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Notion API

intellectronica/notion-api

> This skill provides comprehensive instructions for interacting with the Notion API via REST calls. This skill should be used whenever the user asks to interact with Notion, including reading, creating, updating, or deleting pages, databases, blocks, comments, or any other Notion content. The skill covers authentication, all available endpoints, pagination, error handling, and best practices.

13k tokens
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the whole folder, loaded on every use
5
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instructions only
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copies elsewhere
how many repositories repackaged it
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on the repository, not the skill itself

Install

one command, takes just this skill from the repository
npx skills add https://github.com/intellectronica/agent-skills --skill notion-api

The instruction itself

41 sections, as written by the author

Notion API Skill

This skill enables interaction with Notion workspaces through the Notion REST API. Use curl and jq for direct REST calls, or write ad-hoc scripts as appropriate for the task.

Authentication

API Key Handling

  • Environment Variable: Check if NOTION_API_TOKEN is available in the environment
  • User-Provided Key: If the user provides an API key in context, use that instead
  • No Key Available: If neither is available, use AskUserQuestion (or equivalent) to request the API key from the user

IMPORTANT: Never display, log, or send NOTION_API_TOKEN anywhere except in the Authorization header. Confirm its existence, ask if missing, use it in requests—but never echo or expose it.

Request Headers

All requests require these headers:

-H "Authorization: Bearer $NOTION_API_TOKEN" \
-H "Notion-Version: 2025-09-03" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json"

Verifying Authentication

Test the API key by retrieving the bot user:

curl -s "https://api.notion.com/v1/users/me" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NOTION_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Notion-Version: 2025-09-03" | jq

Base URL and Conventions

  • Base URL: https://api.notion.com
  • API Version: 2025-09-03 (required header)
  • Data Format: JSON for all request/response bodies
  • IDs: UUIDv4 format (dashes optional in requests)
  • Timestamps: ISO 8601 format (2020-08-12T02:12:33.231Z)
  • Property Names: snake_case
  • Empty Values: Use null instead of empty strings

Rate Limits

  • Average: 3 requests per second per integration
  • Bursts: Brief bursts above this limit are allowed
  • Rate Limited Response: HTTP 429 with Retry-After header
  • Strategy: Implement exponential backoff when receiving 429 responses

Request Size Limits

| Type | Limit |

|------|-------|

| Maximum block elements per payload | 1000 |

| Maximum payload size | 500KB |

| Rich text content | 2000 characters |

| URLs | 2000 characters |

| Equations | 1000 characters |

| Email addresses | 200 characters |

| Phone numbers | 200 characters |

| Multi-select options | 100 items |

| Relations | 100 related pages |

| People mentions | 100 users |

| Block arrays per request | 100 elements |

Confirmation for Destructive Operations

IMPORTANT: Before executing any operation that modifies or deletes data, ask the user for confirmation. This includes:

  • Updating pages or blocks
  • Deleting/archiving pages or blocks
  • Modifying database schemas
  • Creating pages (if multiple or in batch)
  • Any bulk operations

For a logical group of related operations, a single confirmation is sufficient.

Core API Endpoints

Search across all accessible pages and databases:

curl -s -X POST "https://api.notion.com/v1/search" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NOTION_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Notion-Version: 2025-09-03" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "query": "search term",
    "filter": {"property": "object", "value": "page"},
    "sort": {"direction": "descending", "timestamp": "last_edited_time"},
    "page_size": 100
  }' | jq

Filter values: "page" or "data_source" (or omit for both)

Pages

Retrieve a Page
curl -s "https://api.notion.com/v1/pages/{page_id}" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NOTION_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Notion-Version: 2025-09-03" | jq

Note: This returns page properties, not content. For content, use "Retrieve block children" with the page ID.

