Notion SDK Skill

Control Notion programmatically using the official notion-client Python SDK. See PyPI for current version.

Self-Evolving Skill: This skill improves through use. If instructions are wrong, parameters drifted, or a workaround was needed — fix this file immediately, don't defer. Only update for real, reproducible issues.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• Creating pages or databases in Notion via API
• Querying Notion databases programmatically
• Adding blocks (text, code, headings) to Notion pages
• Automating Notion workflows with Python
• Integrating external data sources with Notion

Preflight: Token Collection

Before any Notion API operation, collect the integration token:

AskUserQuestion(questions=[{
    "question": "Please provide your Notion Integration Token (starts with ntn_ or secret_)",
    "header": "Notion Token",
    "options": [
        {"label": "I have a token ready", "description": "Token from notion.so/my-integrations"},
        {"label": "Need to create one", "description": "Go to notion.so/my-integrations → New integration"}
    ],
    "multiSelect": false
}])

After user provides token:

1. Validate format (must start with ntn_ or secret_)
2. Test with validate_token() from scripts/notion_wrapper.py
3. Remind user: Each page/database must be shared with the integration

Quick Start

1. Create a Page in Database

from notion_client import Client
from scripts.create_page import (
    create_database_page,
    title_property,
    status_property,
    date_property,
)

client = Client(auth="ntn_...")
page = create_database_page(
    client,
    data_source_id="abc123...",  # Database ID
    properties={
        "Name": title_property("My New Task"),
        "Status": status_property("In Progress"),
        "Due Date": date_property("2025-12-31"),
    }
)
print(f"Created: {page['url']}")

2. Add Content Blocks

from scripts.add_blocks import (
    append_blocks,
    heading,
    paragraph,
    bullet,
    code_block,
    callout,
)

blocks = [
    heading("Overview", level=2),
    paragraph("This page was created via the Notion API."),
    callout("Remember to share the page with your integration!", emoji="⚠️"),
    heading("Tasks", level=3),
    bullet("First task"),
    bullet("Second task"),
    code_block("print('Hello, Notion!')", language="python"),
]
append_blocks(client, page["id"], blocks)

3. Query Database

from scripts.query_database import (
    query_data_source,
    checkbox_filter,
    status_filter,
    and_filter,
    sort_by_property,
)

# Find incomplete high-priority items
results = query_data_source(
    client,
    data_source_id="abc123...",
    filter_obj=and_filter(
        checkbox_filter("Done", False),
        status_filter("Priority", "High")
    ),
    sorts=[sort_by_property("Due Date", "ascending")]
)
for page in results:
    title = page["properties"]["Name"]["title"][0]["plain_text"]
    print(f"- {title}")

Available Scripts

Script	Purpose
notion_wrapper.py	Client setup, token validation, retry wrapper
create_page.py	Create pages, property builders
add_blocks.py	Append blocks, block type builders
query_database.py	Query, filter, sort, search

References

• Property Types - All 24 property types with examples
• Block Types - All block types with structures
• Rich Text - Formatting, links, mentions
• Pagination - Handling large result sets

Important Constraints

Rate Limits

• 3 requests/second average (burst tolerated briefly)
• Use api_call_with_retry() for automatic rate limit handling
• 429 responses include Retry-After header

Authentication Model

• Page-level sharing required (not workspace-wide)
• User must explicitly add integration to each page/database:
  • Page → ... menu → Connections → Add connection → Select integration

API Version (v2.6.0+)

• Uses data_source_id instead of database_id for multi-source databases
• Legacy database_id still works for simple databases
• Scripts handle both patterns automatically

Operations NOT Supported

• Workspace settings modification
• User permissions management
• Template creation/management
• Billing/subscription access

API Behavior Patterns

Insights discovered through integration testing (test citations for verification).

