Note-taking apps with MCP servers for AI agents (2026)
Notion, Evernote, Craft, Joplin and Anytype offer MCP servers for AI agents. See how each one works, and how Loam reaches your notes through plain files.
Notion, Evernote, Craft, Joplin and Anytype each offer an MCP server, and Roam Research has one in alpha. MCP is the standard that lets an AI assistant read and write your notes through a server. Loam, our own app, has no MCP server: its notes are plain Markdown files that an agent reaches through a loam command line and a skill. This guide compares the routes, app by app.
Which note apps have an MCP server or an API?
An MCP server lets an AI assistant call a note app's actions as tools. MCP is an open standard for AI-tool integrations, and Claude Code connects to a server with claude mcp add, over HTTP for a remote server or as a local process. The table sums up what each app offers.
| App | MCP server | API | Where the data lives | Notes about access |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notion | Yes, hosted by Notion | Yes | Notion's cloud, as blocks | OAuth sign-in in a browser. Owners on Business and Enterprise can create an MCP token. |
| Obsidian | No official server found; community servers exist | An official command line, and an API in its developer docs | Plain Markdown files in a vault folder | The command line needs the app running. |
| Evernote | Yes, in beta | An older API, marked deprecated | Evernote's cloud, in its own format | Goes through your Evernote account. No command line. |
| Craft | Yes, an endpoint you create in the app | Yes | Craft's cloud, as blocks | One connection per space. Cloud-synced spaces only. |
| Joplin | Yes, built in, off by default | A local Data API | The app's own storage, as Markdown notes | Local, with a token. Each tool is a switch, all off at first. |
| Anytype | Yes, an official npm package | A local API | A local object database | Runs as a local command. Needs an API key from the app settings. |
| Roam Research | Yes, in alpha | Yes | Roam's cloud, with offline graphs on desktop | Needs the desktop app. Alpha, so details can change. |
| Loam | No | A command line, with no network service | Plain Markdown files in a folder you choose | An agent skill and loam guide. No account, no token. |
Facts checked on official sites, November 2026. Roam comes from our comparison page.
OneNote offers the Microsoft Graph API, and Apple Notes can be automated with Shortcuts. Neither is listed with an MCP server in our data.
Notion: a hosted MCP server
Notion runs the server for you, at mcp.notion.com. It lets an assistant search your workspace, create and edit pages and manage databases. You sign in with OAuth in a browser. On Business and Enterprise plans, a workspace owner can create an MCP token instead. Only workspace members can connect, and the assistant reads and updates what you can access in the workspace you select. For a team that already lives in Notion, this is the quickest route in this survey.
- Best for
- Teams in one shared workspace
- Notes stored as
- Blocks in Notion's cloud
- Platforms
- Web, Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android
- Price model
- A free plan, and paid plans for teams
Obsidian: an official CLI, community MCP
Obsidian's help describes a command line interface that controls the app from a terminal. It covers search, read, create, append and move for notes, plus daily notes and tasks. It needs Obsidian 1.12.7 or later with the interface switched on in Settings, and the app has to be running, although the first command launches it. The help pages we checked do not mention an MCP server. Community MCP servers exist, but they are third-party projects, so read the code before you install one.
- Best for
- A very large plugin catalog, on every platform
- Notes stored as
- Plain Markdown files in a vault folder
- Platforms
- Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android
- Price model
- The app is free; Sync and Publish are paid
Evernote: an MCP server for your account
Evernote has an MCP server for AI assistants and no command line. Its developer page marks the server as in beta and rolling out gradually, and marks the older API as deprecated. Your notebooks live in Evernote's cloud, in its own format, so an assistant reaches them through your Evernote account and not through files. Evernote is the better fit if you depend on its web clipper and email-in, which Loam does not have. See Loam vs Evernote.
- Best for
- Web clipping and email-in capture
- Notes stored as
- Notes in Evernote's cloud, in its own format
- Platforms
- Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android and the web
- Price model
- A free plan with limits, and paid plans
Craft: scoped MCP connections
In Craft you create an MCP connection in the Connections tab, then copy its endpoint into an MCP-compatible tool. Each connection covers one space and one scope: Daily Notes and Tasks, selected documents, or all documents. A connection limited to selected documents can read, search and append, but it cannot create new content. A space-level connection with write permission can also create documents and collections. MCP works only for cloud-synced spaces: a space stored in an external location, such as a local iCloud folder, has no endpoint.
- Best for
- Polished documents you share
- Notes stored as
- Blocks, synced through Craft's cloud
- Platforms
- Mac, iPhone, iPad, Windows, Android and the web
- Price model
- A free plan, and paid plans
Joplin: a built-in MCP server, off by default
Joplin ships its MCP server inside the desktop app. It is off by default, runs on the Web Clipper service, and you switch it on under Configuration > AI. The server listens only on 127.0.0.1, with an authorization token in the URL. Its tools cover keyword and semantic search, reading notes, and listing notebooks and tags, plus creating, updating and trashing notes. Each tool is a separate switch, and all start off. Joplin does not ask for confirmation of each write, so turn on only the tools you need.
