sessions do not load this helper; set APPLE_NOTES_MCP_BROKER=off for this client and restart it first:
npx -y [email protected] setup --native-helper
npx -y [email protected] setup --native-helper --check
To enable it, set the string environment value APPLE_NOTES_MCP_ENABLE_PRIVATE=1 for the server and restart the client. Inspect native-helper-status before using native-note-state. This released helper opens the store read-only and cannot provide deep native writes. Apple's private API may change with macOS updates; the remaining server features do not require this helper.
Optional checklist window
Optional graphical presentation of the checklist:
npx -y [email protected] setup --permissions-window
npx -y [email protected] setup --permissions --window
It displays the command's checks and opens settings on request. It does not become the permission owner or replace the client process.
5. Confirm the capabilities you intend to use
After restarting the client, run doctor and get-capabilities again. Confirm that the specific routes you need are available, not just that the server connected. Private helper status, public helper readiness, Markdown creation, and the native-write bridges are separate checks.
Use read-only operations first, such as listing accounts/folders and reading a note you select. If you want to exercise a write route, use a dedicated disposable note and verify the result by its exact ID. A successful plain note creation does not validate native tables, checklists, or Markdown creation; test the feature you plan to use.
Keep the server's revision and scope checks enabled. Updates, appends, and deletes use exact IDs and content hashes; native routes may also require a distinctive existing scopeText. Full-body updates refuse rich notes they cannot preserve. Follow the returned error and capability information instead of falling back to a lower-level write.
Features
Read/list/get tools also return structured JSON (structuredContent) alongside the text, so agents can consume results without parsing prose.
Some clients (Claude Desktop among them) pass the model only a result's text
and drop structuredContent. So every result that has structuredContent also
ends with one more text block holding the same data as a single JSON line:
structuredContent: {"id":"x-coredata://…/ICNote/p123","contentHash":"sha256:…","writable":true,…}
That line carries every token a follow-up call needs: the contentHash
revision token for expectedContentHash, new ids, nativeTags, writable,
page.nextOffset, and an error's code, committed and indeterminate. A
long value the text above already shows in full, such as the body from
get-note-content, appears as "[shown in full above]" instead of twice. If
the line would still exceed 16 KB, fields larger than 1 KB (usually a list
already printed above) are left out and named in _omitted. Tools whose text
already is that JSON get no extra block. structuredContent itself is
unchanged.
MCP resources & prompts
Resources expose read-only context the client can attach without a tool call:
notes://accounts, notes://folders, notes://stats, and the
notes://note/{id} template (returns the note as Markdown). Prompts package
common workflows: find-note, weekly-review, new-meeting-note.
AppleScript limitations
A few Notes UI features are not exposed to AppleScript. Some are recovered by reading Notes' own database instead; the rest genuinely cannot be supported. See docs/APPLESCRIPT-LIMITATIONS.md for the investigation and verification behind each:
- Pinned notes — Notes has no scriptable
pinnedproperty via AppleScript. Pin state is read from the NoteStore database by the BETAget-note-metadatatool andlist-special-notes, and set through the Background Operations Shortcut byset-note-pinned. - Note-to-note links — AppleScript exposes no link property or link element. Links are instead read from the NoteStore database by
list-note-links, and inserted byinsert-note-link(through a Shortcut) orinsert-link. A shareablenotes://showNote?identifier=<uuid>deep link is available viaget-note-link.
Tool Reference
This section documents all available tools. AI agents should use these tool names and parameters exactly as specified.
Identifier forms
Every tool that takes a note id (id, noteId, ids, linkedNoteId, or the id inside a batch entry) accepts any of three forms of the same note:
The server turns a UUID or numeric key into the canonical id before the tool runs, reading the Notes database read-only. A numeric key or UUID resolves only to a note, never to a folder or attachment. Without Full Disk Access those two forms fail with an error that says so, while x-coredata ids keep working as before. Folder-id inputs (show-folder, get-folder-by-id, rename-folder) accept a folder's UUID or numeric key the same way, resolving only to folders.
