// MCP TOOL REFERENCE

BETTER BEAR TOOLS

35 tools from the Better Bear MCP Server, categorised by risk level.

View the Better Bear policy → Token cost: 4,063 tokens →

// ALL 35 BETTER BEAR TOOLS

READ 16 tools

Read bear_context_fetch Load the full content of specific files from the context library. Pass relative paths like 'bear/arch-overv... Read bear_context_index Get the context library index — a structured table of contents of all files (Bear notes, external files, in... Read bear_context_search Full-text search across the entire context library (Bear notes + external files + inbox). Returns matching ... Read bear_context_status Get context library health and stats: Bear note count, external file count, inbox count, total tokens, last... Read bear_context_triage Triage a file in the inbox. Three actions: 'keep' moves it to external/ with optional group/summary metadat... Read bear_find_duplicates Find notes with duplicate titles. Returns groups of notes sharing the same title with their IDs and modific... Read bear_find_untagged List Bear notes that have no tags assigned. Read bear_get_note Get a single Bear note's full content and metadata by ID. Returns the note title, tags, full markdown text,... Read bear_get_tags Get the full tag hierarchy from Bear. Returns all tags with their note counts and pin status. Useful for un... Read bear_get_todos Get all TODO items from a specific Bear note. Returns each item's text, completion status, and index number... Read bear_health_check Run a health check on the Bear notes library. Reports duplicate titles, empty notes, notes stuck in trash, ... Read bear_list_notes List Bear notes with optional tag filtering. Returns an array of notes with IDs, titles, tags, pin status, ... Read bear_list_todos List Bear notes that have incomplete TODO items (markdown checkboxes like '- [ ]'). Returns each note's tit... Read bear_note_stats Get statistics about the Bear notes library: total notes, words, tags, pinned, archived, trashed, notes wit... Read bear_search Full-text search across Bear note titles, tags, and body content. Returns matching notes ranked by relevanc... Read bear_toggle_todo Toggle a specific TODO item in a Bear note between complete and incomplete. The item_index is 1-based — use...

WRITE 13 tools

Write bear_add_tag Add a tag to an existing Bear note. The tag is inserted into the note's markdown. Hierarchical tags like 'p... Write bear_archive_note Archive a Bear note. Archived notes are hidden from the main list but not deleted. Use 'undo' to unarchive. Write bear_attach_file Attach a file or image to an existing Bear note. The file is uploaded to iCloud and embedded in the note's ... Write bear_context_add Add a Bear note to the context library by tagging it with #context. Optionally specify a subtag for groupin... Write bear_context_import Import external content into the context library. Content is written to the external/ directory with YAML f... Write bear_context_ingest Scan the inbox/ directory and list all untriaged files. Returns filename, size, content preview (first 500 ... Write bear_context_push_to_bear Push an external file to Bear as a new note. Creates a Bear note from the file content, tags it with #conte... Write bear_context_set_prefix Change the context library's tag prefix and re-tag every Bear note that currently uses the old prefix. Sub-... Write bear_context_setup Initialize a context library — a curated, synced folder of Bear notes optimized for LLM consumption. Create... Write bear_context_sync Sync qualifying Bear notes to the local context library. Adds new notes, updates changed notes, and removes... Write bear_create_note Create a new Bear note with a title, optional body text, tags, and YAML front matter. Hashtags written inli... Write bear_edit_note Edit an existing Bear note. Provide 'append_text' to add text, 'body' to replace content, or 'set_frontmatt... Write bear_rename_tag Rename a tag across all Bear notes. Every note containing the old tag will be updated.

DESTRUCTIVE 5 tools

Destructive bear_context_remove Remove a Bear note from the context library by removing its #context tag. Triggers a sync to delete the loc... Destructive bear_context_remove_external Remove a file from the external/ directory in the context library. Deletes the file and regenerates the ind... Destructive bear_delete_tag Delete a tag from all Bear notes. The tag text is removed but notes are preserved. Destructive bear_remove_tag Remove a tag from a specific Bear note. Works on any tag visible in 'tags' on the note — including ancestor... Destructive bear_trash_note Move a Bear note to the trash. This is a soft delete — the note can be recovered from Bear's trash. The not...

EXECUTE 1 tools

Execute bear_sync Trigger a sync of Bear notes from iCloud. Normally an incremental sync fetching only changes. Use 'full' to...

// RUNNING THIS SERVER

The managed route: connect Better Bear through the PolicyLayer gateway — every tool call above is checked against your policy before it runs, with a full audit log.

DIRECT INSTALL (UNMANAGED) npx -y better-bear

// FAQ

How many tools does the Better Bear MCP server have? +

The Better Bear MCP server exposes 35 tools across 4 categories: Read, Write, Destructive, Execute.

How do I enforce policies on Better Bear tools? +

Route the Better Bear server through the PolicyLayer gateway. Define allow, deny, or approval rules per tool in the dashboard — they are enforced on every call before it reaches the server.

What risk categories do Better Bear tools fall into? +

Better Bear tools are categorised as Read (16), Write (13), Destructive (5), Execute (1). Each category has a recommended default policy.

Let agents act without letting them run wild.

Route your MCP servers through PolicyLayer and every tool call is checked against your policy before it runs — allow, deny, or require approval. Per-identity grants. Full audit log. Live in minutes.

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