Claude + Notion Integration: Knowledge Management Guide

The Notion MCP server is the most popular Claude integration. It transforms how teams use their Notion workspace by making all that institutional knowledge accessible to Claude instantly.

Here's the complete setup guide and workflow examples for teams serious about knowledge management.

## Why Integrate Claude with Notion

Most teams have valuable context trapped in Notion:
- Product documentation and decisions
- Client background and history
- Process runbooks and SOPs
- Meeting notes and discussions
- Research and analysis

Without integration:
- You manually search Notion when working with Claude
- Context gets copied and pasted
- Knowledge stays siloed
- Claude can't reference institutional memory

With integration:
- Claude reads your Notion workspace directly
- Answers reference your actual documentation
- Can create and update pages programmatically
- Institutional knowledge becomes queryable

## Setup: Notion MCP Server

### Prerequisites

- Claude Code installed
- Node.js 16+ on your system
- Notion workspace with admin access
- Basic command line familiarity

### Step 1: Create Notion Integration

1. Go to https://www.notion.so/my-integrations
2. Click "+ New integration"
3. Name it "Claude MCP"
4. Select your workspace
5. Set capabilities:
- Read content: Yes
- Update content: Yes
- Insert content: Yes
6. Submit and copy the "Internal Integration Token"

This token lets Claude access your Notion workspace.

### Step 2: Share Pages with Integration

The integration can only access pages you explicitly share:

1. Open a Notion page or database
2. Click "..." menu → "Add connections"
3. Select "Claude MCP" integration
4. Repeat for all pages Claude should access

**Tip:** Share your workspace root to give Claude access to everything.

### Step 3: Install MCP Server

Open terminal and run:

```bash
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/mcp-notion
```

This installs the Notion MCP server globally.

### Step 4: Configure Claude Code

Add to your Claude Code MCP configuration file:

**macOS/Linux:** `~/.config/claude/mcp.json`
**Windows:** `%APPDATA%\Claude\mcp.json`

```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"notion": {
"command": "mcp-notion",
"env": {
"NOTION_API_KEY": "your_integration_token_here"
}
}
}
}
```

Replace `your_integration_token_here` with the token from Step 1.

### Step 5: Restart Claude Code

Quit and restart Claude Code completely.

To verify it's working, ask Claude: "What databases do you have access to in Notion?"

Claude should list your Notion databases.

## Core Capabilities

Once configured, Claude can:

### 1. Search Your Workspace

"Search our Notion for customer feedback about the mobile app from the last quarter."

Claude:
- Searches across all shared pages
- Filters by date and keywords
- Returns relevant pages and excerpts

### 2. Query Databases

"Show me all high-priority bugs assigned to the backend team."

Claude:
- Queries your issue database
- Filters by properties (priority, assignee)
- Returns structured results

### 3. Read Page Content

"What does our onboarding runbook say about access provisioning?"

Claude:
- Finds the runbook page
- Reads specific sections
- Quotes relevant content

### 4. Create Pages

"Create a project brief page for the Q2 marketing campaign in our Projects database."

Claude:
- Creates new page in specified database
- Sets properties (status, owner, dates)
- Adds structured content

### 5. Update Existing Pages

"Update the mobile app project status to 'In Review' and add a note that testing is complete."

Claude:
- Finds the project page
- Updates status property
- Appends note to page content

## Practical Workflows

### Workflow 1: Client Research

**Use case:** Before client calls, quickly get context

**Prompt:** "I have a call with Acme Corp in 10 minutes. Pull everything from our Notion about them - account history, ongoing projects, recent discussions."

Claude:
- Searches for "Acme Corp" across workspace
- Finds account page, project pages, meeting notes
- Summarizes:
- Account background and size
- Active projects and status
- Recent challenges or requests
- Key contacts and relationships

**Before integration:** 10 minutes searching Notion manually

**With integration:** 30 seconds, comprehensive brief

### Workflow 2: Documentation Creation

**Use case:** Build runbooks and documentation from existing knowledge

**Prompt:** "Create a troubleshooting guide for our API integration issues. Use the support tickets database and engineering notes to compile common issues and solutions."

Claude:
- Queries support tickets database for API issues
- Reads related engineering notes
- Identifies patterns and common problems
- Creates structured troubleshooting guide page
- Organizes by symptom → diagnosis → solution

**Result:** Institutional knowledge becomes searchable documentation

### Workflow 3: Project Status Reporting

**Use case:** Generate executive summaries of project portfolio

**Prompt:** "Create a status report for all active projects. Include what's on track, what's at risk, and key blockers."

Claude:
- Queries projects database
- Filters for active status
- Reads recent updates and comments
- Generates summary report with:
- Green (on track) projects: X%
- Yellow (at risk): with reasons
- Red (blocked): with blockers identified
- Key upcoming milestones

**Before integration:** 2 hours manually reviewing projects

**With integration:** 2 minutes, accurate report

### Workflow 4: Meeting Preparation

**Use case:** Prep for recurring meetings with relevant context

**Prompt:** "We have our weekly product sync in an hour. Pull action items from last week's notes, check status of ongoing features, and draft an agenda."

