by tim-mcdonnell
Integrate with Tana's Input API to automate data input and manage structured notes in Tana workspaces effortlessly.
Creates and manipulates structured data in Tana workspaces through AI assistants, enabling automated note-taking and data organization with rich formatting, tasks, and custom schemas.
Tana is a community-built MCP server published by tim-mcdonnell that provides AI assistants with tools and capabilities via the Model Context Protocol. Integrate with Tana's Input API to automate data input and manage structured notes in Tana workspaces effortlessly. It is categorized under productivity.
You can install Tana in your AI client of choice. Use the install panel on this page to get one-click setup for Cursor, Claude Desktop, VS Code, and other MCP-compatible clients. This server runs locally on your machine via the stdio transport.
MIT
Tana is released under the MIT license. This is a permissive open-source license, meaning you can freely use, modify, and distribute the software.
Add new capabilities to Claude beyond text generation
Example
Access external data sources, execute code, interact with tools and services
Transform Claude from chatbot to action-taking agent
Provide Claude with access to relevant context and data
Example
Load project documentation, access knowledge bases, query databases
Get more accurate, context-aware responses
Automate multi-step workflows combining AI and external tools
Example
Research → Summarize → Create document → Send notification
Complete complex tasks end-to-end without manual steps
Share your MCP server with the developer community
I recommend Tana for teams standardizing on MCP; the explainx.ai page compares cleanly with sibling servers.
Tana is a well-scoped MCP server in the explainx.ai directory — install snippets and categories matched our Claude Code setup.
Tana is a well-scoped MCP server in the explainx.ai directory — install snippets and categories matched our Claude Code setup.
Tana is among the better-indexed MCP projects we tried; the explainx.ai summary tracks the official description.
Tana is among the better-indexed MCP projects we tried; the explainx.ai summary tracks the official description.
According to our notes, Tana benefits from clear Model Context Protocol framing — fewer ambiguous “AI plugin” claims.
We evaluated Tana against two servers with overlapping tools; this profile had the clearer scope statement.
We evaluated Tana against two servers with overlapping tools; this profile had the clearer scope statement.
Tana has been reliable for tool-calling workflows; the MCP profile page is a good permalink for internal docs.
Tana is a well-scoped MCP server in the explainx.ai directory — install snippets and categories matched our Claude Code setup.
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A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that connects to Tana's Input API, enabling AI assistants to create and manipulate data in your Tana workspace.
<a href="https://glama.ai/mcp/servers/r6v3135zsm"> <img width="380" height="200" src="https://glama.ai/mcp/servers/r6v3135zsm/badge" alt="Tana Server MCP server" /> </a>| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
create_plain_node | Create simple text nodes with optional supertags |
create_formatted_node | Create nodes with rich formatting and inline references |
create_reference_node | Create references to existing nodes |
create_date_node | Create date nodes (supports various ISO 8601 formats) |
create_url_node | Create URL/link nodes |
create_checkbox_node | Create checkbox/task nodes |
create_file_node | Create file attachment nodes (base64 encoded) |
create_node_structure | Create complex nested node hierarchies |
create_supertag | Define new supertags in your schema |
create_field | Define new fields in your schema |
add_field_value | Add field values to existing nodes |
set_node_name | Rename existing nodes (plain nodes only) |
Raycast integrates MCP servers directly into its AI features. Once configured, use @tana-mcp in any Raycast AI interaction.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Tana |
| Type | stdio |
| Command | npx |
| Arguments | -y tana-mcp |
TANA_API_TOKEN: Your Tana API tokenTANA_DEFAULT_TARGET: INBOX (optional - see Configuration Options)Alternative: Copy this JSON before opening "Install Server" - Raycast will auto-populate the form:
{
"name": "Tana",
"type": "stdio",
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "tana-mcp"],
"env": {
"TANA_API_TOKEN": "your-api-token-here",
"TANA_DEFAULT_TARGET": "INBOX"
}
}
Once installed, mention the server in any Raycast AI interaction:
@Tana@Tana to invoke toolsExample: "@Tana Create a task called 'Review quarterly report' with high priority"
For more details, see the Raycast MCP documentation.
Add Tana MCP as a user-scoped server available in all your Claude Code sessions.
claude mcp add -s user \
-e TANA_API_TOKEN=your-api-token-here \
-e TANA_DEFAULT_TARGET=INBOX \
tana-mcp \
npx -y tana-mcp
Or for project-scoped (current directory only):
claude mcp add \
-e TANA_API_TOKEN=your-api-token-here \
tana-mcp \
npx -y tana-mcp
Verify it's installed:
claude mcp list
Add to your Claude Desktop configuration file:
macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
{
"mcpServers": {
"tana-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "tana-mcp"],
"env": {
"TANA_API_TOKEN": "your-api-token-here",
"TANA_DEFAULT_TARGET": "INBOX"
}
}
}
}
Restart Claude Desktop after saving.
For any MCP-compatible client, configure with:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Command | npx |
| Arguments | -y tana-mcp |
| Environment | TANA_API_TOKEN=your-token |
Or if installed globally (npm install -g tana-mcp):
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Command | tana-mcp |
| Environment | TANA_API_TOKEN=your-token |
| Variable | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
TANA_API_TOKEN | Yes | - | Your Tana API token |
TANA_DEFAULT_TARGET | No | Library root | Where to place nodes when no target specified. Use INBOX for inbox, or any node ID |
TANA_API_ENDPOINT | No | Tana's default | Custom API endpoint (advanced use only) |
TANA_DEFAULT_TARGET: Nodes appear in Library rootINBOX: Nodes go to your Tana Inbox for later processingCreate a node called "Meeting Notes - January 9th"
Create a task "Review PR #123" that's not yet completed
Create a formatted node with **bold text** and a reference to node ID abc123
Create a project structure with:
- Project: Website Redesign
- Phase 1: Research
- Phase 2: Design
- Phase 3: Development
Create a new supertag called "Book" for tracking my reading list
Here are natural language prompts that work well:
| What you want | Example prompt |
|---|---|
| Quick capture | "Add 'Call dentist' to my Tana inbox" |
| Task with details | "Create a high-priority task 'Finish report' due Friday" |
| Meeting notes | "Create meeting notes for my 1:1 with Sarah, we discussed Q1 goals" |
| Project setup | "Set up a new project called 'App Launch' with planning, development, and release phases" |
| Knowledge entry | "Add a note about TypeScript generics with examples" |
| Link a URL | "Save this article: https://example.com/interesting-post" |
The create_formatted_node tool supports rich text formatting in node names:
| Format | Syntax | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Bold | **text** | text |
| Italic | __text__ | text |
| Strikethrough | ~~text~~ | |
| Highlight | ^^text^^ | highlighted |
You can also include:
Example:
Create a formatted node: "Discussed **important** changes with [PERSON] on [DATE]"
with PERSON referencing node xyz123 and DATE as 2024-01-15
These are Tana Input API limitations, not server limitations:
| Limit | Value |
|---|---|
| Nodes per request | 100 maximum |
| Rate limit | 1 request/second per token |
| Payload size | 5,000 characters |
| Workspace nodes | 750,000 maximum |
Not supported by Tana's API:
git clone https://github.com/tim-mcdonnell/tana-mcp.git
cd tana-mcp
bun install # or: npm install
bun run build # or: npm run build
TANA_API_TOKEN=your-token bun run dev
Point Claude Code to your local build:
claude mcp add -s user \
-e TANA_API_TOKEN=your-token \
tana-mcp-dev \
bun /path/to/tana-mcp/dist/index.js
This error occurred in versions before 2.0.0. Update to the latest version:
npm install -g tana-mcp@latest
TANA_API_TOKEN is set correctlynpx is available in your PATHPrerequisites
Time Estimate
15-60 minutes depending on server complexity
Steps
Troubleshooting
✓ Do
✗ Don't
💡 Pro Tips
Architecture
Model Context Protocol standardizes how AI hosts (Claude, Cursor) communicate with external tools and data sources through server implementations.
Protocols
Compatibility
✓ Use when
Use when you need Claude to access external data, execute actions, or integrate with tools. Best for extending AI capabilities beyond conversation.
✗ Avoid when
Avoid when native integrations exist (use official APIs directly), for real-time critical systems, or when security/compliance requires zero external dependencies.