Apple Notes CI Integration

Overview

Apple Notes automation is macOS-only because it depends on the Apple Events subsystem and Notes.app. CI pipelines must use GitHub Actions macOS runners (macos-latest or macos-14). However, macOS CI runners have restricted TCC (Transparency, Consent, and Control) permissions, which means direct Notes.app automation via osascript will fail in CI. The standard pattern is to run unit tests against a mock JXA client in CI, and reserve real Notes.app integration tests for local macOS machines or self-hosted runners with pre-granted automation permissions.

GitHub Actions Workflow

# .github/workflows/notes-ci.yml
name: Notes Automation CI
on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
  pull_request:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  unit-tests:
    runs-on: macos-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with: { node-version: "20", cache: "npm" }
      - run: npm ci
      - name: Verify macOS version
        run: sw_vers
      - name: Lint JXA scripts
        run: |
          # Validate JavaScript syntax in all .jxa files
          for f in scripts/*.jxa; do
            node --check "$f" 2>/dev/null || echo "WARN: $f is osascript-only"
          done
      - name: Unit tests (mocked Notes client)
        run: npm test
      - name: Validate JXA templates
        run: |
          # Ensure osascript can parse (but not execute) JXA scripts
          for f in scripts/*.jxa; do
            osascript -l JavaScript -e "$(cat "$f")" 2>&1 | grep -v "Not authorized" || true
          done

Mock Client for CI

// tests/mocks/notes-client.mock.ts
export class MockAppleNotesClient {
  private notes: Array<{ id: string; title: string; body: string; folder: string }> = [];

  createNote(title: string, body: string, folder = "Notes"): string {
    const id = `mock-note-${Date.now()}-${Math.random().toString(36).slice(2)}`;
    this.notes.push({ id, title, body, folder });
    return id;
  }

  listNotes() { return [...this.notes]; }
  getNote(id: string) { return this.notes.find(n => n.id === id) || null; }
  searchNotes(q: string) { return this.notes.filter(n => n.title.includes(q) || n.body.includes(q)); }
  deleteNote(id: string) { this.notes = this.notes.filter(n => n.id !== id); }
  getFolders() { return [...new Set(this.notes.map(n => n.folder))]; }
}

Self-Hosted Runner with TCC Pre-Approval

# On a self-hosted macOS runner, pre-grant automation permissions:
# 1. Open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Automation
# 2. Grant your CI user's terminal access to Notes.app
# 3. Verify with:
osascript -l JavaScript -e 'Application("Notes").defaultAccount.notes.length'

# For headless runners, use tccutil (requires SIP adjustment or MDM profile):
# sudo tccutil --insert com.apple.Notes --service AppleEvents --app /usr/bin/osascript

Error Handling

Issue	Cause	Solution
"Not authorized to send Apple events" in CI	TCC blocks automation on CI runners	Use mock client; real tests on self-hosted runner
osascript syntax errors not caught	JXA has no standalone linter	Use node --check for JS syntax; parse-only validation
Flaky tests on macos-latest	Runner image updates change Notes state	Pin to macos-14; always use mocked client
Tests pass locally, fail in CI	Different macOS version or missing app	Check sw_vers output; ensure Notes.app exists on runner
Timeout waiting for Notes.app	App launch delay on cold runner	Add open -a Notes && sleep 3 before osascript calls

Resources

• GitHub Actions macOS Runners
• Mac Automation Scripting Guide
• TCC Database Reference

Next Steps

For diagnosing CI failures, see apple-notes-common-errors. For production deployment of automation scripts, see apple-notes-deploy-integration.