Apple Notes Extractor

Extract and monitor Apple Notes content for workflow integration. Supports bulk extraction, real-time monitoring, and export to various formats.

Apple Notes Skill

Extract and monitor Apple Notes content for workflow integration with support for bulk extraction, real-time monitoring, and export to various formats.

Prerequisites

• macOS with Apple Notes app
• Python 3.8+ (for coordination scripts)
• osascript (built-in macOS)
• Proper macOS permissions for Notes access

Installation

bash

# Run the installation script
./scripts/setup.sh

# Or manual setup
chmod +x scripts/*.py
pip3 install -r requirements.txt

Commands

Extract Notes

bash

# Basic extraction (all notes)
python3 scripts/extract-notes.py --method simple

# Full extraction with attachments
python3 scripts/extract-notes.py --method full

# Extract specific folder
python3 scripts/extract-notes.py --folder "Work Notes"

# Output to specific format
python3 scripts/extract-notes.py --format markdown --output ~/notes

Monitor Notes

bash

# Start monitoring daemon
python3 scripts/monitor-notes.py --daemon

# Single check for changes
python3 scripts/monitor-notes.py --check-once

# Monitor with custom interval (seconds)
python3 scripts/monitor-notes.py --interval 30

Processing and Export

bash

# Process extracted notes
python3 scripts/notes-processor.py output/raw -o output/processed

# Export to Obsidian
python3 scripts/export-obsidian.py --vault ~/MyVault

# Generate knowledge graph
python3 scripts/knowledge-graph.py --input output/processed

Configuration

Edit configs/extractor.json for:

• Output formats (JSON, Markdown, HTML)
• Privacy filters
• Folder selection
• Processing options

Edit configs/monitor.json for:

• Monitoring intervals
• Change detection settings
• Auto-processing rules

Features

• ✅ Extract text content from all notes
• ✅ Handle embedded images and attachments
• ✅ Process note metadata (dates, folders)
• ✅ Multiple output formats (JSON, Markdown, SQLite)
• ✅ Real-time monitoring for changes
• ✅ Privacy-first design with local processing
• ✅ Integration with knowledge management tools
• ✅ Automatic deduplication
• ✅ Incremental updates

Output Formats

Format	Description	Use Case
json	Structured data with metadata	API integration
markdown	Human-readable text files	Documentation
sqlite	Database format	Searchable archive
obsidian	Obsidian vault format	Knowledge management

Examples

bash

# Quick start - extract all notes to Markdown
python3 scripts/extract-notes.py --format markdown --output ~/extracted-notes

# Monitor and auto-export to Obsidian
python3 scripts/monitor-notes.py --daemon --auto-export obsidian

# Extract work notes with full content
python3 scripts/extract-notes.py --method full --folder "Work Notes" --format json

# Process and create knowledge graph
python3 scripts/extract-notes.py --method full
python3 scripts/notes-processor.py output/raw -o output/processed
python3 scripts/knowledge-graph.py --input output/processed --output knowledge-graph.json

Security & Privacy

• All processing happens locally on your machine
• No data sent to external services
• Respects macOS security permissions
• Configurable privacy filters for sensitive content
• Optional encryption for exported data

Integration

Compatible with:

• Obsidian (direct vault export)
• Logseq (Markdown export)
• Notion (JSON import)
• Custom workflows (JSON/CSV output)
• AI processing pipelines
• Search engines (full-text indexing)

Troubleshooting

Common issues:

• Permission denied: Grant Notes access in System Preferences → Security & Privacy
• Import errors: Ensure Python 3.8+ and required packages installed
• AppleScript errors: Check if Notes app is running and accessible
• Empty output: Verify folder names and note permissions

See README.md for detailed troubleshooting guide.