Syncs - Notion Docs

A sync pulls data from external sources like Salesforce, Stripe, and GitHub and writes it to a Notion database. You define a schema for the database and an execute function that returns the data. Notion runs it on a schedule and manages the database for you.

Define a database and sync

Every sync needs a database to write to. Declare one with worker.database(), then register a sync that targets it:

src/index.ts

import { Worker } from "@notionhq/workers";
import * as Builder from "@notionhq/workers/builder";
import * as Schema from "@notionhq/workers/schema";

const worker = new Worker();
export default worker;

const issues = worker.database("issues", {
  // only "managed" type is supported for now
  type: "managed",
  // the initial title of the database
  initialTitle: "Issues",
  // the property that uniquely identifies each row
  primaryKeyProperty: "Issue ID",
  // the schema defines the structure of the database
  schema: {
    // define each database property and its type
    properties: {
      Name: Schema.title(),
      "Issue ID": Schema.richText(),
      Status: Schema.richText(),
    },
  },
});

worker.sync("issuesSync", {
  // ...
});

primaryKeyProperty tells Notion which property uniquely identifies each row. This is typically the entity’s ID in the external API (e.g., a Salesforce Contact ID or GitHub issue ID). When your sync emits a record with the same key, Notion updates the existing row instead of creating a duplicate.

Syncs currently create and manage their own databases. Support for syncing to existing databases is coming soon.

Schema and properties

The schema.properties object defines the columns of your Notion database. Each property uses a Schema helper to declare its type, and each upsert uses the corresponding Builder helper to set its value. For the full list of supported property types, see Schema and builders.

Set page icons and covers

Each upsert can optionally set page metadata with icon and cover. Use Builder.imageCover() with an external image URL and an optional position from 0 (top) to 1 (bottom):

worker.sync("tasksSync", {
  database: tasks,
  execute: async () => ({
    changes: [
      {
        type: "upsert" as const,
        key: "task-123",
        properties: {
          Name: Builder.title("Write docs"),
          "Task ID": Builder.richText("task-123"),
        },
        icon: Builder.notionIcon("document", "blue"),
        cover: Builder.imageCover("https://example.com/cover.jpg", 0.5),
      },
    ],
    hasMore: false,
  }),
});

Choose a sync mode

Workers support two sync modes. Pick the one that fits your needs:

Replace (default)
Incremental

Each sync cycle returns the full dataset. After the final hasMore: false, any rows not seen during that cycle are automatically deleted.Best for smaller datasets (under 10k records) or APIs that don’t support change tracking. Also used as the backfill half of a backfill + delta pair.

worker.sync("teamsSync", {
  database: teams,
  mode: "replace",
  execute: async (state) => {
    const page = state?.page ?? 1;
    const { items, hasMore } = await fetchPage(page, 100);
    return {
      changes: items.map((item) => ({
        type: "upsert" as const,
        key: item.id,
        properties: {
          Name: Builder.title(item.name),
          ID: Builder.richText(item.id),
        },
      })),
      hasMore,
      nextState: hasMore ? { page: page + 1 } : undefined,
    };
  },
});

Each sync cycle returns only changes since the last run. Rows not mentioned are left as-is. Deletions must be explicit.Best for large datasets (10k+ records) or APIs that provide a changes endpoint or cursor. Typically used as the delta half of a backfill + delta pair.

worker.sync("eventsSync", {
  database: events,
  mode: "incremental",
  execute: async (state) => {
    const { upserts, deletes, nextCursor } = await fetchChanges(state?.cursor);
    return {
      changes: [
        ...upserts.map((item) => ({
          type: "upsert" as const,
          key: item.id,
          properties: {
            Name: Builder.title(item.name),
            ID: Builder.richText(item.id),
          },
        })),
        ...deletes.map((id) => ({
          type: "delete" as const,
          key: id,
        })),
      ],
      hasMore: Boolean(nextCursor),
      nextState: nextCursor ? { cursor: nextCursor } : undefined,
    };
  },
});

Paginate large datasets

When syncing more than a few hundred records, break the work into batches. The runtime calls execute repeatedly until you return hasMore: false:

Return a batch of changes with hasMore: true and a nextState value.
The runtime calls execute again, passing that state back as the first argument.
Repeat until you return hasMore: false.

nextState can be any serializable value, such as a cursor string, page number, timestamp, or object. Start with batch sizes of ~100 records.

