Bear MCP Server

# Usage Examples Practical examples and workflows for the Bear MCP Server. ## 🎯 Common Workflows ### Getting Started - Basic Operations #### Explore Your Bear Database ``` "What's in my Bear database?" "Show me my database statistics" "How many notes do I have?" ``` #### Browse Your Notes ``` "Show me my recent notes" "List my 10 most recent notes" "What notes do I have tagged with 'work'?" "Find notes containing 'project' in the title" ``` #### Explore Your Tags ``` "What tags do I use most?" "Show me all my Bear tags" "How many notes are tagged with 'personal'?" ``` ### Content Discovery and Search #### Basic Search ``` "Search for notes about 'machine learning'" "Find notes containing 'API documentation'" "Show me notes with 'meeting' in the title" ``` #### Advanced Search ``` "Find notes tagged 'work' but not 'archived', created after January 1st" "Search for notes containing 'JavaScript' with fuzzy matching" "Find notes longer than 1000 characters tagged with 'research'" ``` #### Content Analysis ``` "Find notes similar to this content: 'React hooks and state management'" "What notes are related to note ID 123?" "Analyze my note-taking patterns this month" ``` ### Organization and Management #### Create and Edit Notes ``` "Create a new note titled 'Daily Standup' with tags 'work' and 'meetings'" "Update note 123 to add 'urgent' tag" "Duplicate my 'Template' note with suffix ' - New Project'" ``` #### Tag Management and Validation ``` "Create a note with tags 'projectalpha' and 'workmeeting'" # Result: Tags created as-is since they follow Bear's rules "Add tags 'project/frontend' and 'javascriptreact' to note 456" # Result: Both tags created as-is, nested tag preserved "Create a note with nested tags 'work/projects/2024' and 'personal/health'" # Result: Both tags preserved as nested tags work with forward slashes ``` #### Archive and Organize ``` "Archive note 456" "Find old notes I should archive" "Show me notes with attachments" ``` ## 📚 Detailed Scenarios ### Scenario 1: Research Project Management **Goal**: Organize research notes for a machine learning project #### Step 1: Assess Current State ``` "Find all notes tagged with 'machinelearning' or 'ml'" "Search for notes containing 'neural network' or 'deep learning'" "Show me notes with attachments tagged 'research'" ``` #### Step 2: Create Project Structure ``` "Create a new note titled 'ML Project Overview' with tags 'machinelearning' and 'project/overview'" "Create a note titled 'Research Papers' with content 'Collection of relevant papers' and tags 'machinelearning' and 'references'" ``` #### Step 3: Organize Existing Content ``` "Find notes similar to 'neural networks and backpropagation algorithms'" "Update note 789 to add tags 'machinelearning' and 'neuralnetworks'" "Archive old notes tagged 'mldraft' created before 2023" ``` #### Step 4: Analysis and Insights ``` "Analyze my note-taking patterns for machine learning topics" "What are my most-used tags related to 'machinelearning'?" "Find duplicate or similar notes in my research collection" ``` ### Scenario 2: Meeting Notes Management **Goal**: Streamline meeting notes and follow-ups #### Step 1: Inventory Current Meetings ``` "Find all notes tagged with 'meeting' or 'meetings'" "Show me meeting notes from the last month" "What meeting notes have todos or action items?" ``` #### Step 2: Create Meeting Templates ``` "Create a note titled 'Weekly Team Meeting Template' with content: # Weekly Team Meeting - [Date] ## Attendees - ## Agenda 1. 2. 3. ## Action Items - [ ] - [ ] ## Next Meeting Date: Topics: Tags: meetings, team, weekly" ``` #### Step 3: Organize Past Meetings ``` "Find meeting notes without proper tags" "Update meeting notes from January to add 'q1/2024' tag" "Archive meeting notes older than 6 months" ``` #### Step 4: Follow-up Management ``` "Find meeting notes with incomplete todos" "Search for action items assigned to specific people" "Create a summary note of all Q1 meeting outcomes" ``` ### Scenario 3: Knowledge Base Cleanup **Goal**: Clean up and optimize your Bear knowledge base #### Step 1: Database Analysis ``` "Analyze my note metadata and content patterns" "What are my longest and shortest notes?" "Show me notes that might need better organization" ``` #### Step 2: Find Duplicates and Similar Content ``` "Find