Notion MCP Server

Create Database

notion_create_database

Create a Notion database with custom properties and initial data source. Specify parent, title, and schema to organize your workspace.

Instructions

Create a Notion database and its initial data source. Use this when the user wants a new database. For Notion API 2025-09-03+, put the initial schema under initial_data_source.properties.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description
`icon`	No	Optional Notion icon object for the database.
`cover`	No	Optional Notion cover object for the database.
`title`	No	Title of the database as an array of rich text objects.
`format`	No	Specify the response format. 'json' returns the original data structure, 'markdown' returns a more readable format. Use 'markdown' when the user only needs to read the page and isn't planning to write or modify it. Use 'json' when the user needs to read the page with the intention of writing to or modifying it.
`parent`	Yes	Parent page or workspace object for the new database, for example { type: 'page_id', page_id: '...' }.
`is_inline`	No	Whether the database should be displayed inline in the parent page. Defaults to false.
`description`	No	Description of the database as an array of rich text objects.
`initial_data_source`	Yes	Initial data source configuration. Provide properties here, not as a top-level database property.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed32 schema fields changedv2.0.0May 18, 2026

addedInput schema / $schema

Added value: +"http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#"

addedInput schema / additionalProperties
```
Added value: +{}
```

addedInput schema / properties / cover

Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": {},
+  "description": "Optional Notion cover object for the database.",
+  "properties": {},
+  "type": "object"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / description

