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-capabilities before relying on optional features.
• Node.js 20 or newer. The npx examples 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 apple-notes-mcp@2.15.1

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", "apple-notes-mcp@2.15.1"]
    }
  }
}

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 apple-notes-mcp@2.15.1

The equivalent entry in ~/.codex/config.toml is:

[mcp_servers.apple-notes]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "apple-notes-mcp@2.15.1"]

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 apple-notes-mcp@2.15.1, 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 apple-notes-mcp@2.15.1

Or merge this entry into ~/.hermes/config.yaml:

mcp_servers:
  apple-notes:
    command: npx
    args: ["-y", "apple-notes-mcp@2.15.1"]

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 apple-notes-mcp@2.15.1. 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 apple-notes-mcp@2.15.1 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 apple-notes-mcp@2.15.1 setup --permissions --once --probe-automation

For an interactive checklist that also opens the relevant settings panes:

npx -y apple-notes-mcp@2.15.1 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 apple-notes-mcp@2.15.1 setup

Approve Add Shortcut for the missing signed workflows that macOS opens:

• Apple Notes MCP - Native Tags
• Apple Notes MCP - Background Operations v5
• Apple Notes MCP - Create Markdown Note, offered only on macOS 26 or newer and optional for native Markdown creation

Then check installation:

npx -y apple-notes-mcp@2.15.1 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 apple-notes-mcp@2.15.1 setup --public-helper
npx -y apple-notes-mcp@2.15.1 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 apple-notes-mcp@2.15.1 setup --native-helper
npx -y apple-notes-mcp@2.15.1 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 apple-notes-mcp@2.15.1 setup --permissions-window
npx -y apple-notes-mcp@2.15.1 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 pinned property via AppleScript. Pin state is read from the NoteStore database by the BETA get-note-metadata tool and list-special-notes, and set through the Background Operations Shortcut by set-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 by insert-note-link (through a Shortcut) or insert-link. A shareable notes://showNote?identifier=<uuid> deep link is available via get-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 the content parameter, or the title will appear twice.

Known limitation: with "plaintext" or "html", create-note sets the note body directly via AppleScript's body property, which does not apply real Notes paragraph styles for interior content — an <h2>/<h3> tag or a <span style="font-size: …px"> heading span in content renders as plain bold, styled text, not an actual Heading or Subheading (#172). Use format: "markdown" for real headings in a new note, or append-native's format: "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 folder in that account. folder must 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 and move-note it instead of creating the note again. account is refused with this format.

• tags are refused with this format. Create the note without them, then add native tags to the returned id with add-native-tags.

• content accepts the same bounded subset as append-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 in snake_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 /_next path or a literal \*, has no Markdown form here: use format: "html" for that note (or append-native with format: "html" on an existing one), which keeps the characters but not the Heading and Subheading styles. Markdown punctuation in title is escaped, so the title stays literal.

• Notes' importer also maps these block constructs to native styles. They are gated separately, and get-capabilities reports them as create-note-markdown-blocks. Each mapping below was live-verified on macOS 27.2 by reading the created note's stored styles.

  Markdown	Native result
  - [ ] item / - [x] item	Checklist item, unchecked / checked
  > text (consecutive lines form one quote)	Body paragraph with a block quote
  A fence of bare ``` lines (no language)	Monospaced paragraphs; the code text is kept literally
  --- on its own line, after a blank line	Divider line
  `inline code`	Highlighted text, not monospace

  Constructs Notes would not render faithfully, or that this server cannot yet verify, are refused before anything is created: ~~~ fences, a language after the opening fence, nested (>>) or indented quotes, lists or headings inside a quote, a quote followed directly by text (Markdown would join that text to the quote), --- directly under text (Markdown would make that text a heading), ***/___/---- rules, [X], * [ ] or + [ ] items, checklist items directly next to ordinary list items, inline code padded with spaces or inside a link label, tables, and ~~strikethrough~~. The readback checks the block-quote text, the Monospaced text, each checklist item's text and done state, the divider count, and the highlighted text. These mappings apply to the default Shortcut route only; see Markdown through HTML for markdownRoute: "html".

• append-native's format: "markdown" refuses all of the constructs above: its Shortcuts converter is a different one, which renders a quote and a fenced block as plain body text, - [ ] as a bullet with literal brackets, and inline code as plain text, and drops ---.

• The server finds the new note among the notes added to the default folder during the run by verifying each one's visible text, heading levels and links by exact-ID readback, and moves it only after exactly one verifies. On any uncertain result it names the note (or says to search for the title) and never retries.

• It is gated like the other native operations; get-capabilities reports it as create-note-markdown. The Create Markdown Note Shortcut is optional and needed only for this format (macOS 26+); install and approve it as described in shortcuts/README.md.

• A first line that is exactly # <title> (same case and spacing as title) is removed together with one blank line after it, because the title is supplied separately; the response then carries strippedDuplicateTitle: true. A different first heading stays in the body. This applies to both Markdown routes, and Markdown that holds only that heading is refused.

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 gets url, a direct applenotes://showNote?identifier=<note>&paragraphID=<paragraph> link that opens Notes at that paragraph.
• shared: other paragraphs carry the same ID (sharedWith counts them). Notes copies the ID when a paragraph is split, so this is common for body text. No url is 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>&paragraphID=<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: from list-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:

1. 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.
2. Exact text. The same normalized text. When several paragraphs have it, only the one whose neighbours still match is chosen; a tie is ambiguous.
3. Text and neighbours. Similar text between both recorded neighbours, or nearly identical text beside one of them. Two close candidates are ambiguous; one below minConfidence is low-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), and blockSummary (the get-note-blocks summary counts).
• links, each with a kind: inline (a hyperlink on text), card (a rich link preview attachment, with attachmentId and previewPath), note (a native link chip to another note), or section (a native link chip to a heading or paragraph, with section). Notes deep links also carry targetNote and paragraphId. linkCounts totals them.
• tags (native tags in body order) and attachments, listed the way list-attachments with includePaths lists them: the same kind (image, scan, drawing, pdf, audio, video, url, table, other), the same body order, and the same previewPath, plus the card title/url, fileSize, and body position. Gallery items and recording parts are nested under children; attachmentCount counts 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), and firstImage (the same lead visual list-attachments returns with firstImage, plus its attachment id).

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, optionally account): maps each tag used in that folder to its matching note IDs. The response reports complete: false and per-note errors when some native metadata is unavailable.
• Inventory mode (omit folder): an account-wide inventory with counts, read-only from the database. account narrows it to one account; omit it to count every account. Each inventory entry has tag, noteCount (distinct notes, Recently Deleted excluded), per-account counts in accounts, and any other spellings Notes treats as the same tag. Tags with no remaining notes are listed with noteCount: 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 through unverifiedNotes and complete: 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.

Title-only updates are rejected because Apple Notes titles are not unique.

Example - Using ID (recommended):

{
  "id": "x-coredata://ABC123/ICNote/p456",
  "expectedContentHash": "sha256:0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef",
  "newContent": "Updated content here"
}

Example - Update with HTML formatting:

{
  "id": "x-coredata://ABC123/ICNote/p456",
  "expectedContentHash": "sha256:0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef",
  "newContent": "<p>New findings with <b>bold</b> emphasis.</p><pre><code>console.log('hello');</code></pre>",
  "format": "html"
}

Returns: Confirmation with the exact ID, post-save contentHash, and verifiedVisibleText: true, or an error if the note changed before saving. Apple Notes normalizes HTML, so this proves the visible text after saving, not byte-identical rich formatting.

Note: newContent replaces the entire note body — it is not appended. To add to a note, prefer append-to-note, which does the read-and-concatenate for you and always round-trips the body as HTML. If you do read-modify-write by hand, note that get-note-content replaces oversized inline images with text placeholders (see get-note-content) — writing that body back bakes the placeholders in.

Rich-content safety: update-note refuses to replace a note when its rich metadata is unavailable or it contains attachments, native tags, inline objects, or checklists that AppleScript cannot preserve. Existing link destinations must remain present unless allowLinkChanges is explicitly set.

delete-note

Deletes a note (moves to Recently Deleted in Notes.app).

Title-only deletion is rejected. If the note changed after the supplied hash was read, deletion is also rejected.

Notes with large images. Notes.app returns a note's body with each inline image embedded as base64, so a note holding one 40 MB image has a body of about 110 MB. Body reads accept up to 512 MB of output, and delete-note compares a body longer than 5 MB against a private temporary file rather than embedding it in the AppleScript. The comparison still covers the whole body, and the file is removed when the delete finishes.

Copy-then-retire. To delete an original only while its copy is still good, read both notes, verify the copy, and pass the copy as guardNoteId with its contentHash as expectedGuardContentHash. The copy's revision is re-read just before the delete, and its body, lock state, and folder are checked again inside the delete AppleScript, with the same fail-closed Recently Deleted test as the note being deleted. The guard note must not be a Quick Note, a flag only the database holds, so the guard needs Full Disk Access. A copy the database has not saved yet passes on the live checks alone. The pair is still not one transaction: the rich revision (which also covers checklists and attachments) is a pre-check, and the in-script check covers the body and state Notes.app exposes. requireActiveNoteId is the narrower form for a destination you wrote yourself rather than copied.

Example - Using ID (recommended):

{
  "id": "x-coredata://ABC123/ICNote/p456",
  "expectedContentHash": "sha256:0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef"
}

Returns: Confirmation message, or error if note not found. The delete and a check of the note's original folder run in one AppleScript: if Notes.app accepts the delete but the note is still listed in that folder, the call reports that nothing was deleted instead of claiming success.

A note that is already in Recently Deleted is refused, because deleting it there removes it permanently. The folder is read live from Notes.app in the same AppleScript; the Recently Deleted folder is recognised by its database id (with Full Disk Access) or by its English name. The check fails closed: a note whose folder Notes.app reports as something other than a folder (as it does for a note trashed earlier in the same Notes session) is refused the same way, and a note whose folder cannot be read at all is refused with a message to retry. To remove such a note for good, do it in Notes.app.

⚠️ Safety: Irreversible from the agent's side — requires explicit user confirmation before calling. Prefer search-notes / list-notes first to confirm the exact id(s) being deleted.

move-note

Moves a note to a different folder. The note is relocated in place via Notes.app's native move, so its id, creation date, and all embedded attachments (files, images, scans, PDFs, audio) are preserved. The destination folder must already exist — create it first with create-folder.

A smart folder is never a destination: it only gathers notes by its rules, and Notes.app would move the note to Recently Deleted or store a created note where no folder shows it. create-note, create-note-with-attachment, move-note, batch-move-notes, and create-folder refuse one before writing anything, with code: "unsupported", committed: false, and reason: "smart_folder_destination". An ordinary folder that shares a smart folder's name is still found. Detection reads the NoteStore database, so it needs Full Disk Access; without it, destinations resolve as before.

Title-only moves are rejected.

Example - Using ID (recommended):

{
  "id": "x-coredata://ABC123/ICNote/p456",
  "folder": "Archive"
}

Returns: Confirmation only after the same note ID is read back and its actual destination folder ID matches the requested folder.

Folder scope guards

update-note, append-to-note, delete-note, move-note, and batch-move-notes accept three optional folder preconditions. Use exact folder ids from list-folders.

• ifFolderId: the note must currently be in exactly this folder.
• ifAncestorFolderId: the note must be inside this folder or any of its subfolders.
• forbiddenAncestorFolderIds (up to 50): the note must not be inside any of these folders or their subfolders. For move-note and batch-move-notes, the destination must not be either.

The checks read Notes.app's live folders inside the same AppleScript as the write, immediately before it. If the folder observed by the check fails a precondition, the write is refused with Scope guard failed: …. The check and write are separate Notes operations; another actor can move the note between them. A native append to a protected note runs through Shortcuts, so its precheck runs in a separate AppleScript before the append.

For batch-move-notes, the same preconditions apply to every supplied note ID. Each note is checked independently immediately before its move. A scope mismatch leaves that note unchanged and appears in its failure result; the remaining items continue. A batch can therefore move some notes and refuse others.

Example - retire a note only while it is still in the inbox:

{
  "id": "x-coredata://ABC123/ICNote/p456",
  "expectedContentHash": "sha256:0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef",
  "ifFolderId": "x-coredata://ABC123/ICFolder/p12"
}

append-to-note

Appends or prepends content to an existing note without replacing it. Always reads and writes as HTML, preserving all existing rich formatting.

Title-only appends are rejected.

Example - Append plaintext:

{
  "id": "x-coredata://ABC123/ICNote/p456",
  "expectedContentHash": "sha256:0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef",
  "content": "New item added today"
}

Example - Prepend HTML:

{
  "id": "x-coredata://ABC123/ICNote/p456",
  "expectedContentHash": "sha256:0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef",
  "content": "<div><b>Status:</b> done</div>",
  "format": "html",
  "position": "before"
}

Returns: Confirmation with the exact ID, post-save contentHash, and verifiedVisibleText: true. Apple Notes normalizes HTML, so this proves the visible text after saving, not byte-identical rich formatting. Warns when the note is shared with collaborators.

Safety: The append is rejected if the note changed since it was read, rich metadata is unavailable, or the note contains attachments. Existing link destinations are verified after saving.

Notes containing native objects (a table, a checklist, native tags) cannot be spliced, so they are routed to the native end-append bridge — see append-native. That path additionally requires scopeText, keeps the default blank-line separator and position: "after", and accepts a fixed HTML subset rather than anything Notes.app can render:

Ordinary notes take the guarded HTML path and are not restricted to that subset.

insert-link

Adds one web, mail or Notes link to an exact note as its own paragraph, then proves it from the link runs Notes actually stored. Use mode: "raw" to show the URL itself, or mode: "hyperlink" with a label to show text that links to the URL. For a link to another note by id, use insert-note-link, which looks up that note's real deep link.

Example - Hyperlink under the title:

{
  "id": "x-coredata://ABC123/ICNote/p456",
  "expectedContentHash": "sha256:0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef",
  "url": "https://example.com/report",
  "mode": "hyperlink",
  "label": "Quarterly report",
  "position": "after-title"
}

Returns: route ("applescript" for ordinary notes, "native" for notes with native objects), linkStored, storedUrl (the destination read back from the note, for example https://example.com/ for a bare origin), and the new contentHash.

Safety: The same guards as append-to-note: a fresh expectedContentHash, the attachment block, and every existing link must survive. A linked insert must add exactly one stored link with the requested label and destination; if the text lands but that proof fails, the error says the write happened so it is not repeated.

Limits:

• Plain URL text is not linked by Notes when written this way. With linked: false, the note stores no link and readers of the body see ordinary text; Notes.app may still underline the URL on screen through its own data detection. The result reports linkStored: false.
• Notes with native objects (a table, a checklist, native tags) take the native end-append path, so only position: "end" with blankLine: true works there.
• The link always gets its own paragraph. Placing it at the end of one existing paragraph, or inside the text, is not available.
• Rich URL preview cards (the link tile Notes makes when you paste a URL) are not produced. No public automation route creates one: the Shortcuts Notes actions write text, and AppleScript's body has no card markup.
• To start a new note with a link, use create-note with format: "html" and an <a href> in content; the link is stored the same way.

get-note-link

Returns the notes://showNote?identifier=<uuid> deep-link URL for a note. The URL opens the note in Notes.app on iOS and macOS and can be stored in Reminders tasks or shared links.

Note: Either id or title must be provided. Using id is recommended. Password-protected notes cannot be linked.

Example:

{
  "id": "x-coredata://ABC123/ICNote/p456"
}

Returns: notes://showNote?identifier=<uuid> URL string, plus the note id and title.

Note: Requires Full Disk Access for the process that runs the server so the Notes SQLite database is readable. On macOS 12–15 the tool also falls back to the AppleScript note link property. Run the doctor tool to verify access.

list-notes

Lists all notes, optionally filtered by folder, date, and limit.

Example - All notes:

{}

Example - Notes in a folder:

{
  "folder": "Work"
}

Example - Recent notes with limit:

{
  "modifiedSince": "2025-06-01",
  "limit": 20
}

Returns: List of notes as {title, id} pairs — notes: Array<{title, id}>, plus count. The human-readable line is - <title> [id: <id>]. Notes in Recently Deleted are left out by default and counted in excludedRecentlyDeleted (present only when nonzero); with includeRecentlyDeleted: true they are listed with inRecentlyDeleted: true and a [RECENTLY DELETED] marker. Notes.app's own listing includes them, so the Recently Deleted folder is recognised by its database id (with Full Disk Access) or by its English name. With Full Disk Access each entry also carries identifier, folderIdentifier, and accountIdentifier (see Identifier forms).