worker.sync("paginatedSync", {
  database: records,
  execute: async (state) => {
    const { items, nextCursor } = await fetchPage(state?.cursor);
    return {
      changes: items.map((item) => ({
        type: "upsert" as const,
        key: item.id,
        properties: {
          Name: Builder.title(item.name),
          ID: Builder.richText(item.id),
        },
      })),
      hasMore: Boolean(nextCursor),
      nextState: nextCursor ? { cursor: nextCursor } : undefined,
    };
  },
});

Set a schedule

A schedule controls how often Notion triggers your sync. Each time it triggers, the runtime calls execute repeatedly until it returns hasMore: false, then waits for the next scheduled trigger. The default schedule is every 30 minutes.

worker.sync("frequentSync", {
  database: myDb,
  schedule: "5m",
  // ...
});

Value	Behavior
`"5m"`, `"15m"`, `"1h"`, `"1d"`	Run at the given interval
`"manual"`	Only run when triggered via the CLI

Minimum schedule is "5m", maximum is "7d".

Combine backfill and delta syncs

A single replace sync works for small datasets, but most real integrations need two things: fast updates (minutes, not hours) and the ability to re-sync everything when needed. You get both by registering two syncs against the same database:

A delta sync runs on a schedule and fetches only what changed since the last run. This keeps the database near-real-time.
A backfill sync paginates the entire upstream dataset. You trigger it manually, for example after a schema change, to populate a new property, or to catch anything the delta missed.

Since both syncs share a database and key space, upserts from both operate on the same rows. The delta keeps the database current and the backfill re-syncs the full dataset when you need to:

	Delta sync	Backfill sync
Mode	`incremental`	`replace`
Schedule	`"5m"` or `"30m"`	`"manual"`
What it does	Grabs recent changes via `updated_since` or a change feed	Paginates the entire upstream dataset
Deletes	Emits `type: "delete"` if the API supports it	Mark-and-sweep catches everything else
When it runs	Continuously on schedule	On demand

// Delta: near-real-time updates
worker.sync("ticketsDelta", {
  database: tickets,
  mode: "incremental",
  schedule: "5m",
  execute: async (state) => {
    await apiPacer.wait();
    const { items, nextCursor } = await fetchTicketChanges(state?.cursor);
    return {
      changes: items.map((t) => ({
        type: "upsert" as const,
        key: t.id,
        properties: {
          Summary: Builder.title(t.summary),
          "Ticket ID": Builder.richText(t.id),
        },
      })),
      hasMore: Boolean(nextCursor),
      nextState: nextCursor ? { cursor: nextCursor } : undefined,
    };
  },
});

// Backfill: full dataset sweep, run manually
worker.sync("ticketsBackfill", {
  database: tickets,
  mode: "replace",
  schedule: "manual",
  execute: async (state) => {
    const page = state?.page ?? 1;
    await apiPacer.wait();
    const { items, hasMore } = await fetchAllTickets(page);
    return {
      changes: items.map((t) => ({
        type: "upsert" as const,
        key: t.id,
        properties: {
          Summary: Builder.title(t.summary),
          "Ticket ID": Builder.richText(t.id),
        },
      })),
      hasMore,
      nextState: hasMore ? { page: page + 1 } : undefined,
    };
  },
});

In this example, to run a backfill at any point in the future, you’d reset the state then trigger the sync to start running:

ntn workers sync state reset ticketsBackfill
ntn workers sync trigger ticketsBackfill

This pattern gives you operational flexibility: run a backfill after a schema change to populate a new property, or after a bug fix to correct drifted data. This pattern also handles deletes cleanly even when the API doesn’t surface them, as the backfill’s replace-mode mark-and-sweep catches anything the delta missed.

If both syncs hit the same API, give them the same pacer. The runtime automatically splits the rate limit budget between them.

Relate two databases

Link databases together with Schema.relation() and Builder.relation():

const projects = worker.database("projects", {
  type: "managed",
  initialTitle: "Projects",
  primaryKeyProperty: "Project ID",
  schema: {
    properties: {
      Name: Schema.title(),
      "Project ID": Schema.richText(),
    },
  },
});

const tasks = worker.database("tasks", {
  type: "managed",
  initialTitle: "Tasks",
  primaryKeyProperty: "Task ID",
  schema: {
    properties: {
      Name: Schema.title(),
      "Task ID": Schema.richText(),
      Project: Schema.relation("projects", {
        twoWay: true,
        relatedPropertyName: "Tasks",
      }),
    },
  },
});

worker.sync("projectsSync", {
  database: projects,
  execute: async () => { /* ... */ },
});

worker.sync("tasksSync", {
  database: tasks,
  execute: async () => {
    const items = await fetchTasks();
    return {
      changes: items.map((task) => ({
        type: "upsert" as const,
        key: task.id,
        properties: {
          Name: Builder.title(task.name),
          "Task ID": Builder.richText(task.id),
          Project: [Builder.relation(task.projectId)],
        },
      })),
      hasMore: false,
    };
  },
});

In the example above, Schema.relation("projects") references the database name projects from worker.database("projects", ...), and the twoWay: true option adds a “Tasks” rollup column to the Projects database automatically.

