Notes MCP Guide: Connect Apple Notes to Claude, Cursor, and LLMs

Notes MCP is a macOS-based MCP server that bridges the gap between Apple Notes and large language models. It allows you to pull note content directly into any MCP-compatible application, such as Claude or Cursor. With this tool, you can search, read, and create notes without ever leaving your AI-assisted workflow.

Available Commands

• notes-get-folders – Retrieves a list of all folders in Apple Notes.
• notes-get-notes – Returns all notes contained within a specified folder.
• notes-create-note – Generates a new note with a specified title and body.
• notes-get-note-by-id – Fetches a specific note using its unique ID.
• notes-get-note-by-title – Locates a note via an exact title match.
• notes-get-note-count – Returns the total number of notes in the account.

For example, within Claude, calling notes-get-notes on a folder named "GetURLData" might return:

1. [GetURLData] Launch
2. [GetURLData] API
3. [GetURLData] Architecture

Requesting a specific note with notes-get-note-by-title will then display the full text:

[GetURLData] Launch
Release plan:
...

Installing and Using Notes MCP

1. Build the Project

Begin by installing the necessary dependencies and compiling the source code. Run the following command in your terminal:

npm install && npm run build

2. Configure Claude

• Open the Claude Desktop configuration file at ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json.
• Add the MCP server configuration block:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "notes": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/full/path/to/notes-mcp/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

• To confirm the setup is working, go to Claude Settings. Under the "Developer" section, you should see the "notes" server status as "running" with the correct file path displayed.

3. Configure Cursor

• Open the MCP server configuration within Cursor. The specific file location may vary depending on your version; you can also configure this directly through the in-app settings.
• Insert the following JSON structure:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "notes": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/full/path/to/notes-mcp/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

• Activate the service by navigating to Settings → MCP Servers in Cursor. Add a global server, and the tool list will populate with commands like notes-create-note and notes-get-folders.

Running Standalone

To run the service independently or integrate it into a different environment, you can launch the index file directly:

node dist/index.js

Notes MCP is built on the Model Context Protocol and is compatible with any LLM application that supports the standard. You are free to extend its functionality or adapt it to your specific personal or professional workflow.