- Best for
- Open source notes on every platform
- Notes stored as
- The app's own storage, as Markdown notes
- Platforms
- Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android and a terminal app
- Price model
- The app is free; Joplin Cloud is paid
Anytype: an official local MCP server
Anytype's official server is the npm package @anyproto/anytype-mcp. Your MCP client launches it as a local command, typically npx -y @anyproto/anytype-mcp. It turns Anytype's OpenAPI specification into MCP tools for search, spaces, objects, properties, tags, types and templates. You create an API key under API Keys in the app settings and pass it in the OPENAPI_MCP_HEADERS environment variable. Anytype keeps objects in its own database, not as files, so the API and this server are how an assistant reaches them.
- Best for
- A structured, encrypted workspace
- Notes stored as
- Objects in a local database
- Platforms
- Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android
- Price model
- Free for local and peer-to-peer use; paid memberships
Roam Research: an alpha MCP server
Roam hosts your graph in its cloud, and the desktop app can open offline graphs. Our Roam comparison lists APIs plus a command line and an MCP server that are in alpha and need the desktop app. Alpha means the details can change, so check Roam's developer documentation before you build on it.
- Best for
- Outlines with block references
- Notes stored as
- Graphs in Roam's cloud
- Platforms
- Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android and the web
- Price model
- A subscription after a 31-day trial
Sources: Notion: get started with MCP ↗ · Notion: MCP overview ↗ · Evernote: developer page ↗ · Craft: MCP ↗ · Joplin: MCP server ↗ · Anytype: MCP server ↗ · Obsidian: command line interface ↗
Loam: files, a command line and a skill
A Loam vault is a folder of Markdown files, and the loam command line runs every action of the app, so an agent with a terminal works on your notes the way you do. Install the skill with loam skill install, and the agent reads loam guide before it touches the vault. The skill goes to ~/.claude/skills/loam/ for Claude Code, ~/.codex/skills/loam/ for Codex, and ~/.agents/skills/loam/ for Antigravity, Pi and OpenCode. The docs do not describe an MCP server.
loam skill install
loam search.content q="roadmap"
loam tasks.list done=false dueOn=today
loam daily.append text="Met Bob about the beta"The agent runs a command, the command reads or writes the vault, and the result comes back as JSON or plain text.
- Best for
- Coding agents that work in a terminal
- Notes stored as
- Plain Markdown files in a folder you choose
- Platforms
- macOS 26 or later, on Apple silicon
- Price model
- Free and open source
How does MCP access differ from files and a CLI?
An MCP server reaches your notes over a network or through a local service, and Loam reaches them through files on your disk. Notion and Craft sit at the network end: the notes are in the vendor's cloud, and the assistant connects to an endpoint. Joplin and Anytype sit in the middle: a local service on your computer. Loam and Obsidian's command line sit at the other end, on your Mac, driven from a terminal.
In Loam the app, the command line and the agent act on one folder, so a note the agent writes shows at once in the open window.
What are the trade-offs of MCP and Loam's route?
MCP is the faster route when your notes already live in a hosted app and your assistant speaks MCP. One standard works across assistants: Notion lists Codex, Claude Code, Cursor and VS Code, and Craft lists Claude Desktop and ChatGPT. An assistant with no terminal can use it. Files and a command line are the better route when you want the notes on your disk, with no account and every action of the app as a command.
| Loam: files and CLI | MCP server | |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | One app's command line and skill, which agents learn from loam guide | An open standard that many assistants already speak |
| Works with | Any agent that has a terminal on your Mac | Any assistant that speaks MCP, with or without a terminal |
| Account and sign-in | None: no account, no token | OAuth, a token or an API key, depending on the app |
| Network | Commands run on your Mac, with no network | Hosted servers need the network, and local ones, such as Joplin's, do not |
| What an agent can do | Everything the app can do, because every action is a command | What the server exposes as tools, which the vendor chooses |
| Undo | Git history, and a .trash/ folder for deleted notes | Depends on the app |
| Platforms | macOS 26 or later, Apple silicon, with no iPhone or Android app | Depends on the app |
Facts checked on official sites and in Loam's docs, November 2026.
Loam's limits matter here. It runs only on macOS, it has no iPhone or Android app, and it is a single-user app. An agent also needs a terminal, so a chat assistant on a phone cannot run loam commands. If your assistant lives in a chat window, an MCP server is the better fit.
The two routes can sit side by side, for example Notion for team pages and Loam for personal notes. Here is what each setup looks like in Claude Code.
# A hosted MCP server: register it, then sign in with OAuth
claude mcp add --transport http notion https://mcp.notion.com/mcp
# Files and a command line: install the skill, then the agent runs loam commands
loam skill install --claude
loam search.content q="roadmap"Sources: Claude Code: connect to MCP servers ↗ · Notion: get started with MCP ↗
Which route should I choose?
- An MCP server if your notes live in Notion, Craft or Evernote and you use an assistant in a chat window.
- Joplin's or Anytype's local server if you want the server on your own computer and that app is your main notes tool.
- Obsidian's command line if you already live in Obsidian and want to script it without moving.
- Loam if you work with a coding agent in a terminal and want plain files, no account and Git history.
To see the file route in practice, read Use Claude Code with your notes, which walks through five workflows with the real commands. For why plain files last, read Local-first: where your notes live.
Try Loam
Loam is free and open source, and it runs on macOS 26 or later with Apple silicon. The install page has the one command that installs the app and the loam command line. To compare it with the apps above, read Loam vs Notion or Loam vs Obsidian, or see every comparison.
