Cornell Notes API

Generate Cornell Notes

Convert study content into structured Cornell Notes format with cues, detailed notes, and a summary.

Authentication is optional. Authenticated users can save notes to their history.

POST /api/cornell-notes/generate

curl -X POST https://api.inspir.uk/api/cornell-notes/generate \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -d '{
    "title": "Photosynthesis",
    "subject": "Biology",
    "content": "Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods with the help of chlorophyll. The process converts carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen..."
  }'

Request Parameters

content

string

required

The study content to convert into Cornell Notes. Must be at least 50 characters long.

title

string

Title for the notes. Defaults to “Untitled Notes” if not provided.

subject

string

Subject area of the content (e.g., “Biology”, “History”, “Mathematics”)

Response

cues

array

Array of key questions, keywords, and main points for the left column

Show Example Cues

[
  "What is photosynthesis?",
  "Key components needed?",
  "What are the products?",
  "Chlorophyll role?"
]

notes

array

Array of detailed notes and explanations for the right column

Show Example Notes

[
  "Process where plants convert light energy into chemical energy",
  "Requires: sunlight, carbon dioxide (CO2), water (H2O), and chlorophyll",
  "Produces: glucose (C6H12O6) and oxygen (O2)",
  "Chlorophyll absorbs light energy, primarily in chloroplasts"
]

summary

string

Brief 2-3 sentence summary of the entire content for the bottom section

saved

boolean

Whether the notes were saved to user’s history (true for authenticated users)

noteId

string

Unique identifier for the saved notes (only if saved is true)

data

object

Complete database record (only if saved is true)

Error Responses

Show 400 Bad Request

{
  "error": "Content must be at least 50 characters long"
}

Show 500 Internal Server Error

{
  "error": "Failed to generate Cornell notes"
}

Get Notes History

Retrieve all saved Cornell Notes for the authenticated user.

This endpoint requires authentication.

GET /api/cornell-notes/history

curl -X GET "https://api.inspir.uk/api/cornell-notes/history?subject=Biology&limit=50&offset=0" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"

Query Parameters

subject

string

Filter by subject area

limit

number

Number of results to return. Default: 50

offset

number

Number of results to skip (for pagination). Default: 0

Response

notes

array

Array of saved Cornell Notes

Show Note Object

string

Unique identifier

title

string

Note title

subject

string

Subject area

source_content

string

Original content used to generate the notes

cues

array

Array of cue questions/keywords

notes

array

Array of detailed note points

summary

string

Brief summary

created_at

string

ISO 8601 timestamp

updated_at

string

ISO 8601 timestamp of last update

limit

number

Limit applied

offset

number

Offset applied

Get Note by ID

Retrieve a specific Cornell Note.

This endpoint requires authentication. You can only access your own notes.

GET /api/cornell-notes/:id

curl -X GET https://api.inspir.uk/api/cornell-notes/123e4567-e89b-12d3-a456-426614174000 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"

Path Parameters

string

required

The unique identifier of the note

Response

Returns a single note object with the same structure as the history endpoint.

Error Responses

Show 404 Not Found

{
  "error": "Cornell note not found"
}

Update Note

Update a saved Cornell Note. You can modify the title, subject, cues, notes, or summary.

This endpoint requires authentication. You can only update your own notes.

PUT /api/cornell-notes/:id

curl -X PUT https://api.inspir.uk/api/cornell-notes/123e4567-e89b-12d3-a456-426614174000 \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -d '{
    "title": "Photosynthesis - Updated",
    "cues": [
      "What is photosynthesis?",
      "Key components?",
      "Products?",
      "Where does it occur?"
    ],
    "notes": [
      "Process converting light energy to chemical energy",
      "Requires: sunlight, CO2, H2O, chlorophyll",
      "Produces: glucose and oxygen",
      "Occurs in chloroplasts of plant cells"
    ],
    "summary": "Photosynthesis is the vital process where plants use sunlight to convert CO2 and water into glucose and oxygen in their chloroplasts."
  }'

Path Parameters

string

required

The unique identifier of the note

Request Parameters

title

string

Updated title

subject

string

Updated subject (can be null)

cues

array

Updated cues array

notes

array

Updated notes array

summary

string

Updated summary

Response

Returns the updated note object with a new updated_at timestamp.

Delete Note

Delete a saved Cornell Note.

This endpoint requires authentication. You can only delete your own notes.

DELETE /api/cornell-notes/:id

curl -X DELETE https://api.inspir.uk/api/cornell-notes/123e4567-e89b-12d3-a456-426614174000 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"

Path Parameters

string

required

The unique identifier of the note

Response

{
  "message": "Cornell note deleted successfully"
}

Cornell Notes Format

Cornell Notes is a systematic note-taking method developed at Cornell University. The format divides the page into three sections:

Cues Column (Left): Key questions, keywords, and main points for quick review
Notes Column (Right): Detailed notes, explanations, and examples
Summary Section (Bottom): Brief 2-3 sentence summary of the entire content

This format encourages active learning and makes review more effective.

Overview

Endpoints

Cornell Notes API

Generate Cornell Notes

Request Parameters

Response

Error Responses

Get Notes History

Query Parameters

Response

Get Note by ID

Path Parameters

Response

Error Responses

Update Note

Path Parameters

Request Parameters

Response

Delete Note

Path Parameters

Response

Cornell Notes Format

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Endpoints

​Generate Cornell Notes

​Request Parameters

​Response

​Error Responses

​Get Notes History

​Query Parameters

​Response

​Get Note by ID

​Path Parameters

​Response

​Error Responses

​Update Note

​Path Parameters

​Request Parameters

​Response

​Delete Note

​Path Parameters

​Response

​Cornell Notes Format

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Generate Cornell Notes

Request Parameters

Response

Error Responses

Get Notes History

Query Parameters

Response

Get Note by ID

Path Parameters

Response

Error Responses

Update Note

Path Parameters

Request Parameters

Response

Delete Note

Path Parameters

Response

Cornell Notes Format