duplicate or very similar notes" "Search for notes with similar titles" "Identify notes that could be merged" ``` #### Step 3: Tag Optimization ``` "Analyze my tag usage and suggest improvements" "Find orphaned or rarely used tags" "Show me tag hierarchy and relationships" ``` #### Step 4: Content Enhancement ``` "Find notes without tags that should have them" "Identify notes that need better titles" "Find notes with broken links or missing attachments" ``` ### Scenario 4: Content Migration and Backup **Goal**: Backup and migrate Bear content #### Step 1: Comprehensive Backup ``` "Show me my database statistics for backup planning" "List all file attachments with their sizes" "Get a complete inventory of my notes and tags" ``` #### Step 2: Selective Export Planning ``` "Find notes created in the last year for migration" "Show me notes with specific tags for selective backup" "Identify notes with attachments that need special handling" ``` ### Scenario 5: Tag Organization and Cleanup **Goal**: Optimize tag usage and create a consistent tagging system #### Step 1: Tag Analysis ``` "Analyze my tag usage patterns and suggest improvements" "Show me all tags and their usage counts" "Find tags that might be duplicates or need consolidation" ``` #### Step 2: Tag Standardization ``` "Create a note with standardized project tags using nested structure" "Update old notes to use consistent tag format" "Convert old tags to clean format using proper naming" ``` #### Step 3: Tag Hierarchy Planning ``` "Plan a tag hierarchy for work projects: work/project/alpha" "Create template notes with proper nested tag examples" "Document tag conventions for consistent future use" ``` ## 🏷️ Tag Best Practices ### ✅ Recommended Tag Formats - **Simple tags**: `work`, `personal`, `urgent` - **Nested categories**: `work/projects/alpha`, `personal/health/fitness` - **Time-based**: `2024`, `q1`, `january` - **Status indicators**: `todo`, `inprogress`, `completed` - **Project codes**: `proj001`, `alpha`, `beta` ### ❌ Tags to Avoid (Auto-Sanitized) - **With spaces**: `work meeting` → becomes `workmeeting` - **With underscores**: `project_alpha` → becomes `projectalpha` - **Mixed case**: `ProjectAlpha` → becomes `projectalpha` - **With commas**: `work,urgent` → becomes `workurgent` ### 💡 Pro Tips - Use forward slashes for hierarchy: `work/projects/2024/alpha` - Keep tags short and memorable - Be consistent with naming conventions - Use nested tags for better organization - Let the server handle tag validation automatically #### Step 3: Content Verification ``` "Verify database integrity and health" "Check for any corrupted or problematic notes" "Ensure all tags and relationships are intact" ``` ## 🔧 Advanced Use Cases ### Automated Content Analysis #### Writing Pattern Analysis ``` "Analyze my writing patterns and productivity trends" "What times of day do I create most notes?" "How has my note-taking evolved over time?" ``` #### Content Quality Assessment ``` "Find notes that might need more detail or structure" "Identify notes with poor formatting or organization" "Show me notes that could benefit from better tags" ``` #### Knowledge Gap Identification ``` "Find topics I've started but not completed" "Identify areas where I have sparse documentation" "Show me potential connections between isolated notes" ``` ### Bulk Operations and Maintenance #### Bulk Tag Management ``` "Find all notes tagged 'oldproject' and update them to 'archived/project'" "Add 'needsreview' tag to all notes older than 1 year" "Standardize tag naming conventions across all notes" ``` #### Content Maintenance ``` "Find notes with outdated information or broken links" "Identify notes that reference deprecated tools or methods" "Update project status across multiple related notes" ``` #### Archive Management ``` "Archive all completed project notes from 2023" "Find notes that should be archived based on age and usage" "Create archive summaries for major projects" ``` ## 💡 Pro Tips and Best Practices ### Efficient Searching #### Use Specific Terms ``` ✅ Good: "Find notes about 'React hooks useState'" ❌ Avoid: "Find notes about programming" ``` #### Combine Multiple Criteria ``` ✅ Good: "Find notes tagged 'work' created after January 1st with 'API' in title" ❌ Avoid: Multiple separate queries ``` #### Use Pagination for Large Results ``` ✅ Good: "Show me first 20 notes tagged 'research', then next 20" ❌ Avoid: Requesting all results at once for large datasets ``` ### Effective Organization #### Consistent Tagging Strategy ``` ✅ Good: Use hierarchical tags like 'project/webapp', 'meeting/weekly' ❌ Avoid: Inconsistent tag naming like 'proj', 'project', 'projects' ``` #### Descriptive Titles ``` ✅ Good: "Weekly Team Meeting - Feb 18, 2024" ❌ Avoid: "Meeting", "Notes", "Untitled" ``` #### Regular Maintenance ``` ✅ Good: Monthly cleanup and organization sessions ❌ Avoid: Letting organization problems accumulate ``` ### Safety and Reliability #### Test Before Bulk Operations ``` ✅ Good: Test write operations on a few notes first ❌ Avoid: Running bulk operations without testing ``` #### Use Read Operations Freely ``` ✅ Good: Explore and analyze with read operations ❌ Avoid: Being hesitant to use analysis tools ``` #### Keep Bear Updated ``` ✅ Good: Regular Bear app updates for schema compatibility ❌ Avoid: Using outdated Bear versions ``` ## 🚨 Common Pitfalls and Solutions ### Issue: Too Many Results **Problem**: Queries returning thousands of results **Solution**: Use pagination and more specific criteria ``` Instead of: "Show me all my notes" Try: "Show me my 20 most recent notes" or "Find notes tagged 'current/project'" ``` ### Issue: Bear Process Running **Problem**: Write operations blocked by running Bear **Solution**: Quit Bear completely before write operations ``` 1. Quit Bear app completely 2. Check Activity Monitor for Bear processes 3. Then perform write operations ``` ### Issue: Unclear Search Results **Problem**: Getting unexpected or irrelevant results **Solution**: Use more specific search terms and filters ``` Instead of: "Find notes about work" Try: "Find notes tagged 'work' containing 'project status' created this month" ``` ### Issue: Performance Slowdown **Problem**: Slow responses with large databases **Solution**: Use pagination and specific filters ``` Instead of: Broad searches on large databases Try: Use date ranges, tag filters, and limit parameters ``` ## 📊 Example Responses ### Database Statistics Response ```json { "totalNotes": 1247, "activeNotes": 1089, "trashedNotes": 158, "archivedNotes": 45, "encryptedNotes": 8, "totalTags": 127, "totalAttachments": 234, "databaseSize": 45728640, "lastModified": "2024-02-18T15:30:22Z" } ``` ### Search Results Response ```json [ { "Z_PK": 123, "ZTITLE": "Machine Learning Project Overview", "ZTEXT": "# ML Project\n\nThis project focuses on...", "ZCREATIONDATE": 760349412.183326, "ZMODIFICATIONDATE": 760349412.183326, "ZTRASHED": 0, "ZARCHIVED": 0, "ZPINNED": 1, "ZENCRYPTED": 0, "tags": ["machinelearning", "project", "overview"], "relevanceScore": 0.95, "matchedTerms": ["machine", "learning"], "snippets": ["This project focuses on machine learning algorithms..."] } ] ``` ### Note Creation Response ```json { "noteId": 1248, "success": true, "backupPath": "/Users/user/Documents/Bear MCP Backups/backup_20240218_153022.sqlite" } ``` ## 🔄 Workflow Templates ### Daily Note Review Workflow 1. `"Show me notes created or modified today"` 2. `"Find notes with incomplete todos"` 3. `"Check for meeting notes needing follow-up"` 4. `"Identify notes that need better tags or organization"` ### Weekly Cleanup Workflow 1. `"Analyze my note-taking patterns this week"` 2. `"Find notes that might be duplicates"` 3. `"Identify notes without proper tags"` 4. `"Archive completed project notes"` 5. `"Create weekly summary note"` ### Monthly Organization Workflow 1. `"Get comprehensive database statistics"` 2. `"Analyze tag usage and suggest optimizations"` 3. `"Find notes older than 6 months for potential archiving"` 4. `"Review and update project status notes"` 5. `"Create monthly knowledge base health report"` ### Project Kickoff Workflow 1. `"Create project overview note with standard template"` 2. `"Set up projectspecific tags and organization"` 3. `"Find related existing notes and tag them appropriately"` 4. `"Create project milestone and tracking notes"` 5. `"Establish project documentation structure"` --- **Next Steps**: - Check out the [API Reference](api-reference.md) for detailed tool documentation - Review [Troubleshooting](troubleshooting.md) for common issues and solutions - Explore [Advanced Workflows](advanced-workflows.md) for power user techniques