When Full Disk Access is granted, list and read tools also return stable identifiers next to each id: notes carry identifier, folderIdentifier, and accountIdentifier; folders carry identifier, parentIdentifier (nested folders only), and accountIdentifier; accounts carry identifier. These fields come from one batched read-only query per call and are omitted when the database cannot be read. Tools that return them: search-notes, list-notes, get-selected-notes, list-shared-notes, get-note-content, get-note-by-id, get-note-details, list-folders, get-folder-by-id, list-accounts, and get-default-location.
Error results
A failed call returns isError: true with the same human-readable text as
before, plus structuredContent carrying a stable machine-readable code
(also repeated in the trailing structuredContent: text line, for clients
that drop structuredContent).
Branch on code, not on the prose, which may be reworded.
Two optional booleans describe a write's outcome when it is known.
indeterminate: true means the outcome is uncertain: read the target by exact
id before any retry, and never retry blindly. committed: true means the write
took effect even though its verification failed; committed: false means
nothing was written (for example a revision_conflict). An absent flag means
unknown. An argument that fails the input schema is rejected before the tool
runs, with code: "validation_error" and committed: false. The exception is
a Notes UUID or numeric key that could not be resolved to an id: it carries
not_found, or full_disk_access_missing when the database is unreadable.
Note Operations
create-note
Creates a new note in Apple Notes.
Example (with inline textual hashtags):
{
"title": "Meeting Notes",
"content": "Discussed Q4 roadmap and budget allocation\n\n#work #meetings"
}
Example - Create in a specific folder:
{
"title": "Client Meeting",
"content": "Discussed project timeline",
"folder": "Work/Clients"
}
Example - HTML formatting:
{
"title": "Status Report",
"content": "<h2>Summary</h2><p>All tasks <b>on track</b>.</p><ul><li>Feature A: complete</li><li>Feature B: in progress</li></ul>",
"format": "html"
}
Note: The title is automatically prepended as
<h1>in both plaintext and HTML formats. Do not include a<h1>title tag in thecontentparameter, or the title will appear twice.
Known limitation: with
"plaintext"or"html",create-notesets the note body directly via AppleScript'sbodyproperty, which does not apply real Notes paragraph styles for interior content — an<h2>/<h3>tag or a<span style="font-size: …px">heading span incontentrenders as plain bold, styled text, not an actual Heading or Subheading (#172). Useformat: "markdown"for real headings in a new note, orappend-native'sformat: "markdown"on a note that already exists.
Markdown notes
format: "markdown" creates the note with Notes' own Markdown importer (the
Create Note action's "Interpret as Markdown" option, macOS 26+), run through the
packaged Apple Notes MCP - Create Markdown Note Shortcut. #, ## and ###
become real Title, Heading and Subheading styles, and the note starts with the
title line, with no seed line.
{
"title": "Project Plan",
"content": "## Goals\n\n- Ship the beta\n- Collect feedback\n\n### Links\n\n[Tracker](https://example.com/tracker)",
"format": "markdown",
"folder": "Work"
}
-
Notes interprets Markdown only in an iCloud account. The note is created in the iCloud account's default folder, then moved to
folderin that account.foldermust already exist and is checked before anything is created. If it exists only in another account, the note is still created and verified in the iCloud default folder, and the error names that account and the note's id so you can create the folder there andmove-noteit instead of creating the note again.accountis refused with this format. -
tagsare refused with this format. Create the note without them, then add native tags to the returned id withadd-native-tags. -
contentaccepts the same bounded subset asappend-native's Markdown:#/##/###headings, flat lists,**bold**,*italic*and inline links. It also refuses Markdown that Notes would rewrite and the server could not verify:_emphasis (underscores inside a word, as insnake_case, and inside a link destination, as in[docs](https://example.com/_next/static), are fine), backslash escapes, character references such as&,===lines and rule lines other than the---divider described below, indented headings or list items,1)lists, closing#s, and formatting inside link labels. Content that needs one of these literally, such as a/_nextpath or a literal\*, has no Markdown form here: useformat: "html"for that note (orappend-nativewithformat: "html"on an existing one), which keeps the characters but not the Heading and Subheading styles. Markdown punctuation intitleis escaped, so the title stays literal. -
Notes' importer also maps these block constructs to native styles. They are gated separately, and
get-capabilitiesreports them ascreate-note-markdown-blocks. Each mapping below was live-verified on macOS 27.2 by reading the created note's stored styles.