Create a Page
curl -s -X POST "https://api.notion.com/v1/pages" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NOTION_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Notion-Version: 2025-09-03" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "parent": {"page_id": "parent-page-id"},
    "properties": {
      "title": {
        "title": [{"text": {"content": "Page Title"}}]
      }
    },
    "children": [
      {
        "object": "block",
        "type": "paragraph",
        "paragraph": {
          "rich_text": [{"type": "text", "text": {"content": "Paragraph content"}}]
        }
      }
    ]
  }' | jq

Parent options:

  • {"page_id": "..."} - Create under a page
  • {"database_id": "..."} - Create in a database (legacy)
  • {"data_source_id": "..."} - Create in a data source (API v2025-09-03+)
Update a Page
curl -s -X PATCH "https://api.notion.com/v1/pages/{page_id}" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NOTION_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Notion-Version: 2025-09-03" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "properties": {
      "title": {"title": [{"text": {"content": "Updated Title"}}]}
    },
    "icon": {"type": "emoji", "emoji": "📝"},
    "archived": false
  }' | jq

Additional update options: cover, is_locked, in_trash

Archive (Delete) a Page
curl -s -X PATCH "https://api.notion.com/v1/pages/{page_id}" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NOTION_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Notion-Version: 2025-09-03" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"archived": true}' | jq
Retrieve a Page Property Item

For properties with more than 25 references:

curl -s "https://api.notion.com/v1/pages/{page_id}/properties/{property_id}" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NOTION_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Notion-Version: 2025-09-03" | jq

Blocks (Page Content)

Retrieve Block Children
curl -s "https://api.notion.com/v1/blocks/{block_id}/children?page_size=100" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NOTION_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Notion-Version: 2025-09-03" | jq

Use the page ID as block_id to get page content. Check has_children on each block for nested content.

Append Block Children
curl -s -X PATCH "https://api.notion.com/v1/blocks/{block_id}/children" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NOTION_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Notion-Version: 2025-09-03" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "children": [
      {
        "object": "block",
        "type": "heading_2",
        "heading_2": {
          "rich_text": [{"type": "text", "text": {"content": "New Section"}}]
        }
      },
      {
        "object": "block",
        "type": "paragraph",
        "paragraph": {
          "rich_text": [{"type": "text", "text": {"content": "Content here"}}]
        }
      }
    ]
  }' | jq

Maximum 100 blocks per request, up to 2 levels of nesting.

Position options in request body:

  • Default: appends to end
  • "position": {"type": "start"} - Insert at beginning
  • "position": {"type": "after_block", "after_block": {"id": "block-id"}} - Insert after specific block
Retrieve a Block
curl -s "https://api.notion.com/v1/blocks/{block_id}" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NOTION_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Notion-Version: 2025-09-03" | jq
Update a Block
curl -s -X PATCH "https://api.notion.com/v1/blocks/{block_id}" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NOTION_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Notion-Version: 2025-09-03" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "paragraph": {
      "rich_text": [{"type": "text", "text": {"content": "Updated content"}}]
    }
  }' | jq

The update replaces the entire value for the specified field.

Delete a Block
curl -s -X DELETE "https://api.notion.com/v1/blocks/{block_id}" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NOTION_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Notion-Version: 2025-09-03" | jq

Moves block to trash (can be restored).

Databases

Retrieve a Database
curl -s "https://api.notion.com/v1/databases/{database_id}" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NOTION_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Notion-Version: 2025-09-03" | jq

Returns database structure including data sources and properties.

Query a Database
curl -s -X POST "https://api.notion.com/v1/databases/{database_id}/query" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NOTION_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Notion-Version: 2025-09-03" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "filter": {
      "property": "Status",
      "select": {"equals": "Done"}
    },
    "sorts": [
      {"property": "Created", "direction": "descending"}
    ],
    "page_size": 100
  }' | jq

See references/filters-and-sorts.md for comprehensive filter and sort documentation.

Create a Database
curl -s -X POST "https://api.notion.com/v1/databases" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NOTION_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Notion-Version: 2025-09-03" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "parent": {"page_id": "parent-page-id"},
    "title": [{"type": "text", "text": {"content": "My Database"}}],
    "is_inline": true,
    "initial_data_source": {
      "properties": {
        "Name": {"title": {}},
        "Status": {
          "select": {
            "options": [
              {"name": "To Do", "color": "red"},
              {"name": "In Progress", "color": "yellow"},
              {"name": "Done", "color": "green"}
            ]
          }
        },
        "Due Date": {"date": {}}
      }
    }
  }' | jq
Update a Database
curl -s -X PATCH "https://api.notion.com/v1/databases/{database_id}" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NOTION_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Notion-Version: 2025-09-03" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "title": [{"text": {"content": "Updated Title"}}],
    "description": [{"text": {"content": "Database description"}}]
  }' | jq

Data Sources (API v2025-09-03+)

Data sources are individual tables within a database. As of API version 2025-09-03, databases can contain multiple data sources.