Rate Limiting & Retry Logic

api_call_with_retry() handles transient failures automatically:

Error Type	Behavior	Wait Strategy
429 Rate Limited	Retries	Respects Retry-After header (default 1s)
500 Server Error	Retries	Exponential backoff: 1s, 2s, 4s
Auth/Validation	Fails immediately	No retry

Citation: test_client.py::TestRetryLogic (lines 146-193)

Read-After-Write Consistency

Newly created blocks may not be immediately queryable. Add 0.5s minimum delay:

append_blocks(client, page_id, blocks)
time.sleep(0.5)  # Eventual consistency delay
children = client.blocks.children.list(page_id)

Citation: test_integration.py::TestBlockAppend::test_retrieve_appended_blocks (line 298)

v2.6.0 API Migration

Old Pattern	New Pattern (v2.6.0+)
client.databases.query()	client.data_sources.query()
filter: {"value": "database"}	filter: {"value": "data_source"}

Citation: test_integration.py::TestDatabaseQuery (line 110)

Archive-Only Deletion

Pages cannot be permanently deleted via API - only archived (moved to trash):

client.pages.update(page_id, archived=True)  # Trash, not delete

Citation: test_integration.py cleanup fixture (lines 72-76)

Edge Cases & Validation

Property Builder Edge Cases

Input	Behavior	Valid?
Empty string ""	Creates empty content	Yes
Empty array []	Clears multi-select/relations	Yes
None for number	Clears property value	Yes
Zero 0	Valid number (not falsy)	Yes
Negative -42	Valid number	Yes
Unicode/emoji	Fully preserved	Yes

Citation: test_property_builders.py::TestPropertyBuildersEdgeCases (lines 302-341)

Input Validation Responsibility

Builders are intentionally permissive - validation happens at API level:

Property	Builder Accepts	API Validates
Date	Any string	ISO 8601 only
URL	Any string	Valid URL format
Checkbox	Truthy values	Boolean expected

Best Practice: Validate in your application before building properties.

Citation: test_property_builders.py::TestPropertyBuildersInvalidInputs (lines 347-376)

Token Validation

• Case-sensitive: Only lowercase ntn_ and secret_ valid
• Format check happens before API call (saves unnecessary requests)
• Empty/whitespace tokens rejected immediately

Citation: test_client.py::TestClientEdgeCases (lines 196-224)

Query & Filter Patterns

Compound Filter Composition

# Empty compound (matches all)
and_filter()  # {"and": []}

# Deep nesting supported
and_filter(
    or_filter(filter_a, filter_b),
    and_filter(filter_c, filter_d)
)

Citation: test_filter_builders.py::TestFilterEdgeCases (lines 323-360)

Filter Limitations

Filters don't exclude NULL properties - check in Python:

if row["properties"]["Rating"]["number"] is not None:
    # Process non-null values

Citation: test_integration.py::TestDatabaseQuery::test_query_database_with_filter (lines 120-135)

Pagination Invariants

Condition	has_more	next_cursor
More results exist	True	Present, non-None
No more results	False	May be absent/None

Always check has_more before using next_cursor.

Citation: test_integration.py::TestDatabaseQuery::test_query_database_with_pagination (lines 137-151)

Error Handling

from notion_client import APIResponseError, APIErrorCode

try:
    result = client.pages.create(...)
except APIResponseError as e:
    if e.code == APIErrorCode.ObjectNotFound:
        print("Page/database not found or not shared with integration")
    elif e.code == APIErrorCode.Unauthorized:
        print("Token invalid or expired")
    elif e.code == APIErrorCode.RateLimited:
        print(f"Rate limited. Retry after {e.additional_data.get('retry_after')}s")
    else:
        raise

Installation

uv pip install notion-client  # v2.6+ required for data_source support

Or use PEP 723 inline dependencies (scripts include them).

---

Troubleshooting

Issue	Cause	Solution
Object not found	Page not shared with integration	Share page: ... menu → Connections → Add integration
Unauthorized	Token invalid or expired	Generate new token at notion.so/my-integrations
Rate limited (429)	Too many requests	Use api_call_with_retry() for automatic handling
Empty results from query	Filter matches nothing	Verify filter syntax and property names
Block not found after create	Eventual consistency delay	Add 0.5s delay after write before read
Invalid property type	Wrong builder used	Check property type in database schema
Token format rejected	Wrong prefix (case-sensitive)	Token must start with ntn_ or secret_ (lowercase)
Data source ID not working	Old API version	Upgrade notion-client to latest version

Post-Execution Reflection

After this skill completes, check before closing:

1. Did the command succeed? — If not, fix the instruction or error table that caused the failure.
2. Did parameters or output change? — If the underlying tool's interface drifted, update Usage examples and Parameters table to match.
3. Was a workaround needed? — If you had to improvise (different flags, extra steps), update this SKILL.md so the next invocation doesn't need the same workaround.

Only update if the issue is real and reproducible — not speculative.