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Better Bear

by KuvopLLC

Manage Bear notes through MCP with CloudKit sync, search, tagging, TODOs, attachments, and a curated context library.

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Install Better Bear

Pick your client, then add it in one click or paste the config.

STDIONode.js
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kuvopllc-better-bear": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "better-bear"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Settings → Developer → Edit Config, merge this into mcpServers, then fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop.

Automated check passed— started and listed 35 tools correctly (5d ago).

Overview

KuvopLLC/better-bear exposes Bear notes to MCP clients through Bear's CloudKit container, without relying on URL schemes or AppleScript. Its tools cover note CRUD, full-text search, tags, archives, trash, TODOs, attachments, metadata, statistics, duplicate detection, and health checks. A context-library feature synchronizes notes tagged for inclusion into local markdown files with an index manifest for LLM-friendly retrieval. Reach for it when an agent needs to work with a Bear library from Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or another MCP client.

Use cases

  • Search Bear notes by text and date range
  • Create and edit notes from an MCP client
  • Organize a Bear library with tags and archives
  • Review incomplete TODOs and attach files
  • Build a curated context library from tagged notes

Key features

  • Bear note CRUD through CloudKit
  • Full-text and date-filtered search
  • Tag, archive, trash, and TODO management
  • File attachments and library diagnostics
  • Context library with indexed markdown files
  • stdio MCP transport via bcli

Tools35

What Better Bear lets your agent do. Expand a tool for its parameters.

Verified live~4.2k tokens of context

Security & health

What it can reach and how reliably it runs — from our own checks, not the maintainer’s claims.

ActiveLast checked 2d ago

Recent health check succeeded.

21/21 checks healthy over the last 79d

What it can do

From the 35 tools this server returned when we ran it; 35 declare their own safety hints.

Can delete or modify data · 5Handles credentials · 1Makes network requests · 2Read-only tools · 30
Network at startup3 connections
Files written at startupNone
Install scriptsNone
npm provenanceNot published
Package age194 days
Maintainers1

Observed 2026-10-23 in an isolated sandbox. A description of reach, not a security audit.

Supply-chain signal

No high-severity advisories surfaced by our automated scan.

Critical 0High 0Medium 0Low 0

Scanned 9d ago via OSV.dev · better-bear (npm)

Adoption & maintenance

Factual signals from GitHub, npm, and our automated checks — not a rating.

GitHub stars68Stargazers on the source repository.
npm downloads327Package downloads in the last 30 days.
Last commit6mo agoMost recent push to the default branch.
Availability100%Our rolling endpoint + install checks that succeeded.
Install checkPassedOur sandbox started it and listed its tools.
Tools exposed35Callable tools this server registers over MCP.
Directory activity3 viewsConfig copies, upvotes, and views on AllMCPs.

How Better Bear works

What KuvopLLC/better-bear does

KuvopLLC/better-bear connects MCP clients to Bear notes through Apple CloudKit. It lets an agent read, search, create, edit, archive, trash, tag, and inspect notes, while also handling TODO items and file attachments. Library-level operations include tag discovery, untagged-note detection, duplicate-title searches, statistics, and health diagnostics.

The server also provides a context library for turning selected Bear notes into a local, curated knowledge base. Notes marked for the library can be synchronized as markdown files, accompanied by a manifest and freshness information. Agents can then inspect the index, fetch selected files, or search the context files directly without a vector database or separate RAG pipeline.

How it works

MCP communication uses standard input and output. For each operation, the server starts a corresponding bcli command. bcli is a native macOS binary that communicates with Bear's CloudKit container, so the integration does not depend on Bear's URL scheme or AppleScript.

Authentication is handled through iCloud using bcli auth. Credentials are kept locally in ~/.config/bear-cli/auth.json and refreshed when they expire. Notes remain synchronized through CloudKit across devices. The server and its local caches do not send personal data to an external service; network access goes to Apple CloudKit for notes, GitHub for updates, and npm for package resolution.

Setup and configuration

The standard setup requires Node.js 18 or newer, the bcli binary, and iCloud authentication. The installation script installs bcli, runs the setup needed for authentication, and configures the MCP server for Claude Desktop and Claude Code.

A direct package-based configuration can run the server with:

Terminal
claude mcp add better-bear -- npx -y better-bear

The bcli mcp install command supports Desktop-only and Code-only installations, JSON configuration output, and setup through a released .mcpb bundle. Authenticate before using note tools so the server can access the Bear CloudKit container.

Tools and capabilities

Core note and library tools include:

  • Synchronize notes incrementally or with a full sync.
  • List, retrieve, create, edit, archive, trash, and search notes.
  • Search by text with since and before date filters.
  • Add, remove, rename, and delete tags, plus list tag counts.
  • Find untagged notes and notes with duplicate titles.
  • Attach images or other files to notes.
  • List incomplete TODOs, inspect a note's TODO items, and toggle completion.
  • Report note counts, word totals, top tags, and library health.

Context-library tools initialize the library, synchronize qualifying notes, expose its index and freshness data, fetch files by path, search all context files, add or remove notes, and report token counts, warnings, and status.

Limitations and notes

The integration depends on Bear, iCloud authentication, CloudKit access, Node.js 18 or newer, and the macOS bcli binary. It communicates with MCP clients over stdio and stores authentication data and note caches locally. The context library is based on curated markdown files and an index manifest rather than a vector database.

Read the full README View source on GitHub

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Frequently Asked Questions about Better Bear

KuvopLLC/better-bear is an MCP server that connects MCP clients to Bear notes through Apple CloudKit. Its main tools read, search, create, edit, tag, archive, and trash notes, manage TODOs and attachments, run library diagnostics, and build a curated local context library from selected notes.

Install it with the project script, then authenticate and configure MCP using `bcli auth` and `bcli mcp install`. The setup requires Node.js 18 or newer. You can also add it directly to Claude Code with `claude mcp add better-bear -- npx -y better-bear`.

Yes, KuvopLLC/better-bear supports Claude Desktop. Run `bcli mcp install`, use the Desktop-only option, or install the released `.mcpb` bundle. The server communicates with the client over stdio.

KuvopLLC/better-bear accesses Bear through its CloudKit container using the native macOS `bcli` binary. It does not use Bear's URL scheme or AppleScript, and authentication is performed through iCloud.

Use the context-library tools to initialize the library, mark notes for inclusion, and synchronize qualifying notes. The resulting local markdown files include an index manifest and freshness metadata that agents can search or use to fetch specific files.

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