claude-desktop-with-apple-notes

Connect Claude Desktop to your Apple Notes using MCP

Getting Started

Install alto.index: Download alto.index from the Mac App Store and sync your Apple Notes to ~/Documents/altoindex/notes
Install Claude Desktop: Download Claude Desktop from https://claude.ai/download if you haven't already.
Configure MCP Server: Edit your Claude Desktop configuration file to add the filesystem MCP server. The config file is located at:
```
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
```

Add Filesystem Configuration: Update your claude_desktop_config.json with this configuration:

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem",
        "/Users/[YOUR_USERNAME]/Documents/altoindex"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Replace [YOUR_USERNAME] with your actual macOS username.

Restart Claude Desktop: Quit and restart Claude Desktop to load the new configuration. You'll see the filesystem tools appear in Claude's interface.

Available Read-Only Tools

Claude Desktop will have access to these read-only filesystem tools to explore your exported notes:

read_file: Read a single note file
read_multiple_files: Read multiple notes at once
search_files: Search across all your notes
list_directory: Browse note folders
directory_tree: View folder structure
get_file_info: Get note metadata

Note: alto.index exports are read-only. Claude can explore and analyze your notes but cannot modify them.

Real-World Examples

Search for Music Notes

You: search files about ukulele in notes

Claude: I'll search for ukulele-related content in your notes...

Found 41 files mentioning ukulele, including songs like "Birds of a Feather", "L-O-V-E", and "Dream a Little Dream".

Read Specific Notes

You: show me my interior design notes

Claude: Let me search for interior design related notes...

I can then read specific files you're interested in.

Analyze Note Patterns

You: how many notes do I have about travel?

Claude: I'll search for travel-related content across your notes...

You have 87 notes related to travel, including trip planning, flight details, and destination research.

Pro Tips

Natural Language: Just ask Claude naturally - it will automatically use the right tools. You don't need to specify tool names.
Multiple Operations: Claude can chain multiple operations together, like searching for notes and then reading the most relevant ones.
Pattern Matching: The search tool supports regex patterns for more complex searches across your notes.
Privacy First: All processing happens locally on your machine. Your notes never leave your computer.

Troubleshooting

Tools not appearing?

Make sure you've restarted Claude Desktop after editing the config
Check that the path in your config matches your alto.index folder
Verify the JSON syntax is correct (no trailing commas)

Permission errors?

Ensure Claude Desktop has file system permissions
Check that alto.index has synced your notes successfully
Try using the full path without ~ shorthand

Version 1 · Created Jan 4, 2026 · Modified Jan 4, 2026

chatgpt claude

Claude Desktop with Apple Notes