Notion MCP Server

What is Notion MCP Server about?

Notion MCP Server implements a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that translates client requests into Notion API calls. It abstracts authentication, supports both STDIO and HTTP transports, and is packaged for easy deployment via npm or Docker.

How to use Notion MCP Server?

1. Create a Notion integration (internal) and obtain a secret token (ntn_…).
2. Grant the integration access to the pages/databases you want to manipulate.
3. Configure the MCP client (e.g., Claude Desktop, Cursor, Zed) by adding a server entry that runs the package with npx and injects the token via the NOTION_TOKEN environment variable (or OPENAPI_MCP_HEADERS for custom headers).
4. Run the server using one of the supported transports:
   • Default STDIO: npx @notionhq/notion-mcp-server
   • HTTP: npx @notionhq/notion-mcp-server --transport http --port 3000
5. Interact through the client; the server handles JSON‑RPC calls to the Notion API.

Key Features of Notion MCP Server

• One‑click OAuth installation – no manual JSON or API‑token handling required.
• Two transport modes – STDIO (default) for desktop clients and streamable HTTP for web‑based integrations.
• Built‑in security – optional auto‑generated or custom bearer tokens for HTTP transport.
• Docker support – official image on Docker Hub and easy local build.
• AI‑friendly toolset – endpoints are designed to minimise token consumption for language‑model agents.
• Simple configuration – npx command with environment variables; works with popular AI assistants and editors.

Use Cases of Notion MCP Server

• Automated note‑taking: AI agents can create, update, or comment on Notion pages based on user instructions.
• Knowledge retrieval: Retrieve page contents or search databases for context during LLM reasoning.
• Project management: Add tasks or status updates to Notion project boards via natural‑language commands.
• Custom workflows: Integrate Notion with other tools (e.g., Zapier, custom scripts) through the MCP layer.

FAQ from the Notion MCP Server

Q: Do I need to expose my Notion token to the LLM? A: The token is stored only in the server environment and never sent to the client. The LLM interacts with the server via JSON‑RPC, keeping the token private.

Q: Can I restrict the integration to read‑only? A: Yes. Set the integration capabilities to “Read content” only in the Notion developer portal.

Q: Which transport should I choose? A: Use STDIO for desktop AI assistants (Claude, Cursor). Use HTTP when building web‑based interfaces or when you need to expose the server over a network.

Q: How do I change the HTTP port or auth token? A: Pass --port <number> and --auth-token <token> flags, or set the AUTH_TOKEN environment variable.

Q: Is there a pre‑built Docker image? A: Yes. Pull mcp/notion from Docker Hub and run it with -e NOTION_TOKEN (or OPENAPI_MCP_HEADERS).

Notion MCP Server

[!NOTE]

We’ve introduced Notion MCP, a remote MCP server with the following improvements:

• Easy installation via standard OAuth. No need to fiddle with JSON or API token anymore.
• Powerful tools tailored to AI agents. These tools are designed with optimized token consumption in mind.

Learn more and try it out here

This project implements an MCP server for the Notion API.

Installation

1. Setting up Integration in Notion:

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

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:

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.

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".

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)

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

Option 2: Using OPENAPI_MCP_HEADERS (for advanced use cases)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "notionApi": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@notionhq/notion-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "OPENAPI_MCP_HEADERS": "{\"Authorization\": \"Bearer ntn_****\", \"Notion-Version\": \"2022-06-28\" }"
      }
    }
  }
}

Zed

Add the following to your settings.json

{
  "context_servers": {
    "some-context-server": {
      "command": {
        "path": "npx",
        "args": ["-y", "@notionhq/notion-mcp-server"],
        "env": {
          "OPENAPI_MCP_HEADERS": "{\"Authorization\": \"Bearer ntn_****\", \"Notion-Version\": \"2022-06-28\" }"
        }
      },
      "settings": {}
    }
  }
}

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):

{
  "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):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "notionApi": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--rm",
        "-i",
        "-e", "OPENAPI_MCP_HEADERS",
        "mcp/notion"
      ],
      "env": {
        "OPENAPI_MCP_HEADERS": "{\"Authorization\":\"Bearer ntn_****\",\"Notion-Version\":\"2022-06-28\"}"
      }
    }
  }
}

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:

docker compose build

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

Using NOTION_TOKEN (recommended):

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

Using OPENAPI_MCP_HEADERS (for advanced use cases):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "notionApi": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--rm",
        "-i",
        "-e",
        "OPENAPI_MCP_HEADERS={\"Authorization\": \"Bearer ntn_****\", \"Notion-Version\": \"2022-06-28\"}",
        "notion-mcp-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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

Installing via Smithery

To install Notion API Server for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:

npx -y @smithery/cli install @makenotion/notion-mcp-server --client claude

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.

# 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:

# 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

# 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://0.0.0.0:<port>/mcp.

Authentication

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

Option 1: Auto-generated token (recommended for development)

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

The server will generate a secure random token and display it in the console:

Generated auth token: a1b2c3d4e5f6789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789ab
Use this token in the Authorization header: Bearer a1b2c3d4e5f6789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789ab

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

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

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

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.

Making HTTP Requests

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

# 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.

Examples

1. Using the following instruction

Comment "Hello MCP" on page "Getting started"

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

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

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

3. You may also reference content ID directly

Get the content of page 1a6b35e6e67f802fa7e1d27686f017f2

Development

Build

npm run build

Execute

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

Publish

npm publish --access public