# Istefox-dt-mcp 0.1.0 — open-source MCP connector for DEVONthink 4 (MIT, local-only)
**URL:** https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/istefox-dt-mcp-0-1-0-open-source-mcp-connector-for-devonthink-4-mit-local-only/86855
**Category:** Artificial Intelligence
**Created:** [May 3, 2026, 2:53pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/istefox-dt-mcp-0-1-0-open-source-mcp-connector-for-devonthink-4-mit-local-only/86855 "2026-05-03T14:53:01Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@steffex](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/steffex)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2026, 2:53pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/istefox-dt-mcp-0-1-0-open-source-mcp-connector-for-devonthink-4-mit-local-only/86855/1 "2026-05-03T14:53:02Z")
Hi all,
I’ve just released the first public version of **istefox-dt-mcp** , an open-source MCP (Model Context Protocol) connector that exposes DEVONthink 4
to LLM clients like Claude Desktop, Cursor, and Cline. Everything runs locally on the Mac — no data leaves the machine.
**Repo** : [GitHub - istefox/istefox-dt-mcp: MCP server for DEVONthink 4 - best-in-class connector with RAG-augmented search · GitHub](https://github.com/istefox/istefox-dt-mcp)
**License** : MIT (clean-room implementation)
**Version** : 0.1.0
**Why another DT connector?**
There’s already an excellent prior project by @dvcrn for DT3, which I deliberately did not look at while building this — istefox-dt-mcp is a
clean-room MIT codebase, and the design targets DT4 specifically. Different priorities:
- **DT4-first** : the JXA bridge uses `Application("DEVONthink")` (DT4) with feature gating for DT3 best-effort. No assumptions inherited from the
3.x dictionary.
- **Local-only by default** : append-only SQLite audit log of every operation, optional RAG embeddings via `sentence-transformers` running locally.
- **Safety on writes** : every write tool (`file_document`, `bulk_apply`) is `dry_run=true` by default. Apply requires a short-TTL `confirm_token`;
each operation stores its before-state and is reversible via `audit_id`.
**The six tools**
- `list_databases` — open DBs with 5-min cache
- `search` — BM25 across records (vector hybrid is opt-in)
- `find_related` — wraps DT’s native See Also / Compare
- `ask_database` — BM25 + answer synthesis
- `file_document` — move/tag a single record (dry-run preview → confirm → apply)
- `bulk_apply` — batch operations with per-record selective apply
JXA scripts are wrapped defensively — DT4 raises -1700 (`errAECoercionFail`) on a number of special record types, and a few API quirks made
`reference_url` unreliable as a primary key, so I fall back to UUIDs.
**Install**
Drag-and-drop `.mcpb` bundle in Claude Desktop (Settings → Extensions). The bundle handles `uv` detection (Homebrew, mise, asdf, custom path via
`ISTEFOX_UV_BIN`), so no Python env to manage on the user side. For other MCP clients, `uv run istefox-dt-mcp` from the cloned repo works.
A short demo GIF of the dry-run → confirm flow is in the README. The `doctor` subcommand surfaces TCC permission issues (the `-1743` “Apple Events
not allowed” trap) early and tells you exactly which terminal/app needs the entitlement.
**Roadmap (0.2.0)**
- Cross-corpus RAG benchmark (≥3 corpora, ≥2 early adopter) to flip the default embedding model — see
[ADR-008](https://github.com/istefox/istefox-dt-mcp/blob/main/docs/adr/0008-embedding-model-selection.md)
- 3-state drift detection on undo (no drift / partially undone / hostile drift)
- HTTP transport + OAuth multi-device
- Smart-rule installer for sync sidecar (currently planned, not in 0.1.0)
**Feedback I’d specifically appreciate from this community**
1. Edge cases on JXA — record types or DT layouts where the safe wrapper still trips
2. Smart-rule integration patterns — the long-term plan is a smart rule → sidecar JSON pipeline (with hash-based reconciliation), but I want to
validate the pattern with people who’ve shipped real smart rules
3. Mixed-language databases — the connector targets IT/EN/FR/DE for retrieval; reports from German/French heavy users especially welcome
4. Backward compat with DT3 — feature-gated and best-effort today, would be useful to know what fails for those who can’t or don’t want to upgrade
Not affiliated with or endorsed by DEVONtechnologies — this is a personal project. Bug reports and feature requests on GitHub. Cheers!
Stege
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### Author:  [@ScottS](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/ScottS)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2026, 8:36pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/istefox-dt-mcp-0-1-0-open-source-mcp-connector-for-devonthink-4-mit-local-only/86855/2 "2026-09-20T20:36:56Z")
Hi Stefex. Your github link is giving a 404.
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### Author:  [@BLUEFROG](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/BLUEFROG)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2026, 8:45pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/istefox-dt-mcp-0-1-0-open-source-mcp-connector-for-devonthink-4-mit-local-only/86855/3 "2026-09-20T20:45:30Z")
DEVONthink has its own official built-in MCP server. Are you unaware of this?
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### Author:  [@ScottS](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/ScottS)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2026, 8:53pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/istefox-dt-mcp-0-1-0-open-source-mcp-connector-for-devonthink-4-mit-local-only/86855/4 "2026-09-20T20:53:51Z")
No longer. Thanks.
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### Author:  [@BLUEFROG](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/BLUEFROG)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2026, 9:19pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/istefox-dt-mcp-0-1-0-open-source-mcp-connector-for-devonthink-4-mit-local-only/86855/5 "2026-09-20T21:19:03Z")
You’re welcome.