How do I install Better Bear?

Copy the stdio config for Cursor, Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or VS Code on this page. It uses the publisher's install, not a PlugMCP proxy.

Does Better Bear need an API key?

No required environment variable is listed on this record.

What transport does Better Bear use?

Better Bear runs locally over stdio.

When was Better Bear last checked?

Last checked 2026-11-09. MCP server for Bear notes — read, search, create, edit, tag, and manage notes via CloudKit

Better Bear MCP server

Power your agent

Add this server

The publisher's own command. Not a PlugMCP endpoint.

Add to Cursor Add to VS Code Run on PlugMCP

Host a copy with our keys and logs.

Local command

npx -y [email protected]

Claude Code has no install link for a local command. Copy the command below and run it in a terminal.

shClaude Code

1claude mcp add io.github.kuvopllc-better-bear -- npx -y better-bear@0.4.26

Run in a terminal.

jsonClaude Desktop

1{2  "mcpServers": {3    "io.github.kuvopllc-better-bear": {4      "command": "npx",5      "args": [6        "-y",7        "[email protected]"8      ]9    }10  }11}

claude_desktop_config.json

Local · npmPublisher installStep-by-step: add this in Claude

Remote URL or a command on your machine? How the two installs differ

Run on PlugMCP

Host a copy with our keys and logs.

A new server you create. It is not this listing's official endpoint. Use the publisher install when you want their URL and their credentials.

Launch

Server facts

Local

Transport: stdio
Version: 0.4.26
Last checked

Tools

No tool list yet. Remote servers get one after the first health check.

FAQ

Questions

better bear

MCP server and CLI for Bear notes via CloudKit. Includes a context library — a curated, synced folder of notes optimized for LLM consumption, inspired by Karpathy's LLM Knowledge Base pattern.

Full docs: better-bear.com

Install

Install the CLI, then connect to Claude:

curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/KuvopLLC/better-bear/main/install.sh | bash
bcli auth
bcli mcp install

This installs the bcli binary, authenticates with iCloud, and sets up the MCP server for both Claude Desktop (via .mcpb bundle) and Claude Code.

Other install methods

Method	Command
Claude Desktop only	`bcli mcp install --desktop-only`
Claude Code only	`bcli mcp install --code-only`
Claude Code (direct)	`claude mcp add better-bear -- npx -y better-bear`
Config file	`bcli mcp install --json`
.mcpb bundle	Download from latest release and double-click

Manage

bcli mcp status      # check what's configured
bcli mcp uninstall   # remove from Claude Desktop and Claude Code
bcli mcp reinstall   # clean uninstall + install
bcli upgrade         # upgrade bcli binary

CLI

All commands also work standalone from the terminal:

bcli ls                          # list notes
bcli search "query"              # full-text search
bcli create "Title" -b "Body"    # create a note
bcli edit <id> --append "text"   # append to a note
bcli tags                        # list all tags
bcli attach <id> photo.jpg       # attach a file
bcli stats                       # library statistics
bcli health                      # health check

See better-bear.com for the full command reference.

Context Library

Turn a subset of your Bear notes into a synced, curated context folder that Claude can navigate using index-first retrieval. Tag notes with #context in Bear, sync, and Claude reads a compact index to find relevant files — loading only what it needs, not everything.

bcli context init                          # one-time setup
bcli context sync                          # pull qualifying notes
bcli context add <id> --subtag research    # tag a note for inclusion
bcli context status                        # health check

Or tell Claude: "Set up a context library" — and it handles everything via MCP tools.

The architecture follows Karpathy's three-folder pattern: bear/ (synced from CloudKit), external/ (PDFs, exports, shared docs), and inbox/ (drop zone for triage). An index.md manifest maps everything. See better-bear.com for full documentation.

MCP Tools

34 tools covering notes, tags, TODOs, attachments, search, front matter, stats, health checks, and the context library. See the MCP server README for the full list.

Better Bear

Add this server

Host a copy with our keys and logs.

Server facts

Tools

Questions

How do I install Better Bear?

Does Better Bear need an API key?

What transport does Better Bear use?

When was Better Bear last checked?

Documentation

better bear

Install

Other install methods

Manage

CLI

Context Library

MCP Tools

Contributors