io.github.jordanburke/joplin-mcp-server

Official

by jordanburke · TypeScript

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

io.github.jordanburke/joplin-mcp-server (MCP)

A self-contained MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for Joplin. It provides search, read, create, edit, and sync capabilities for Joplin notes and notebooks via a headless Joplin sidecar. The project bundles the Joplin Terminal CLI as a dependency, avoiding a desktop app, global installs, or external setup.

🛠️ Key Features

Search Joplin notes and notebooks
Read, create, and edit notes/notebooks
Sync Joplin content
Uses a headless Joplin sidecar
Bundles the Joplin Terminal CLI as a dependency

🚀 Use Cases

Programmatic access to Joplin notes and notebooks through MCP
Updating note content (create/edit) and keeping it synchronized
Retrieving information via search and read operations

⚡ Developer Benefits

Self-contained MCP server packaged with the Joplin Terminal CLI dependency
Works without requiring a desktop app
Designed to avoid global installs and external dependencies

⚠️ Limitations

No additional details provided beyond using a headless sidecar and bundled terminal CLI

README.md12 KBView 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

bash

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.

bash

# 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: JOPLIN_CLI env var > node_modules/.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 JOPLIN_HOST or JOPLIN_PORT.

bash

# 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

Variable	Description	Default
`JOPLIN_TOKEN`	API token (required)	--
`JOPLIN_HOST`	Connect to existing Joplin at this host (skips sidecar)	--
`JOPLIN_PORT`	Connect to existing Joplin on this port (skips sidecar)	--
`JOPLIN_CLI`	Path to joplin CLI binary (overrides auto-detection)	--
`JOPLIN_PROFILE`	Joplin data directory for sidecar mode	`~/.config/joplin-mcp`
`JOPLIN_SYNC_TARGET`	Sync target type	`none`
`JOPLIN_SYNC_PATH`	Sync target URL/path	--
`JOPLIN_SYNC_USERNAME`	Sync username/email	--
`JOPLIN_SYNC_PASSWORD`	Sync password	--
`JOPLIN_SYNC_REGION`	S3 region	`us-east-1`
`JOPLIN_SYNC_ENDPOINT`	S3 endpoint URL (for non-AWS providers)	AWS S3
`JOPLIN_SYNC_FORCE_PATH_STYLE`	Use path-style S3 URLs (`true`/`false`)	`false`
`LOG_LEVEL`	Log level: debug, info, warn, error	`info`

Command Line Options

code

OPTIONS:
  --env-file <file>          Load environment variables from file
  --token <token>            Joplin API token
  --transport <type>         Transport type: stdio (default) or http
  --http-port <port>         HTTP server port (default: 3000, only with --transport http)
  --profile <dir>            Joplin data directory (default: ~/.config/joplin-mcp)
  --sync-target <type>       Sync target: none, filesystem, webdav, nextcloud,
                             joplin-cloud, joplin-server, s3, dropbox, onedrive
  --sync-path <url>          URL or path for sync target
  --sync-username <user>     Username/email for sync
  --sync-password <pass>     Password for sync
  --help, -h                 Show help message

Path Expansion

The --profile option and the --sync-path of a filesystem sync target support ~ and environment variable expansion for cross-platform compatibility. Other targets take a URL or bucket name in --sync-path, so it is passed through untouched:

bash

# Tilde expands to home directory (Linux, macOS, Windows)
--sync-path ~/OneDrive/Apps/Joplin

# Environment variables (both forms supported)
--sync-path ${HOME}/OneDrive/Apps/Joplin
--sync-path $HOME/OneDrive/Apps/Joplin

# Windows example using USERPROFILE
--sync-path ${USERPROFILE}/OneDrive/Apps/Joplin

This works in MCP client configs (.mcp.json, Claude Desktop) where shell expansion isn't available.

WSL auto-detection: On WSL, if a ~/ path is empty or missing, the server automatically checks the corresponding Windows path at /mnt/c/Users/<user>/.... This means --sync-path ~/OneDrive/Apps/Joplin just works on WSL without needing the full /mnt/c/... path.

