Apple Notes Snapshot Control-Room

This skill should be used when the user asks to "connect Apple Notes Snapshot to a host", "run notesctl mcp", "diagnose why Apple Notes Snapshot failed to at...

Security Scan

The skill's declared purpose (helping hosts wire the local notesctl MCP and proving local control-room state) matches its instructions and requirements; it is an instruction-only skill that guides acquiring and running a local tool from a public checkout and does not request unrelated credentials or persistent privileges.

Purpose & Capability

Name/description, examples, and all instructions focus on obtaining and operating a local tool (notesctl), proving local state, and wiring an MCP/stdio/local-web API; required capabilities and actions are appropriate for that purpose.

Instruction Scope

SKILL.md instructs the agent/operator to git-clone a public repo and run local commands (./notesctl run, install, verify, doctor, mcp, web, ai-diagnose). This stays within the stated goal, but it does tell a user to execute code downloaded from the internet and to run local web and MCP lanes which may access local data; the skill does not instruct accessing unrelated system files or secrets.

Install Mechanism

There is no install spec in the registry; the guide instructs cloning a GitHub repo (explicit tag v0.1.12 is suggested). Cloning and executing a repository is a standard workflow for this use case, but it carries the usual risk of running third-party code. The skill does not provide checksums, signatures, or explicit verification steps for the checkout.

Credentials

The skill requests no environment variables, credentials, or system config paths. The lack of extra credentials is proportionate to a local-first control-room guidance document.

Persistence & Privilege

The skill is instruction-only, has no always:true flag, and does not request persistent installation or modify other skills or system-wide agent settings. Autonomous invocation is allowed by default but not coupled with elevated privileges or credential access.

Assessment

This skill is coherent for its stated purpose, but exercising caution when following its instructions is important: you will be asked to clone and execute a notesctl binary from a public GitHub repo. Before running it, verify the repository and tag (prefer the pinned v0.1.12 proof baseline), inspect the notesctl code or binary, and consider running it in a sandboxed/macOS account or VM. Be aware the tool may access local Apple Notes data and can launch a local web API — ensure token-gating is used and do not expose the local web endpoint to untrusted networks. If you need stronger assurance, ask the publisher for release checksums or signed releases before executing.

Purpose

Help a host, plugin, or collaborator consume Apple Notes Snapshot without rewriting it into a hosted AI platform or a generic assistant product.

What this skill teaches

• how to acquire notesctl from a public checkout when the host does not already have it
• how to prove the local control room before touching builder surfaces
• how to wire notesctl mcp into a host without pretending there is a remote service
• how to separate AI Diagnose, Local Web API, and MCP into three different lanes
• how to talk about attach proof honestly

Keep this identity first

• Apple Notes local-first backup control room for macOS
• notesctl is the canonical human entrypoint
• AI Diagnose is an advisory sidecar
• Local Web API is token-gated and same-machine
• MCP is stdio-first and read-only-first

First-success flow

1. Acquire notesctl first using references/install-and-attach.md.
2. Prove the operator lane first:
   • ./notesctl run --no-status
   • ./notesctl install --minutes 30 --load
   • ./notesctl verify
   • ./notesctl doctor
3. Only after local state exists, attach the builder lane:
   • ./notesctl ai-diagnose
   • ./notesctl web
   • ./notesctl mcp
4. Keep host proof separate from repo proof.

MCP capability surface

• post-attach host checks should see get_status, run_doctor, verify_freshness, get_log_health, list_recent_runs, and get_access_policy
• the repo also documents the notes-snapshot://recent-runs resource as a first read-back surface
• boundary: local stdio only, read-only-first tools/resources, and no hosted runtime

Preflight before any attach claim

Do not treat host registration as proof by itself.

Verify:

1. ./notesctl run --no-status
2. ./notesctl verify
3. ./notesctl doctor --json
4. ./notesctl status --json

If those fail, call it a local snapshot preflight problem, not an MCP bug.

Truthful distribution boundary

• Repo-owned starter packs and local marketplaces are public-ready wiring kits.
• They are not the same thing as official public directory listing.
• A tagged v0.1.12 named-host attach-proof trail on one machine does not become a universal proof for every host build or every machine.

Example prompts

• "Wire Apple Notes Snapshot MCP into this host and tell me whether the blocker is local preflight or MCP configuration."
• "Explain the difference between AI Diagnose, Local Web API, and MCP in Apple Notes Snapshot."
• "Show me the shortest proof path from first run to MCP attach."
• "Use the control-room skill to explain why a backup loop drifted."

Best-fit use cases

• Repo-scoped guidance for Codex, Claude Code, OpenClaw, or another local host
• Public skill distribution through a ClawHub-style listing or another skill-folder distribution lane
• Public-facing docs or README edits that must keep builder wording honest

What this skill should not do

• Do not reposition Apple Notes Snapshot as a hosted agent platform.
• Do not claim official marketplace or directory listing unless it truly landed.
• Do not collapse repo-side proof, current-host proof, and public registry publication into one sentence.

Read next

• references/install-and-attach.md
• references/usage-and-proof.md