Is the better-bear MCP server free to use?

Yes. better-bear is listed on AllMCPs as a free, open Model Context Protocol server you can install into Claude Desktop, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client.

Is the better-bear MCP server free to use?

Yes. better-bear is listed on AllMCPs as a free, open Model Context Protocol server you can install into Claude Desktop, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client.

Better Bear

MCP server for Bear notes — read, search, create, edit, tag, and manage notes via CloudKit

Quick Install

Automated & IDE Setup

Copy the AI prompt to install this server into Claude Code, Cursor, or another agent — or use 1-click editor setup below.

Add to Cursor Add to VS Code

Manual Client & Custom JSON ConfigExpand JSON ▾

Install Config Generator

Choose your client

claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "better-bear": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "better-bear"
      ]
    }
  }
}

💡 Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows)

Documentation Overview

better bear

MCP server and CLI for Bear notes via CloudKit. Includes a context library — a curated, synced folder of notes optimized for LLM consumption, inspired by Karpathy's LLM Knowledge Base pattern.

Full docs: better-bear.com

Install

Install the CLI, then connect to Claude:

Terminal

curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/KuvopLLC/better-bear/main/install.sh | bash
bcli auth
bcli mcp install

This installs the bcli binary, authenticates with iCloud, and sets up the MCP server for both Claude Desktop (via .mcpb bundle) and Claude Code.

Other install methods

Method	Command
Claude Desktop only	`bcli mcp install --desktop-only`
Claude Code only	`bcli mcp install --code-only`
Claude Code (direct)	`claude mcp add better-bear -- npx -y better-bear`
Config file	`bcli mcp install --json`
.mcpb bundle	Download from latest release and double-click

Manage

Code

bcli mcp status      # check what's configured
bcli mcp uninstall   # remove from Claude Desktop and Claude Code
bcli mcp reinstall   # clean uninstall + install
bcli upgrade         # upgrade bcli binary

CLI

All commands also work standalone from the terminal:

Code

bcli ls                          # list notes
bcli search "query"              # full-text search
bcli create "Title" -b "Body"    # create a note
bcli edit <id> --append "text"   # append to a note
bcli tags                        # list all tags
bcli attach <id> photo.jpg       # attach a file
bcli stats                       # library statistics
bcli health                      # health check

See better-bear.com for the full command reference.

Context Library

Turn a subset of your Bear notes into a synced, curated context folder that Claude can navigate using index-first retrieval. Tag notes with #context in Bear, sync, and Claude reads a compact index to find relevant files — loading only what it needs, not everything.

Code

bcli context init                          # one-time setup
bcli context sync                          # pull qualifying notes
bcli context add <id> --subtag research    # tag a note for inclusion
bcli context status                        # health check

Or tell Claude: "Set up a context library" — and it handles everything via MCP tools.

The architecture follows Karpathy's three-folder pattern: bear/ (synced from CloudKit), external/ (PDFs, exports, shared docs), and inbox/ (drop zone for triage). An index.md manifest maps everything. See better-bear.com for full documentation.

MCP Tools

34 tools covering notes, tags, TODOs, attachments, search, front matter, stats, health checks, and the context library. See the MCP server README for the full list.

Contributors

Related MCP Servers

View all in Knowledge & Memory View all alternatives

Frequently Asked Questions about Better Bear

Add the following block to your claude_desktop_config.json under mcpServers: "mcpServers": { "better-bear": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "better-bear"] } }

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Technical Specs & Signals

CategoryKnowledge & Memory

0/4 checks healthy over the last 6h

27Quality signal: Emerging · 27/100How this signal is calculated ▾

Server availabilityNot measured

Not scored for repo-hosted servers — we can't reach the running server, only its GitHub page. Hosted MCP endpoints are health-checked live.

Verified ownership8/20

Documentation & tools11/30

Adoption & activity1/15

Community engagement0/10

A guidance signal from public completeness & health data — not a user rating. New listings start lower and rise as they add docs, get verified, and grow adoption. Signals we can't observe for a listing are skipped, not counted against it.

★ Featured

AllMCPs Server

The official MCP server for AllMCPs.com - submit and manage tools directly from your AI. The open directory for MCP servers. Connect Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and AI agents to databases, tools, files, and APIs. Explore 3,181+ servers. AllMCPs is the premier, open directory for discovering, evaluating, and installing Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers to equip AI agents and LLMs with real-world superpowers.

