Bear MCP Server

An MCP server that integrates Bear notes with Claude Code.

Architecture

This server uses a hybrid approach for best performance and safety:

Operation	Method	Why
Read (search, get, list)	SQLite	Fast, reliable, no UI interaction
Write (create, append, trash)	URL scheme	Safe, uses Bear's official API

Requirements

• macOS (Bear is macOS/iOS only)
• Bear installed
• Bun runtime

Installation

cd bear-notes-mpc-server
bun install

Claude Code Configuration

Add the MCP server using the Claude Code CLI:

claude mcp add --transport stdio --scope user bear -- bun run /absolute/path/to/bear-mcp-server/src/server.ts

Note: Replace the path with the actual absolute path to your bear-mcp-server directory.

Scope options:

• --scope user - Available in all Claude Code sessions (recommended)
• --scope local - Only available in the current project directory
• --scope project - Creates .mcp.json for team sharing via git

Check configured servers:

claude mcp list

View server details:

claude mcp get bear

Starting Claude with Bear Integration

Once the MCP server is configured, simply start a new Claude session:

claude

Claude will automatically start the Bear MCP server and you'll have access to all Bear tools.

Removing the MCP Server

The MCP server runs as a subprocess of Claude Code and automatically stops when you exit Claude.

To permanently remove the server:

claude mcp remove bear

Available Tools

Tool	Description
bear_create_note	Create a new note with optional tags
bear_search	Search notes by text or tag
bear_get_note	Get full content of a note by ID
bear_append	Append text to an existing note
bear_replace_content	Replace the entire content of an existing note
bear_list_tags	List all tags with note counts
bear_list_by_tag	List all notes with a specific tag
bear_trash_note	Move a note to trash

Example Usage in Claude

Once the server is running, you can ask Claude things like:

• "Search my Bear notes for 'project ideas'"
• "List all my tags in Bear"
• "Create a new note titled 'Meeting Notes' with today's date"
• "Show me all notes tagged with 'work'"
• "Append this summary to my 'Daily Log' note"

Database Location

The server automatically finds Bear's database in one of these locations:

• iCloud sync: ~/Library/Group Containers/9K33E3U3T4.net.shinyfrog.bear/Application Data/database.sqlite
• Local storage: ~/Library/Containers/net.shinyfrog.bear/Data/Documents/Application Data/database.sqlite

Logs

Logs are written to stderr, which Claude Code captures automatically.

To enable debug logging, add the server with the --env flag:

claude mcp add --transport stdio --scope user --env BEAR_MCP_LOG_LEVEL=debug bear -- bun run /absolute/path/to/bear-mcp-server/src/server.ts

Log levels: debug, info (default), warn, error

Permissions

On first run, macOS may ask for Automation permissions to allow the server to open Bear URLs.

Troubleshooting

"Bear database not found"

• Make sure Bear is installed and has been opened at least once

Notes not appearing after create

• Bear may take a moment to sync. The note is created via URL scheme and may not immediately appear in SQLite queries.

Permission denied on database

• The database is opened in read-only mode. If you still get errors, check that Bear isn't currently writing to the database.

MCP server not connecting

• Verify the path in your config is correct
• Run claude mcp list to check if the server is configured
• Ensure Bun is installed and available in your PATH