Joplin MCP server

by jordanburke·io.github.jordanburke/joplin-mcp-server·v2.3.3·8 stars

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Search, read, create, edit and sync Joplin notes and notebooks via a headless Joplin sidecar.

B78/100grade B

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Safety scan

B78/100

full report

Adoption

Growing

8 stars132 downloads/wk

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Joplin tools (12, 4 write)

write = sends, deletes, buys or posts

Read from the package source without running it. The installed server may list more.

create_folderwrite action
Create a new folder/notebook in Joplin
create_notewrite action
Create a new note in Joplin
delete_folderwrite action
Delete a folder/notebook from Joplin (requires confirmation)
delete_notewrite action
Delete a note from Joplin (requires confirmation)
edit_folder
Edit/update an existing folder/notebook in Joplin
edit_note
Edit/update an existing note in Joplin
list_notebooks
Retrieve the complete notebook hierarchy from Joplin
read_multinote
Read the full content of multiple notes at once
read_note
Read the full content of a specific note
read_notebook
Read the contents of a specific notebook
search_notes
Search for notes in Joplin and return matching notebooks
sync
Trigger a Joplin sync to push/pull changes with the configured sync target

Public scan report

scanner v0.1.10 · 2026-10-29 · same rubric, same numbers if you re-run it

no findings

Code scan7 source files scanned25/25
–Live reliabilityno gateway calls yet and no remote to proben/a
–Tool poisoningtools not inspected (local package is not executed); not countedn/a
Auth qualitystatic API keys via environment variables6/15
Maintenancelast push 46 days ago12/15
Maintainer identityregistry namespace matches repository owner; GitHub account older than a year8/10

Overall 78/100. Components that don't apply are left out of the denominator. Any critical finding is an F.Rubric Appeal a finding JSON

How Joplin compares

Against every graded Web search MCP server, from our own scans and uptime checks. Updated after each scan run.

Safety score: 78/100; higher than 62% of 3,470 Web search servers
Tools: 12; the typical Web search server has 5
Tools that change things: 33%; typical: 0%. Fewer write tools means less an agent can break
GitHub stars: 8; more than 84% of 1,786 Web search servers
Downloads a week: 132; more than 64% of 827 Web search servers with a package

What its tools let an agent do: 5 read · 2 create · 3 change · 2 delete

Install Joplin in Claude Code, Cursor or VS Code

Runs npx -y joplin-mcp-server on your machine. Read the scan report first; the gateway never runs local packages.

claude mcp add joplin-mcp-server -- npx -y joplin-mcp-server

Add to Cursor

What the publisher says

From the Joplin repository's README, as published. We do not edit it. Read it on GitHub

Joplin MCP Server

A self-contained MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for Joplin. Bundles the Joplin Terminal CLI as a dependency — no desktop app, no global installs, no external processes to manage. Coexists with Joplin Desktop via automatic port negotiation.

Quick Start

npx joplin-mcp-server --token your_joplin_token

That's it. The server spawns its own Joplin Terminal instance (sidecar mode), syncs to your configured backend, and exposes your notes via MCP.

Architecture

Sidecar Mode (Default)

The server bundles joplin as an npm dependency and manages its own Joplin Terminal process. No Joplin desktop app needed — the sidecar handles everything: data storage, sync, and the REST API.

If Joplin Desktop is already running, the sidecar automatically finds a free port (scanning 41184-41193) and runs alongside it. Both instances stay in sync if configured with the same sync target.

# Basic usage — sidecar starts automatically
npx joplin-mcp-server --token your_token

# With cloud sync
npx joplin-mcp-server --token your_token \
  --sync-target joplin-cloud \
  --sync-username user@example.com --sync-password pass

# With filesystem sync (e.g. OneDrive folder)
npx joplin-mcp-server --token your_token \
  --sync-target filesystem \
  --sync-path /mnt/c/Users/you/OneDrive/Joplin

The Joplin CLI is resolved in this order: JOPLINCLI env var > nodemodules/.bin/joplin (bundled) > global install > npx fallback.

Data is stored in ~/.config/joplin-mcp by default (separate from any desktop Joplin install).

External Mode

Connects to an existing Joplin instance instead of spawning a sidecar. Activated by setting JOPLINHOST or JOPLINPORT.

# Connect to Joplin desktop on another machine or Windows host
JOPLIN_HOST=192.168.0.40 JOPLIN_PORT=41184 npx joplin-mcp-server --token your_token

Configuration

Environment Variables

Shortened. The full README is on GitHub.

Nothing above is checked by us. What we check is on the safety report.

Joplin: common questions

Is Joplin MCP server safe?: Mostly: it is graded B (78/100). Read the Joplin safety report
How do I install Joplin?: It runs on your machine. Copy the Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code or Claude Desktop config from the install section.
Does Joplin need an API key?: Yes. The registry entry asks for JOPLIN_TOKEN, JOPLIN_SYNC_PASSWORD.
Is Joplin maintained?: The last commit was 51 days ago (2026-09-13). The latest release is v2.3.3.
What can I use instead of Joplin?: Servers from other publishers that do the same job: Apple Notes MCP server and Silica Core MCP server.
How does Joplin compare with other Web search MCP servers?: safety score 78/100 (higher than 62% of 3,470 Web search servers); tools 12 (the typical Web search server has 5); tools that change things 33% (typical: 0%. Fewer write tools means less an agent can break). Full comparison.

Alternatives to Joplin

Same job from other publishers: the closest match first, then the best rated.

Apple Notes
Inspect, search, create, edit, move, and organize notes in Apple Notes on macOS.
not reviewed
Established
A
Silica Core
Retrieval over the folder the session opened: files, search, read, code_pack, write_note.
not reviewed
Growing
A

Run it through the gateway

Local package. It runs on your machine, not through the gateway.

Rating: —
Safety grade: B · 78/100
Stars: 8
Downloads/wk: 132
Price: Free
Licence: MIT
Transport: Local · npm
Version: 2.3.3
Category: Web search
Last release: 2026-09-13

Credentials it needs

JOPLIN_TOKENsecretJoplin API token, for external mode only (see JOPLIN_HOST). Sidecar mode manages its own token and ignores this.
JOPLIN_HOSTConnect to an existing Joplin instance at this host instead of running a sidecar
JOPLIN_PORTPort of the existing Joplin instance (default: 41184)
JOPLIN_PROFILEJoplin data directory for sidecar mode (default: ~/.config/joplin-mcp)
JOPLIN_CLIPath to the joplin CLI binary, overriding auto-detection
JOPLIN_SYNC_TARGETSync target: none, filesystem, webdav, nextcloud, joplin-cloud, joplin-server, s3, dropbox, onedrive (default: none)
JOPLIN_SYNC_PATHSync target URL or path; the bucket name for the s3 target
JOPLIN_SYNC_USERNAMESync username or email; the access key for the s3 target
JOPLIN_SYNC_PASSWORDsecretSync password; the secret key for the s3 target
JOPLIN_SYNC_REGIONS3 region (default: us-east-1)
JOPLIN_SYNC_ENDPOINTS3 endpoint URL for non-AWS providers such as Backblaze B2, MinIO, R2 or Wasabi (default: https://s3.amazonaws.com/)
JOPLIN_SYNC_FORCE_PATH_STYLEUse path-style S3 URLs, which self-hosted providers such as MinIO usually require: true or false (default: false)
LOG_LEVELLog verbosity: debug, info, warn or error (default: info)

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