Local MCP

Search Notes

search_notes

Read-only

Searches Apple Notes by title or content.

Paginated: limit is capped at 100 per call, so page with offset instead of asking for a bigger limit. The response carries total (how many notes match the query in all) and has_more, so a capped page is never mistaken for the complete answer — page until has_more is false, which is exact even when total_is_estimated says the count is only a lower bound. To walk every match, pass order="id" — see the order parameter.

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`limit`	No	Matches per page (default 20, capped at 100). To get more, page with offset.	20
`order`	No	order: "modified" (default) sorts newest-modified first — what you want to SHOW someone, but NOT safe for paging: modification date changes, so a note edited between two calls jumps to the front and another note is pushed past your cursor and never returned. "id" sorts by the note's immutable store id — stable, never renumbered, new notes append at the end — so use order="id" to walk an entire library page by page: edits and insertions mid-crawl are safe with it. One case it cannot cover, because pages are addressed by offset: if a note is DELETED mid-crawl, every note after the hole shifts one slot back and the note that was on the page boundary is skipped, silently. If completeness matters, re-run the crawl and reconcile against total, or crawl while nothing is deleting notes.	modified
`query`	Yes	Text to look for. Matches a note's title or its snippet (the opening of the body), NOT the full body — a word that appears only deep inside a long note will not be found. Must not be empty.
`offset`	No	How many matches to skip (default 0). An offset past the end returns an empty page with has_more=false, not an error.	0

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description
`count`	No	Matches in THIS page
`order`	No	The ordering actually applied (modified \| id)
`query`	No
`total`	No	Matches in total, ignoring limit/offset. A LOWER BOUND, not the exact figure, when total_is_estimated is true
`offset`	No	Where this page started
`results`	No
`has_more`	No	True when matches remain past this page — call again with offset = offset + count
`imap_notes`	No	Present when this Mac has notes in an IMAP mail account, which this answer does not include: error_key imap_notes_not_listed, their count, and how to read one
`next_actions`	No
`total_is_estimated`	No	True when the exact count could not be taken (the unbounded COUNT failed, or the JXA fallback answered) — total is then only a lower bound. has_more stays exact either way: page until it is false, never until count reaches total

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed1 schema field changedOct 22, 2026

addedOutput schema / properties / imap_notes

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Present when this Mac has notes in an IMAP mail account, which this answer does not include: error_key imap_notes_not_listed, their count, and how to read one",
+  "type": "object"
+}

Changed1 schema field changedOct 10, 2026
- addedOutput schema / properties / next_actions / items
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "object"
+}
```

Changed1 schema field changedSep 30, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / query / description

Added value: +"Text to look for. Matches a note's title or its snippet (the opening of the body), NOT the full body — a word that appears only deep inside a long note will not be found. Must not be empty."

Changed1 schema field changedSep 29, 2026

removedInput schema / properties / query / description

Removed value: -"Text to look for. Matches a note's title or its snippet (the opening of the body), NOT the full body — a word that appears only deep inside a long note will not be found. Must not be empty."

Changed1 schema field changedSep 20, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / query / description

Added value: +"Text to look for. Matches a note's title or its snippet (the opening of the body), NOT the full body — a word that appears only deep inside a long note will not be found. Must not be empty."

Changed9 schema fields changedAug 18, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / limit / description

Added value: +"Matches per page (default 20, capped at 100). To get more, page with offset."

addedInput schema / properties / offset

Added value: +{
+  "default": "0",
+  "description": "How many matches to skip (default 0). An offset past the end returns an empty page with has_more=false, not an error.",
+  "minimum": 0,
+  "type": "integer"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / order

Added value: +{
+  "default": "modified",
+  "description": "order: \"modified\" (default) sorts newest-modified first — what you want to SHOW someone, but NOT safe for paging: modification date changes, so a note edited between two calls jumps to the front and another note is pushed past your cursor and never returned. \"id\" sorts by the note's immutable store id — stable, never renumbered, new notes append at the end — so use order=\"id\" to walk an entire library page by page: edits and insertions mid-crawl are safe with it. One case it cannot cover, because pages are addressed by offset: if a note is DELETED mid-crawl, every note after the hole shifts one slot back and the note that was on the page boundary is skipped, silently. If completeness matters, re-run the crawl and reconcile against total, or crawl while nothing is deleting notes.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / count / description
```
Added value: +"Matches in THIS page"
```

addedOutput schema / properties / has_more

Added value: +{
+  "description": "True when matches remain past this page — call again with offset = offset + count",
+  "type": "boolean"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / offset

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Where this page started",
+  "type": "integer"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / order

Added value: +{
+  "description": "The ordering actually applied (modified | id)",
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / total

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Matches in total, ignoring limit/offset. A LOWER BOUND, not the exact figure, when total_is_estimated is true",
+  "type": "integer"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / total_is_estimated

Added value: +{
+  "description": "True when the exact count could not be taken (the unbounded COUNT failed, or the JXA fallback answered) — total is then only a lower bound. has_more stays exact either way: page until it is false, never until count reaches total",
+  "type": "boolean"
+}

First observedJun 30, 2026

TDQS

A4.1/5.0

Behavior5/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Goes well past the annotations: it discloses the 100-item cap, that responses carry total/has_more/total_is_estimated, that has_more is exact even when the total is only a lower bound, why order="modified" is unsafe for crawling, and the silent-skip failure when a note is deleted mid-crawl. That is exactly the operational context readOnlyHint does not provide.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Front-loaded with the purpose sentence, and the paging paragraph earns most of its length. Some redundancy remains — the 100 cap and the order="id" advice are restated from the schema — and the closing 'see the order parameter' is filler.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

Complete for a paginated search: match surface (title/snippet, not deep body), paging contract, ordering stability, and the deletion edge case are all covered. Return values are described enough to interpret a page even though an output schema exists.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters4/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema coverage is already 100%, so the baseline is 3, but the description adds real meaning: it explains how limit, offset and order interact for paging and why limit cannot simply be raised. It slightly duplicates the order parameter's own lengthy schema text rather than extending it.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose4/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

States a specific verb and resource: searches Apple Notes by title or content. An agent can distinguish it from read_note or list_notes on scope alone, though the description never names those siblings explicitly or says which one to prefer.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines3/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

It gives thorough when/how guidance for paging (cap of 100, offset instead of a bigger limit, order="id" to walk a whole library), but it never addresses tool selection — nothing tells the agent when to search versus list all notes or read a specific note. Usage guidance is implied by the search surface, not stated.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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