Notion Database Design

Translate natural language descriptions into well-structured Notion database schemas. This skill handles property type selection, schema design best practices, and deployment of pre-built business templates. Used jointly with the notion-operations skill, which handles the actual API calls.

Referenced by /founder-os:notion:create (when creating databases) and /founder-os:notion:template.

Natural Language to Schema Translation

Parse the user's description to identify entities, attributes, and relationships, then map each attribute to the appropriate Notion property type.

Translation pipeline:

1. Extract entities — identify what the database tracks (tasks, contacts, projects, content, etc.).
2. Extract attributes — identify mentioned properties from the description. Look for nouns that describe fields: "name", "status", "due date", "priority", "email", "category".
3. Infer implicit attributes — add standard properties that the user likely expects even if not explicitly stated:
   • Every tracker gets a Status property (unless the user explicitly excludes it)
   • Date-oriented entities get a Date property
   • People-oriented entities get a Name (title) property
4. Map types — assign each attribute the best Notion property type based on its semantics.
5. Design options — for Select/Multi-select properties, propose 3-5 default options based on the entity type.
6. Present schema — show the user the proposed schema as a formatted table before creating.

Property Type Selection

Choose the most appropriate property type for each attribute. Default to the simplest type that fits.

Semantic pattern	Property type	Examples
Primary identifier	Title	Name, Task, Item, Subject
Long text, notes	Rich text	Description, Notes, Details
Workflow state	Status	Status (To Do / In Progress / Done)
Single category	Select	Priority, Type, Category, Phase
Multiple labels	Multi-select	Tags, Skills, Departments
Calendar/deadline	Date	Due Date, Start Date, Created
True/false toggle	Checkbox	Done, Approved, Published, Active
Web address	URL	Website, Link, Resource URL
Email address	Email	Contact Email, Email
Phone	Phone	Phone Number, Mobile
Quantity/amount	Number	Amount, Hours, Score, Count
Person assignment	People	Assignee, Owner, Reviewer
File attachment	Files	Attachments, Documents, Images
Connected record	Relation	Project, Client, Parent Task
Computed value	Formula	Full Name (first + last), Days Until Due
Aggregation	Rollup	Task Count, Total Hours

Consult ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/notion/notion-database-design/references/property-types.md for complete property type specifications, configuration options, and advanced patterns.

Schema Design Best Practices

Naming Conventions

• Use Title Case for property names: "Due Date" not "due_date" or "due date".
• Keep names short and descriptive: "Priority" not "Task Priority Level".
• Use standard names for common concepts: "Status" (not "State"), "Due Date" (not "Deadline"), "Assignee" (not "Assigned To").
• Avoid abbreviations unless universally understood: "URL" is fine, "Desc" is not.

Property Ordering

Present properties in this order in the schema:

1. Title (always first — Notion requires exactly one Title property)
2. Status (if applicable)
3. Key categorization (Select/Multi-select: Priority, Type, Tags)
4. Dates (Due Date, Start Date)
5. People (Assignee, Owner)
6. Numbers (Amount, Score)
7. Text (Description, Notes)
8. References (URL, Email, Phone, Relations)
9. Toggles (Checkboxes at the end)

Required vs Optional

• Title property is always required (Notion enforces this).
• Status property: include unless explicitly excluded.
• All other properties are optional — include only what the user described or what is standard for the entity type.
• Do not bloat schemas. A good database has 5-10 properties. Exceeding 15 suggests the schema should be split into related databases.

Default Views

When describing the schema to the user, suggest a default view:

Entity type	Suggested view
Tasks/Projects	Board grouped by Status
Contacts/CRM	Table sorted by Name
Content/Calendar	Calendar by Date
Meetings/Events	Calendar by Date
Knowledge/Wiki	Table sorted by Last Edited

Pre-Built Templates

Five business-essential templates are available for instant deployment via /founder-os:notion:template. Each template defines a complete schema with property types, options, and suggested views.

Template	Entity	Properties	View
CRM Contacts	Contact records	12 props	Table by Name
Project Tracker	Project tasks	10 props	Board by Status
Content Calendar	Content pieces	11 props	Calendar by Publish Date
Meeting Notes	Meeting records	8 props	Table by Date
Knowledge Wiki	Knowledge articles	9 props	Table by Last Edited

When the user runs /founder-os:notion:template without a name, list all 5 templates with a one-line description. When a template name is specified, load the full schema definition and create the database.

Consult ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/notion/notion-database-design/references/templates.md for the complete property definitions, default options, and view configurations for each template.

Schema Confirmation Protocol

Before creating any database, present the schema to the user for approval.

Confirmation format:

📊 Database: [Title]
Parent: [Parent page name or "Workspace root"]

| Property | Type | Options/Config |
|----------|------|----------------|
| Name | Title | — |
| Status | Status | To Do, In Progress, Done |
| Priority | Select | High, Medium, Low |
| Due Date | Date | — |
| Assignee | People | — |
| ... | ... | ... |

Suggested view: [Board/Table/Calendar] grouped/sorted by [property]

Create this database? (yes/no/modify)

If the user says "modify", ask which properties to add, remove, or change. Update the schema and re-present.

Edge Cases

• User describes a simple list: Create a minimal database with Title + one relevant property (Status or Checkbox). Do not over-engineer.
• User wants a spreadsheet: Notion databases are not spreadsheets. If the user describes a data table with purely numeric columns, create it but note that Notion is optimized for structured records, not raw data grids.
• Duplicate property names: Notion doesn't allow duplicate property names. If the user's description implies two properties with the same name, disambiguate: "Start Date" and "End Date" rather than two "Date" properties.
• Relation requests: When the user wants to link databases, both databases must exist. Create the primary database first, then create or link the related database. Note this to the user.

Additional Resources

Reference Files

For detailed property specifications and template schemas, consult:

• ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/notion/notion-database-design/references/property-types.md — Complete Notion property type reference with configuration options, format specifications, and advanced patterns
• ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/notion/notion-database-design/references/templates.md — Full schema definitions for all 5 business templates with property details, default options, and view configurations