database/search

When to Use

• Name-based lookup without hardcoded UUIDs: Use database/search when a workflow must locate a database by partial title — for example, finding the "Q2 2024 Sprint" database from user input without knowing its UUID in advance.
• Discovery for new team setups: When onboarding a new team workspace, search for known database names to verify they exist and capture their IDs before configuring downstream workflows.
• Multi-team database linking: In a multi-team setup, search for project-specific databases by a project code (e.g., "ALPHA") to dynamically route records to the right team database.
• Integration inventory tools: Build a database discovery UI where users type a partial name and the workflow returns matching databases for selection, avoiding the need for manual UUID lookup.
• Workspace migration assistance: During a workspace restructure, search by old database names to locate and catalog each database before renaming or moving them.

Configuration

Authentication

Operation Fields

Sample Configuration

{
  "resource": "database",
  "operation": "search",
  "AuthenticationMethod": "ApiToken",
  "ApiToken": "{{ $credentials.notionApiToken }}",
  "Query": "{{ $json.projectName }}",
  "Limit": 10
}

Validation Errors

Output

Success Port

Error Port

On failure the error port receives errorCode, message, and httpStatus. A zero-result response (empty results array) is a success — it means no databases matched the query.

Sample Output

{
  "results": [
    {
      "id": "c3d4e5f6-a7b8-9012-cdef-123456789012",
      "title": "Q2 2024 Sprint Board",
      "url": "https://www.notion.so/c3d4e5f6a7b89012cdef123456789012",
      "created_time": "2024-04-01T08:00:00.000Z",
      "last_edited_time": "2024-06-11T16:44:00.000Z"
    },
    {
      "id": "d4e5f6a7-b8c9-0123-defa-234567890123",
      "title": "Sprint Retrospectives",
      "url": "https://www.notion.so/d4e5f6a7b8c90123defa234567890123",
      "created_time": "2024-01-10T10:00:00.000Z",
      "last_edited_time": "2024-06-01T09:00:00.000Z"
    }
  ],
  "has_more": false,
  "next_cursor": null
}

Expression Reference

Node Policies & GuardRails

Workflow Examples

Example 1 — Resolve Project Database from User Input

A form submission includes a project name. Search for the matching database and store its ID before creating a task row.

// Step 1: FormTrigger — user submits project name
// Step 2: database/search
{
  "Query": "{{ $json.projectName }}"
}
// Step 3: Function node — exact match
const db = $output.searchDatabases.results.find(d => d.title === $json.projectName);
if (!db) throw new Error("No database found for project: " + $json.projectName);
return { dbId: db.id };

// Step 4: database/createPage using {{ $json.dbId }}

Example 2 — Multi-Team Database Router

Route an incoming webhook payload to the correct team database based on a team name field in the payload.

// Step 1: WebhookTrigger
// Payload: { "team": "Alpha", "task": "Deploy API v2" }

// Step 2: database/search
{
  "Query": "{{ $json.team }} Tasks",
  "Limit": 5
}
// Step 3: IfCondition — results.length === 0 → error branch
// Step 4: database/createPage with results[0].id

Example 3 — New Integration Verification

After setting up a new integration, run this workflow to confirm all expected databases are visible.

// For each expected database name in a list:
// Step 1: database/search with the name
// Step 2: Function node — check results.length > 0
// Step 3: Build report: { name, found: true/false, id: results[0]?.id }
// Step 4: Post summary to Slack