Notion

Notion API

Use the Notion API via curl to create, read, update pages, databases (data sources), and blocks. No extra tools needed — just curl and a Notion API key.

Prerequisites

1. Create an integration at https://notion.so/my-integrations
2. Copy the API key (starts with ntn_ or secret_)
3. Store it in ~/.hermes/.env:

   NOTION_API_KEY=ntn_your_key_here
   

4. Important: Share target pages/databases with your integration in Notion (click "..." → "Connect to" → your integration name)

API Basics

All requests use this pattern:

curl -s -X GET "https://api.notion.com/v1/..." \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NOTION_API_KEY" \
  -H "Notion-Version: 2025-09-03" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json"

The Notion-Version header is required. This skill uses 2025-09-03 (latest). In this version, databases are called "data sources" in the API.

Common Operations

Search

curl -s -X POST "https://api.notion.com/v1/search" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NOTION_API_KEY" \
  -H "Notion-Version: 2025-09-03" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"query": "page title"}'

Get Page

curl -s "https://api.notion.com/v1/pages/{page_id}" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NOTION_API_KEY" \
  -H "Notion-Version: 2025-09-03"

Get Page Content (blocks)

curl -s "https://api.notion.com/v1/blocks/{page_id}/children" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NOTION_API_KEY" \
  -H "Notion-Version: 2025-09-03"

Create Page in a Database

curl -s -X POST "https://api.notion.com/v1/pages" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NOTION_API_KEY" \
  -H "Notion-Version: 2025-09-03" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "parent": {"database_id": "xxx"},
    "properties": {
      "Name": {"title": [{"text": {"content": "New Item"}}]},
      "Status": {"select": {"name": "Todo"}}
    }
  }'

Query a Database

curl -s -X POST "https://api.notion.com/v1/data_sources/{data_source_id}/query" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NOTION_API_KEY" \
  -H "Notion-Version: 2025-09-03" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "filter": {"property": "Status", "select": {"equals": "Active"}},
    "sorts": [{"property": "Date", "direction": "descending"}]
  }'

Create a Database

curl -s -X POST "https://api.notion.com/v1/data_sources" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NOTION_API_KEY" \
  -H "Notion-Version: 2025-09-03" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "parent": {"page_id": "xxx"},
    "title": [{"text": {"content": "My Database"}}],
    "properties": {
      "Name": {"title": {}},
      "Status": {"select": {"options": [{"name": "Todo"}, {"name": "Done"}]}},
      "Date": {"date": {}}
    }
  }'

Update Page Properties

curl -s -X PATCH "https://api.notion.com/v1/pages/{page_id}" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NOTION_API_KEY" \
  -H "Notion-Version: 2025-09-03" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"properties": {"Status": {"select": {"name": "Done"}}}}'

Add Content to a Page

curl -s -X PATCH "https://api.notion.com/v1/blocks/{page_id}/children" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NOTION_API_KEY" \
  -H "Notion-Version: 2025-09-03" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "children": [
      {"object": "block", "type": "paragraph", "paragraph": {"rich_text": [{"text": {"content": "Hello from Hermes!"}}]}}
    ]
  }'

Property Types

Common property formats for database items:

• Title: {"title": [{"text": {"content": "..."}}]}
• Rich text: {"rich_text": [{"text": {"content": "..."}}]}
• Select: {"select": {"name": "Option"}}
• Multi-select: {"multi_select": [{"name": "A"}, {"name": "B"}]}
• Date: {"date": {"start": "2026-01-15", "end": "2026-01-16"}}
• Checkbox: {"checkbox": true}
• Number: {"number": 42}
• URL: {"url": "https://..."}
• Email: {"email": "[email protected]"}
• Relation: {"relation": [{"id": "page_id"}]}

Key Differences in API Version 2025-09-03

• Databases → Data Sources: Use /data_sources/ endpoints for queries and retrieval
• Two IDs: Each database has both a database_id and a data_source_id
  • Use database_id when creating pages (parent: {"database_id": "..."})
  • Use data_source_id when querying (POST /v1/data_sources/{id}/query)
• Search results: Databases return as "object": "data_source" with their data_source_id

Notes

• Page/database IDs are UUIDs (with or without dashes) Rate limit: ~3 requests/second average.
• File uploads via API are capped at ~5MB. For larger files, upload to Google Drive and link from the Notion page instead. Update existing link paragraphs; don't try to replace file blocks.
• The API cannot set database view filters — that's UI-only
• Use is_inline: true when creating data sources to embed them in pages
• Add -s flag to curl to suppress progress bars (cleaner output for Hermes)
• Pipe output through jq for readable JSON: ... | jq '.results[0].properties'

Page Visibility & Parent Selection (CRITICAL)

Pages created via the API are NOT automatically shared with workspace members. public_url is null by default. If the user says "can't see it", the parent page you chose is either inaccessible to them or the page wasn't shared.

DB creation pitfall: 404 "Could not find page"

Even when a page appears in search results, the integration may not have write access to it (only read at workspace level). To create a database when no accessible parent page exists:

1. Create a temporary placeholder page in any database you CAN write to (test first)
2. Create the target database under that page: parent: {page_id: placeholder_id}
3. Archive the placeholder afterward

The placeholder page appears in the writable database as a side effect — archive it to clean up.

Token resolution pitfall

When NOTION_TOKEN="$NOTION...Y" — the value is a reference to another env var, not the actual token. Source the env file and resolve $-prefixed values before using.

When creating a page for a user, you MUST use a parent page they can already see. The API cannot share pages — that's UI-only.

1. Search first: POST /v1/search with {"filter": {"property": "object", "value": "page"}}
2. Filter by accessible: Only use pages that HAVE a url field — pages without URLs are database entries the user can't navigate to directly
3. Pick a known parent: Use a page the user explicitly references (e.g., an existing project page), or one with a recognizable title
4. Create under that parent: Use its ID as parent.page_id

After creating

• Return the workspace URL format (e.g., https://weblyfe.notion.site/Page-Title-{id_without_dashes}), NOT app.notion.com
• Verify with GET /v1/pages/{id} — 200 means the integration can see it
• If the user still can't see it, they need to: Notion Settings → Connections → find the integration → ensure workspace access → share parent page via ... → Connect to

API Key Masking in Hermes

Hermes masks API keys (ntn_..., sk-...) in terminal commands and write_file content. This silently corrupts:

• Bash: Bearer $NOTION_API_KEY → Bearer *** → 401 Unauthorized
• Python f-strings: f"Bearer *** → syntax error on write

Workaround: Use Python scripts with string concatenation ("Bearer " + key), read keys from ~/.hermes/.env with os.path.expanduser(), and strip quotes from values. See references/hermes-masking.md.

Scripts

• scripts/create_page.py — Create a Notion page from a markdown file, auto-discovering an accessible parent. Usage: python3 scripts/create_page.py "Title" content.md [parent_id]