Apple Notes CLI

Use memo notes to manage Apple Notes directly from the terminal. Create, view, edit, delete, search, move notes between folders, and export to HTML/Markdown.

Setup

• Preferred install: a shell wrapper around uvx --from git+https://github.com/antoniorodr/memo memo (the brew formula's python can be broken). Update: uvx --refresh --from git+https://github.com/antoniorodr/memo memo --version.
• Alternative: brew tap antoniorodr/memo && brew install antoniorodr/memo/memo (on declaratively managed machines, declare it in your config - never ad-hoc).
• macOS-only; requires an Automation TCC grant (calling app → Notes). If AppleScript errors with -1743, enable it in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Automation, or run one memo/osascript command from the target app to trigger the prompt.

View Notes

• List all notes: memo notes
• Filter by folder: memo notes -f "Folder Name"
• Search notes (fuzzy): memo notes -s "query"

Create Notes

• Add a new note: memo notes -a [-f "Folder Name"]
  • -a takes NO title argument (memo notes -a "Title" errors). It opens $EDITOR on a temp file; first line becomes the title. For non-interactive/agent use, point EDITOR at a script that writes the content into "$1".

Edit / Delete / Move / Export

• memo notes -e / -d / -m / -ex open an interactive selector on a TTY and cannot be driven by an agent. Use the osascript primitives below instead.

osascript primitives (canonical mechanics)

Bulk-read every note body in a folder (memo's list truncates titles):

osascript -e 'tell application "Notes"
  set out to ""
  repeat with n in notes of folder "Notes" of account "iCloud"
    set out to out & "=====NOTE=====" & linefeed & (name of n) & linefeed & (plaintext of n) & linefeed
  end repeat
  return out
end tell'

Creation date of a note (for backdating retroactive entries):

osascript -e 'tell application "Notes" to get creation date of first note of folder "Notes" of account "iCloud" whose name is "TITLE"'

Delete by title (Recently Deleted keeps 30 days as the safety net):

osascript -e 'tell application "Notes" to delete (first note of folder "Notes" of account "iCloud" whose name is "TITLE")'

Folder names: osascript -e 'tell application "Notes" to return name of folders of account "iCloud"'.

Limitations

• Cannot edit notes containing images or attachments.
• Interactive prompts may require terminal access.
• memo caches note lists; a fetch made while TCC was denied caches an empty list that persists after access is granted - pass -nc to bypass/refresh.