How to effectively use Notion MCP Server with Cursor and Claude for note taking?

I have a Notion page for everything. Specs, product ideas, meeting notes, feedback, random thoughts that made sense at 2 AM. It’s all in there. But every time I try actually to use that content to do something useful, I end up copying half the page into a prompt, trimming it down, and hoping the AI picks up what I mean.

I have done this way too many times, and it never feels smooth.

But we’re in a pretty wild timeline. We’ve got LLMs, smart agents, and now MCPs that can connect tools in ways that actually make life easier.

Lately, I have been using Notion MCP server, and it just works. It gives my tools live access to the docs I already use, without any copying or syncing.

In this blog post, I’ll show you how to set up the Notion MCP and use it to turn your pages into something tools like Cursor and Claude can work with directly.

What is Covered?

• Configuring Composio Notion MCP (This is the cleanest way to connect Notion. Seriously, it just works.)

• Use the Notion MCP server to provide tools with real-time access to your documents. (Works great with Claude desktop and Cursor)

How to Set Up Notion MCP Server

Before building workflows in Cursor, you need to connect Notion through Composio. The setup is quick, and the steps are straightforward.

Step 1: Connect Your Notion Account

Before creating the server, you need to authenticate your Notion account with Composio.

1. Go to https://mcp.composio.dev/dashboard

2. Search for Notion

3. Click Connect Account and complete the sign-in flow

Once it shows as connected, you’re ready to move on.

Step 2: Give a Unique Name to the Server

Give your MCP server a clear name so it's easy to find later—something like notion-live-access or cursor-notion-context.

Step 3: Choose which actions your agent will use

Enable only the actions needed for your workflow with Notion:

• Search Notion Page

• Fetch Notion Block Children

• Get Page Property

• Fetch Notion Data

These actions give your tools access to live Notion content, including full page structure, metadata, and real-time updates.

Step 4: Copy the MCP Setup Script

After your server is created, Composio will generate a setup script. This script connects your tools to the Notion MCP server.

The script will look something like this:

npx @composio/mcp@latest setup "https://mcp.composio.dev/composio/server/customerId=><customer_id>/mcp?include_composio_helper_actions=true" "Notion-access"

Use Case 1: Generate an Onboarding Flow from Notion in Cursor

Let’s start with a practical workflow: building a workflow based on a product spec written in Notion.

In this setup:

• Notion holds the product requirements document (PRD)

• Composio MCP connects the PRD to your local environment

• Cursor uses the live Notion content to generate code based on the latest version

Instead of copying specs into prompts or guessing what changed, you can ask Cursor directly:

“Generate the onboarding UI flow based on the Notion page ‘Onboarding PRD’.”

🔧 How to Set It Up in Cursor

1. Open the terminal in your desired project folder and launch it

2. Make sure Node.js is installed:

node -v

1. Run the MCP setup script you copied earlier:

   

By default, this config is saved to:

Now Cursor is ready to access live content from your Notion workspace.

Watch it work in the video

The video below shows this full flow in action. From writing the PRD in Notion, to setting up Composio, to watching Cursor generate real, working code based on a live document.

Use Case 2: Generate a Product Brief from Notion in Claude

Now let’s look at a writing-focused workflow, turning notes or research in Notion into a structured product brief using Claude.

In this setup:

• Notion holds the source content (research, notes, feature ideas)

• Composio MCP connects your Notion workspace to Claude

• Claude uses the live content to generate summaries or briefs based on what’s actually written

Instead of copying raw notes into the chat window or explaining context manually, you can let Claude read the document directly and respond with something meaningful.

“Create a product brief based on the Notion page titled ‘Q3 Planning”

🔧 How to Set It Up in Claude

1. Download and open Claude Desktop

1. Go to File > Settings

1. Then, go to Developer > Edit Config

2. This will open the Claude config folder. In my case, it’s located at:

C:\\Users\\AAKASH\\AppData\\Roaming\\

1. Open a terminal in that exact directory

2. Run the MCP setup script you copied earlier:

npx @composio/mcp@latest setup "https://mcp.composio.dev/composio/server/customerId=><customer_id>/mcp?include_composio_helper_actions=true" "Notion-access"

Once the setup is complete, Claude should be restarted, and now it is ready to use live content from your Notion workspace in its responses.

1. You can confirm the Notion MCP server is connected by opening this menu in the chat bar. From there, you can start using prompts that reference your actual Notion pages.

Watch it work in the video.

Conclusion

Your team’s thinking already lives inside Notion, but getting that knowledge into AI tools has often been a slow and clumsy process. Composio’s Notion MCP server changes that by giving tools like Claude and Cursor direct access to your live documents, with full structure and context.

This approach keeps your workflow cleaner and more reliable. Instead of relying on outdated copies or reformatting content manually, your tools can work with the most current information available.