Sync Targets

Target	Required Options
`none`	(default, no sync)
`filesystem`	`--sync-path /path/to/dir`
`webdav`	`--sync-path <url>` `--sync-username` `--sync-password`
`nextcloud`	`--sync-path <url>` `--sync-username` `--sync-password`
`joplin-cloud`	`--sync-username` `--sync-password`
`joplin-server`	`--sync-path <url>` `--sync-username` `--sync-password`
`s3`	`--sync-path <bucket>` `--sync-username <access-key>` `--sync-password <secret-key>`
`dropbox`	(OAuth flow)
`onedrive`	(OAuth flow)

S3-compatible providers

The s3 target defaults to AWS (https://s3.amazonaws.com/, region us-east-1). Point it at any S3-compatible provider with --sync-region and --sync-endpoint:

bash

# Backblaze B2
joplin-mcp-server --token my_token \
  --sync-target s3 --sync-path my-bucket \
  --sync-region us-west-004 \
  --sync-endpoint https://s3.us-west-004.backblazeb2.com \
  --sync-username <access-key> --sync-password <secret-key>

# MinIO / self-hosted: path-style URLs are usually required
joplin-mcp-server --token my_token \
  --sync-target s3 --sync-path my-bucket \
  --sync-endpoint https://minio.example.com \
  --sync-force-path-style true \
  --sync-username <access-key> --sync-password <secret-key>

Cloudflare R2 and Wasabi work the same way — set --sync-endpoint to the provider's S3 endpoint.

MCP Client Configuration

Claude Code

The repository includes a .mcp.json that works with Claude Code's env var expansion:

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "joplin": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["dist/bin.js"],
      "env": {
        "JOPLIN_TOKEN": "${JOPLIN_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Set JOPLIN_TOKEN in your shell (add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc):

bash

export JOPLIN_TOKEN="your_actual_token_here"

Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop does not support ${VAR} expansion. Provide values directly:

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "joplin": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["joplin-mcp-server", "--token", "your_actual_token_here"]
    }
  }
}

With Sync (Claude Desktop)

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "joplin": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "joplin-mcp-server",
        "--token",
        "your_token",
        "--sync-target",
        "filesystem",
        "--sync-path",
        "/path/to/sync/dir"
      ]
    }
  }
}

External Mode

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "joplin": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["joplin-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "JOPLIN_TOKEN": "your_actual_token_here",
        "JOPLIN_HOST": "192.168.0.40",
        "JOPLIN_PORT": "41184"
      }
    }
  }
}

Docker

bash

docker build -t joplin-mcp .
docker run -e JOPLIN_TOKEN=your_token -p 3000:3000 joplin-mcp

WSL Setup

Running in WSL? The sidecar architecture makes this straightforward — no Windows port forwarding needed. The server auto-detects WSL and handles path resolution between Linux and Windows filesystems.

Filesystem Sync via OneDrive (Recommended)

Both your Windows Joplin desktop and the WSL sidecar sync to the same OneDrive folder. They see the same notes without needing to talk to each other directly.

bash

# Uses ~/OneDrive — automatically resolves to /mnt/c/Users/YourName/OneDrive on WSL
npx joplin-mcp-server --token your_token \
  --sync-target filesystem \
  --sync-path ~/OneDrive/Apps/Joplin

# Or specify the Windows path explicitly
npx joplin-mcp-server --token your_token \
  --sync-target filesystem \
  --sync-path /mnt/c/Users/YourName/OneDrive/Apps/Joplin

In your Joplin desktop app, configure sync to the same OneDrive folder: Tools > Options > Synchronisation > File system > /Users/YourName/OneDrive/Apps/Joplin

Joplin Desktop coexistence: If Desktop is running on port 41184, the sidecar automatically uses the next available port. A warning is logged at startup reminding you that both instances use separate databases and need the same sync target to stay in sync.

Cloud Sync

Alternatively, both instances can sync to Joplin Cloud or any other cloud backend:

bash

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

External Mode (Port Forwarding)

If you prefer to connect directly to Windows Joplin instead of running a sidecar:

On Windows (PowerShell as Administrator):

powershell

netsh interface portproxy add v4tov4 listenport=41184 listenaddress=0.0.0.0 connectport=41184 connectaddress=127.0.0.1

In WSL:

bash

JOPLIN_HOST=192.168.0.40 JOPLIN_PORT=41184 npx joplin-mcp-server --token your_token

Find your Windows IP with ipconfig on Windows or cat /etc/resolv.conf | grep nameserver from WSL.