Use the returned id for any follow-up read/update/move/delete rather than re-resolving the title: titles are not unique, and a by-title lookup resolves a duplicated title to the same one note every time, silently skipping the others.

Changed in 2.7.0: notes was previously string[] (titles only). Callers that treated the array as strings must now read .title.

For date order, incremental sync cursors, Recently Deleted, or word counts, use list-recent-notes.

list-recent-notes

Lists notes from the NoteStore database (read-only) by stored modification time, with an exact cursor for incremental sync. With since, it pages through changes oldest first; without it, it shows the newest notes first. Unlike list-notes, it can include Recently Deleted and can count words.

Requires: Full Disk Access for the MCP host process (see Full Disk Access Setup).

Returns: notes, each with id, identifier, title, folder, account, created, modified, modifiedCheckpoint, pinned, locked, inRecentlyDeleted, and markedForDeletion. Also count, limit, order (oldest-first or newest-first), saturated, and nextSince.

• Cursors. modifiedCheckpoint is an opaque token (cdts1:, 16 hex digits, :, the note's database key). It carries the exact stored timestamp bits, so it never loses precision the way an ISO string can, and the key orders notes that share one timestamp. Pass it back as since.
• Syncing. Call with since, store nextSince, and pass it as the next since. nextSince is the last returned row's cursor, or the incoming boundary when nothing matched, so every call advances. saturated is true when count equals limit: more changes may follow, so call again right away. When it is false, you are caught up. Notes that share a timestamp are split across pages by key, so none is skipped or repeated.
• First sync. Start with since: "1970-01-01" and page the same way. A library larger than the 1000-row maximum is reached in full.
• Browsing. Without since, rows come newest first. nextSince is then the newest row's cursor, set only when the call returned every matching note (saturated is false); otherwise it is null.
• Late edits. A modification-date cursor can miss an edit that iCloud delivers later from another device with an older timestamp, for example after that device was offline. The row then sorts before the cursor. Run a full pass from the start now and then to catch these.
• Deletions. Deleted notes are invisible unless includeDeleted is true. With it, notes in Recently Deleted and notes awaiting deletion appear, flagged, when their modification date is after the cursor. A note purged from the database leaves no row, so compare ids against a full pass to detect it.
• Word counts. A word is a whitespace-separated token containing a letter or digit, except that Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Lao, Khmer and Myanmar text, which has no spaces between words, is split at word boundaries (the same count query-notes uses for words: and wordCount); charCount counts Unicode code points. Attachment markers are not counted. Both are null for locked notes and bodies that are not downloaded or cannot be decoded, and 0 for a body known to be empty.
• Previews. With wordCounts, bodyPreview comes from the decoded body and textDecoded is true. Otherwise it is the stored snippet. Locked notes never get a preview.
• Folderless notes (abandoned Quick Note drafts Notes.app never shows) and Recently Deleted appear only with includeDeleted. Notes without a stored modification date never match a since query.

Example - incremental sync:

{
  "since": "cdts1:41c7e0ef438fcd6f:4312",
  "limit": 200
}

get-selected-notes

Reads the currently selected note(s) from the Notes.app UI.

Parameters: None

Returns: Selected note metadata, including IDs for follow-up operations. Returns an empty list when Notes.app has no selected note.

Folder Operations

list-folders

Lists all folders in an account with full hierarchical paths.

Example:

{}

Returns: List of folders with IDs, paths, account names, and shared state, plus identifier, parentIdentifier, and accountIdentifier when Full Disk Access is granted. Nested folders are shown as full paths (e.g., Work/Clients/Omnia). Duplicate folder names are disambiguated by their full path. Literal slashes in folder names are escaped as \/ (e.g., Spain\/Portugal 2023). Smart folders are listed too, because Notes' AppleScript lists them like ordinary folders; with Full Disk Access they carry smartFolder: true (and (smart folder) in the text list). A smart folder cannot hold notes or folders.

list-smart-folders

Lists every Smart Folder with the rules that define it, read from the NoteStore database. Requires Full Disk Access.