Create a Data Source
curl -s -X POST "https://api.notion.com/v1/data_sources" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NOTION_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Notion-Version: 2025-09-03" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "parent": {"type": "database_id", "database_id": "database-id"},
    "title": [{"type": "text", "text": {"content": "New Data Source"}}],
    "properties": {
      "Name": {"title": {}},
      "Description": {"rich_text": {}}
    }
  }' | jq

Users

List All Users
curl -s "https://api.notion.com/v1/users?page_size=100" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NOTION_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Notion-Version: 2025-09-03" | jq
Retrieve a User
curl -s "https://api.notion.com/v1/users/{user_id}" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NOTION_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Notion-Version: 2025-09-03" | jq
Retrieve Bot User (Self)
curl -s "https://api.notion.com/v1/users/me" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NOTION_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Notion-Version: 2025-09-03" | jq

Comments

Retrieve Comments
curl -s "https://api.notion.com/v1/comments?block_id={block_id}&page_size=100" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NOTION_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Notion-Version: 2025-09-03" | jq

Use a page ID as block_id for page-level comments.

Create a Comment

On a page:

curl -s -X POST "https://api.notion.com/v1/comments" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NOTION_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Notion-Version: 2025-09-03" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "parent": {"page_id": "page-id"},
    "rich_text": [{"type": "text", "text": {"content": "Comment content"}}]
  }' | jq

Reply to a discussion:

curl -s -X POST "https://api.notion.com/v1/comments" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NOTION_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Notion-Version: 2025-09-03" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "discussion_id": "discussion-id",
    "rich_text": [{"type": "text", "text": {"content": "Reply content"}}]
  }' | jq

Note: The API cannot start new inline discussion threads or edit/delete existing comments.

Pagination

Paginated endpoints return:

  • has_more: Boolean indicating more results exist
  • next_cursor: Cursor for the next page
  • results: Array of items

To iterate through all results:

  • Make the initial request (omit start_cursor)
  • Check has_more in the response
  • If true, extract next_cursor and include it as start_cursor in the next request
  • Repeat until has_more is false

Example request with cursor:

{
  "page_size": 100,
  "start_cursor": "v1%7C..."
}

Error Handling

| HTTP Status | Code | Description |

|-------------|------|-------------|

| 400 | invalid_json | Request body is not valid JSON |

| 400 | invalid_request_url | URL is malformed |

| 400 | invalid_request | Request is not supported |

| 400 | validation_error | Request body doesn't match expected schema |

| 400 | missing_version | Missing Notion-Version header |

| 401 | unauthorized | Invalid bearer token |

| 403 | restricted_resource | Token lacks permission |

| 404 | object_not_found | Resource doesn't exist or not shared with integration |

| 409 | conflict_error | Data collision during transaction |

| 429 | rate_limited | Rate limit exceeded (check Retry-After header) |

| 500 | internal_server_error | Unexpected server error |

| 503 | service_unavailable | Notion unavailable or 60s timeout exceeded |

| 503 | database_connection_unavailable | Database unresponsive |

| 504 | gateway_timeout | Request timeout |

Best Practices

  • Store IDs: When creating pages/databases, store the returned IDs for future updates
  • Use Property IDs: Reference properties by ID rather than name for stability
  • Batch Operations: Aggregate multiple small operations into fewer requests
  • Respect Rate Limits: Implement exponential backoff for 429 responses
  • Check has_more: Always handle pagination for list endpoints
  • Validate Before Updates: Retrieve current state before making updates
  • Use Environment Variables: Never hardcode API keys
  • Handle Errors Gracefully: Check response status codes and error messages
  • Schema Size: Keep database schemas under 50KB for optimal performance

10. Properties Limit: Properties with >25 page references require separate retrieval

References

For detailed documentation on specific topics, see:

  • references/block-types.md - All supported block types and their structures
  • references/property-types.md - Database property types and value formats
  • references/filters-and-sorts.md - Database query filter and sort syntax
  • references/rich-text.md - Rich text object structure and annotations

Repackaged in 1 other repositories

same content, different owner
aiskillstore/marketplace open on GitHub →
intellectronica/agent-skills open on GitHub →

How to use it

Copy the folder

Take intellectronica/notion-api from the repository into ~/.claude/skills for personal use, or into .claude/skills inside a project.

Check the name does not clash

The agent identifies a skill by the name field in its header. Two skills with the same name cannot sit side by side — one of them will be ignored.