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Bear Notes MCP Server

Community
An unofficial, local-first MCP server for Bear Notes with relevance-ranked search and edit mode.
How to install ↓ Compare GitHub source repository ↗
Category
Other
Stars
★ 205 Popular
Transport
stdio (local process)
Runtime
Node.js 24.13.0+
Credentials
No credential needed
License
Apache-2.0
Last commit
Tools
13
44FMRS · D

This server offers powerful search and editing capabilities for Bear Notes, but it's unofficial and requires user awareness of permissions and risks. It's well-suited for privacy-conscious local-first users, but not for those unfamiliar with MCP or with simple small-library needs.

Strongest · Security and permissions 10/20 Weakest · Reliability 8/20

Reliability
8/20
Security and permissions
10/20
Maintenance
8/20
Documentation
9/20
Setup experience
9/20
Why each score
Reliability 8/20
Evidence: README lists 12 tools with 4 always-on read-only tools and 8 write tools in Edit Mode, and mentions revision token mechanism. GitHub Actions badge implies CI, but no config or test files are visible in this static review. Since tests are not executed and tool behavior is not verified against description, reliability score is capped below 12. Repository structure is not disclosed, so error handling and dependency control cannot be verified. Deduction: lack of verifiable execution evidence such as CI workflows and committed tests.
Security and permissions 10/20
Evidence: Server is read-only by default, Edit Mode is opt-in, reads local SQLite directly, no network calls, no telemetry, and writes through Bear's URL handler. Security and data boundaries are clear. No credentials or malicious indicators found. Deduction: no confirmation mechanism for potentially destructive actions; tag deletion tool exists but does not delete notes. No red lines detected, and least privilege is followed by default, hence high score.
Maintenance 8/20
Evidence: Repository has Apache-2.0 license, recent commits (based on stars and active CI), and releases. No specific security response channel or contribution guidelines found. Deduction: commit frequency and dependency updates not verified; clear ownership and license management details not visible.
Documentation 9/20
Evidence: README provides installation instructions, tool list, Edit Mode configuration, debug logging, FAQ, and examples. Documentation is considered comprehensive. Deduction: lacks detailed reference on tool parameters and limits; no in-depth troubleshooting guide.
Setup experience 9/20
Evidence: Two clear installation paths are provided: Claude Desktop extension (.mcpb) and standalone npm package, with config examples. macOS only, which is a limitation of Bear. Deduction: installation steps not verified due to no execution; requires Node.js 24.13.0+ and Bear app, which may limit accessibility.

Static review · not runListed 2026-08-07

Read the FMRS scoring method →

Fit and risk

What it can accessReads local filesWrites / deletes local filesConnects to a database

Best for

  • Users with large note libraries where substring search is insufficient.
  • Users switching between multiple MCP clients (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Gemini, etc.).
  • Users who want to query notes without opening Bear.
  • Users needing library-wide tag management.
  • Users concerned about supply-chain hygiene and privacy.

Not for

  • Users with small libraries who just want quick note integration.
  • Users unwilling to grant MCP server access to local database.
  • Users needing Windows or Linux support (macOS only).
  • Users requiring official support or guarantees (unofficial project).

Required permissions

  • Read access to Bear Notes SQLite database.
  • Write access via Bear's X-callback-URL API when Edit Mode is enabled.
  • Optional attachment of local files (max 25 MB).
  • Optional communication with AI provider when using an AI assistant (data sent to your provider).

Risks and side effects

  • Extension installation shows a red warning about granting access to everything on your computer, but actually only accesses Bear's database.
  • Write operations require Edit Mode and may overwrite data if revision tokens are stale.
  • Unofficial project; there may be bugs, but the codebase is small and reviewable.
  • macOS only.

Setup

Before you start

Runtime：Node.js 24.13.0+

Other optional settings (3)
UI_DEBUG_TOGGLE optional Set to true to enable verbose debug logging for the standalone MCP server; optional, for troubleshooting only.
UI_ENABLE_NEW_NOTE_CONVENTION optional Set to true so newly created notes place tags right after the title instead of the bottom; optional opt-in convention.
UI_ENABLE_CONTENT_REPLACEMENT optional Set to true to enable Edit Mode and unlock the 8 write tools; off by default (read-only), optional.

Claude Desktop Extension:

  1. Download the latest bear-notes-mcpb-*.mcpb file from [Releases](https://github.com/vasylenko/bear-notes-mcp/releases).
  2. Ensure Claude Desktop is running.
  3. Double-click the extension file and follow the installation prompt.