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Description of the database as an array of rich text objects.",
+  "items": {
+    "additionalProperties": {},
+    "description": "A rich text object.",
+    "properties": {
+      "annotations": {
+        "additionalProperties": {},
+        "description": "Styling information for the text. By default, give nothing for default text.",
+        "properties": {
+          "bold": {
+            "type": "boolean"
+          },
+          "code": {
+            "type": "boolean"
+          },
+          "color": {
+            "description": "Color for the text.",
+            "enum": [
+              "default",
+              "blue",
+              "blue_background",
+              "brown",
+              "brown_background",
+              "gray",
+              "gray_background",
+              "green",
+              "green_background",
+              "orange",
+              "orange_background",
+              "pink",
+              "pink_background",
+              "purple",
+              "purple_background",
+              "red",
+              "red_background",
+              "yellow",
+              "yellow_background"
+            ],
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "italic": {
+            "type": "boolean"
+          },
+          "strikethrough": {
+            "type": "boolean"
+          },
+          "underline": {
+            "type": "boolean"
+          }
+        },
+        "type": "object"
+      },
+      "equation": {
+        "additionalProperties": {},
+        "description": "Equation object if type is 'equation'. Represents an inline LaTeX equation.",
+        "properties": {
+          "expression": {
+            "description": "LaTeX string representing the inline equation.",
+            "type": "string"
+          }
+        },
+        "required": [
+          "expression"
+        ],
+        "type": "object"
+      },
+      "href": {
+        "description": "The URL of any link or mention in this text, if any. Do NOT provide a NULL value, just ignore this field if there is no link or mention.",
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "mention": {
+        "additionalProperties": {},
+        "description": "Mention object if type is 'mention'. Represents an inline mention of a database, date, link preview, page, template mention, or user.",
+        "properties": {
+          "database": {
+            "additionalProperties": {},
+            "description": "Database mention object. Contains a database reference with an 'id' field.",
+            "properties": {
+              "id": {
+                "description": "The ID of the mentioned database. It should be a 32-character string (excluding hyphens) formatted as 8-4-4-4-12 with hyphens (-).",
+                "type": "string"
+              }
+            },
+            "required": [
+              "id"
+            ],
+            "type": "object"
+          },
+          "date": {
+            "additionalProperties": {},
+            "description": "Date mention object, containing a date property value object.",
+            "properties": {
+              "end": {
+                "description": "An ISO 8601 formatted end date or date-time, or null if not a range."
+              },
+              "start": {
+                "description": "An ISO 8601 formatted start date or date-time.",
+                "type": "string"
+              },
+              "time_zone": {
+                "description": "Time zone information for start and end. If null, times are in UTC."
+              }
+            },
+            "required": [
+              "start"
+            ],
+            "type": "object"
+          },
+          "link_preview": {
+            "additionalProperties": {},
+            "description": "Link Preview mention object, containing a URL for the link preview.",
+            "properties": {
+              "url": {
+                "description": "The URL for the link preview.",
+                "type": "string"
+              }
+            },
+            "required": [
+              "url"
+            ],
+            "type": "object"
+          },
+          "page": {
+            "additionalProperties": {},
+            "description": "Page mention object, containing a page reference with an 'id' field.",
+            "properties": {
+              "id": {
+                "description": "The ID of the mentioned page. It should be a 32-character string (excluding hyphens) formatted as 8-4-4-4-12 with hyphens (-).",
+                "type": "string"
+              }
+            },
+            "required": [
+              "id"
+            ],
+            "type": "object"
+          },
+          "template_mention": {
+            "additionalProperties": {},
+            "description": "Template mention object, can be a template_mention_date or template_mention_user.",
+            "properties": {
+              "template_mention_date": {
+                "description": "For template_mention_date type, the date keyword.",
+                "enum": [
+                  "today",
+                  "now"
+                ],
+                "type": "string"
+              },
+              "template_mention_user": {
+                "description": "For template_mention_user type, the user keyword.",
+                "enum": [
+                  "me"
+                ],
+                "type": "string"
+              },
+              "type": {
+                "description": "The template mention type.",
+                "enum": [
+                  "template_mention_date",
+                  "template_mention_user"
+                ],
+                "type": "string"
+              }
+            },
+            "type": "object"
+          },
+          "type": {
+            "description": "The type of the mention.",
+            "enum": [
+              "database",
+              "date",
+              "link_preview",
+              "page",
+              "template_mention",
+              "user"
+            ],
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "user": {
+            "additionalProperties": {},
+            "description": "User mention object, contains a user reference.",
+            "properties": {
+              "id": {
+                "description": "The ID of the user. It should be a 32-character string (excluding hyphens) formatted as 8-4-4-4-12 with hyphens (-).",
+                "type": "string"
+              },
+              "object": {
+                "description": "Should be 'user'.",
+                "enum": [
+                  "user"
+                ],
+                "type": "string"
+              }
+            },
+            "required": [
+              "object",
+              "id"
+            ],
+            "type": "object"
+          }
+        },
+        "required": [
+          "type"
+        ],
+        "type": "object"
+      },
+      "plain_text": {
+        "description": "The plain text without annotations.",
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "text": {
+        "additionalProperties": {},
+        "description": "Object containing text content and optional link info. Required if type is 'text'.",
+        "properties": {
+          "content": {
+            "description": "The actual text content.",
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "link": {
+            "additionalProperties": {},
+            "description": "Optional link object with a 'url' field. Do NOT provide a NULL value, just ignore this field no link.",
+            "properties": {
+              "url": {
+                "description": "The URL the text links to.",
+                "type": "string"
+              }
+            },
+            "type": "object"
+          }
+        },
+        "type": "object"
+      },
+      "type": {
+        "description": "The type of this rich text object. Possible values: text, mention, equation.",
+        "enum": [
+          "text",
+          "mention",
+          "equation"
+        ],
+        "type": "string"
+      }
+    },
+    "required": [
+      "type"
+    ],
+    "type": "object"
+  },
+  "type": "array"
+}

removedInput schema / properties / format / default
```
Removed value: -"markdown"
```

addedInput schema / properties / icon

Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": {},
+  "description": "Optional Notion icon object for the database.",
+  "properties": {},
+  "type": "object"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / initial_data_source

Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": {},
+  "description": "Initial data source configuration. Provide properties here, not as a top-level database property.",
+  "properties": {
+    "properties": {
+      "additionalProperties": {},
+      "description": "Property schema for the database's first data source. The keys are property names and the values are property schema objects.",
+      "properties": {},
+      "type": "object"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "properties"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / is_inline

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Whether the database should be displayed inline in the parent page. Defaults to false.",
+  "type": "boolean"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / parent / additionalProperties
```
Added value: +{}
```

changedInput schema / properties / parent / description

Previous value: -"Parent object of the database"New value: +"Parent page or workspace object for the new database, for example { type: 'page_id', page_id: '...' }."

addedInput schema / properties / parent / properties
```
Added value: +{}
```

removedInput schema / properties / properties

Removed value: -{
-  "description": "Property schema of database. The keys are the names of properties as they appear in Notion and the values are property schema objects.",
-  "type": "object"
-}

changedInput schema / properties / title / description

Previous value: -"Title of database as it appears in Notion. An array of rich text objects."New value: +"Title of the database as an array of rich text objects."

