@notesnook-importer/applenotes

Apple Notes parser and decryption library. Reads NoteStore.sqlite directly — no export step required — and converts note bodies (gzip-compressed protobuf), attachments, tables, scans, and encrypted notes into structured HTML.

Part of the Notesnook Importer monorepo.

Install

npm install @notesnook-importer/applenotes

Requires @notesnook-importer/core (peer dependency for SqlDatabase and Attachment types).

What it does

• Opens an Apple Notes SQLite database (NoteStore.sqlite)
• Decodes gzip-compressed NoteStoreProto protobuf blobs for each note body
• Converts ANAttributeRun rich-text spans to HTML (bold, italic, lists, checklists, headings, alignment, colors, etc.)
• Resolves attachments (images, files, voice recordings, PDFs, drawings) from the provided filesystem
• Decodes CRDT-based tables into HTML tables
• Handles document scans and drawing fallback images
• Decrypts password-protected notes (all three schemes: classic, modern macOS 15+, and CloudKit verifier-only)

Usage

import {
  getProtobufRoot,
  decryptAppleNotes,
  NoteConverter,
  type ANAccount,
  type ANContext
} from "@notesnook-importer/applenotes";

Decryption

import { decryptAppleNotes, type AppleNotesCryptoData } from "@notesnook-importer/applenotes";

const plaintext: Uint8Array = await decryptAppleNotes(password, {
  salt,
  iterations,
  wrappedKey,
  iv,
  tag,
  ciphertext,
  aad // optional — for modern notes with metadata plist
});

Uses WebCrypto (PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA256 → AES-KW → AES-GCM). Requires a secure context in browsers.

Protobuf root

import { getProtobufRoot } from "@notesnook-importer/applenotes";

const root = getProtobufRoot(); // protobufjs Root from the embedded NoteStoreProto descriptor

Package structure

| File | Purpose | |------|---------| | src/models.ts | TypeScript types for Apple Notes protobuf messages (ANNote, ANAttributeRun, ANParagraphStyle, etc.) | | src/crypto.ts | decryptAppleNotes() — PBKDF2 → AES-KW → AES-GCM decryption | | src/descriptor.ts | Embedded NoteStoreProto protobuf descriptor | | src/convert-note.ts | NoteConverter — converts a note's attribute runs to HTML | | src/convert-table.ts | TableConverter — decodes CRDT mergeable data into HTML tables | | src/convert-scan.ts | ScanConverter — handles document scan attachments |

License

GPL-3.0-or-later