Notion — database/getMany

When to Use

Admin UI database picker: Populate a dropdown list of available databases so users can select a target database for their workflow without needing to manually look up UUIDs in Notion.
Cross-database sync inventory: Enumerate all accessible databases to build a sync manifest. Each database entry provides its ID and last-edited time, allowing a scheduler to determine which databases need updating.
Governance audit: List all team databases at a scheduled interval to audit titles, sharing permissions, and last-edited dates. Flag databases that have not been touched in 90 days for review.
Dynamic workflow configuration: At workflow startup, call database/getMany to resolve a database name to its UUID. Store the UUID in a workflow variable for use in all subsequent operations.
Permission verification sweep: After rotating or creating a new integration token, call database/getMany to confirm which databases are visible. Compare the result against an expected list to catch missing shares.

Configuration

Authentication

Field	Required	Description
`AuthenticationMethod`	Required	`"ApiToken"` or `"OAuth2"`.
`ApiToken`	Required	Notion Internal Integration Token starting with `secret_`. Store in Credentials Manager.
`ClientId`	OAuth2	OAuth2 client ID.
`ClientSecret`	OAuth2	OAuth2 client secret.
`AccessToken`	OAuth2	OAuth2 access token.

Operation Fields

Field	Required	Description
`ReturnAll`	Optional	When `true`, the node automatically pages through all results. Default: `false`.
`Limit`	Optional	Maximum number of databases to return per call. Range: 1–100. Used when `ReturnAll` is `false`. Default: 100.
`StartCursor`	Optional	Pagination cursor from a previous call's `next_cursor` field. Omit for the first page.

ReturnAll vs pagination: Use ReturnAll: true when the total number of databases is small (under 50). For large workspaces or when you need cursor-based pagination across multiple workflow runs, use Limit + StartCursor and store next_cursor in a workflow variable.

Sample Configuration

{
  "resource": "database",
  "operation": "getMany",
  "AuthenticationMethod": "ApiToken",
  "ApiToken": "{{ $credentials.notionApiToken }}",
  "ReturnAll": true
}

Validation Errors

Error Code	Cause
`NOTION_UNAUTHORIZED`	API token is invalid or the integration is not connected to the workspace.
`NOTION_INVALID_CONFIG`	Authentication fields are missing or `Limit` is outside the valid range (1–100).
`NOTION_INVALID_REQUEST`	`StartCursor` value is not a valid pagination cursor. Ensure it comes from a previous response's `next_cursor` field.
`NOTION_RATE_LIMITED`	Rate limit exceeded. When using `ReturnAll` on a large workspace, the node may hit the 3 req/s limit. Add retry logic or switch to manual pagination with delays.

Output

Success Port

Field	Type	Description
`results`	array	Array of database objects. Each item contains `id`, `title`, `url`, `created_time`, `last_edited_time`, `properties`, and `parent`.
`has_more`	boolean	`true` if more pages of results exist. Only relevant when `ReturnAll` is `false`.
`next_cursor`	string	Cursor to pass as `StartCursor` on the next call. `null` when `has_more` is `false`.

Error Port

On failure the error port receives errorCode, message, and httpStatus. Wire the error port to a notification node to alert on authentication failures during scheduled audits.

Sample Output

{
  "results": [
    {
      "id": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
      "title": "Sprint Tasks",
      "url": "https://www.notion.so/a1b2c3d4e5f67890abcdef1234567890",
      "created_time": "2024-01-15T09:00:00.000Z",
      "last_edited_time": "2024-06-10T14:32:00.000Z"
    },
    {
      "id": "b2c3d4e5-f6a7-8901-bcde-f12345678901",
      "title": "Customer CRM",
      "url": "https://www.notion.so/b2c3d4e5f6a78901bcdef12345678901",
      "created_time": "2023-11-01T08:00:00.000Z",
      "last_edited_time": "2024-06-09T10:15:00.000Z"
    }
  ],
  "has_more": false,
  "next_cursor": null
}

Expression Reference

Expression	Type	Example Value	Use
`{{ $output.getManyDatabases.results.length }}`	number	`12`	Count total accessible databases for audit report
`{{ $output.getManyDatabases.results[0].id }}`	string	UUID	First database ID — useful when only one database is expected
`{{ $output.getManyDatabases.has_more }}`	boolean	`false`	Gate a pagination loop on this value
`{{ $output.getManyDatabases.next_cursor }}`	string	Cursor string	Pass to next call's `StartCursor` for manual pagination
`{{ $output.getManyDatabases.results.map(d => d.title) }}`	array	`["Sprint Tasks","CRM"]`	Build a list of database titles for display

Node Policies & GuardRails

Policy	Detail
Integration scope limitation	Only databases explicitly shared with the integration appear in results. Databases not shared are invisible to the API — this is by design. There is no error for invisible databases.
ReturnAll rate limit risk	When a workspace has more than ~50 databases, `ReturnAll: true` may trigger rate limiting. Switch to manual pagination (`Limit: 50` + cursor loop) with a Delay node in production.
Results are not ordered by title	The API returns databases in internal order, not alphabetical. Use a `Function` node to sort by `title` before displaying to users.
Credentials in Credentials Manager	Never hard-code the API token. Use `{{ $credentials.notionApiToken }}`.
Stale cursor handling	Cursors from previous calls can expire. If a paginated loop returns `NOTION_INVALID_REQUEST` on a cursor, restart pagination from the beginning and update the stored cursor.

Workflow Examples

Example 1 — Resolve Database Name to UUID at Startup

At workflow start, list all databases and find the one matching a configured name. Store its UUID for use in all downstream operations.

// Step 1: database/getMany (ReturnAll: true)
// Step 2: Function node
const db = $output.getManyDatabases.results.find(d => d.title === $vars.targetDatabaseName);
if (!db) throw new Error("Database not found: " + $vars.targetDatabaseName);
return { resolvedDbId: db.id };

// Step 3: All downstream nodes use {{ $vars.resolvedDbId }}

Example 2 — Scheduled Governance Audit

Weekly scheduled workflow audits all databases, flags those not edited in 90 days, and posts a summary to Slack.

// Step 1: ScheduledTrigger (weekly)
// Step 2: database/getMany (ReturnAll: true)
// Step 3: Function node — filter stale databases
const cutoff = new Date(Date.now() - 90 * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000).toISOString();
const stale = $output.getManyDatabases.results.filter(d => d.last_edited_time < cutoff);
return { staleDatabases: stale, count: stale.length };

// Step 4: Slack/postMessage with stale count and list

Example 3 — Populate Form Dropdown

Build a BizFirst Form where users pick a database. Populate dropdown options dynamically from database/getMany rather than hardcoding database names.

// Step 1: database/getMany (ReturnAll: true)
// Step 2: Function node
const options = $output.getManyDatabases.results.map(d => ({ label: d.title, value: d.id }));
return { databaseOptions: options };

// Step 3: Form node uses {{ $json.databaseOptions }} as select source