Dayone MCP Server
Day One journal entries access via programmatic creation, updates, and search tools.
Data last scanned today · Reviewed today
Overview
The Day One MCP Server enables AI assistants to interface directly with your Day One journal on macOS. By utilizing the Day One CLI, it exposes journal operations as tools, allowing your AI to perform full-text searches, create new entries, manage metadata, and filter journals by specific dates. Designed for local execution, the server communicates through stdio using JSON-RPC 2.0. It bridges your local Core Data store with AI processing, making your personal logs available for contextual analysis within your preferred MCP-compliant client.
Our verdict
This project carries a high-risk score of 19/100 due to several maintenance and legal concerns. Most notably, the repository lacks a clear license, creating uncertainty regarding usage rights, and it has not received updates for over 266 days. Furthermore, as a community-maintained project rather than an official tool from the Day One developers, users should exercise caution. It is suitable for those comfortable with DIY local software setups, but it is not recommended for users requiring guaranteed long-term support or strict legal compliance.
- Provides direct, local programmatic access to Day One journals
- Supports complex journal operations like tag and metadata management
- Zero direct dependencies simplifies the local supply-chain surface
- Lacks an open-source license, creating legal ambiguity for users
- Significant maintenance lag with no commits in 266 days
- Restricted to macOS environments using the Day One CLI
- High-risk maintenance profile due to single-contributor dependency
Tools
| Tool | Description | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| list_journals | Returns all journals with MCP access enabled. | low |
| create_entry | Creates a new journal entry with markdown content and optional metadata. | medium |
| get_entries | Retrieves entries via full-text search, date filters, or journal constraints. | low |
| update_entry | Updates an existing entry's content or metadata. | medium |
Compatibility
| Client | Local | Docker | Remote | Read-only |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Desktop | ||||
| Cursor | ||||
| VS Code | ||||
| Windsurf | ||||
| ChatGPT |
Frequently asked questions
›What are the system requirements for the Day One MCP server?
This server is exclusive to macOS and requires both the Day One Mac application and the Day One CLI installed on your machine.
›How do I ensure the MCP server can access my journals?
You must enable 'Mac CLI MCP Server' in Day One's Preferences under the Labs tab, then use the 'MCP Access Control' settings to manually toggle access for specific journals.
›Will the server function if I have a password lock on my Day One journal?
No, the server will refuse to start if the Day One password lock is active to prevent unauthorized access.
›Are my journal entries sent to external LLM providers?
While the server process runs locally, please note that any journal content retrieved by your MCP client will be sent to the connected LLM provider for processing.
›How can I manually configure a client that isn't officially listed?
You can configure any compatible MCP client by setting the command to '/usr/local/bin/dayone', the arguments to '["mcp"]', and using 'stdio' as the transport method.
Changelog
- Improvedv1.0.0
2025-10-16
Badge
Maintain this server? Add the live badge to your README.