Purpose: Allow AI assistants such as Claude to directly read and edit Apple Notes on macOS, turning notes into a data source that AI can access and read and write.
Main capabilities: Supports listing, searching, and creating, reading, updating, and deleting notes; supports Apple Notes native formats such as titles, heading levels, lists, checklists, tables, and highlights; can read images, scans, and PDFs in notes; writes only modify the differing parts and do not overwrite the user's own edits (if a note has been changed after it was read, writing is refused), and automatically backs up before each change; after changes, requests Notes to upload to iCloud; at runtime, no dialogs pop up and Notes is not brought to the foreground.
How to use: Requires Node.js 24+ and macOS 26 (Tahoe) or later. Claude Code runs the installation command in the terminal; Claude Desktop requires adding configuration in ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json and restarting; claude.ai requires configuring a custom connector through a bridge that forwards HTTP requests to stdio. On first use, a settings window opens; turn on two permission switches for Apple Notes MCP, and permissions are retained after updates. You can also manually run npx -y @ailenshen/apple-notes-mcp@latest setup. The server communicates via stdio, supports MCP 2026-07-28 and legacy initialization handshakes from 2024-11-05 to 2025-11-25, and is also compatible with other MCP clients. After upgrading, @latest automatically updates the version.
Limitations: Attachments can only be read, not added or deleted; moving folders is not currently supported; locked notes cannot be read; shared notes can be edited but not deleted; tables that were just edited in Notes will be rebuilt after Claude modifies them, and formatting within cells will be reset; older macOS versions can only use npx -y @ailenshen/apple-notes-mcp@1, which retains --http mode.
