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 attach", "separate AI Diagnose from MCP", or "verify the control-room proof path". It teaches local preflight, MCP wiring, capability boundaries, and proof-first usage without turning the repo into a hosted platform.

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