Markdown through HTML
markdownRoute: "html" imports the same bounded Markdown subset without the
Shortcut: the server converts it to HTML and creates the note through AppleScript,
like format: "html". It works in any account, accepts tags, and needs no
Shortcut, but headings get the plain bold styling described in the known
limitation above rather than real Heading and Subheading styles.
On this route, bullet task items (- [ ] item, - [x] item) become ordinary
list rows that start with a visible ☐ or ☑ character, and the response
reports how many as taskItemsRendered. They are text, not native checkable
checklist items. Use this route as the glyph fallback when the Shortcut is not
installed or the note is outside iCloud. Block quotes, fenced code and inline code, which
the Shortcut route maps natively, are refused on this route, and a --- line
stays literal text rather than becoming a divider.
{
"title": "Weekly Review",
"contentPath": "/Users/me/Documents/weekly-review.md",
"format": "markdown",
"markdownRoute": "html",
"folder": "Work"
}
Returns: Confirmation message with note title and ID. Save the ID for subsequent operations like update-note, delete-note, etc.
search-notes
Searches for notes by title or content.
Example - Search titles:
{
"query": "meeting"
}
Example - Search content:
{
"query": "budget allocation",
"searchContent": true
}
Example - Search recent notes with limit:
{
"query": "todo",
"searchContent": true,
"modifiedSince": "2025-01-01",
"limit": 10
}
Returns: List of matching notes with titles, folder names, and IDs. Use the returned ID for subsequent operations like get-note-content, update-note, etc. A content search also returns source ("database" or "applescript"), and scanTruncated when the database path left older notes unsearched.
When the note text came from the database (a database content search, or any search with includeWordCount), each result also carries matchedIn: ["title"], ["body"], or ["title", "body"], saying where the query text occurs. The body is the text after the first line. matchedIn is absent for locked notes and for AppleScript searches without includeWordCount. The text output appends the same details to each line, for example · matched in title, body · 245 words.
Example - Content search with word counts:
{
"query": "budget",
"searchContent": true,
"includeWordCount": true
}
query-notes
Finds notes with a boolean query expression evaluated against the NoteStore database, read-only. Because it does not go through AppleScript, a query over several hundred notes typically returns in well under a second, and one call can match titles and bodies together.
Requires: Full Disk Access for the MCP host process (see Full Disk Access Setup). Without it, use search-notes.
Syntax:
Operators are case-insensitive. Quote an operator or flag word to search it
literally, for example "and" or "pinned". Queries are capped at 256 tokens
and 64 levels of nesting. An unknown field such as titel:x is an error rather
than a silent text search; quote it to search the literal text.
Password-protected notes match on title and metadata only. Their bodies are
encrypted, so a body predicate is unknown for them rather than false: neither
body:x nor -body:x matches them, though -body:x OR pinned matches a
pinned one. Notes whose body cannot be decoded are treated the same way. Their
snippets are always empty.
Example - Open to-dos in a folder:
{
"query": "folder:\"Work Projects\" has:checklist -checklist:done"
}
Example - Invoices or finance-tagged notes since July, scanning more history:
{
"query": "(title:invoice OR tag:finance) modified:>=2026-07-01",
"scanLimit": 2000,
"limit": 20
}
Returns: Matching notes, most recently modified first, each with id,
title, folder, account, modified, created, and a snippet centred on
the first matched phrase. Each note also has matchedIn when the query has a
positive text term: ["title"], ["body"], or both, saying where those terms
occur (a title: term is only looked for in the title, a body: term only in
the body). It is absent for locked or undecodable notes, and an empty list
means the note matched through a non-text branch such as pinned OR x. The ids are the same x-coredata://…/ICNote/p… form
every other tool accepts. structuredContent also reports matched (total
matches), scanned, eligible, scanTruncated, truncated, and unreadable
(bodies that could not be decoded). A malformed query returns an error naming
the problem and its position.
get-note-content
Retrieves the full content of a specific note.
