# Notion MCP Server

> [!NOTE]
>
> For the best experience, use **[Remote Notion MCP](https://developers.notion.com/docs/mcp)**,
> our official hosted MCP server. **This repository is a separate, self-hosted MCP
> server implementation that is no longer actively maintained or supported. Please
> use Remote Notion MCP instead.** It is purpose-built to give AI agents
> **faster results using far fewer tokens**.
>
> Remote Notion MCP can search your workspace and connected apps semantically, read and
> edit pages in Markdown, and return only the most relevant context. That means less
> time waiting, less context-window usage, and lower token costs. It also uses OAuth
> and automatically respects each user's existing Notion permissions—without API
> tokens, JSON configuration, manual page sharing, or a local server to maintain.
>
> | Feature | Remote Notion MCP | This project (local) |
> | --- | :---: | :---: |
> | **Fast, hosted experience** | ✅ | Runs and updates locally |
> | **Token-efficient responses** | ✅ | Limited |
> | Powerful tools tailored for AI agents | ✅ | Basic API-derived tools |
> | Semantic search across your Notion workspace | ✅ | Keyword search only |
> | AI Connector search across connected apps | ✅ | Not available |
> | Markdown-native page reading and editing | ✅ | Limited to two page-content tools |
> | Seamless OAuth setup | ✅ | Manual token and JSON configuration |
> | Respects each user's existing Notion permissions | ✅ | Manual integration permissions and page sharing |
> | Active support and ongoing improvements | ✅ | Not actively supported |
>
> Learn more and get started in the [Remote Notion MCP documentation](https://developers.notion.com/docs/mcp).
>
> We are prioritizing, and only providing active support for, **Remote Notion MCP**. As a result:
>
> - We may sunset this local MCP server repository in the future.
> - Issues and pull requests here are not actively monitored.
> - Please do not file issues relating to the remote MCP here; instead, contact Notion support.

![notion-mcp-sm](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/6c07003c-8455-4636-b298-d60ffdf46cd8)

This project implements an [MCP server](https://spec.modelcontextprotocol.io/) for the [Notion API](https://developers.notion.com/reference/intro).

![mcp-demo](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/e3ff90a7-7801-48a9-b807-f7dd47f0d3d6)

---

## ⚠️ Version 2.0.0 breaking changes

**Version 2.0.0 migrates to the Notion API 2025-09-03** which introduces data sources as the primary abstraction for databases.

### What changed

**Removed tools (3):**

- `post-database-query` - replaced by `query-data-source`
- `update-a-database` - replaced by `update-a-data-source`
- `create-a-database` - replaced by `create-a-data-source`

**New tools (7):**

- `query-data-source` - Query a data source (database) with filters and sorts
- `retrieve-a-data-source` - Get metadata and schema for a data source
- `update-a-data-source` - Update data source properties
- `create-a-data-source` - Create a new data source
- `list-data-source-templates` - List available templates in a data source
- `move-page` - Move a page to a different parent location
- `retrieve-a-database` - Get database metadata including its data source IDs

**Parameter changes:**

- All database operations now use `data_source_id` instead of `database_id`
- Search filter values changed from `["page", "database"]` to `["page", "data_source"]`
- Page creation now supports both `page_id` and `database_id` parents (for data sources)

### Do I need to migrate?

**No code changes required.** MCP tools are discovered automatically when the server starts. When you upgrade to v2.0.0, AI clients will automatically see the new tool names and parameters. The old database tools are no longer available.

If you have hardcoded tool names or prompts that reference the old database tools, update them to use the new data source tools:

| Old Tool (v1.x) | New Tool (v2.0) | Parameter Change |
| -------------- | --------------- | ---------------- |
| `post-database-query` | `query-data-source` | `database_id` → `data_source_id` |
| `update-a-database` | `update-a-data-source` | `database_id` → `data_source_id` |
| `create-a-database` | `create-a-data-source` | No change (uses `parent.page_id`) |

> **Note:** `retrieve-a-database` is still available and returns database metadata including the list of data source IDs. Use `retrieve-a-data-source` to get the schema and properties of a specific data source.

**Total tools now: 22** (was 19 in v1.x)

---

## Page content as Markdown

The server exposes two tools for working with page content as enhanced Markdown instead of block JSON, which is significantly more token-efficient for AI agents:

- `retrieve-page-markdown` — Read a page's full content as Markdown (`GET /v1/pages/{page_id}/markdown`). Pass `include_transcript: true` to inline meeting-note transcripts.
- `update-page-markdown` — Edit a page's content with Markdown (`PATCH /v1/pages/{page_id}/markdown`). Prefer `replace_content` to overwrite the whole page, or `update_content` for targeted find-and-replace edits.

These endpoints require Notion API version `2026-03-11`. The server now sources the `Notion-Version` header **per operation** from the OpenAPI spec, so these tools use `2026-03-11` while the rest of the API continues to use `2025-09-03` — no configuration needed. If you set `Notion-Version` yourself via `OPENAPI_MCP_HEADERS`, your value takes precedence for every tool.

---

### Installation

#### 1. Setting up integration in Notion

Go to [https://www.notion.so/profile/integrations](https://www.notion.so/profile/integrations) and create a new **internal** integration or select an existing one.

![Creating a Notion Integration token](docs/images/integrations-creation.png)

While we limit the scope of Notion API's exposed (for example, you will not be able to delete databases via MCP), there is a non-zero risk to workspace data by exposing it to LLMs. Security-conscious users may want to further configure the Integration's _Capabilities_.

For example, you can create a read-only integration token by giving only "Read content" access from the "Configuration" tab:

![Notion Integration Token Capabilities showing Read content checked](docs/images/integrations-capabilities.png)

#### 2. Connecting content to integration

Ensure relevant pages and databases are connected to your integration.

To do this, visit the **Access** tab in your internal integration settings. Edit access and select the pages you'd like to use.

![Integration Access tab](docs/images/integration-access.png)

![Edit integration access](docs/images/page-access-edit.png)

Alternatively, you can grant page access individually. You'll need to visit the target page, and click on the 3 dots, and select "Connect to integration".

![Adding Integration Token to Notion Connections](docs/images/connections.png)

#### 3. Adding MCP config to your client

##### Using npm

###### Cursor & Claude

Add the following to your `.cursor/mcp.json` or `claude_desktop_config.json` (MacOS: `~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`)

###### Option 1: Using NOTION_TOKEN (recommended)

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "notionApi": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@notionhq/notion-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "NOTION_TOKEN": "ntn_****"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

###### Option 2: Using OPENAPI_MCP_HEADERS (for advanced use cases)

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "notionApi": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@notionhq/notion-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "OPENAPI_MCP_HEADERS": "{\"Authorization\": \"Bearer ntn_****\", \"Notion-Version\": \"2025-09-03\" }"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

###### Zed

Add the following to your `settings.json`

```json
{
  "context_servers": {
    "some-context-server": {
      "command": {
        "path": "npx",
        "args": ["-y", "@notionhq/notion-mcp-server"],
        "env": {
          "OPENAPI_MCP_HEADERS": "{\"Authorization\": \"Bearer ntn_****\", \"Notion-Version\": \"2025-09-03\" }"
        }
      },
      "settings": {}
    }
  }
}
```

###### GitHub Copilot CLI

Use the Copilot CLI to interactively add the MCP server:

```bash
/mcp add
```

Alternatively, create or edit the configuration file `~/.copilot/mcp-config.json` and add:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "notionApi": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@notionhq/notion-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "NOTION_TOKEN": "ntn_****"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

For more information, see the [Copilot CLI documentation](https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/concepts/agents/about-copilot-cli).

##### Using Docker

There are two options for running the MCP server with Docker:

###### Option 1: Using the official Docker Hub image

Add the following to your `.cursor/mcp.json` or `claude_desktop_config.json`

Using NOTION_TOKEN (recommended):

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "notionApi": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--rm",
        "-i",
        "-e", "NOTION_TOKEN",
        "mcp/notion"
      ],
      "env": {
        "NOTION_TOKEN": "ntn_****"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

Using OPENAPI_MCP_HEADERS (for advanced use cases):

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "notionApi": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--rm",
        "-i",
        "-e", "OPENAPI_MCP_HEADERS",
        "mcp/notion"
      ],
      "env": {
        "OPENAPI_MCP_HEADERS": "{\"Authorization\":\"Bearer ntn_****\",\"Notion-Version\":\"2025-09-03\"}"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

This approach:

- Uses the official Docker Hub image
- Properly handles JSON escaping via environment variables
- Provides a more reliable configuration method

###### Option 2: Building the Docker image locally

You can also build and run the Docker image locally. First, build the Docker image:

```bash
docker compose build
```

Then, add the following to your `.cursor/mcp.json` or `claude_desktop_config.json`

Using NOTION_TOKEN (recommended):

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "notionApi": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--rm",
        "-i",
        "-e",
        "NOTION_TOKEN=ntn_****",
        "notion-mcp-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

Using OPENAPI_MCP_HEADERS (for advanced use cases):

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "notionApi": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--rm",
        "-i",
        "-e",
        "OPENAPI_MCP_HEADERS={\"Authorization\": \"Bearer ntn_****\", \"Notion-Version\": \"2025-09-03\"}",
        "notion-mcp-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

Don't forget to replace `ntn_****` with your integration secret. Find it from your integration configuration tab:

![Copying your Integration token from the Configuration tab in the developer portal](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/67b44536-5333-49fa-809c-59581bf5370a)

### Transport options

The Notion MCP Server supports two transport modes:

#### STDIO transport (default)

The default transport mode uses standard input/output for communication. This is the standard MCP transport used by most clients like Claude Desktop.

```bash
# Run with default stdio transport
npx @notionhq/notion-mcp-server

# Or explicitly specify stdio
npx @notionhq/notion-mcp-server --transport stdio
```

#### Streamable HTTP transport

For web-based applications or clients that prefer HTTP communication, you can use the Streamable HTTP transport:

```bash
# Run with Streamable HTTP transport on port 3000 (default)
npx @notionhq/notion-mcp-server --transport http

# Run on a custom port
npx @notionhq/notion-mcp-server --transport http --port 8080

# Bind to a different host. The default is 127.0.0.1.
npx @notionhq/notion-mcp-server --transport http --host 0.0.0.0

# Run with a custom authentication token
npx @notionhq/notion-mcp-server --transport http --auth-token "your-secret-token"
```

When using Streamable HTTP transport, the server will be available at `http://127.0.0.1:<port>/mcp` by default.

##### Authentication

The Streamable HTTP transport requires bearer token authentication for security. You have three options:

###### Option 1: Auto-generated token (only for development)

```bash
npx @notionhq/notion-mcp-server --transport http
```

The server will generate a secure random token and write it to a file with restricted permissions:

```text
Generated auth token written to: /tmp/.notion-mcp-auth-token-12345
```

###### Option 2: Custom token via command line (recommended for production)

```bash
npx @notionhq/notion-mcp-server --transport http --auth-token "your-secret-token"
```

###### Option 3: Custom token via environment variable (recommended for production)

```bash
AUTH_TOKEN="your-secret-token" npx @notionhq/notion-mcp-server --transport http
```

The command line argument `--auth-token` takes precedence over the `AUTH_TOKEN` environment variable if both are provided.

