Atlas connects to Notion through Notion's official MCP server, which lets Atlas read the spec page, implement the feature it describes, and write the changelog or ADR entry back into the workspace. Add the hosted server with atlas mcp add notion --url https://mcp.notion.com/mcp then atlas mcp auth notion, or run it locally over stdio with @notionhq/notion-mcp-server and a NOTION_TOKEN. The step people miss: you must share the specific Notion pages and databases with your integration, or the server will see nothing at all.
What the Atlas and Notion integration does
Notion's official MCP server lets Atlas read the spec page, implement the feature it describes, and write the changelog or ADR entry back into the workspace. In 2026 that turns Notion from a document you copy and paste out of into a system Atlas reads from and writes to directly.
Two directions matter here, and most integrations only do one. Reading means Atlas opens the spec page in your Notion workspace and works from the actual requirements rather than from a summary you retyped into the terminal. Writing means the record of what changed goes back where your team already looks. Notion stays the knowledge base and the source of truth for intent. Atlas stays the terminal agent that turns intent into a diff and then reports back on what it did.
Adding Notion's hosted MCP server to Atlas
Add Notion's hosted MCP server with atlas mcp add notion --url https://mcp.notion.com/mcp then run atlas mcp auth notion. Those 2 commands complete the hosted path, and the OAuth flow means no Notion integration token sits in a config file waiting to be committed by mistake.
The hosted server at https://mcp.notion.com/mcp is the default choice for most developers, because Notion operates it and the authentication is browser based. atlas mcp add notion registers the endpoint, and atlas mcp auth notion completes the grant. Once both succeed, Atlas lists Notion's tools alongside its other servers. You still have to share pages with the integration before those tools return anything useful, which is the subject of the next section and the single most common setup failure.
Running the Notion MCP server locally with a NOTION_TOKEN
Run Notion's MCP server locally with 1 command: atlas mcp add notion --env NOTION_TOKEN=ntn_your_integration_token -- npx -y @notionhq/notion-mcp-server. The local route uses an internal integration token rather than OAuth, which suits a container or headless environment where no browser can complete a hosted login.
The token format starts with ntn_, and it comes from a Notion integration you create in your workspace settings. Pass it by environment reference rather than pasting the literal secret into a file you might commit. @notionhq/notion-mcp-server is Notion's own package, published under the notionhq scope, and it runs over stdio through npx. Choose this path when Atlas runs somewhere OAuth cannot complete; choose the hosted server whenever a browser is actually reachable.
Version 2 renamed the database tools to data-source tools
Version 2 of the Notion MCP server renamed the database tools to data-source tools: query-data-source and data_source_id replaced post-database-query and database_id. Old prompts, scripts, or notes that reference the database names will not match the tools Atlas sees on a current server.
This rename is a silent breaker. Nothing errors loudly; the tool simply is not there under the old name, and an agent asked to call post-database-query will improvise. If you have runbooks, saved prompts, or team documentation that mention post-database-query or database_id, update them to query-data-source and data_source_id. When Atlas reports that a Notion query tool is unavailable, check the naming before you suspect authentication or sharing.
The daily workflow: spec in, changelog and ADR out
Ask Atlas to read the spec page, implement the described feature, and write the changelog entry back to Notion. Those 3 moves are the loop, and appending an ADR page on each architectural decision means the record writes itself rather than being reconstructed weeks later from a commit log.
The loop starts and ends in Notion, which is what makes it worth automating. Atlas reads the spec, produces the implementation, and you review the diff in the terminal. Once the change is accepted, Atlas writes the changelog entry into the workspace using the same server. The ADR habit is the higher-leverage half: every time the agent chooses one architecture over another, that choice becomes a page, and the reasoning survives the session that produced it.
Setup
- 01Add Notion's hosted MCP server with atlas mcp add notion --url https://mcp.notion.com/mcp then atlas mcp auth notion
- 02Or run it locally with atlas mcp add notion --env NOTION_TOKEN=ntn_your_integration_token -- npx -y @notionhq/notion-mcp-server
- 03Share the specific Notion pages and databases with your integration, or the server will see nothing at all.
- 04Update any old prompts or runbooks: version 2 renamed the database tools to data-source tools, so query-data-source and data_source_id replaced post-database-query and database_id.
- 05Ask Atlas to read the spec page, implement the described feature, and write the changelog entry back to Notion.
- 06Have Atlas append an ADR page each time it makes an architectural decision, so the record writes itself.
Frequently asked questions
- how do I connect Atlas to Notion
- Add Notion's hosted MCP server with atlas mcp add notion --url https://mcp.notion.com/mcp then run atlas mcp auth notion. A local stdio option exists with @notionhq/notion-mcp-server and a NOTION_TOKEN.
- why does the Notion MCP server return no pages
- Because you have not shared them. Share the specific Notion pages and databases with your integration, or the server will see nothing at all. Notion integrations start with access to nothing.
- what replaced post-database-query in the Notion MCP server
- Version 2 renamed the database tools to data-source tools, so query-data-source and data_source_id replaced post-database-query and database_id. Update old prompts and runbooks accordingly.
- can an AI agent implement a feature from a Notion spec
- Yes. Ask Atlas to read the spec page, implement the described feature, and write the changelog entry back to Notion, all through Notion's official MCP server.
- how do I run the Notion MCP server locally
- Run atlas mcp add notion --env NOTION_TOKEN=ntn_your_integration_token -- npx -y @notionhq/notion-mcp-server. Use this when a browser is not available to complete the hosted OAuth flow.
- how do I automate architecture decision records
- Have Atlas append an ADR page each time it makes an architectural decision, so the record writes itself instead of being reconstructed later from the commit log.
- where do I get a NOTION_TOKEN for the MCP server
- Create an internal integration in your Notion workspace settings. The token starts with ntn_, and you pass it as NOTION_TOKEN when you add the local server to Atlas.
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