Apple Notes MCP Server

Instructions

Args:
    note_name: Name of the note to read
    account: Optional account name where the note is located

Implementation Reference

• apple_notes.py:198-239 (handler)

  The main handler function for the 'read_note' tool, decorated with @mcp.tool() for registration. It constructs and executes AppleScript to retrieve the content of a specified note from Apple Notes.app, handling optional account specification.

  @mcp.tool()
  async def read_note(note_name: str, account: Optional[str] = None) -> str:
      """Read the content of a specific note by name.
      
      Args:
          note_name: Name of the note to read
          account: Optional account name where the note is located
      """
      if account:
          script = f'''
          tell application "Notes"
              set accountName to "{escape_applescript_string(account)}"
              set noteName to "{escape_applescript_string(note_name)}"
              try
                  set targetAccount to account accountName
                  set targetNote to note noteName of targetAccount
                  return (body of targetNote)
              on error
                  return "ERROR: Note not found"
              end try
          end tell
          '''
      else:
          script = f'''
          tell application "Notes"
              set noteName to "{escape_applescript_string(note_name)}"
              repeat with anAccount in accounts
                  try
                      set targetNote to note noteName of anAccount
                      return (body of targetNote)
                  end try
              end repeat
              return "ERROR: Note not found"
          end tell
          '''
      
      output, success = run_applescript(script)
      if not success or output == "ERROR: Note not found":
          return output if output else f"Note '{note_name}' not found."
      
      return f"Note: {note_name}\n\n{output}"

• apple_notes.py:17-35 (helper)

  Helper function to execute AppleScript commands via subprocess, used by read_note to interact with Notes.app.

  def run_applescript(script: str) -> tuple[str, bool]:
      """Run an AppleScript command and return the output."""
      try:
          result = subprocess.run(
              ["osascript", "-e", script],
              capture_output=True,
              text=True,
              timeout=30
          )
          if result.returncode == 0:
              return result.stdout.strip(), True
          else:
              error_msg = result.stderr.strip() or result.stdout.strip()
              return f"Error: {error_msg}", False
      except subprocess.TimeoutExpired:
          return "Error: AppleScript execution timed out", False
      except Exception as e:
          return f"Error: {str(e)}", False

• apple_notes.py:37-44 (helper)

  Helper function to properly escape strings for safe insertion into AppleScript, used in read_note script construction.

  def escape_applescript_string(text: str) -> str:
      """Escape special characters for AppleScript strings."""
      # Replace backslashes, quotes, and newlines
      text = text.replace("\\", "\\\\")
      text = text.replace('"', '\\"')
      text = text.replace("\n", "\\n")
      return text