Notion MCP server: setup for Claude & Cursor (2026)

A Notion MCP server turns your workspace into a tool the AI can query — search pages, read databases, create and update content. Notion ships an official server you can run hosted or locally. Here is the setup for Claude Desktop and Cursor.

Step 1 — create an integration

Open notion.so/my-integrations → New integration. Give it a name, pick the workspace, and choose the capabilities (read content, update content, insert content). Copy the Internal Integration Secret — it starts with ntn_ (older tokens start with secret_).

This is the step everyone misses. An integration sees nothing until you share pages with it. Open a page or database → ••• menu → Connections → add your integration. Share a top-level page and the integration inherits its children.

Step 3 — configure the client

Local server via npx (works in Claude Desktop and Cursor):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "notion": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@notionhq/notion-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "NOTION_TOKEN": "ntn_your_integration_secret"
      }
    }
  }
}

Prefer zero install? Notion also runs a hosted remote server you can add as an HTTP/OAuth connector in clients that support remote MCP — no token juggling, you authorise through Notion's login. Restart the client after editing the config; see MCP config file location if needed.

Step 4 — verify

Ask: "Find the page titled 'Q3 Roadmap' in Notion and list its headings." If it returns real content, the integration and sharing are correct.

Common problems

"Could not find page" / empty results — you did not share the page with the integration (step 2). This is the #1 issue.
API token is invalid — wrong secret, or the integration was deleted. Regenerate.
Can read but not write — the integration lacks update/insert capability. Edit it in the integrations dashboard.
No tools in client — npx needs Node 18+. See Claude Desktop MCP not loading.

Going further

Notion sits well in a knowledge-work stack with web search and filesystem servers. See curated loadouts or the productivity category. Have a Notion-related server to share? Submit it.