Developer integrations

Share secrets from the tools where work actually happens

PrivateNote is useful as a website, but developer teams usually need the same encrypted handoff inside editors, local AI agents, scripts, and controlled deployments. This page maps those entry points and the trust boundary behind them.

Install extension Open web app

What can create a PrivateNote?

Web app

Fastest universal path

Paste a secret, choose expiry and read limits, then share the encrypted link from any browser.

Editor extension

Best daily developer flow

Create notes from VS Code, Cursor, or Codex IDE without switching context. Use the sidebar, a selected-text command, or the title-bar action.

Codex plugin

Best in OpenAI Codex

Install the bundled plugin for MCP plus skills, or add privatenote-mcp to ~/.codex/config.toml. Use the same VS Code extension in the Codex IDE for secrets the agent never sees.

MCP server

Best for AI-assisted workflows

Give an MCP client a local tool that creates PrivateNote links when an agent needs to hand off a secret.

Where it fits

A small tool for high-friction moments

Developer teams still pass around database passwords, recovery codes, API tokens, support handoff details, and customer-specific diagnostics. Those secrets often end up in chat history, ticket comments, pull request threads, or AI prompts because the secure path is too slow.

PrivateNote is meant to make the safer path quick. The integration should feel like creating a link, while the implementation keeps the sensitive text encrypted before it reaches the server.

VS Code, Cursor & Codex IDE

Recommended for most developers.

The extension is the primary developer entry point because it does not ask people to leave their editor. It supports a sidebar flow for deliberate notes and a selected-text flow for quick one-off handoffs.

Sidebar

Compose and configure

Selection

Share highlighted text

Clipboard

Copy link after create

# Search Extensions for PrivateNote, or install from CLI
code --install-extension PrivateNote.privatenote-vscode

Install from Marketplace

OpenAI Codex plugin

MCP + skills for Codex CLI and IDE — same repo as this site.

Codex plugins bundle an MCP server and reusable skills. Install from the repo marketplace (`.agents/plugins/marketplace.json`) or wire privatenote-mcp into ~/.codex/config.toml. For secrets the agent must not see, use the VS Code extension in the Codex IDE instead of pasting into chat.

# ~/.codex/config.toml — one-liner

codex mcp add privatenote -- npx -y privatenote-mcp

# or edit the file directly

[mcp_servers.privatenote]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "privatenote-mcp"]
enabled = true

Full Codex guide

MCP server for AI agents

Use when an agent needs a secure handoff tool.

Add the MCP server to Codex, Cursor, Claude Desktop, Continue.dev, Zed, or any MCP client. The agent receives acreate_private_notetool, and the local MCP process creates the encrypted link.

Cursor / Claude Desktop

// ~/.cursor/mcp.json or claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "privatenote": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "privatenote-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Privacy boundary: if a secret is typed into a cloud AI prompt, the model provider can see it before the MCP tool runs. For the strongest privacy posture, use the MCP flow with a local model.

View on npm

Trust model

Same contract on every path

The plaintext is encrypted locally before upload.
The server stores ciphertext and note metadata, not the decryption key.
The key stays in the URL fragment, which is not sent in HTTP requests.
Read limits and expiry are enforced by the note service.

All integration paths should preserve the same basic contract: create ciphertext locally, upload only what the server needs to store and enforce, then share a link that carries the decryption key outside the request.

Start with the integration closest to the secret

Use the web app for occasional sharing, the editor extension for daily developer work, and MCP when an agent needs a secure handoff primitive.

Install extension Discuss premium

Extension, MCP, and the web app all use the same encryption boundary.