How do I use OneNote MCP Server?

1. Click on "Install Server". 2. Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state. 3. In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@OneNote MCP Server search my notes for 'project roadmap' and summarize the key points" That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed. Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.

OneNote MCP Server

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that gives Claude access to your local Microsoft OneNote notebooks. It reads .one files directly from disk and writes to OneNote via the COM API — no Azure registration, no API keys, no authentication required.

What It Does

This server parses the OneNote backup files that the desktop app stores locally and exposes them as tools that Claude can use to browse, read, and write to your notes.

Reading Tools

Tool	Description
`list_notebooks`	List all locally available OneNote notebooks (from backup files)
`list_sections`	List all sections in a specific notebook
`read_section`	Read the full text content of a section
`search_notes`	Search for text across all notebooks and sections
`list_all_sections`	List every section across every notebook
`get_notebook_summary`	Get a notebook overview with content previews

Writing Tools

Tool	Description
`list_live_notebooks`	List notebooks/sections from the running OneNote app
`create_page`	Create a new page in any notebook section
`list_live_pages`	List pages in a section (with IDs for appending)
`append_to_page`	Append content to an existing page

Writing tools use the OneNote COM API and require the OneNote desktop app to be running on Windows.

Prerequisites

Python 3.12+
uv (recommended) or pip
Microsoft OneNote desktop app (with local backup files)

Installation

git clone https://github.com/mhzarem/onenote-mcp.git cd onenote-mcp uv sync

Or with pip:

git clone https://github.com/mhzarem/onenote-mcp.git cd onenote-mcp pip install "mcp[cli]" pyOneNote

Setup

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport stdio onenote -- uv --directory /path/to/onenote-mcp run server.py

Verify it's connected:

claude mcp list

Claude Desktop

Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{ "mcpServers": { "onenote": { "command": "uv", "args": [ "--directory", "/absolute/path/to/onenote-mcp", "run", "server.py" ] } } }

On Windows, use the full path to uv.exe and double backslashes:

{ "mcpServers": { "onenote": { "command": "C:\\Users\\YOUR_USER\\.local\\bin\\uv.exe", "args": [ "--directory", "C:\\path\\to\\onenote-mcp", "run", "server.py" ] } } }

Restart Claude Desktop after saving.

Where It Reads Files From

By default, the server reads from the OneNote desktop app's local backup directory:

C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\OneNote\16.0\Backup\

To use a different location, set the ONENOTE_BACKUP_DIR environment variable:

# Claude Code claude mcp add --transport stdio --env ONENOTE_BACKUP_DIR=/path/to/notes onenote -- uv --directory /path/to/onenote-mcp run server.py # Or export it export ONENOTE_BACKUP_DIR=/path/to/your/onenote/files

Usage Examples

Once connected, you can ask Claude:

Reading:

"List my OneNote notebooks"
"Show me the sections in my Machine Learning notebook"
"Read my Algorithm notes"
"Search my notes for transformers"
"Give me a summary of my Programming notebook"

Writing:

"Create a new page in My Notebook / Quick Notes titled 'Meeting Notes'"
"Add my interview prep notes to OneNote"
"Append today's summary to my existing page"

How It Works

Reading:

Scans the OneNote backup directory for .one files
Organizes them by notebook and section (grouping backup versions together)
Uses pyOneNote to parse the binary .one format
Extracts RichEditTextUnicode text content from each section

Writing:

Connects to the running OneNote desktop app via the COM API
Uses PowerShell subprocess calls to create pages and update content
Supports HTML formatting in page content

Limitations

Reading: Uses OneNote desktop backup files — not OneDrive-only notebooks without local backup
Reading: Extracts text content only; images and embedded files are not included
Writing: Requires Windows with the OneNote desktop app installed
Writing: The OneNote app must be installed (it doesn't need to be open — the COM API will start it)