addedInput schema / properties / title / items / additionalProperties
```
Added value: +{}
```
addedInput schema / properties / title / items / properties / annotations / additionalProperties
```
Added value: +{}
```
addedInput schema / properties / title / items / properties / equation / additionalProperties
```
Added value: +{}
```
addedInput schema / properties / title / items / properties / mention / additionalProperties
```
Added value: +{}
```

removedInput schema / properties / title / items / properties / mention / oneOf

Removed value: -[
-  {
-    "required": [
-      "database"
-    ]
-  },
-  {
-    "required": [
-      "date"
-    ]
-  },
-  {
-    "required": [
-      "link_preview"
-    ]
-  },
-  {
-    "required": [
-      "page"
-    ]
-  },
-  {
-    "required": [
-      "template_mention"
-    ]
-  },
-  {
-    "required": [
-      "user"
-    ]
-  }
-]

addedInput schema / properties / title / items / properties / mention / properties / database / additionalProperties
```
Added value: +{}
```

changedInput schema / properties / title / items / properties / mention / properties / database / properties / id / description

Previous value: -"The ID of the mentioned database.It should be a 32-character string (excluding hyphens) formatted as 8-4-4-4-12 with hyphens (-)."New value: +"The ID of the mentioned database. It should be a 32-character string (excluding hyphens) formatted as 8-4-4-4-12 with hyphens (-)."

addedInput schema / properties / title / items / properties / mention / properties / date / additionalProperties
```
Added value: +{}
```
removedInput schema / properties / title / items / properties / mention / properties / date / properties / end / type
```
Removed value: -[
-  "string",
-  "null"
-]
```
removedInput schema / properties / title / items / properties / mention / properties / date / properties / time_zone / type
```
Removed value: -[
-  "string",
-  "null"
-]
```
addedInput schema / properties / title / items / properties / mention / properties / link_preview / additionalProperties
```
Added value: +{}
```
addedInput schema / properties / title / items / properties / mention / properties / page / additionalProperties
```
Added value: +{}
```

changedInput schema / properties / title / items / properties / mention / properties / page / properties / id / description

Previous value: -"The ID of the mentioned page.It should be a 32-character string (excluding hyphens) formatted as 8-4-4-4-12 with hyphens (-)."New value: +"The ID of the mentioned page. It should be a 32-character string (excluding hyphens) formatted as 8-4-4-4-12 with hyphens (-)."

addedInput schema / properties / title / items / properties / mention / properties / template_mention / additionalProperties
```
Added value: +{}
```
addedInput schema / properties / title / items / properties / mention / properties / user / additionalProperties
```
Added value: +{}
```

changedInput schema / properties / title / items / properties / mention / properties / user / properties / id / description

Previous value: -"The ID of the user.It should be a 32-character string (excluding hyphens) formatted as 8-4-4-4-12 with hyphens (-)."New value: +"The ID of the user. It should be a 32-character string (excluding hyphens) formatted as 8-4-4-4-12 with hyphens (-)."

addedInput schema / properties / title / items / properties / text / additionalProperties
```
Added value: +{}
```
addedInput schema / properties / title / items / properties / text / properties / link / additionalProperties
```
Added value: +{}
```

changedInput schema / required

Previous value: -[
-  "parent",
-  "properties"
-]New value: +[
+  "parent",
+  "initial_data_source"
+]

AddedSep 17, 2025

TDQS

A4.1/5.0

Behavior3/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations indicate this is a mutation tool (readOnlyHint=false, destructiveHint=false). The description adds that it creates an initial data source but does not disclose permissions, rate limits, or side effects. No contradiction with annotations.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness5/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

The description is just two sentences, front-loaded with the purpose. Every sentence serves a clear function with no fluff.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness3/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

With no output schema, the description does not explain return values, which is a gap for a creation tool. However, it adequately covers parameter usage and the schema is rich, making the tool usable.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters4/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema coverage is 100%, so the description does not need to add much. However, it adds value by noting the API version change and specifying that the schema should be placed under initial_data_source.properties, which is helpful beyond the schema.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description clearly states the tool creates a Notion database and its initial data source, using a specific verb and resource. It effectively distinguishes from sibling tools like notion_create_data_source.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines4/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

The description explicitly says 'Use this when the user wants a new database,' providing clear context. It also includes an API version note. However, it does not explicitly mention when not to use or provide alternatives.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

Create Database

Instructions

Input Schema

Schema Changelog

TDQS

Other Tools