NoteDiscovery vs Apple Notes MCP

In-depth architectural comparison of the NoteDiscovery and Apple Notes MCP MCP servers. Compare execution transports, security boundaries, tool capabilities, quality scores, and ready-to-paste client installation snippets for Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose NoteDiscovery when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Knowledge & Memory domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
• You have access to required keys: NOTEDISCOVERY_URL.
• Primary tools included: Search and read Markdown notes, Create and edit notes, Apply tags and organize folders.

Explore NoteDiscovery Details

Choose Apple Notes MCP when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Knowledge & Memory domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
• Primary tools included: List and search notes with SQLite, Read notes as Markdown, Create notes with native Apple Notes formatting.

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	NoteDiscovery gamosoft Knowledge & Memory	Apple Notes MCP ailenshen Knowledge & Memory
Summary	Self-hosted plain-markdown knowledge base with a built-in MCP server. Lets Claude Desktop, Cursor, and any MCP client search, read, create, edit, tag, and template notes — same vault that powers the web UI. Pure-stdlib client, no extra deps, MIT-licensed. Can run in Docker.	Read and write Apple Notes with bidirectional Markdown conversion. Fast SQLite queries for listing/searching, AppleScript + native import for full CRUD. Supports stdio and Streamable HTTP transports.
Category & Scope

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Ready-to-Paste Client Configurations

Paste either (or both) of these JSON server blocks into your client config file (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json).

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gamosoft-notediscovery": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "gamosoft-notediscovery"
      ],
      "env": {
        "NOTEDISCOVERY_URL": "YOUR_NOTEDISCOVERY_URL_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ailenshen-apple-notes-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@ailenshen/apple-notes-mcp@latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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