Example:

{
  "includeMatchingNotes": true,
  "limit": 20
}

Returns: For each smart folder: name, id, identifier, account, accountId, accountIdentifier, parent, parentId, and parentIdentifier (the parent fields are null at the account root). Its rules are decoded as match ("all", "any", or "none") and filters. Each filter has a type (the stored rule key, such as folder, tag, checklist, or creationDateRelativeRange), its stored value, excluded for an Exclude rule, and a readable description. Folder filters add the folder's name and folderId, and a nested rule group is a filter of type group with its own match and filters. Notes stores each query inside an outer {"deleted": false} wrapper that keeps Recently Deleted out. query is the stored query with that wrapper removed, includesRecentlyDeleted reports the wrapper's value, and rawQuery is the stored JSON verbatim. A rule this server does not recognize is kept as a filter of type unknown, and fullyDecoded is then false.

With includeMatchingNotes, each folder also carries matchingNoteCount and matchingNotes (title and id). These come from Notes.app itself, which evaluates the folder's rules, so they need Automation permission. The server does not re-evaluate the rules on its own. A folder whose notes cannot be read carries matchingNotesError instead.

list-folder-tree

Returns the folder hierarchy with note counts for each account, read from the NoteStore database in one pass.

Requires: Full Disk Access for the MCP host process (see Full Disk Access Setup).

Returns: accounts, each with account, identifier, noteCount, and folders. Each folder node has id, identifier, name, path (in list-folders syntax), kind (folder, smart, or trash), noteCount (notes directly inside), totalNoteCount (including subfolders), and children. Regular folders sort by name, then smart folders, then Recently Deleted. An account's noteCount sums its regular folders. Smart folders report 0 because their contents are a saved search. Also returns folderCount.

create-folder

Creates a new folder, including a whole nested hierarchy in one call.

Example:

{
  "name": "Work Projects"
}

Example - Create a nested hierarchy:

{
  "name": "Work/Clients/Omnia"
}

Returns: Confirmation message. The call is idempotent — an already-existing folder (or path segment) is skipped rather than treated as an error, so it is safe to call before every create-note that targets a folder.

Existence is decided by folder id, not by name: a folder deleted earlier in the same Notes session no longer counts as existing, and the call succeeds only once the created folder is confirmed by its id. Otherwise it reports failure.

get-folder-by-id

Reads one exact folder's current name, parent ID, and account ID (accountId, plus isRoot, true when the folder sits at the account root). Use these values with rename-folder or delete-folder-by-id; this avoids relying on ambiguous folder names or paths. The id may also be the folder's Notes UUID or numeric key, and the result adds identifier, parentIdentifier, and accountIdentifier when Full Disk Access is granted.

rename-folder

Renames an existing folder in place using its exact id, expectedName, expectedParentId, and newName. The operation preserves the folder ID, notes, and descendants. It refuses stale metadata and a conflicting sibling name.

delete-folder-by-id

Deletes one exact, empty, ordinary folder through a plan-then-apply handshake. Read the folder first with get-folder-by-id, call once with dryRun: true, then repeat the same guards with dryRun: false and the returned revision.

Example (plan, then apply with the returned revision):

{
  "id": "x-coredata://ABC/ICFolder/p42",
  "expectedName": "Old Projects",
  "expectedAccountId": "x-coredata://ABC/ICAccount/p3",
  "expectedRoot": true,
  "dryRun": true
}

Returns: status: "planned" with wouldDelete, identifier, name, accountId, parentId, folderType: 0, zero childFolderCount and noteCount, and revision; on apply, status: "deleted", committed: true, verified: true (Notes.app no longer resolves the id), and storeTombstoned.

Safety: it always refuses Recently Deleted, smart folders, the account's default and other system folders, shared folders (or folders inside a shared folder), and any folder that still holds notes or subfolders. There is no override. It is not atomic: the guard is a pre-check followed by an AppleScript delete. The name, parent, account, sharing, and emptiness checks repeat inside the delete script, but the folder type and stable identifier come from the local Notes database just before it. It needs Full Disk Access and fails closed without it.