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More in 🧠 Knowledge & Memory →Best MCP servers for Memory & Knowledge →Alternatives to Better Bear →Install in Claude Desktop Install in Cursor Install in VS Code

Better Bear

MCP server for Bear notes — read, search, create, edit, tag, and manage notes via CloudKit

Quick Install

Automated & IDE Setup

Copy the AI prompt to install this server into Claude Code, Cursor, or another agent — or use 1-click editor setup below.

Add to Cursor Add to VS Code

Manual Client & Custom JSON ConfigExpand JSON ▾

Install Config Generator

Choose your client

claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "better-bear": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "better-bear"
      ]
    }
  }
}

💡 Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows)

Documentation Overview

better bear

MCP server and CLI for Bear notes via CloudKit. Includes a context library — a curated, synced folder of notes optimized for LLM consumption, inspired by Karpathy's LLM Knowledge Base pattern.

Full docs: better-bear.com

Install

Install the CLI, then connect to Claude:

Terminal

curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/KuvopLLC/better-bear/main/install.sh | bash
bcli auth
bcli mcp install

This installs the bcli binary, authenticates with iCloud, and sets up the MCP server for both Claude Desktop (via .mcpb bundle) and Claude Code.

Other install methods

Method	Command
Claude Desktop only	`bcli mcp install --desktop-only`
Claude Code only	`bcli mcp install --code-only`
Claude Code (direct)	`claude mcp add better-bear -- npx -y better-bear`
Config file	`bcli mcp install --json`
.mcpb bundle	Download from latest release and double-click

Manage

Code

bcli mcp status      # check what's configured
bcli mcp uninstall   # remove from Claude Desktop and Claude Code
bcli mcp reinstall   # clean uninstall + install
bcli upgrade         # upgrade bcli binary

CLI

All commands also work standalone from the terminal:

Code

bcli ls                          # list notes
bcli search "query"              # full-text search
bcli create "Title" -b "Body"    # create a note
bcli edit <id> --append "text"   # append to a note
bcli tags                        # list all tags
bcli attach <id> photo.jpg       # attach a file
bcli stats                       # library statistics
bcli health                      # health check

See better-bear.com for the full command reference.

Context Library

Code

bcli context init                          # one-time setup
bcli context sync                          # pull qualifying notes
bcli context add <id> --subtag research    # tag a note for inclusion
bcli context status                        # health check

Or tell Claude: "Set up a context library" — and it handles everything via MCP tools.

MCP Tools

34 tools covering notes, tags, TODOs, attachments, search, front matter, stats, health checks, and the context library. See the MCP server README for the full list.

Contributors

Related MCP Servers

View all in Knowledge & Memory View all alternatives

Frequently Asked Questions about Better Bear

Add the following block to your claude_desktop_config.json under mcpServers: "mcpServers": { "better-bear": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "better-bear"] } }

AllMCPs Directory Badge

Full Badge Customizer

Showcase your server listing on GitHub or your project documentation. Embed this dynamic SVG badge to highlight official listing status and live engagement.

Badge Style:

Live Dynamic SVG Preview

Markdown (GitHub README)

[![AllMCPs](https://allmcps.com/api/badge/better-bear?style=directory)](https://allmcps.com/mcp/better-bear)

HTML Embed

<a href="https://allmcps.com/mcp/better-bear"><img src="https://allmcps.com/api/badge/better-bear?style=directory" alt="Better Bear on AllMCPs" /></a>

Technical Specs & Signals

CategoryKnowledge & Memory

0/4 checks healthy over the last 6h

27Quality signal: Emerging · 27/100How this signal is calculated ▾

Server availabilityNot measured

Not scored for repo-hosted servers — we can't reach the running server, only its GitHub page. Hosted MCP endpoints are health-checked live.

Verified ownership8/20

Documentation & tools11/30

Adoption & activity1/15

Community engagement0/10

★ Featured

AllMCPs Server

Explore Server →

Own this project?

This directory is pre-filled from public sources. Claim via GitHub README, site badge, or DNS TXT to get the verified badge and attach your website.

Free dofollow backlink: after claiming, verify your product site and place a dofollow AllMCPs badge — we recheck it stays live.

Claim & get free dofollow

Share & Embed

Add our SVG badge (dark/light directory styles) or embeddable widget to your site.

Explore more

More in 🧠 Knowledge & Memory →Best MCP servers for Memory & Knowledge →Alternatives to Better Bear →Install in Claude Desktop Install in Cursor Install in VS Code