MCP Server

Maintained

MIT

io.github.mreider/better-bear MCP Server

io.github.mreider/better-bear

Read, search, create, and manage Bear notes via CloudKit with AI-optimized context library support.

What is the io.github.mreider/better-bear MCP server?

The better-bear MCP server provides full access to Bear notes through CloudKit, enabling AI agents to read, search, create, edit, tag, and manage notes. It includes a context library feature that syncs a curated subset of notes optimized for LLM consumption, following Karpathy's knowledge base pattern.

better-bear bridges Bear notes and Claude/Cursor by exposing 34 MCP tools for note management and search. It's particularly useful for building AI-augmented workflows around your note library, with a context library feature that lets you tag notes for inclusion in a synced folder that Claude can efficiently navigate and reference.

How to install io.github.mreider/better-bear

Copy-paste configuration for popular MCP clients.

transport: stdio

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

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "better-bear": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "better-bear"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Tools & capabilities

Tools this server exposes to the agent.

List notes — List all notes in your Bear library
Search notes — Full-text search across notes
Create note — Create a new note with title and body
Edit note — Append or modify note content
Tag management — List all tags and manage note tags
Attach files — Attach files to notes
TODO management — Manage TODOs within notes
Front matter — Handle front matter metadata in notes
Library statistics — Get statistics about your note library
Health checks — Verify server and CloudKit connection health
Context library tools — Initialize, sync, and manage context library for LLM consumption

Use cases

Build a personal knowledge base that Claude can search and reference in real-time
Create and edit notes programmatically from Claude conversations
Set up a curated context library of research notes that Claude loads on-demand
Organize notes with tags and manage TODOs through Claude
Sync Bear notes to a structured folder for efficient LLM retrieval

io.github.mreider/better-bear MCP server FAQ

What is better-bear?

better-bear is an MCP server that connects Bear notes (via CloudKit) to Claude and Cursor, providing 34 tools for reading, searching, creating, editing, and managing notes. It also includes a context library feature for syncing curated notes optimized for LLM consumption.

Is better-bear free?

Yes, better-bear is open-source under the MIT license. It requires a Bear app subscription (Bear is a paid note-taking app) and an iCloud account for CloudKit access.

How do I install it in Claude Desktop?

Run `curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/KuvopLLC/better-bear/main/install.sh | bash`, then `bcli auth` and `bcli mcp install`. Alternatively, download the .mcpb bundle from the latest release and double-click it.

How do I install it in Cursor?

Use `bcli mcp install` (handles both Claude Desktop and Claude Code), or manually add it via `claude mcp add better-bear -- npx -y better-bear`.

What authentication is required?

You need a Bear app account and iCloud credentials. Run `bcli auth` to authenticate with iCloud during setup.

What is the context library?

A synced folder of curated Bear notes tagged with #context, organized for efficient LLM retrieval. Claude can search an index to load only relevant notes instead of your entire library, inspired by Karpathy's knowledge base pattern.

README (reference)

Source of truth, from the repository.

better bear

MCP server and CLI for Bear notes via CloudKit. Includes a context library — a curated, synced folder of notes optimized for LLM consumption, inspired by Karpathy's LLM Knowledge Base pattern.

Full docs: better-bear.com

Install

Install the CLI, then connect to Claude:

curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/KuvopLLC/better-bear/main/install.sh | bash
bcli auth
bcli mcp install

This installs the bcli binary, authenticates with iCloud, and sets up the MCP server for both Claude Desktop (via .mcpb bundle) and Claude Code.

Other install methods

Method	Command
Claude Desktop only	`bcli mcp install --desktop-only`
Claude Code only	`bcli mcp install --code-only`
Claude Code (direct)	`claude mcp add better-bear -- npx -y better-bear`
Config file	`bcli mcp install --json`
.mcpb bundle	Download from latest release and double-click

Manage

bcli mcp status      # check what's configured
bcli mcp uninstall   # remove from Claude Desktop and Claude Code
bcli mcp reinstall   # clean uninstall + install
bcli upgrade         # upgrade bcli binary

CLI

All commands also work standalone from the terminal:

bcli ls                          # list notes
bcli search "query"              # full-text search
bcli create "Title" -b "Body"    # create a note
bcli edit <id> --append "text"   # append to a note
bcli tags                        # list all tags
bcli attach <id> photo.jpg       # attach a file
bcli stats                       # library statistics
bcli health                      # health check

See better-bear.com for the full command reference.

Context Library

Turn a subset of your Bear notes into a synced, curated context folder that Claude can navigate using index-first retrieval. Tag notes with #context in Bear, sync, and Claude reads a compact index to find relevant files — loading only what it needs, not everything.

bcli context init                          # one-time setup
bcli context sync                          # pull qualifying notes
bcli context add <id> --subtag research    # tag a note for inclusion
bcli context status                        # health check

Or tell Claude: "Set up a context library" — and it handles everything via MCP tools.

The architecture follows Karpathy's three-folder pattern: bear/ (synced from CloudKit), external/ (PDFs, exports, shared docs), and inbox/ (drop zone for triage). An index.md manifest maps everything. See better-bear.com for full documentation.

MCP Tools

34 tools covering notes, tags, TODOs, attachments, search, front matter, stats, health checks, and the context library. See the MCP server README for the full list.

Contributors

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