###### Unsafe option: disable HTTP authentication

You can disable bearer token authentication only with the explicit unsafe flag:

```bash
npx @notionhq/notion-mcp-server --transport http --unsafe-disable-auth
```

WARNING: `--unsafe-disable-auth` is unsafe. The server may be reachable to pages you visit via DNS rebinding. Only use it on an isolated network.

When authentication is disabled, the server enables DNS rebinding protection by checking the `Host` and `Origin` headers against the configured local host and loopback hosts. The previous `--disable-auth` flag is still accepted as a deprecated alias, but it will print a warning.

##### Making HTTP requests

All requests to the Streamable HTTP transport must include the bearer token in the Authorization header:

```bash
# Example request
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer your-token-here" \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -H "mcp-session-id: your-session-id" \
     -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "initialize", "params": {}, "id": 1}' \
     http://localhost:3000/mcp
```

**Note:** Make sure to set either the `NOTION_TOKEN` environment variable (recommended) or the `OPENAPI_MCP_HEADERS` environment variable with your Notion integration token when using either transport mode.

##### Serving multiple integrations (per-request token passthrough)

By default the server authenticates to Notion with a single token baked in at
startup, which locks one deployment to one Notion integration. To let a single
deployment serve **multiple** integrations, enable token passthrough so each
client supplies its own Notion integration token per connection:

```bash
# Enable per-request Notion tokens (flag or ENABLE_TOKEN_PASSTHROUGH=true)
npx @notionhq/notion-mcp-server --transport http --enable-token-passthrough
```

Clients then send their Notion token on the **initialize** request using the
dedicated `Notion-Token` header:

```bash
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer <server-auth-token>" \
     -H "Notion-Token: ntn_****" \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "initialize", "params": {}, "id": 1}' \
     http://localhost:3000/mcp
```

How the token is resolved for each connection, in order:

1. The `Notion-Token` header (preferred — unambiguous, and works alongside the
   server's own `Authorization` gateway auth). If present it must be a valid
   Notion token, otherwise the request is rejected with `401`.
2. `Authorization: Bearer ntn_****` — only when the server's own bearer auth is
   turned off (`--unsafe-disable-auth`), so the header is free to carry the
   Notion token directly.
3. Otherwise the startup env token (`NOTION_TOKEN` / `OPENAPI_MCP_HEADERS`), if
   set, so passthrough and a default integration can coexist on one deployment.

Notes:

- Only values with a Notion token prefix (`ntn_`, legacy `secret_`) are treated
  as Notion tokens, so the server's gateway secret and a tenant's Notion token
  never collide.
- Each token is bound to its MCP session; tokens are never logged (only a
  redacted prefix is emitted).
- This is a deliberate token-passthrough setup. Always deploy it over TLS, and
  prefer keeping the server's own bearer auth (`--auth-token`) enabled as a
  gateway in front of multi-tenant traffic.

### Examples

1. Using the following instruction

```text
Comment "Hello MCP" on page "Getting started"
```

   AI will correctly plan two API calls, `v1/search` and `v1/comments`, to achieve the task

1. Similarly, the following instruction will result in a new page named "Notion MCP" added to parent page "Development"

```text
Add a page titled "Notion MCP" to page "Development"
```

1. You may also reference content ID directly

```text
Get the content of page 1a6b35e6e67f802fa7e1d27686f017f2
```

### Development

#### Build & test

```bash
npm run build
npm test
```

#### Execute

```bash
npx -y --prefix /path/to/local/notion-mcp-server @notionhq/notion-mcp-server
```

Testing changes locally in Cursor:

1. Run `npm link` command from repository root to create a machine-global symlink to the `notion-mcp-server` package.
2. Merge the configuration snippet below into Cursor's `mcp.json` (or other MCP client you want to test with).
3. (Cleanup) run `npm unlink` from repository root.

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "notion-local-package": {
      "command": "notion-mcp-server",
      "env": {
        "NOTION_TOKEN": "ntn_..."
      }
    }
  }
}
```

#### Publish

```bash
npm login
npm publish --access public
```