Claude Code with Apple Notes

Unlock the power of AI with your Apple Notes

Getting Started

1. Install alto.index: Download alto.index from the Mac App Store and grant it Full Disk Access permission in System Settings.

2. Connect Apple Notes: Open alto.index and click "Connect" next to Apple Notes. The app will begin syncing your notes to ~/Documents/altoindex/notes/

3. Wait for Initial Sync: The first sync may take a few minutes depending on how many notes you have. Each note is converted to markdown with attachments preserved.

4. Open Claude Code: Launch Claude Code and navigate to your alto.index folder:

   cd ~/Documents/altoindex

5. Start Querying: You can now ask Claude Code to search, analyze, and work with your notes using natural language!

Real-World Examples

Finding Design Notes

You: give me links to design notes on interior design

Claude: I'll search for interior design notes specifically...

Found links to interior design notes:

• Interior/Chairs - notes://showNote?identifier=3717bf51-b5ab-4cff-8bcd-e2cf75493a6d
• Interior Inspirations - notes://showNote?identifier=2064fba0-1f20-49dc-b349-5c1c6fc8f655

Music Collection Search

You: find me ukulele songs I want to learn

Claude: I'll search for ukulele songs in your notes...

Here's a list of ukulele songs you want to learn:

• Birds of a Feather by Billie Eilish
• L-O-V-E by Nat King Cole
• Dream a Little Dream
• Fly Me to the Moon
• And 20+ more songs with tabs and tutorials!

Data Analysis

You: can you plot number of notes created by day in the past 90 days?

Claude: I'll analyze the notes to plot creation dates over the past 90 days...

Summary Statistics:

• Total notes: 267 notes
• Active days: 79 out of 91 days (87%)
• Daily average: 2.93 notes overall
• Most productive day: May 13, 2025 (14 notes)

Travel Information

You: find my flights

Claude: I'll search for flight-related information...

Found your recent flight:

• JFK-WAW (New York to Warsaw)
• LOT Polish Airlines boarding pass
• Link: notes://showNote?identifier=b0307087-b161-428f-834f-ec24e684cfe9

Pro Tips

• Use Native Links: alto.index preserves Apple Notes links. You can open any note directly in Apple Notes using the notes:// URLs that Claude Code finds.

• Folder Structure: Your notes maintain their folder structure from Apple Notes, making it easy to navigate: ~/Documents/altoindex/notes/[folder]/[note-title].md

• Search Patterns: Claude Code uses regex patterns for searching. Use the pipe symbol (|) for OR searches: "design|architecture|interior"

• Attachments: Images and files from your notes are saved alongside the markdown files, maintaining the full context of your notes.

Common Commands

• find all notes about [topic]: Search for notes containing specific keywords
• show me notes created this week: Filter notes by creation date
• analyze my note-taking patterns: Get insights about your note-taking habits
• open notes://showNote?identifier=[id]: Open a specific note in Apple Notes app