Notion Readonly MCP Server

Optimized read-only MCP server for Notion API with asynchronous processing

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What is the Notion Readonly MCP server?

Notion Readonly becomes available to MCP clients through the notion readonly mcp server. Optimized read-only MCP server for Notion API with asynchronous processing.

What Notion Readonly does

This project implements an optimized read-only MCP server for the Notion API, focusing on performance and efficiency for AI assistants to query and retrieve Notion content.

Tools it exposes

Once connected, the assistant can call these 7 tools directly:

  • API-retrieve-a-page — Get page information
  • API-get-block-children — Get page content blocks (with parallel processing)
  • API-retrieve-a-block — Get details about a specific block
  • API-retrieve-a-database — Get database information
  • API-retrieve-a-comment — Get comments on a page or block
  • API-retrieve-a-page-property — Get specific property information from a page
  • API-get-one-pagerNEW! Recursively retrieve a full Notion page with all its blocks, databases, and related content in a single call

Installing the notion readonly mcp server

Setup follows the standard MCP pattern: clone or install the server, then register it in your client's configuration file and restart the client. The configuration snippets on this page cover Claude Desktop, Claude Code and Cursor.

Configuration

The server reads 2 environment variables: OPENAPI_MCP_HEADERS, YOUR_PAGE_ID. Keep credentials in your client's env block or a secrets manager rather than committing them.

Where it fits

Productivity servers pay off through capture: the tasks and notes that never get filed are the ones where opening the app is more friction than the thought is worth. Notion Readonly sits in that group, and the shape of its toolset — API-retrieve-a-page, API-get-block-children, API-retrieve-a-block among others — tells you what it is really for. Worth comparing against the other productivity servers in this directory before you commit to one, since several overlap in scope but differ sharply in setup cost and permissions.

Practical notes

  • This server runs locally, so it operates with whatever access your machine and its credentials already have. Scope that deliberately rather than by default.
  • With 7 tools exposed, expect a noticeable bump in prompt size — disable it in projects that never use Notion Readonly.
  • Maintained by Taewoong1378, written in Go.
  • MCP clients ask for confirmation before each tool call by default. Keep that on while you learn what the notion readonly mcp server actually does with your data.
  • Every entry in this directory is reviewed by hand before it goes live, and details are checked against the project's own documentation.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
API-retrieve-a-pageGet page information
API-get-block-childrenGet page content blocks (with parallel processing)
API-retrieve-a-blockGet details about a specific block
API-retrieve-a-databaseGet database information
API-retrieve-a-commentGet comments on a page or block
API-retrieve-a-page-propertyGet specific property information from a page
API-get-one-pager**NEW!** Recursively retrieve a full Notion page with all its blocks, databases, and related content in a single call

How to install the Notion Readonly MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "notionApi": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "notion-readonly-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "OPENAPI_MCP_HEADERS": "{\"Authorization\": \"Bearer ntn_****\", \"Notion-Version\": \"2022-06-28\" }"
      }
    }
  }
}

Configuration as documented by the project. Restart the client after saving.

Configuration

VariableDescriptionRequired
OPENAPI_MCP_HEADERSConfiguration value read at startup.Optional
YOUR_PAGE_IDConfiguration value read at startup.Optional

Example prompts to try

  • Use Notion Readonly to API-retrieve-a-page.
  • Use Notion Readonly to API-get-block-children.
  • Use Notion Readonly to API-retrieve-a-block.

Frequently asked questions

It connects Notion Readonly to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 7 tools (API-retrieve-a-page, API-get-block-children, API-retrieve-a-block, and more) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with Notion Readonly directly.