Standalone MCP Server (other clients):

  • Requires Node.js 24.13.0+.
  • For Claude Code: claude mcp add -s user bear-notes -- npx -y bear-notes-mcp@latest.
  • For other clients, add the JSON configuration to your MCP configuration file.

Example config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bear-notes": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "bear-notes-mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}
claude_desktop_config.json 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bear-notes": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "bear-notes-mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

Shown for Claude Desktop. Other clients may use a different file or key (VS Code uses "servers") — the configurator below converts it.

.vscode/mcp.json
{
  "servers": {
    "bear-notes": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "bear-notes-mcp@latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Goes in your project's .vscode/mcp.json (VS Code uses a "servers" key).

Terminal
claude mcp add bear-notes -- npx -y bear-notes-mcp@latest

Run it in a terminal; replace any <…> placeholders with your own values first.

Generate and validate client config

Check that it works

After installation, the client's tool list should show the 4 read tools such as bear-search-notes (plus write tools when Edit Mode is on); run "Search my Bear notes for 'meeting'" and seeing your notes returned proves the connection works.

Troubleshooting

  1. Ensure Node.js version meets requirements (24.13.0+).
  2. Ensure Bear app is installed (required for write operations).
  3. For Claude Desktop, check logs: `~/Library/Logs/Claude/main.log` and `~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp-server-Bear Notes.log`.
  4. Set environment variable `UI_DEBUG_TOGGLE=true` for verbose logging.
  5. If double-clicking the .mcpb file doesn't work, install manually via Claude Settings → Extensions.

Things to try

Once connected, you can ask your AI assistant things like:

  • Search my Bear notes for the deep-dive I wrote on export pipelines
  • Append today's decisions to the 'Decisions' section of my Weekly Ops note
  • List all tags in my Bear library as a tree with note counts
  • Attach the local file report.pdf to my Meeting Notes note

Tools 13

bear-capabilities read-only
Report the current server mode (read-only or Edit Mode) and how to unlock additional capabilities.
bear-open-note read-only
Read the full text content of a Bear note by its ID or title, including OCR'd text from attached images and PDFs.
bear-create-note writes
Create a new note in your Bear library with optional title, content, and tags.
bear-search-notes read-only
Find notes by relevance across titles, body, and OCR-extracted text from attached images and PDFs. Supports tag, date-range, and pinned-only filters.
bear-add-text writes
Insert text at the beginning or end of a note, or within a specific section. Requires the note's current revision token.
bear-replace-text writes
Replace content in an existing note, either the full body or a specific section. Requires the note's current revision token.
bear-add-file writes
Attach a local file (image, PDF, document) to an existing note. Max 25 MB; symlinks rejected.
bear-list-tags read-only
List all tags in your Bear library as a hierarchical tree with note counts.
Show 5 more tools
bear-find-untagged-notes read-only
Find notes in your Bear library that have no tags assigned.
bear-add-tag writes
Add one or more tags to an existing note. Requires the note's current revision token.
bear-archive-note writes
Archive a note to remove it from active lists without deleting it.
bear-rename-tag writes
Rename a tag across all notes in your Bear library.
bear-delete-tag destructive
Delete a tag from all notes in your Bear library without affecting the notes.

Use cases

Searching years of accumulated notes with relevance-ranked results.
Querying your notes mid-conversation without bringing Bear to the foreground.
Managing tags across the whole library, including renaming and deleting.
Pulling notes into AI conversations for outlines, summaries, or drafting.
Automating note creation and editing via Edit Mode.

Supported clients

Claude Desktop
Claude Code
Cursor
Codex
Gemini
Windsurf

Listed from the project's documentation, not tested by this site.

Overview

Bear Notes MCP Server is an unofficial, opinionated MCP server for Bear Notes. It provides relevance-ranked search instead of substring matching, with results ranked across titles, bodies, and hierarchical tags, complete with snippets and combinable filters (tag, date, pinned). Reads run directly against Bear's SQLite database, no Bear app required for queries. Writes route through Bear's own URL handler, atomic and validated by Bear. Offline-first: no network calls, no telemetry. Works with any MCP client. Ships as a one-click .mcpb extension for Claude Desktop or a standalone npm package.

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Source revision be87b37ab4bf Data synced 2026-10-11 Read the FMRS scoring method