notectl

What This Skill Does

The notectl skill is a powerful command-line interface (CLI) wrapper for AppleScript that enables direct interaction with the Apple Notes application. It acts as an integration layer, allowing users to automate note creation, retrieval, and modification without manually navigating the GUI. Whether you need to organize your brainstorming, log daily updates, or search through vast knowledge bases, notectl bridges the gap between terminal environments and macOS system applications.

Installation

To install this skill, run the following command in your terminal using the OpenClaw hub:

clawhub install openclaw/skills/skills/rainbat/notectl

Ensure that you have permissions enabled for your terminal to control Apple Notes via Automation settings in macOS System Settings.

Use Cases

1. Automated Journaling: Append daily progress reports to a persistent "Daily Log" note every evening without needing to open the app.
2. Knowledge Retrieval: Quickly pull up project documentation or cheat sheets while working in the terminal, keeping your focus on the code.
3. Inbox Organization: Efficiently sort incoming ideas into specific folders like "research" or "pet-projects" using the folder flags.
4. Task Capturing: Quickly create a new note with a title and initial body text the moment an idea occurs during a coding session.

Example Prompts

1. "OpenClaw, please search all my notes for the keyword 'clawdbot' and show me the most recent match."
2. "Add a new note to the 'research' folder titled 'API Integration Plan' and set the body to 'Focus on REST and GraphQL endpoints'."
3. "Append the line '- Completed the new authentication middleware' to my 'Daily Log' note."

Tips & Limitations

• Folder Specificity: Always check your available folders using notectl folders to avoid errors when creating notes.
• AppleScript Dependencies: Because this skill relies on AppleScript, it is restricted to macOS environments only.
• Performance: While highly efficient for standard note sizes, extremely large notes may experience minor latency due to the AppleScript communication overhead.
• Error Handling: If a note title does not exist, the append command may fail; ensure you create the note first if it is the first entry of the day.