MCP Server

Active

MIT

Apple Notes MCP Server

io.github.JonathanRReed/apple-mcp-notes

Inspect, search, create, edit, move, and organize notes in Apple Notes on macOS via MCP.

What is the Apple Notes MCP server?

The Apple Notes MCP server lets AI clients inspect, search, create, edit, move, and organize notes stored in Apple Notes on macOS. It runs locally on your Mac and integrates with the Model Context Protocol to give Claude and other AI agents full control over your notes.

This server exposes Apple Notes functionality through MCP tools, allowing you to programmatically manage your notes. Use it to search existing notes, create new ones, edit content, organize into folders, and move notes between locations—all from your AI assistant without manual app interaction.

How to install Apple Notes

Copy-paste configuration for popular MCP clients.

transport: stdio

Config generated by PluginBench — verify against the source before use.

Environment / auth

APPLE_NOTES_MCP_SAFETY_MODE
Safety mode for Notes operations: safe_readonly, safe_manage, or full_access.
APPLE_NOTES_MCP_ALLOWED_ACCOUNTS
Comma-separated allow-list of Notes account names. Empty allows all accounts.
APPLE_NOTES_MCP_ALLOWED_FOLDERS
Comma-separated allow-list of Notes folder names. Empty allows all folders.

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apple-mcp-notes": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "apple-mcp-notes"
      ],
      "env": {
        "APPLE_NOTES_MCP_SAFETY_MODE": "<YOUR_APPLE_NOTES_MCP_SAFETY_MODE>",
        "APPLE_NOTES_MCP_ALLOWED_ACCOUNTS": "<YOUR_APPLE_NOTES_MCP_ALLOWED_ACCOUNTS>",
        "APPLE_NOTES_MCP_ALLOWED_FOLDERS": "<YOUR_APPLE_NOTES_MCP_ALLOWED_FOLDERS>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Tools & capabilities

Tools this server exposes to the agent.

notes_health — Check the health and status of the Notes integration
notes_permission_guide — Get guidance on required macOS permissions for Notes access
notes_recheck_permissions — Recheck and validate Notes permissions

Use cases

Search and retrieve specific notes by content or metadata
Create new notes programmatically from AI-generated content
Edit existing notes and update their content
Organize notes into folders and move them between locations
Automate note-taking workflows triggered by AI tasks

Apple Notes MCP server FAQ

What is the Apple Notes MCP server?

It's an MCP server that gives AI clients like Claude access to Apple Notes on macOS. You can search, create, edit, move, and organize notes without opening the app.

Is it free?

Yes, it's open-source under the MIT license. You only need Python 3.11+ and macOS.

How do I install it in Claude Desktop?

Download the .mcpb bundle from the GitHub releases page and double-click it, or use `claude mcp add --transport stdio --scope project apple-tools -- uvx apple-mcp-notes`.

What permissions does it need?

It requires Automation access to Notes in macOS System Settings. Use the `notes_permission_guide` tool to see exact steps.

Can I use it with other Apple apps?

Yes, this is a standalone Notes server. You can also install the unified Apple-Tools-MCP server to access Mail, Calendar, Reminders, Messages, Contacts, Files, and more from one server.

Does my data stay local?

The server runs locally on your Mac, but your MCP client may send returned note data to its model provider, and Notes may sync through iCloud or another account.

README (reference)

Source of truth, from the repository.

Apple-MCPs

MCP servers that let an AI client use Apple apps and macOS tools. Create reminders, send messages, check calendars, search mail, manage files, and get directions.

The servers run on your Mac. Your MCP client may send returned data to its model provider, and Apple apps may sync through iCloud or another account. Local execution does not mean the data stays local.

Requires Python 3.11+ and macOS. Uses MCP specification 2026-07-28 and Python SDK 2.x, with support for older client protocol revisions. MIT license.

Install

Install uv, then register the unified server with your client.

Claude Code:

claude mcp add --transport stdio --scope project apple-tools -- uvx apple-tools-mcp

Codex:

codex mcp add apple-tools -- uvx apple-tools-mcp

Other stdio clients:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apple-tools": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["apple-tools-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Run uvx apple-tools-mcp to start the server directly. Standalone servers use the same approach, such as uvx apple-mcp-mail or uvx apple-calendar-mcp.

Restart your client after installing or upgrading. Call search_tools with calendar health to check discovery without reading app data.

For Claude Desktop, download a server's .mcpb bundle from Releases and double-click it.

Set app-specific safety modes and directories in your client's env settings. The configuration guide lists defaults and options. Mail attachments are disabled until you set APPLE_MAIL_MCP_ALLOWED_ATTACHMENT_ROOT to a dedicated directory. Files tools only access APPLE_FILES_MCP_ALLOWED_ROOTS; macOS may impose further restrictions.

