macOS Notes Integration

Create, read, update, delete, and search notes in Apple Notes.app using AppleScript (osascript) on macOS.

How It Works

All operations use osascript -e 'tell application "Notes" ... end tell'. Notes.app stores data in iCloud (or local accounts) and syncs across Apple devices automatically.

Commands

List All Folders

osascript -e '
tell application "Notes"
  set output to ""
  repeat with f in folders
    set output to output & id of f & tab & name of f & linefeed
  end repeat
  return output
end tell'

List Notes in a Folder

osascript -e '
tell application "Notes"
  set output to ""
  repeat with n in notes of folder "Notes"
    set output to output & id of n & tab & name of n & tab & modification date of n & linefeed
  end repeat
  return output
end tell'

Read a Note by Name

osascript -e '
tell application "Notes"
  set n to first note of folder "Notes" whose name is "Shopping List"
  return plaintext of n
end tell'

Read a Note by ID

osascript -e '
tell application "Notes"
  set n to first note whose id is "x-coredata://XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX/ICNote/p123"
  return plaintext of n
end tell'

Create a Note

osascript -e '
tell application "Notes"
  tell folder "Notes"
    make new note with properties {name:"Meeting Notes", body:"<h1>Meeting Notes</h1><p>Action items go here.</p>"}
  end tell
end tell'

The body property accepts HTML. Use <h1>, <p>, <ul>, <li>, <b>, <i>, <br> tags for formatting.

Update a Note (Replace Body)

osascript -e '
tell application "Notes"
  set n to first note of folder "Notes" whose name is "Meeting Notes"
  set body of n to "<h1>Meeting Notes</h1><p>Updated content here.</p>"
end tell'

Append to a Note

osascript -e '
tell application "Notes"
  set n to first note of folder "Notes" whose name is "Shopping List"
  set currentBody to body of n
  set body of n to currentBody & "<p>New item added</p>"
end tell'

Delete a Note

osascript -e '
tell application "Notes"
  set n to first note of folder "Notes" whose name is "Old Note"
  delete n
end tell'

Warning: Deleted notes go to the "Recently Deleted" folder and are permanently removed after 30 days.

Search Notes by Text

osascript -e '
tell application "Notes"
  set output to ""
  set matches to every note whose plaintext contains "search term"
  repeat with n in matches
    set output to output & name of n & tab & modification date of n & linefeed
  end repeat
  return output
end tell'

Create a Folder

osascript -e '
tell application "Notes"
  make new folder with properties {name:"Work"}
end tell'

Move a Note to Another Folder

osascript -e '
tell application "Notes"
  set n to first note of folder "Notes" whose name is "Project Plan"
  move n to folder "Work"
end tell'

Get Note Metadata

osascript -e '
tell application "Notes"
  set n to first note of folder "Notes" whose name is "Meeting Notes"
  set output to "Name: " & name of n & linefeed
  set output to output & "Created: " & creation date of n & linefeed
  set output to output & "Modified: " & modification date of n & linefeed
  set output to output & "ID: " & id of n
  return output
end tell'

Count Notes in a Folder

osascript -e '
tell application "Notes"
  return count of notes of folder "Notes"
end tell'

Best Practices

HTML Formatting

Notes.app stores content as HTML. When creating or updating notes:

Use <h1> for the title (first line becomes the note name automatically).
Use <p> for paragraphs, <br> for line breaks.
Use <ul><li> for bullet lists, <ol><li> for numbered lists.
Use <b> for bold, <i> for italic.
Use <a href="..."> for links.

Note Naming

The note name is derived from the first line of the body.
Setting name explicitly in make new note sets the first line.
When searching by name, use exact match or contains for partial match.

Performance

For large accounts with many notes, limit searches to specific folders.
Use whose name is or whose id is for direct lookups instead of iterating.

Data Safety

Always confirm with the user before deleting notes.
Prefer appending over replacing when adding content.
Back up important notes before bulk operations.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
"Notes got an error: Can't get folder"	Folder name is case-sensitive; check exact name
"Notes got an error: Can't get note"	Note does not exist; verify name or ID
AppleScript timeout	Notes.app may be syncing; wait and retry
Formatting lost on update	Ensure body uses HTML tags, not plain text
Permission denied	Grant Automation access to terminal in System Settings

Technical Notes

Uses AppleScript via osascript (no private APIs).
Notes.app must be present on the system (ships with macOS).
Works with iCloud, Gmail, and local ("On My Mac") accounts.
Requires macOS 10.11+ (El Capitan or later).
Automation permission required (System Settings -> Privacy & Security -> Automation).

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