Notion Research Documentation

Research & Documentation

Pull relevant Notion pages, synthesize findings, and publish clear briefs or reports (with citations and links to sources).

When to Use

Use this skill when the user wants to:

• collect information from multiple Notion pages and turn it into a brief
• compare options, projects, teams, or decisions using existing workspace context
• produce a report, summary, or recommendation document grounded in Notion sources
• preserve citations and source links while synthesizing content

Use a different skill when:

• the main output is a meeting agenda → use notion-meeting-intelligence
• the main job is storing a conversation or decision as a reusable page → use notion-knowledge-capture
• the main job is converting a spec into implementation artifacts → use notion-spec-to-implementation

Quick start

1. Find sources with Notion:notion-search using targeted queries; confirm scope with the user.
2. Fetch pages via Notion:notion-fetch; note key sections and capture citations (reference/citations.md).
3. Choose output format (brief, summary, comparison, comprehensive report) using reference/format-selection-guide.md.
4. Draft in Notion with Notion:notion-create-pages using the matching template (quick, summary, comparison, comprehensive).
5. Link sources and add a references/citations section; update as new info arrives with Notion:notion-update-page.

Usage

Default output sections:

• scope and question being answered
• key findings
• supporting evidence
• contradictions or gaps
• recommendation or next steps
• references

Minimal synthesis flow:

search pages
-> fetch source content
-> extract evidence
-> synthesize findings
-> create report page

Workflow

0) If any MCP call fails because Notion MCP is not connected, pause and set it up:

1. Add the Notion MCP:
   • codex mcp add notion --url https://mcp.notion.com/mcp
2. Enable remote MCP client:
   • Set [features].rmcp_client = true in config.toml or run codex --enable rmcp_client
3. Log in with OAuth:
   • codex mcp login notion

After successful login, the user will have to restart codex. You should finish your answer and tell them so when they try again they can continue with Step 1.

1) Gather sources

• Search first (Notion:notion-search); refine queries, and ask the user to confirm if multiple results appear.
• Fetch relevant pages (Notion:notion-fetch), skim for facts, metrics, claims, constraints, and dates.
• Track each source URL/ID for later citation; prefer direct quotes for critical facts.
• For database-backed sources, fetch the data source details first if the schema matters to the report.

2) Select the format

• Quick readout → quick brief.
• Single-topic dive → research summary.
• Option tradeoffs → comparison.
• Deep dive / exec-ready → comprehensive report.
• See reference/format-selection-guide.md for when to pick each.

3) Synthesize

• Outline before writing; group findings by themes/questions.
• Note evidence with source IDs; flag gaps or contradictions.
• Keep user goal in view (decision, summary, plan, recommendation).
• Distinguish clearly between sourced facts, inferred conclusions, and recommendations.

4) Create the doc

• Pick the matching template in reference/ (brief, summary, comparison, comprehensive) and adapt it.
• Create the page with Notion:notion-create-pages; include title, summary, key findings, supporting evidence, and recommendations/next steps when relevant.
• Add citations inline and a references section; link back to source pages.

5) Finalize & handoff

• Add highlights, risks, and open questions.
• If the user needs follow-ups, create tasks or a checklist in the page; link any task database entries if applicable.
• Share a short changelog or status using Notion:notion-update-page when updating.

Common Pitfalls

• treating search results as final evidence without fetching the full pages
• merging conflicting claims without flagging the contradiction
• writing a recommendation without separating it from the evidence
• losing page URLs and source IDs, which weakens traceability
• publishing a comparison without a clear evaluation frame

Done Criteria

Research documentation is complete when:

• the scope is explicit
• the source set is clear and linked
• findings are grouped logically
• contradictions and unknowns are called out
• recommendations, if any, are grounded in cited material
• a reader can trace each key point back to source pages

Example Commands

Notion:notion-search -> locate candidate source pages
Notion:notion-fetch -> read the selected pages
Notion:notion-create-pages -> publish the brief or report
Notion:notion-update-page -> revise with new evidence or clarifications

References and examples

• reference/ — search tactics, format selection, templates, and citation rules (e.g., advanced-search.md, format-selection-guide.md, research-summary-template.md, comparison-template.md, citations.md).
• examples/ — end-to-end walkthroughs (e.g., competitor-analysis.md, technical-investigation.md, market-research.md, trip-planning.md).