Apple Notes MCP server

This MCP server enables semantic search and Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) over your Apple Notes, allowing AI assistants like Claude to search and reference your notes during conversations. The server runs locally on your device, using on-device embedding models for semantic search capabilities.

Prerequisites

• Bun
• Claude Desktop

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/RafalWilinski/mcp-apple-notes
cd mcp-apple-notes

2. Install dependencies:

bun install

Setting Up Claude Desktop

1. Open Claude desktop app and navigate to Settings → Developer → Edit Config

2. Open the claude_desktop_config.json file and add the following entry:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "local-machine": {
      "command": "/Users/<YOUR_USER_NAME>/.bun/bin/bun",
      "args": ["/Users/<YOUR_USER_NAME>/apple-notes-mcp/index.ts"]
    }
  }
}

Important: Replace <YOUR_USER_NAME> with your actual username.

3. Restart the Claude desktop app. You should see a confirmation that the MCP server is connected:

Using MCP Apple Notes

1. To begin using the service, you first need to index your notes. Ask Claude to do this by typing a request like:

   • "Index my notes"
   • "Index my Apple Notes"

2. After indexing is complete, you can ask Claude questions about your notes, such as:

   • "What notes do I have about project planning?"
   • "Find my recipe notes"
   • "Summarize my meeting notes from last week"

Troubleshooting

If you encounter any issues, you can check the server logs with:

tail -n 50 -f ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp-server-local-machine.log
# or
tail -n 50 -f ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp.log

Common Issues

• Connection problems: Ensure paths in the claude_desktop_config.json are correct
• Indexing fails: Make sure you have granted appropriate permissions to access Apple Notes
• No results returned: Check if your notes were properly indexed by reviewing the logs

How to add this MCP server to Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > MCP and click "Add new global MCP server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "cursor-rules-mcp": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "cursor-rules-mcp"
            ]
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explictly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.