Note: Either id or title must be provided. Using id is recommended as it's unique and avoids issues with duplicate titles.
Large images: Notes.app returns images inside the body as base64, so a note holding a very large image (tens of MB) can take longer to read than the timeout allows. When the read times out or overflows the output buffer, the error says so and, with Full Disk Access, names the attachments of 5 MB or more. Retry with a larger timeoutSeconds; delete-note accepts the same argument, and it needs a successful read to verify the note before deleting it.
Example - Using ID (recommended):
{
"id": "x-coredata://ABC123/ICNote/p456"
}
Example - Using title:
{
"title": "Shopping List"
}
Returns: The HTML content of the note, its exact id, and a
contentHash. Pass that hash back as expectedContentHash for a later update,
append, or delete; the write is rejected if the note's body or rich metadata
changed after this read. With Full Disk Access, embedded URLs omitted by
AppleScript are restored and returned in links. The response also reports
actual nativeTags, richContentComplete, and writable. Textual hashtags
remain a separate field and are not proof that Notes registered native tags.
writable is also false when the note uses formatting that AppleScript's HTML
does not carry (superscript, subscript, non-left paragraph alignment, or
highlight): a full-body update-note would silently drop it, so it is refused
and the warning names the formatting. append-to-note with scopeText still
works through the native path, which verifies existing formatting.
⚠️ The returned body can be lossy — do not write it back verbatim. Inline
base64 images larger than APPLE_NOTES_MCP_MAX_INLINE_IMAGE_BYTES (default
256 KB) are replaced with [inline image omitted: …] text placeholders so an
image-heavy note cannot blow the MCP message limit. structuredContent reports
this as strippedImages (count) and truncated (boolean). When either is set,
passing this body to an unguarded full-body writer would replace the real images
with placeholder text. This server's update-note refuses attachment-bearing
notes, and append-to-note routes them to native end-append with scopeText,
which never rewrites the existing body; make any other edit in Notes.app.
get-native-objects
Reads native object identities and ranges, checklist item IDs and state, actual
native tags, and native table data from one exact note ID. Table output includes
stable row and column identifiers. tableCellsComplete is false when Notes
metadata cannot be decoded completely. This tool is read-only and requires Full
Disk Access.
get-note-tables
Reads a page of native tables in one exact note, in body order, from the NoteStore
database. Each table is returned as GitHub-flavored Markdown and as JSON rows
with stable rowIds and columnIds. Notes tables have no header row, so the
Markdown uses the first row as the header. Pipes are escaped as \|,
backslashes are doubled, and line breaks inside a cell become <br>.
The byte budget includes both the text response and structured data, including
repeated Markdown and JSON escaping. Tables are returned whole. tableCount
and page.totalAvailable count all tables in the note; page.returned counts
the entries in this response. While page.hasMore is true, call again with
offset: page.nextOffset and the same limit and maxBytes. Each call reads
the note again, so finish paging before editing it.
If one table exceeds an otherwise empty page, its entry contains identifying
metadata, complete: false, contentOmitted: true, and a reason, without
partial rows or row/column IDs. The next offset advances past that entry. To
retrieve its content, retry that offset with a larger maxBytes, or export the
note to a file. If even the metadata exceeds the budget, the tool returns a
validation error. page.stoppedAtSizeLimit reports a byte-budget stop.
tableCellsComplete is false when any table or cell could not be decoded, or
when the current page omits a table's content for its byte budget. A
cell holding an embedded object is null in rows, listed in
incompleteCells, and shown as [undecoded cell] in Markdown. A table whose
data cannot be decoded at all has complete: false, a reason, and no rows.
Cell text is never guessed. Links and styling inside cells are not rendered.