Authenticate with external APIs

Most syncs need credentials for the external API they pull from. You have two options:

API keys and tokens: store them as secrets and read from process.env.
OAuth: for APIs that require user authorization (GitHub, Google, Salesforce), register an OAuth capability and call accessToken() in your execute function.

To call the Notion API from a sync (e.g., to read pages or update properties beyond sync changes), see Using Notion API from a worker.

Rate-limit outbound requests

Use a pacer to avoid hitting third-party API rate limits:

const api = worker.pacer("api", { allowedRequests: 10, intervalMs: 1000 });

worker.sync("customersSync", {
  database: customers,
  execute: async (state) => {
    await api.wait();
    const data = await fetchCustomers(state?.cursor);
    // ...
  },
});

await api.wait() blocks until a request slot is available. In this example, at most 10 requests per second.

Manage syncs from the CLI

# Live-updating status dashboard
ntn workers sync status

# Preview output without writing to the database
ntn workers sync trigger <syncKey> --preview

# Trigger a real sync immediately
ntn workers sync trigger <syncKey>

# Reset sync state (restart from scratch)
ntn workers sync state reset <syncKey>

# Pause a sync
ntn workers capabilities disable <syncKey>

# Resume a sync
ntn workers capabilities enable <syncKey>

Deploying does not reset sync state. Syncs resume from their last cursor position. See Resetting and migrating state below.

Reset and migrate state

Deploys never clear sync state. Your sync picks up where it left off. If you need to start fresh (e.g., after changing your schema or fixing a bug in your execute function), reset the state:

ntn workers sync state reset <syncKey>

This clears the stored nextState so the next run starts from scratch, as if the sync had never run before. To inspect the current state before deciding whether to reset:

ntn workers sync state get <syncKey>

Troubleshooting syncs

Sync runs but no rows appear

Check ntn workers sync trigger <syncKey> --preview to see what your execute function returns without writing to the database. If the preview is empty, the issue is in your data-fetching code.
Make sure the key in each change matches the property named by primaryKeyProperty.

Rows are duplicated

Each row needs a unique key. If two changes share the same key, the second overwrites the first. If keys differ, Notion creates separate rows. Double-check that your key is the stable external ID, not a value that changes between runs.

Stale rows aren’t deleted (replace mode)

Replace mode only deletes stale rows after the final page returns hasMore: false. If your sync errors partway through, no deletions happen (this is intentional to avoid data loss).

Sync is stuck or out of date

Run ntn workers sync status to see the current state and last run time.
If state is corrupted or outdated, reset it with ntn workers sync state reset <syncKey>.

Checking logs

List recent runs:

ntn workers runs list

View execution logs for a specific run:

ntn workers runs logs <runId>

See the CLI command reference for the full list of ntn workers sync flags and options.

Next steps

Schema and builders

Full reference for database property types and value builders.

SDK reference

Detailed API docs for worker.sync(), worker.database(), and worker.pacer().

Secrets

Store API keys and credentials for your sync.

OAuth

Connect to APIs that require user authorization.

​Define a database and sync

​Schema and properties

​Set page icons and covers

​Choose a sync mode

​Paginate large datasets

​Set a schedule

​Combine backfill and delta syncs

​Relate two databases

​Authenticate with external APIs

​Rate-limit outbound requests

​Manage syncs from the CLI

​Reset and migrate state

​Troubleshooting syncs

​Sync runs but no rows appear

​Rows are duplicated

​Stale rows aren’t deleted (replace mode)

​Sync is stuck or out of date

​Checking logs

​Next steps

Schema and builders

SDK reference

Secrets

OAuth

Define a database and sync

Schema and properties

Set page icons and covers

Choose a sync mode

Paginate large datasets

Set a schedule

Combine backfill and delta syncs

Relate two databases

Authenticate with external APIs

Rate-limit outbound requests

Manage syncs from the CLI

Reset and migrate state

Troubleshooting syncs

Sync runs but no rows appear

Rows are duplicated

Stale rows aren’t deleted (replace mode)

Sync is stuck or out of date

Checking logs

Next steps