Notion Automation via Rube MCP

Automate Notion operations through Composio's Notion toolkit via Rube MCP.

Toolkit docs: composio.dev/toolkits/notion

Prerequisites

• Rube MCP must be connected (RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS available)

• Active Notion connection via RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS with toolkit notion

• Always call RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS first to get current tool schemas

Setup

Get Rube MCP: Add https://rube.app/mcp as an MCP server in your client configuration. No API keys needed — just add the endpoint and it works.

• Verify Rube MCP is available by confirming RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS responds

• Call RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS with toolkit notion

• If connection is not ACTIVE, follow the returned auth link to complete Notion OAuth

• Confirm connection status shows ACTIVE before running any workflows

Core Workflows

1. Create and Manage Pages

When to use: User wants to create, update, or archive Notion pages

Tool sequence:

• NOTION_SEARCH_NOTION_PAGE

• Find parent page or existing page [Prerequisite]

• NOTION_CREATE_NOTION_PAGE

• Create a new page under a parent [Optional]

• NOTION_RETRIEVE_PAGE

• Get page metadata/properties [Optional]

• NOTION_UPDATE_PAGE

• Update page properties, title, icon, cover [Optional]

• NOTION_ARCHIVE_NOTION_PAGE

• Soft-delete (archive) a page [Optional]

Key parameters:

• query : Search text for SEARCH_NOTION_PAGE

• parent_id : Parent page or database ID

• page_id : Page ID for retrieval/update/archive

• properties : Page property values matching parent schema

Pitfalls:

• RETRIEVE_PAGE returns only metadata/properties, NOT body content; use FETCH_BLOCK_CONTENTS for page body

• ARCHIVE_NOTION_PAGE is a soft-delete (sets archived=true), not permanent deletion

• Broad searches can look incomplete unless has_more/next_cursor is fully paginated

2. Query and Manage Databases

When to use: User wants to query database rows, insert entries, or update records

Tool sequence:

• NOTION_SEARCH_NOTION_PAGE

• Find the database by name [Prerequisite]

• NOTION_FETCH_DATABASE

• Inspect schema and properties [Prerequisite]

• NOTION_QUERY_DATABASE / NOTION_QUERY_DATABASE_WITH_FILTER

• Query rows [Required]

• NOTION_INSERT_ROW_DATABASE

• Add new entries [Optional]

• NOTION_UPDATE_ROW_DATABASE

• Update existing entries [Optional]

Key parameters:

• database_id : Database ID (from search or URL)

• filter : Filter object matching Notion filter syntax

• sorts : Array of sort objects

• start_cursor : Pagination cursor from previous response

• properties : Property values matching database schema for inserts/updates

Pitfalls:

• 404 object_not_found usually means wrong database_id or the database is not shared with the integration

• Results are paginated; ignoring has_more/next_cursor silently truncates reads

• Schema mismatches or missing required properties cause 400 validation_error

• Formula and read-only fields cannot be set via INSERT_ROW_DATABASE

• Property names in filters must match schema exactly (case-sensitive)

3. Manage Blocks and Page Content

When to use: User wants to read, append, or modify content blocks in a page

Tool sequence:

• NOTION_FETCH_BLOCK_CONTENTS

• Read child blocks of a page [Required]

• NOTION_ADD_MULTIPLE_PAGE_CONTENT

• Append blocks to a page [Optional]

• NOTION_APPEND_TEXT_BLOCKS

• Append text-only blocks [Optional]

• NOTION_REPLACE_PAGE_CONTENT

• Replace all page content [Optional]

• NOTION_DELETE_BLOCK

• Remove a specific block [Optional]

Key parameters:

• block_id / page_id : Target page or block ID

• content_blocks : Array of block objects (NOT child_blocks)

• text : Plain text content for APPEND_TEXT_BLOCKS

Pitfalls:

• Use content_blocks parameter, NOT child_blocks -- the latter fails validation

• ADD_MULTIPLE_PAGE_CONTENT fails on archived pages; unarchive via UPDATE_PAGE first

• Created blocks are in response.data.results; persist block IDs for later edits

• DELETE_BLOCK is archival (archived=true), not permanent deletion

4. Manage Database Schema

When to use: User wants to create databases or modify their structure

Tool sequence:

• NOTION_FETCH_DATABASE

• Inspect current schema [Prerequisite]

• NOTION_CREATE_DATABASE

• Create a new database [Optional]

• NOTION_UPDATE_SCHEMA_DATABASE

• Modify database properties [Optional]

Key parameters:

• parent_id : Parent page ID for new databases

• title : Database title

• properties : Property definitions with types and options

• database_id : Database ID for schema updates

Pitfalls:

• Cannot change property types via UPDATE_SCHEMA; must create new property and migrate data

• Formula, rollup, and relation properties have complex configuration requirements

5. Manage Users and Comments

When to use: User wants to list workspace users or manage comments on pages

Tool sequence:

• NOTION_LIST_USERS

• List all workspace users [Optional]

• NOTION_GET_ABOUT_ME

• Get current authenticated user [Optional]

• NOTION_CREATE_COMMENT

• Add a comment to a page [Optional]

• NOTION_FETCH_COMMENTS

• List comments on a page [Optional]

Key parameters:

• page_id : Page ID for comments (also called discussion_id )

• rich_text : Comment content as rich text array

Pitfalls:

• Comments are linked to pages, not individual blocks

• User IDs from LIST_USERS are needed for people-type property filters

Common Patterns

ID Resolution

Page/Database name -> ID:

1. Call NOTION_SEARCH_NOTION_PAGE with query=name
2. Paginate with has_more/next_cursor until found
3. Extract id from matching result

Database schema inspection:

1. Call NOTION_FETCH_DATABASE with database_id
2. Extract properties object for field names and types
3. Use exact property names in queries and inserts

Pagination

• Set page_size for results per page (max 100)

• Check response for has_more boolean

• Pass start_cursor or next_cursor in next request

• Continue until has_more is false

Notion Filter Syntax

Single filter:

{"property": "Status", "select": {"equals": "Done"}}

Compound filter:

{"and": [ {"property": "Status", "select": {"equals": "In Progress"}}, {"property": "Assignee", "people": {"contains": "user-id"}} ]}

Known Pitfalls

Integration Sharing:

• Pages and databases must be shared with the Notion integration to be accessible

• Title queries can return 0 when the item is not shared with the integration

Property Types:

• Property names are case-sensitive and must match schema exactly

• Formula, rollup, and created_time fields are read-only

• Select/multi-select values must match existing options unless creating new ones

Response Parsing:

• Response data may be nested under data_preview or data.results

• Parse defensively with fallbacks for different nesting levels

Quick Reference

Task Tool Slug Key Params

Search pages/databases NOTION_SEARCH_NOTION_PAGE query

Create page NOTION_CREATE_NOTION_PAGE parent_id, properties

Get page metadata NOTION_RETRIEVE_PAGE page_id

Update page NOTION_UPDATE_PAGE page_id, properties

Archive page NOTION_ARCHIVE_NOTION_PAGE page_id

Duplicate page NOTION_DUPLICATE_PAGE page_id

Get page blocks NOTION_FETCH_BLOCK_CONTENTS block_id

Append blocks NOTION_ADD_MULTIPLE_PAGE_CONTENT page_id, content_blocks

Append text NOTION_APPEND_TEXT_BLOCKS page_id, text

Replace content NOTION_REPLACE_PAGE_CONTENT page_id, content_blocks

Delete block NOTION_DELETE_BLOCK block_id

Query database NOTION_QUERY_DATABASE database_id, filter, sorts

Query with filter NOTION_QUERY_DATABASE_WITH_FILTER database_id, filter

Insert row NOTION_INSERT_ROW_DATABASE database_id, properties

Update row NOTION_UPDATE_ROW_DATABASE page_id, properties

Get database schema NOTION_FETCH_DATABASE database_id

Create database NOTION_CREATE_DATABASE parent_id, title, properties

Update schema NOTION_UPDATE_SCHEMA_DATABASE database_id, properties

List users NOTION_LIST_USERS (none)

Create comment NOTION_CREATE_COMMENT page_id, rich_text

List comments NOTION_FETCH_COMMENTS page_id

Powered by Composio