A note without tables returns an empty tables list. This tool is read-only,
requires Full Disk Access, and refuses password-protected notes.
get-note-blocks
Decodes one note's body into typed blocks, read-only, from the NoteStore
database. Each block is one paragraph with its style (title, heading,
subheading, body, monospaced, bulleted, dashed, numbered,
checklist, or unknown with the raw styleType), indent, alignment,
blockQuote, checklist id/done, and paragraphUuid when stored. Each
block lists its inline runs with bold, italic, underline,
strikethrough, superscript, subscript, color, highlight, link
(plus linkSafe), font, and attachment, and its attachment markers in body
order. Offsets and lengths count UTF-16 code units. summary counts styles and
inline attributes for the whole note. undecodedFields lists stored field
numbers the decoder deliberately does not interpret.
Requires: Full Disk Access. Password-protected notes are refused.
A page also stops early to stay under APPLE_NOTES_MCP_BLOCKS_MAX_BYTES
(default 4 MB). paragraphUuid is not unique: Notes copies it when a paragraph
is split. Link URLs are returned as stored, and linkSafe is false for schemes
other than http(s), notes:, applenotes: and mailto:. Errors carry a
stable code in brackets, such as [encrypted] or [no-full-disk-access].
list-note-paragraphs
Lists one note's non-empty paragraphs in body order, read from the NoteStore
database. It never changes Notes. With recordAnchors it also writes the
local anchor registry, so the tool is not marked read-only in its MCP
annotations. Each paragraph has blockIndex (its index in
get-note-blocks, where empty paragraphs also count), text, style,
styleType, paragraphId (the UUID Notes stores on the paragraph's first
text run), and paragraphIdStatus:
unique: no other paragraph in the note carries this ID. The paragraph also getsurl, a directapplenotes://showNote?identifier=<note>¶graphID=<paragraph>link that opens Notes at that paragraph.shared: other paragraphs carry the same ID (sharedWithcounts them). Notes copies the ID when a paragraph is split, so this is common for body text. Nourlis given, because it could open the wrong paragraph.missing: no ID is stored.
mixedParagraphIds: true marks a paragraph whose text runs carry more than
one ID; only the first-run ID is used. Titles and headings usually have unique
IDs.
Requires: Full Disk Access. Password-protected notes are refused.
get-paragraph-link
Returns a direct link to one paragraph of a note:
applenotes://showNote?identifier=<note>¶graphID=<paragraph>. It selects
the note like list-note-paragraphs and the paragraph by exactly one of:
contains: a snippet of the paragraph. Case, runs of spaces, and Unicode width are ignored.match: the whole paragraph, compared the same way.blockIndex: fromlist-note-paragraphs.
When contains or match hits several paragraphs, pass occurrence (1-based)
or a longer snippet.
The link is returned only when the paragraph's ID is unique in the note.
Otherwise the result is an error whose structuredContent carries the usual
code plus a reason: paragraph-id-shared, paragraph-id-missing,
no-match, ambiguous-paragraph, occurrence-out-of-range, ambiguous-note
(several notes have that title; the message lists their folders), not-found,
encrypted, or no-body. The tool never creates or changes a paragraph ID,
and an edit in Notes can later replace the ID and break the link. With
recordAnchor it also writes the local anchor registry, so the tool is not
marked read-only in its MCP annotations.
Requires: Full Disk Access.
Paragraph anchors
A paragraph link breaks when Notes replaces or copies the paragraph's ID. A
paragraph anchor records enough about the paragraph to find it again: the
note's Notes UUID, the paragraph ID and its status, the paragraph's normalized
text and a fingerprint of it, the fingerprints of the paragraphs before and
after it, its blockIndex, and when it was recorded. Anchors are kept in one
local file, ~/Library/Application Support/apple-notes-mcp/paragraph-anchors.json
(or the absolute path in APPLE_NOTES_MCP_ANCHOR_FILE). It is created with
mode 0600 in a 0700 directory, replaced atomically under a lock file, and
holds the text of every anchored paragraph. A symlinked, unreadable or
corrupt registry is refused and left as it is. The anchor tools never change
Notes.