Choose a server

Start with Apple-Tools-MCP. It combines all ten apps and tools below, plus saved defaults, contact routing, Mail thread helpers, undo, briefings, and cross-app workflows.

Choose a standalone server to expose fewer apps to your client:

Server	macOS access	Health tool	Permission help
Mail	Automation access to Mail	`mail_health`	`mail_permission_guide`, `mail_recheck_permissions`
Calendar	Calendar access	`calendar_health`	`calendar_permission_guide`, `calendar_recheck_permissions`
Reminders	Reminders access	`reminders_health`	`reminders_permission_guide`, `reminders_recheck_permissions`
Messages	Automation; Full Disk Access for history	`messages_health`	`messages_permission_guide`, `messages_recheck_permissions`
Contacts	Contacts access	`contacts_health`	`contacts_permission_guide`, `contacts_recheck_permissions`
Notes	Automation access to Notes	`notes_health`	`notes_permission_guide`, `notes_recheck_permissions`
Shortcuts	Usually no separate prompt	`shortcuts_health`	`shortcuts_permission_guide`, `shortcuts_refresh_state`
Files	Allowed roots and protected-folder access	`files_health`	`files_permission_guide`
System	Some actions need System Events, Accessibility, or Automation	`system_health`	`system_permission_guide`
Maps	No privacy prompt; Swift helper needs Xcode command line tools	`maps_health`	`maps_permission_guide`

The unified server uses apple_health, apple_permission_guide, and apple_recheck_permissions. You must approve permissions yourself in the macOS prompt or System Settings.

Find and use tools

MCP tools/list returns each tool's schemas and read or write annotations. Use search_tools to search names, descriptions, and aliases; use get_tool_info for one tool's schema and examples.

Resolve recipients through Contacts before sending, unless you have the exact address. For Mail conversations, use mail_get_thread, mail_reply_latest_in_thread, or mail_archive_thread. Pass an exact sender email in from_account when the sending identity matters.

Mail search requires a query: a sender, subject fragment, or *. Reminders due_date requires a timezone offset, such as yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss-08:00. Omit service_name when sending iMessages.

The unified server also provides apple_generate_daily_briefing, apple_generate_weekly_briefing, and apple_triage_communications_task. Clients without prompt support can use apple_list_prompts, apple_get_prompt, and their per-server equivalents.

For calls from Python, use the metadata in generated/tool_catalogs/ and wrappers in generated/tool_wrappers/python/. See code-mode.md.

Transport and stored state

stdio is the default. To use Streamable HTTP, set APPLE_<DOMAIN>_MCP_TRANSPORT=streamable-http and the matching _HOST and _PORT variables.

HTTP must bind to 127.0.0.1, ::1, or localhost. The servers have no remote authentication and reject network and wildcard binds. Do not expose them through a tunnel or public proxy.

Apple-Tools-MCP stores defaults in ~/.apple-tools-mcp/preferences.json, configurable through APPLE_AGENT_MCP_STATE_FILE. It stores recent actions in ~/.apple-tools-mcp/actions.json for audit and undo.

Develop

git clone https://github.com/JonathanRReed/Apple-MCPs.git
cd Apple-MCPs
uv sync --all-packages

The uv workspace installs every server into .venv/bin. Each server folder also has a start.sh for clients; it uses uv when available and otherwise creates a virtual environment. Root pyproject.toml defines workspace members, and uv.lock pins dependencies.

Path	Contents
`Apple-Tools-MCP/`	Unified server; module `apple_agent_mcp`, environment prefix `APPLE_AGENT_MCP_*`
`Apple<Domain>-MCP/`	Standalone servers; Calendar uses `Apple-Calendar-MCP`
`AppleMCPCommon/`	Shared discovery and search, published as `apple-mcp-common`
`generated/`	Tool catalogs and Python wrappers
`scripts/`	Installation, checks, generation, and bundle builds
`docs/`	Project and launch documentation

Run smoke checks:

bash scripts/inspector_smoke.sh
uv run python scripts/protocol_smoke.py

For the official conformance suite, start the server in a separate terminal:

APPLE_AGENT_MCP_TRANSPORT=streamable-http \
APPLE_AGENT_MCP_PORT=8765 \
APPLE_AGENT_MCP_CONFORMANCE_MODE=1 \
./Apple-Tools-MCP/start.sh

npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/conformance@0.2.0-alpha.11 server --url http://127.0.0.1:8765/mcp --requirements 2026-07-28

Conformance mode registers test fixtures. Use it only for protocol validation. CI runs lint, macOS and Linux tests, generated-file checks, Inspector smoke checks, and conformance tests.

Documentation

Contributing · Security · Troubleshooting · MCP compatibility · Publishing · Changelog · Trademark notice · Launch docs

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