The Tana MCP Just Changed Everything: Ultimate Guide

About this video

• Video Title: The Tana MCP Just Changed Everything: Ultimate Guide
• Channel: Ev Chapman
• Speakers: Ev Chapman
• Duration: 00:40:13

Overview

This video provides a comprehensive guide on setting up and utilizing the new Local MCP (Modular Communication Protocol) feature in Tana, an AI knowledge management system. The speaker demonstrates how to integrate AI assistants like Claude with Tana, train the AI to understand personal note-taking systems, and implement five practical workflows for enhanced productivity. These workflows include finding notes on specific topics, creating custom searches and dashboards, organizing daily brain dumps, triaging emails, and aiding in weekly planning.

Key takeaways

• Tana's Local MCP is a game-changer: This new feature allows AI systems like Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini to connect directly to your Tana workspace, read your notes, and even create content within Tana.
• Setting up the MCP is accessible: The process is explained in two ways (Claude Desktop and terminal with VS Code) and is presented as less technical than it might appear. A Claude account is recommended for optimal use.
• Training your AI is crucial: For the MCP to be truly effective, it needs to be trained on your specific Tana system, schema, and workflow. Without this, the AI acts like an inexperienced assistant.
• Five practical workflows are demonstrated:
  1. Find My Notes on X Topic: Quickly locate all notes related to a specific subject.
  2. Create Searches & Dashboards: Automate the creation of custom searches and dashboards for efficient data retrieval.
  3. Morning Brain Dump to Organized Notes: Seamlessly integrate daily thoughts and ideas into your Tana system.
  4. Email Triage Workflow: Connect Gmail to Claude Code via Zapier MCP to process and organize emails.
  5. Weekly Planning/Focus Coach: Utilize the AI to assist in weekly planning, review overdue tasks, and prioritize effectively.
• AI can become a true "Chief of Staff": By providing context and training, the AI can act as a proactive assistant, organizing information, identifying patterns, and even offering insights into productivity habits.