Resolving an anchor tries three steps in order, and every step fails closed:
- Paragraph ID. A paragraph whose ID is still unique in the note is the anchored paragraph, even if its text was edited or it moved. A link to that ID opens exactly that paragraph.
- Exact text. The same normalized text. When several paragraphs have it,
only the one whose neighbours still match is chosen; a tie is
ambiguous. - Text and neighbours. Similar text between both recorded neighbours, or
nearly identical text beside one of them. Two close candidates are
ambiguous; one belowminConfidenceislow-confidence.
A match whose ID is now shared or missing is needs-reminting: the paragraph
is found (the result names its block), but no safe link exists until it gets a
new ID. Public automation cannot set a paragraph ID, so this server only
reports it and returns no url.
To share anchored links outside Notes, see the paragraph anchor resolver.
create-paragraph-anchor
Records an anchor for one paragraph, selected exactly as in
get-paragraph-link (note by id or title/folder; paragraph by one of
contains, match, blockIndex, plus occurrence). Unlike
get-paragraph-link, a paragraph whose ID is shared or missing can be
anchored. Recording the same paragraph again (same note, ID, text and block)
returns the existing anchor with created: false.
Returns anchor, created, and url when the paragraph currently has a
unique ID.
Requires: Full Disk Access. Writes only the anchor registry.
resolve-paragraph-anchor
Finds an anchored paragraph in the note as it is now. The result has status
(resolved, needs-reminting, ambiguous, low-confidence, not-found,
note-not-found, note-deleted for a note in Recently Deleted, or
note-unreadable for a locked note), method (paragraph-id, exact-text,
text-and-neighbours), confidence (0 to 1), match (blockIndex, text,
paragraphId, paragraphIdStatus), changes (textChanged,
blockIndexChanged, paragraphIdChanged), and message. url, the current
applenotes:// link, is present only when status is resolved.
Requires: Full Disk Access.
list-paragraph-anchors
Lists recorded anchors in the order recorded, with total, the registry
path and page info. Reads only the registry.
get-paragraph-anchor
Returns one stored anchor as recorded. Reads only the registry.
prune-paragraph-anchors
Removes anchors that no longer resolve, or the anchors you list. It is a dry
run unless dryRun is false. Without anchorIds it resolves every anchor
in scope and treats not-found and note-not-found as stale. A note in
Recently Deleted (note-deleted) is kept by default because it can be
restored. Returns stale (anchorId, status, message), examined, and
removed.
Requires: Full Disk Access unless anchorIds is given.
get-note-structure
Returns a read-only overview of one note from the NoteStore database, in one call:
text(decoded body),textLength,wordCount,charCount(Unicode characters, attachment placeholders excluded), andblockSummary(theget-note-blockssummary counts).links, each with akind:inline(a hyperlink on text),card(a rich link preview attachment, withattachmentIdandpreviewPath),note(a native link chip to another note), orsection(a native link chip to a heading or paragraph, withsection). Notes deep links also carrytargetNoteandparagraphId.linkCountstotals them.tags(native tags in body order) andattachments, listed the waylist-attachmentswithincludePathslists them: the samekind(image,scan,drawing,pdf,audio,video,url,table,other), the same body order, and the samepreviewPath, plus the cardtitle/url,fileSize, and body position. Gallery items and recording parts are nested underchildren;attachmentCountcounts top-level attachments only.deepLink,isShared(the note or any enclosing folder is shared),isLocked,isPinned,inRecentlyDeleted,lastViewed,checklistTotal,checklistDone,hasDrawing(classic sketches and Paper drawings), andfirstImage(the same lead visuallist-attachmentsreturns withfirstImage, plus its attachmentid).
lastViewed is an ISO date, or null with lastViewedStatus set to
never-viewed, not-recorded, malformed, or unsupported (the column
does not exist on this macOS version). A password-protected note returns its
metadata and attachment rows with bodyDecoded: false and the body-derived
fields null.
Requires: Full Disk Access.