Available Tools

Tool	Description
`list_notebooks`	Retrieve the complete notebook hierarchy
`search_notes`	Search for notes by query string
`read_notebook`	Read contents of a specific notebook
`read_note`	Read full content of a specific note
`read_multinote`	Read multiple notes at once
`create_note`	Create a new note
`create_folder`	Create a new notebook
`edit_note`	Edit an existing note
`edit_folder`	Edit an existing notebook
`delete_note`	Delete a note (requires confirmation)
`delete_folder`	Delete a notebook (requires confirmation)
`sync`	Trigger sync (auto-syncs every 5 min by default)

Development

bash

pnpm install          # Install dependencies
pnpm build            # Build to dist/
pnpm test             # Run tests
pnpm validate         # Format + lint + typecheck + test + build
pnpm serve:dev        # Dev mode with hot reload (stdio)
pnpm serve:dev:http   # Dev mode with hot reload (HTTP)
pnpm inspect          # Build and open MCP Inspector

License

MIT

Install

Configuration

Environment variables

JOPLIN_TOKENsecret

Joplin API token, for external mode only (see JOPLIN_HOST). Sidecar mode manages its own token and ignores this.

JOPLIN_HOST

Connect to an existing Joplin instance at this host instead of running a sidecar

JOPLIN_PORT

Port of the existing Joplin instance (default: 41184)

JOPLIN_PROFILE

Joplin data directory for sidecar mode (default: ~/.config/joplin-mcp)

JOPLIN_CLI

Path to the joplin CLI binary, overriding auto-detection

JOPLIN_SYNC_TARGET

Sync target: none, filesystem, webdav, nextcloud, joplin-cloud, joplin-server, s3, dropbox, onedrive (default: none)

JOPLIN_SYNC_PATH

Sync target URL or path; the bucket name for the s3 target

JOPLIN_SYNC_USERNAME

Sync username or email; the access key for the s3 target

JOPLIN_SYNC_PASSWORDsecret

Sync password; the secret key for the s3 target

JOPLIN_SYNC_REGION

S3 region (default: us-east-1)

JOPLIN_SYNC_ENDPOINT

S3 endpoint URL for non-AWS providers such as Backblaze B2, MinIO, R2 or Wasabi (default: https://s3.amazonaws.com/)

JOPLIN_SYNC_FORCE_PATH_STYLE

Use path-style S3 URLs, which self-hosted providers such as MinIO usually require: true or false (default: false)

LOG_LEVEL

Log verbosity: debug, info, warn or error (default: info)

Add to VS Code Add to Cursor

claude_desktop_config.json

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "joplin-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "joplin-mcp-server@2.3.3"
      ],
      "env": {
        "JOPLIN_TOKEN": "<YOUR_JOPLIN_TOKEN>",
        "JOPLIN_HOST": "<YOUR_JOPLIN_HOST>",
        "JOPLIN_PORT": "<YOUR_JOPLIN_PORT>",
        "JOPLIN_PROFILE": "<YOUR_JOPLIN_PROFILE>",
        "JOPLIN_CLI": "<YOUR_JOPLIN_CLI>",
        "JOPLIN_SYNC_TARGET": "<YOUR_JOPLIN_SYNC_TARGET>",
        "JOPLIN_SYNC_PATH": "<YOUR_JOPLIN_SYNC_PATH>",
        "JOPLIN_SYNC_USERNAME": "<YOUR_JOPLIN_SYNC_USERNAME>",
        "JOPLIN_SYNC_PASSWORD": "<YOUR_JOPLIN_SYNC_PASSWORD>",
        "JOPLIN_SYNC_REGION": "<YOUR_JOPLIN_SYNC_REGION>",
        "JOPLIN_SYNC_ENDPOINT": "<YOUR_JOPLIN_SYNC_ENDPOINT>",
        "JOPLIN_SYNC_FORCE_PATH_STYLE": "<YOUR_JOPLIN_SYNC_FORCE_PATH_STYLE>",
        "LOG_LEVEL": "<YOUR_LOG_LEVEL>"
      }
    }
  }
}

io.github.jordanburke/joplin-mcp-server (MCP)

🛠️ Key Features

🚀 Use Cases

⚡ Developer Benefits

⚠️ Limitations

Joplin MCP Server

Quick Start

Architecture

Sidecar Mode (Default)

External Mode

Configuration

Environment Variables

Command Line Options

Path Expansion

Sync Targets

S3-compatible providers

MCP Client Configuration

Claude Code

Claude Desktop

With Sync (Claude Desktop)

External Mode

Docker

WSL Setup

Filesystem Sync via OneDrive (Recommended)

Cloud Sync

External Mode (Port Forwarding)

Available Tools

Development

License

Install

Configuration

Related servers