modbender Apple Notes
Interact with Notes.app via AppleScript. Run scripts from: cd {baseDir}
Commands
| Command | Usage |
|---|---|
| List folders | scripts/notes-folders.sh [--tree] [--counts] |
| List notes | scripts/notes-list.sh [folder] [limit] |
| Read note | scripts/notes-read.sh <name-or-id> [folder] |
| Create note | scripts/notes-create.sh <folder> <title> [body] |
| Search notes | scripts/notes-search.sh <query> [folder] [limit] [--title-only] |
| Edit note | scripts/notes-edit.sh <name-or-id> <new-body> [folder] |
| Delete note | scripts/notes-delete.sh <name> <folder> ⚠️ folder required |
Folder Paths
All commands support subfolder paths with / separator:
scripts/notes-list.sh "Scanned/Medical & Health" 10
scripts/notes-read.sh "blood test" "Scanned/Medical & Health"
scripts/notes-create.sh "Property/416 Garfield" "Inspection notes" "Roof looks good"
Folder Tree Structure
This collection has 4000+ notes. Key structure:
- Scanned — parent folder with many subfolders (Medical & Health, Receipts, etc.)
- Fetish — parent with subfolders (AW, Bimbo, Events, etc.)
- Hobbies — parent with subfolders (3d printing, Homelab, etc.)
- Property — subfolders per address
Use --tree --counts to see the full hierarchy.
Folder Listing
scripts/notes-folders.sh # Flat list
scripts/notes-folders.sh --counts # With note counts
scripts/notes-folders.sh --tree --counts # Full hierarchy with counts
Listing Notes
scripts/notes-list.sh "Notes" 10 # Specific folder
scripts/notes-list.sh "Scanned/Receipts" 5 # Subfolder
scripts/notes-list.sh "" 10 # All folders (shows folder name per note)
Without a folder, output includes the folder column: ID | Date | Folder | Title
With a folder: ID | Date | Title
Reading Notes
scripts/notes-read.sh "blood test" "Scanned/Medical & Health" # By name (partial match)
scripts/notes-read.sh "x-coredata://…/ICNote/p12345" # By ID (direct lookup, fast)
Output: Title, Folder, Modified date, ID, then body text.
Searching
Title search first (fast), body search fallback (slower):
scripts/notes-search.sh "tax" "" 10 # All folders
scripts/notes-search.sh "receipt" "Scanned/Receipts" 5 # Specific folder
scripts/notes-search.sh "keyword" "" 10 --title-only # Skip body search
Output: ID | Date | Folder | Title
Creating Notes
scripts/notes-create.sh "Notes" "My Title" "Body text here" # With body
scripts/notes-create.sh "Notes" "Empty Note" # Title only
Returns the created note's ID.
Editing Notes
scripts/notes-edit.sh "My Note" "New body content" "Notes" # By name
scripts/notes-edit.sh "x-coredata://…/ICNote/p12345" "New body" # By ID
Deleting Notes
scripts/notes-delete.sh "Old Note" "Notes" # Folder required
scripts/notes-delete.sh "receipt" "Scanned/Receipts"
⚠️ Folder argument is required for safety — prevents accidental matches across 4000+ notes.
Performance Tips
| Situation | Tip |
|---|---|
| Listing/searching all notes | Always specify a folder — iterating 4000+ notes is slow |
| Reading a known note | Use the ID from a previous list/search — instant lookup |
| Searching large folders | Use --title-only if body search isn't needed |
| Finding the right folder | Use --tree --counts first to see hierarchy |
Errors
| Error | Cause |
|---|---|
Error: Can't get folder |
Folder name doesn't exist or wrong path |
No note matching… |
No partial match found in scope |
| Empty body text | Scanned/image-only notes have no extractable text |
Technical Notes
- Partial name matching for read/edit/delete (first match wins)
- Multiline body supported via temp files
- Folder names are case-sensitive
- All user inputs escaped for AppleScript safety (quotes, backslashes)
number ofused instead ofcount of(AppleScript reserved word)