Bear Notes MCP Server
# Bear App MCP Server
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides Claude with access to your Bear App notes. Search, retrieve, and analyze your Bear notes directly from Claude Desktop or any MCP-compatible client.
## Features
### 🔍 Search & Discovery
- **Full-text search** across all your notes
- **Tag-based filtering** for organized content
- **Title-based search** with exact or partial matching
- **Recent notes** filtering by modification date
### 💻 Code & Technical Content
- **Kubernetes manifest finder** - Locate deployment examples, service configs, etc.
- **Code example search** - Find code snippets by programming language
- **Code block extraction** - Automatically parse and categorize code blocks
- **Technical documentation** discovery
### 📊 Content Analysis
- **Word count** and content statistics
- **Code language detection** from fenced code blocks
- **Content previews** for quick scanning
- **Metadata extraction** (creation/modification dates)
## Installation
### Prerequisites
- macOS (Bear App is macOS/iOS only)
- Bear App installed and with some notes
- Python 3.8 or higher
- Claude Desktop (for desktop integration)
### Setup Steps
1. **Clone or download the server script**
```bash
git clone github.com/netologist/mcp-bear-notes
```
2. **Create a virtual environment**
```bash
uv install
source .venv/bin/activate
```
4. **Test the server**
```bash
uv run python main.py
```
## Claude Desktop Integration
### Configuration File Location
Edit your Claude Desktop configuration file:
```
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
```
### Add MCP Server Configuration
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"bear-notes": {
"command": "/full/path/to/mcp-bear-notes/.venv/bin/python",
"args": ["/full/path/to/mcp-bear-notes/main.py"],
"env": {
"PYTHONPATH": "/full/path/to/mcp-bear-notes/.venv/lib/python3.13/site-packages"
}
}
}
}
```
**Important**: Replace `/full/path/to/` with your actual file paths.
### Restart Claude Desktop
Close and reopen Claude Desktop to load the MCP server.
## Usage Examples
Once integrated with Claude Desktop, you can use natural language to interact with your Bear notes:
### Basic Search
```
"Search my Bear notes for Docker examples"
"Find notes about Python APIs"
"Show me my recent notes from this week"
```
### Technical Content
```
"Find my Kubernetes deployment manifests"
"Look for JavaScript code examples in my notes"
"Show me notes with YAML configurations"
```
### Specific Retrieval
```
"Get the note titled 'Development Setup'"
"Find notes tagged with 'work'"
"Show me all my available tags"
```
## Available Tools
### `search_bear_notes(query, tag, limit)`
Search notes by content and tags.
- `query`: Text to search for
- `tag`: Filter by specific tag (without #)
- `limit`: Max results (default: 20)
### `get_bear_note(note_id)`
Retrieve a specific note by its unique ID.
- `note_id`: Bear note's unique identifier
### `find_kubernetes_examples(resource_type)`
Find Kubernetes-related content.
- `resource_type`: K8s resource (deployment, service, etc.)
### `find_code_examples(language, topic, limit)`
Search for code examples.
- `language`: Programming language
- `topic`: Code topic/domain
- `limit`: Max results (default: 15)
### `find_notes_by_title(title_query, exact_match)`
Search notes by title.
- `title_query`: Title text to search
- `exact_match`: Exact or partial matching
### `get_recent_notes(days, limit)`
Get recently modified notes.
- `days`: How many days to look back (default: 7)
- `limit`: Max results (default: 20)
### `list_bear_tags()`
List all tags found in your notes.
## Bear Database Information
The server reads from Bear's SQLite database located at:
```
~/Library/Group Containers/9K33E3U3T4.net.shinyfrog.bear/Application Data/database.sqlite
```
### Database Access Notes
- **Read-only access** - The server never modifies your notes
- **No authentication required** - Uses direct SQLite access
- **Performance** - Database queries are optimized for speed
- **Safety** - Only accesses non-trashed notes
## Troubleshooting
### Common Issues
**Server won't start**
- Check Python path in configuration
- Verify virtual environment activation
- Ensure fastmcp is installed
**No notes found**
- Verify Bear database path exists
- Check that Bear App has been opened at least once
- Confirm notes aren't in trash
**Claude Desktop integration fails**
- Validate JSON syntax in config file
- Check file paths are absolute, not relative
- Restart Claude Desktop after configuration changes
**Permission denied errors**
- Ensure script has execute permissions: `chmod +x main.py`
- Check Bear database file permissions
### Debug Mode
Run the server directly to see debug output:
```bash
python main.py
```
### Log Files
Check Claude Desktop logs for MCP server errors:
```bash
~/Library/Logs/Claude/
```
## Security & Privacy
- **Local-only**: All data stays on your machine
- **Read-only**: Server never modifies your notes
- **No network**: No external connections required
- **Open source**: Full transparency of operations
## Contributing
Contributions welcome! Areas for improvement:
- Additional search filters
- Export functionality
- Note creation capabilities
- iOS Shortcuts integration
- Performance optimizations
## License
MIT License - See LICENSE file for details.
## Changelog
### v1.0.0
- Initial release
- Basic search and retrieval functions
- Kubernetes and code example finders
- Claude Desktop integration
- Tag listing and filtering
## Support
For issues and questions:
1. Check the troubleshooting section
2. Review Claude Desktop MCP documentation
3. Open an issue on GitHub
4. Check Bear App forums for database-related questions
---
**Note**: This is an unofficial tool and is not affiliated with Bear App or Anthropic. Use at your own discretion.TDQS
Scored across 7 tools
Most tools have distinct purposes, but there is some overlap between find_notes_by_title and search_bear_notes, as both search for notes based on text criteria. However, the descriptions clarify that find_notes_by_title focuses on title matching while search_bear_notes searches both title and content, reducing confusion.
All tool names follow a consistent verb_noun pattern with snake_case, such as find_code_examples, get_bear_note, and list_bear_tags. This uniformity makes the tool set predictable and easy to understand.
With 7 tools, the server is well-scoped for managing Bear notes, covering key operations like searching, retrieving, and listing without being overwhelming. Each tool serves a clear purpose, making the count appropriate for the domain.
The tool set provides strong coverage for reading and searching notes, including specific use cases like code and Kubernetes examples. However, it lacks write operations (e.g., create, update, or delete notes), which could limit full lifecycle management, though this may be intentional for the server's design.