Claude:
- Finds previous meeting notes
- Extracts action items
- Checks project database for feature status
- Creates new meeting page with:
- Previous action items and status
- Feature updates since last meeting
- Suggested agenda topics

### Workflow 5: Onboarding Automation

**Use case:** Help new team members find information

**Prompt:** "I'm new to the team. Where can I find information about our product architecture, development workflow, and team processes?"

Claude:
- Searches workspace for relevant pages
- Returns organized list:
- Architecture docs with descriptions
- Engineering workflow pages
- Team handbook sections
- Who to ask for specific questions

**Result:** New hires self-serve instead of interrupting teammates

## Advanced Workflows

### Automated Knowledge Base Updates

**Scenario:** Keep documentation in sync with code

In Claude Code:

"I just refactored the authentication system. Update our API documentation page in Notion with the new endpoint structure and deprecation notes."

Claude:
- Analyzes code changes
- Finds API documentation page
- Updates endpoint documentation
- Adds deprecation warnings
- Creates changelog entry

### Cross-Database Analysis

**Scenario:** Connect insights across separate databases

"Analyze our customer feedback database and correlate it with our roadmap database. Which requested features are already planned, and which are missing?"

Claude:
- Queries feedback database
- Extracts feature requests
- Queries roadmap database
- Identifies gaps
- Generates report showing:
- Requested features on roadmap (with timeline)
- Requested features not planned
- Frequency of unplanned requests

### Automated Status Updates

**Scenario:** Update stakeholders without manual work

"Update all client project pages with this week's progress based on our Linear issues."

Note: Requires both Notion and Linear integrations

Claude:
- Queries Linear for completed issues
- Maps issues to client projects
- Updates each Notion project page
- Adds progress notes
- Updates status properties

## Organization Best Practices

### Structure Your Notion for Claude

**Use Consistent Database Properties:**

Claude works better when databases have predictable structure:
- Use standard property names across databases (Status, Owner, Priority)
- Keep property types consistent
- Add descriptions to databases explaining their purpose

**Create a Claude Access Page:**

Make a page listing:
- What databases exist and what they contain
- Naming conventions
- How to query common information
- Important pages and where to find things

Give Claude access to this page as a "map" of your workspace.

**Use Descriptive Page Titles:**

"Project" is vague, "Q1 2025 - Acme Corp - Platform Migration" is searchable and clear.

**Tag and Link Liberally:**

Claude can follow links and understand relationships:
- Link related pages
- Use tags for categorization
- Create bi-directional links

### Security Considerations

**Don't Share Everything:**

Only connect pages Claude actually needs:
- Share team workspaces and documentation
- Don't share sensitive HR or financial data
- Don't share personal pages

**Use Integration Connections, Not Page Sharing:**

Notion's integration system is designed for this:
- Each page must be explicitly connected
- You control exactly what Claude sees
- Can revoke access anytime

**Rotate Integration Tokens:**

Periodically generate new integration tokens:
- Every 6 months for active use
- Immediately if token might be compromised
- When team members with access leave

**Audit Access Regularly:**

Check which pages are shared with the integration:
- Remove connections to outdated pages
- Verify only appropriate content is accessible
- Review who can modify integration settings

## Troubleshooting

**Claude says it can't access Notion:**
- Verify MCP server is in configuration file
- Check integration token is correct
- Ensure pages are shared with integration
- Restart Claude Code

**Claude can't find specific pages:**
- Check page is shared with "Claude MCP" integration
- Verify page isn't archived
- Try searching with different keywords

**Updates aren't working:**
- Confirm integration has "Update content" capability
- Check you have edit access to the page
- Verify page isn't locked

**Performance is slow:**
- Large workspaces take longer to search
- Be specific in queries to narrow scope
- Consider organizing with clear database structure

## Quick Takeaway

The Notion MCP server turns your Notion workspace into Claude's long-term memory. Setup takes 15 minutes: create integration, install MCP server, configure Claude Code.

Key workflows: client research, documentation generation, project status reporting, meeting preparation, and onboarding automation.

Best practice: organize Notion with Claude in mind - consistent structure, clear naming, appropriate access controls.

For teams with significant knowledge in Notion, this integration is transformative - institutional memory becomes instantly queryable and actionable.