Link URLs are returned as stored; check linkSafe before emitting one into
HTML.
list-note-links
Lists links, read-only from the NoteStore database, in one note (id) or
across a folder, an account, or the whole library (no selector). Each link
has a kind:
Each row has url, text (label), linkSafe, targetNote and paragraphId
for Notes deep links, section for section chips, and for cards
attachmentId and previewPath (Notes' largest cached preview image, found
the same way list-attachments finds it, or null when
Notes has none). Each row also names its source: noteId, noteIdentifier,
noteTitle, noteModified, folder, folderPath (as list-folders prints
it), account, and accountIdentifier. When bodies were decoded, start and
blockIndex give the link's position, and inBody: false marks a card or chip
row with no marker left in the body.
Inline links need every body in scope decompressed and decoded, so a folder,
account, or library scan includes them only with includeInline: true
(slower). A single note always includes them. A folder scope includes its
subfolders unless includeSubfolders is false. Scans skip Recently Deleted
and folderless notes; a note requested by id is read wherever it is. Links
come newest-modified note first, in body order within a note.
Requires: Full Disk Access.
The response also reports scope, counts per kind, notesInScope,
notesWithoutBody (locked, empty or undecodable bodies when inline links were
requested), and page. A page stops early to stay under
APPLE_NOTES_MCP_BLOCKS_MAX_BYTES. An ambiguous folder name is refused with a
message that lists the matching paths.
list-native-tags
Lists actual native Notes tags. This differs from textual hashtag search. It is read-only and requires Full Disk Access.
- Folder mode (pass
folder, optionallyaccount): maps each tag used in that folder to its matching note IDs. The response reportscomplete: falseand per-note errors when some native metadata is unavailable. - Inventory mode (omit
folder): an account-wide inventory with counts, read-only from the database.accountnarrows it to one account; omit it to count every account. Eachinventoryentry hastag,noteCount(distinct notes, Recently Deleted excluded), per-account counts inaccounts, and any otherspellingsNotes treats as the same tag. Tags with no remaining notes are listed withnoteCount: 0. A tag counts for a note only while the note body still references it. Locked or unreadable bodies are counted from the tag objects alone and reported throughunverifiedNotesandcomplete: false.
native-tags-status
Checks whether exactly one configured Native Tags Shortcut is installed. An installed workflow may still need macOS permission on its first execution, and installation does not show whether that consent was given: run it once in the foreground in Shortcuts.app and choose Always Allow after install or upgrade (see Troubleshooting).
add-native-tags
Adds actual native Notes tag objects to one exact note using id, a fresh
expectedContentHash, a distinctive existing scopeText, and tags. The
operation verifies the note's original text, links, and native objects after the
Shortcut runs. It refuses ambiguous title-and-scope matches and never retries an
uncertain write. Install the signed workflow as described in
shortcuts/README.md.
get-note-plaintext
Retrieves a note's body as plain text, with no HTML markup.
Note: Either id or title must be provided. This reads the note's native plaintext property, so it skips the HTML-to-text conversion that get-note-content plus a Markdown pass would do. Use get-note-content when you need the HTML, or get-note-markdown when you want Markdown with checklist state.
Returns: The plain-text content of the note in structuredContent.plaintext, or error if not found.
get-note-details
Retrieves metadata about a note (without full content).
Example:
{
"title": "Project Plan"
}
Returns: JSON with note metadata:
{
"id": "x-coredata://...",
"title": "Project Plan",
"created": "2025-01-15T10:30:00.000Z",
"modified": "2025-01-20T14:22:00.000Z",
"shared": false,
"passwordProtected": false,
"account": "iCloud"
}
get-note-by-id
Retrieves a note using its unique CoreData identifier.
Returns: JSON with note metadata, plus identifier, folderIdentifier, and accountIdentifier when Full Disk Access is granted, or error if not found.
show-note
Reveals a note in Notes.app using its unique CoreData identifier.
Returns: Confirmation that Notes.app accepted the show command.
update-note
Updates an existing note's content and/or title.