Errors carry the standard code: revision_conflict (a Conflict: message; read and plan again), unsupported (a Refused: message), verification_failed with indeterminate: true (read the folder before any retry), and full_disk_access_missing.

delete-folder

Deletes a folder.

Example:

{
  "name": "Old Projects"
}

Returns: Confirmation message, or error if folder not found or not empty.

⚠️ Safety: Irreversible — requires explicit user confirmation before calling. Prefer list-folders first to confirm the exact folder path being deleted.

show-folder

Reveals a folder in Notes.app using its unique CoreData identifier.

Returns: Confirmation that Notes.app accepted the show command.

Account Operations

list-accounts

Lists all configured Notes accounts.

Parameters: None

Example:

{}

Returns: List of accounts with names, IDs, upgraded state, and default folder metadata, plus each account's identifier (Notes UUID) when Full Disk Access is granted.

get-default-location

Returns the default account and folder Notes.app uses for newly created notes.

Parameters: None

Returns: Default account and folder metadata, including IDs and shared state.

show-account

Reveals an account in Notes.app using its unique CoreData identifier.

Returns: Confirmation that Notes.app accepted the show command.

Batch Operations

batch-delete-notes

Deletes multiple notes at once by ID.

Returns: Summary of successes and failures. A note already in Recently Deleted fails without being deleted, as in delete-note.

⚠️ Safety: Irreversible — requires explicit user confirmation before calling. Prefer search-notes / list-notes first to confirm the exact ids being deleted.

batch-move-notes

Moves multiple notes to a folder.

Returns: Summary of successes and failures. Each success is reported only after the note's actual container folder ID matches the destination folder ID. If every note fails, the call returns its existing error response; the exact note IDs and reasons remain in the failure text.

Failure rows carry committed: false, indeterminate: false only when that item was refused before its move. Move/readback failures and an unknown whole-script outcome carry indeterminate: true, with committed omitted. If every item fails, the batch reports committed: false only when every row is a proven pre-move refusal. Otherwise its error result is indeterminate; read each exact note ID before retrying, even if another row has a scope refusal.

Example - move only notes that are still in the reviewed inbox:

{
  "ids": ["x-coredata://ABC123/ICNote/p456", "x-coredata://ABC123/ICNote/p457"],
  "folder": "Archive",
  "ifFolderId": "x-coredata://ABC123/ICFolder/p12"
}

The source-folder check runs immediately before each move in the same AppleScript. If the check finds that a note is no longer in that inbox, its result reports Scope guard failed: … while a note still there can move. The check does not lock the note against another actor moving it before the move. The batch is not a transaction, and successful moves are not rolled back after a refusal.

Export Operations

export-notes-json

Exports notes as JSON — metadata, HTML content, and plaintext, grouped by account and folder — one page at a time. A whole library rarely fits in one MCP message (note bodies embed images as base64), so each call returns a page and says where the next one starts.

Example - First page:

{}

Example - A later page of an incremental backup:

{
  "offset": 50,
  "modifiedSince": "2025-06-01"
}

Returns: exportDate, version, accounts (every account and folder, holding the notes that fall in this page), summary (totalNotes in this page, totalFolders, totalAccounts), and page:

Size limit: each response stays under APPLE_NOTES_MCP_EXPORT_MAX_BYTES (default 8 MB), below the 10 MB per-message limit of MCP SDK stdio clients, which drop the connection on anything larger without passing on any error text. A note too large to fit on its own is still returned: its oversized inline images are replaced with placeholders (strippedImages), or failing that its HTML body, and if necessary its plaintext, is left empty with contentOmitted: true. Read such a note with get-note-content, and its files with list-attachments / save-attachment. Lower limit if your MCP client caps tool output below that size.

Paging: positions are worked out on every call, so notes created, deleted, or moved between calls can shift a page. Page through promptly, or use modifiedSince for incremental backups.

get-note-markdown

Gets a note's content as Markdown instead of HTML. If the note contains checklists and Full Disk Access is granted, checklist items are automatically annotated with [x] (done) or [ ] (undone).

Returns: Note content converted to Markdo

…