mapsnatch 0.1.0

Bulk-export all your MindMeister maps without a Business plan

MapSnatch

MindMeister lets you export maps one at a time unless you pay for a Business plan. This tool gives you bulk export using their own public API — available on all plan types including free.

Hosted version (no CLI): mapsnatch.com — pay once, export in the browser.

Contributing	Security
Support	Docs
Code of Conduct	Report a bug

If this CLI saves you time, tips are welcome (not required):

Install

PyPI: not published yet — there is no pip install mapsnatch on PyPI. First release needs PYPI_SETUP.md (trusted publisher + v0.1.0 tag).

From GitHub (works today):

git clone https://github.com/gavinc/mapsnatch
cd mapsnatch
pip install -e .
echo "MINDMEISTER_API_TOKEN=your_personal_access_token_here" > .env
mapsnatch

Create a personal access token at mindmeister.com/api

Supported formats

Flag	Format	Notes
mm	FreeMind	Recommended — best portability, opens in FreeMind and Freeplane
pdf	PDF	Good for sharing and archiving
mind	MindMeister native	For re-import back into MindMeister
xmind	XMind	For use in the XMind app
rtf	Rich Text Format	Text-based outline

Not supported: png and docx return empty responses from the API — these appear to require a Business plan subscription.

Usage

mapsnatch [OPTIONS]

Options:
  --format, -f    Export format: mm, pdf, mind, xmind, rtf  (default: mm)
  --output, -o    Output directory                           (default: ./exports)
  --token, -t     Personal access token (or MINDMEISTER_API_TOKEN in env / .env)
  --dry-run       List maps without downloading
  --list-formats  Show supported formats and exit

Examples

# Export all maps as FreeMind format (default)
mapsnatch

# Export as PDF into a custom directory
mapsnatch --format pdf --output ~/mindmaps

# List what maps would be exported without downloading
mapsnatch --dry-run

# Pass personal access token on the command line
mapsnatch --token YOUR_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN

How it works

MindMeister provides a public REST API (v1 + v2) that allows any authenticated user to list and export their maps. This tool:

1. Fetches your full map list from GET /services/rest/oauth2?method=mm.maps.getList
2. Downloads each map via GET /api/v2/maps/{id}.{format}
3. Extracts the file from its zip container (for mm, mind, xmind formats)
4. Saves it with a sanitised filename into your output directory

Auth uses your personal access token as a Bearer credential — no OAuth dance required.

Opening exported files

• FreeMind (.mm) — Open with FreeMind or Freeplane (recommended — free, cross-platform)
• XMind (.xmind) — Open with XMind
• PDF — Any PDF viewer
• RTF — Any word processor

Setup

Get your personal access token

1. Log in to MindMeister
2. Open mindmeister.com/api and create a personal access token
3. Copy the token (not the same as MindMeister's separate "API keys" product)

Configure

Either:

# Option A: .env file (recommended)
echo "MINDMEISTER_API_TOKEN=your_token_here" > .env

# Option B: environment variable
export MINDMEISTER_API_TOKEN=your_token_here

# Option C: command line flag
mapsnatch --token your_token_here

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md. Pull requests welcome — run python -m pytest -v before opening a PR.

License

AGPL-3.0-or-later