Notes apps with an MCP server, compared
More notes apps now let ChatGPT and Claude use your notes. They differ in two ways that matter: whether it works away from your Mac, and what happens when the AI gets an edit wrong. I make Amber Notes, so weigh this with that in mind; I've described every app the way its maker does, and linked their own pages.
At a glance
| App | MCP server | Which AI apps, from where | Can the AI edit? | Open source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amber Notes | Built in, hosted | ChatGPT, Claude, Claude Code, Codex, Incredible and other MCP apps, from any device | Yes, with approval per app, Undo and version history | Yes (MIT) |
| Notion | Official, hosted | Any app that supports remote MCP, from any device | Yes | No |
| Evernote | Official, hosted (beta) | Any app that supports remote MCP, from any device | Read, search and create | No |
| Hjarni | Built in, hosted | ChatGPT, Claude and other MCP apps, from any device | Yes | No |
| Bear | Official, runs on your Mac (Bear 2.8) | Claude Desktop, Claude Code and other apps on the same Mac | Yes | No |
| Obsidian | Community plugins | Apps on the same computer as your vault | Yes, depending on the plugin | No (plugins often are) |
| Apple Notes | Community servers, and a Claude desktop extension | Claude Desktop and Claude Code on your Mac | Depends on the server | No |
If ChatGPT is the one you care about, notes apps that work with ChatGPT compares the apps it can reach, including ones without MCP. For agents that write, see the best notes app for AI agents.
What to check before you pick one
- Hosted or on your Mac. If you want to use your notes from ChatGPT, claude.ai or your phone, you need a hosted server. A local one is fine if you only use Claude Desktop or Claude Code on one Mac.
- What happens after a bad edit. An AI will sometimes change the wrong line. Look for version history, or at least an Undo, for changes the AI makes.
- Who approves access. Signing in with OAuth and approving each app is safer than pasting an API key into a config file.
- Whether you like writing in it. You'll spend more time writing notes than asking about them.
The apps
Amber Notes
A free notes app for iPhone and Mac that works like Apple Notes, with an MCP server built in. You approve each AI app in Amber Notes and choose Read Only, or Read and Edit. When an AI changes a note, you see what changed, with Undo, and every earlier version is kept. It imports Apple Notes on the Mac. The Mac app is out now; the iPhone app is coming soon to the App Store. The MCP server page lists its tools, and connecting ChatGPT takes a few minutes.
Notion
Notion runs an official hosted MCP server with OAuth, so it works from any AI app that supports remote servers. A good fit if your notes already live in a Notion workspace. Notion's MCP docs.
Evernote
Evernote's hosted MCP server is in beta. Evernote says it lets AI apps read, search and create notes. Evernote MCP.
Hjarni
A notes app built around its MCP server, with apps for iPhone, Mac, Android and the web. ChatGPT and Claude can read and write. Its free plan holds 25 notes. Hjarni.
Bear
Bear 2.8 added an official MCP server and a Claude connector. Both run on your Mac, so they work with Claude Desktop and Claude Code there, but not from your phone or the web. Bear's announcement.
Obsidian
Obsidian doesn't ship an MCP server of its own. Community plugins and servers give AI apps access to a vault on the same computer. Because a vault is a folder of markdown files, a plain file-system MCP server works too.
Apple Notes
Apple doesn't offer an API or an MCP server. The Claude desktop app can read Apple Notes on a Mac, and community servers let Claude write to them through AppleScript, on that Mac only. More on Claude and Apple Notes.
Questions
What is an MCP server in a notes app?
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard for connecting AI apps to other apps. A notes app with an MCP server lets ChatGPT, Claude and similar apps search, read and, if you allow it, change your notes directly, without copy and paste.
Why does hosted or local matter?
ChatGPT, claude.ai and the Claude and ChatGPT phone apps run in the cloud, so they can only reach a server on the internet. A server that runs on your Mac works with Claude Desktop or Claude Code on that Mac, and only while it's awake.
Which notes app works best with ChatGPT?
ChatGPT needs a hosted server. Of the apps here, that's Amber Notes, Notion, Evernote and Hjarni. Adding one yourself needs Developer mode in ChatGPT, on a paid plan.
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