In this article
Triggers and Actions How Notion Triggers Work Setup Instructions: Common Use Cases Use Case 1: Create Notion Docs from Form SubmissionsTriggers and Actions
Triggers (Notion → Workflows)
These are events in Notion that can initiate workflows :
| Trigger Name | Description |
|---|---|
| New Database Item | Fires when a new item is added to a Notion database |
| Updated Database Item | Fires when an existing item is modified |
| Updated Page | Fires when a Notion page is updated |
Note: All triggers rely on polling. Workflows checks Notion every 5 minutes for changes and processes new data accordingly.
Actions (Workflows → Notion)
These are actions Workflows can execute in Notion:
| Action Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Archive Database Item | Archives a selected database item in Notion |
| Create Database Item | Adds a new item to a chosen database |
| Add Content to Page | Appends content to an existing Notion page |
| Update Database Item | Updates fields of an existing database item |
| Retrieve a Page | Fetches a Notion page and its metadata |
| Retrieve Block Children | Retrieves child blocks under a Notion block (e.g., text, to-do, toggle) |
| Find Database Item | Locates a specific database item using filters |
| Get Page and Children | Retrieves a page along with all nested blocks |
| Find or Create Database Item | Finds an item or creates it if it doesn’t exist |
| Add Comment | Posts a comment on a Notion page |
| Create Page | Creates a new Notion page |
| Restore Database Item | Reactivates a previously archived item |
| Retrieve Database | Fetches metadata and schema for a database |
| Get Page Comments | Retrieves all comments from a Notion page |
| Find Page (By Title) | Searches for a page using its title |
| Find or Create Comment | Finds or creates a comment based on uniqueness criteria |
Getting Started withNotion
Search in Workflows
Open your workflow builder and search for any Notion actions or triggers you’d like to add.
Connect Your Account
If your Notion account is already connected, you’ll see configuration options immediately.
If not, click Connect Now and complete the Notion authorization flow (via OAuth).
Alternative Method
Navigate to Settings → Integrations.
Find Notion and connect your workspace.
Once connected, you can create, update, and sync pages or database items directly from your workflows.
How Notion Triggers Work
Notion triggers are powered by polling. Every 5 minutes, Workflows sends a request to Notion to check for any changes. If it detects a qualifying event (e.g., new database item or updated page), it triggers your workflow.
Setup Instructions:
Choose a trigger (e.g., New Database Item).
Name your trigger and click Test Trigger.
Workflows will retrieve metadata from Notion to enable dynamic field mapping in downstream actions.
Common Use Cases
Use Case 1: Create Notion Docs from Form Submissions
Goal: Capture form submissions in Notion for project tracking or onboarding.
Workflow Setup:
Trigger: Form Submitted
Filter: Form Name = “Onboarding Form”
Actions:
Create Database Item (Notion)
Add Comment