How to Use Notion with MCP

Prerequisites

Step 1: Create a Notion Integration

First, you need to create a Notion integration to get an API key:

1. Go to notion.so/my-integrations
2. Click "New integration"
3. Name it (e.g., "Claude MCP")
4. Select your workspace
5. Set capabilities:
   • ✓ Read content
   • ✓ Update content
   • ✓ Insert content
6. Click "Submit"
7. Copy the Internal Integration Token (starts with secret_)

Step 2: Share Pages with Your Integration

Notion integrations can only access pages you explicitly share:

1. Open any Notion page you want Claude to access
2. Click "Share" in the top right
3. Click "Invite"
4. Search for your integration name (e.g., "Claude MCP")
5. Click "Invite"

Step 3: Install the Notion MCP Server

Add the Notion MCP server to your Claude Desktop configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "notion": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@notionhq/notion-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "NOTION_API_KEY": "secret_your_token_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace secret_your_token_here with your actual Notion token from Step 1.

Step 4: Restart Claude Desktop

Close and reopen Claude Desktop completely. The Notion server should now be loaded.

Step 5: Try It Out

Test your Notion integration with these example queries:

Real-World Use Cases

1. Knowledge Base Search

Ask Claude to find information across your entire Notion workspace:

"Search my company wiki for our deployment process and summarize the key steps"

2. Meeting Notes Automation

Generate and save meeting notes directly to Notion:

"Create a meeting notes page for today's standup. Include sections for Updates, Blockers, and Action Items"

3. Task Management

Manage your Notion task database:

"Add a new task to my Notion tasks database: 'Review MCP documentation' with priority High and due date next Friday"

4. Content Summarization

Get AI summaries of long Notion documents:

"Read my 'Q1 Strategy' page in Notion and give me a 3-bullet executive summary"

Troubleshooting

Server Not Appearing

• Verify your claude_desktop_config.json syntax is correct (valid JSON)
• Ensure you replaced secret_your_token_here with your actual token
• Restart Claude Desktop completely (Cmd+Q on Mac, then reopen)
• Check the Claude logs at ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp*.log

"No Pages Found"

• Verify you shared pages with your integration (Step 2)
• Check that your integration has the correct capabilities enabled
• Try sharing the top-level workspace page

Permission Errors

• Re-create your integration with all capabilities enabled
• Generate a new API token
• Update the token in your Claude config

Advanced Tips

Database Queries with Filters

You can ask Claude to query databases with complex filters:

"From my tasks database, show me all tasks assigned to me that are in 'In Progress' status and have priority 'High'"

Batch Operations

Claude can perform multiple Notion operations in sequence:

"Search for all pages tagged 'archive', read their titles, and create a summary page listing them"

Template Pages

Use Claude to create pages from templates:

"Create a new project page using my standard template structure: Overview, Goals, Timeline, and Resources sections"

Security Best Practices

• Never share your token: It grants full access to shared pages
• Use workspace-specific integrations: Create separate integrations for personal vs work
• Share selectively: Only share pages the integration needs to access
• Rotate tokens: Regenerate tokens periodically for security
• Monitor usage: Check Notion audit logs for integration activity

What's Next?

Now that you have Notion connected, explore these other powerful MCP servers: