Module 5: Airtable and Notion

Connect Airtable and Notion to n8n

Capsule description

This module works with two tools, so this capsule connects both at once. Neither Airtable nor Notion uses the "Sign in with Google" flow of the previous modules — each has its own mechanism, and both go through creating an integration (similar to Module 4's Slack app).

The good news: both are simpler than Slack. There are no scopes to check one by one and no reinstalls. You create an integration, copy a token, and paste it into n8n. The part that does confuse everyone — which is why we give it attention — is that in both tools, creating the integration doesn't give it access to your data automatically. There's a second step: granting explicit access to each base (Airtable) or each page/database (Notion). This capsule walks you through both steps in each tool.

The goal: end with two working credentials and a test read in each tool.

What you'll learn

By the end of this capsule you'll be able to:

✅ Create an Airtable integration and get its token
✅ Create a Notion integration and get its token
✅ Grant explicit access to your bases and pages (the step everyone forgets)
✅ Create both credentials in n8n
✅ Do a test read in each tool
✅ Understand the common pattern: token + explicit access

Connect Airtable

Step A1: create the access token

Go to your Airtable account → the developer hub / personal access tokens page (in your account settings, developers section)
Create a Personal Access Token
When you create it, Airtable asks you to define:
- Scopes: what the token can do. For this module, the ones for reading and writing record data (something like data.records:read and data.records:write), and reading the structure (schema.bases:read)
- Access: which bases this token has access to — and here's the key step

Step A2: grant access to the bases

The step everyone forgets. When you create the token, Airtable asks which bases it can access. If you don't add your test base here, the token exists but sees nothing. Explicitly add the base(s) you're going to work with.

If you later create a new base and your workflow can't find it: go back to the token and add it to the access.

Step A3: the credential in n8n

n8n → Credentials → Add credential → search for Airtable
Select Airtable Personal Access Token API (not the old "API Key" option, which Airtable has already discontinued)
Paste the token
Name it: Airtable - business account

Connect Notion

Step N1: create the integration

Go to notion.so/my-integrations
Click New integration (or Create new integration)
Give it a name (n8n Assistant), choose the workspace, and the Internal type (for your own use)
When you create it, Notion gives you an integration token (Internal Integration Secret) — copy it

Step N2: grant access to the pages

The same step everyone forgets, again. In Notion, creating the integration doesn't give it access to your workspace. You have to explicitly share each page or database with the integration:

Open the page or database in Notion

••• menu (top right) → Connections / Connect to

Select your integration (n8n Assistant)

From there, the integration sees that page and everything inside it. If your workflow "can't find" a Notion database, it's almost always because you didn't share it with the integration.

Step N3: the credential in n8n

n8n → Credentials → Add credential → search for Notion
Select Notion API (the internal token option)
Paste the integration token
Name it: Notion - business workspace

The common pattern: token + explicit access

You'll have noticed that Airtable and Notion follow the same logic, different from Google:

Step	Airtable	Notion
1. Create credential	Personal Access Token	Internal integration
2. Grant explicit access	Add bases to the token	Share pages with the integration
3. Paste token in n8n	Airtable PAT credential	Notion API credential

The key concept: in both, the token is an identity with no permissions by default. The token isn't "you" — it's a guest that doesn't enter any room until you open each door for it. This is good: you have fine control. But it's the #1 cause of "I connected everything and it doesn't work" — the missing step 2.

Test reads

Airtable test

In Airtable, create a base Test CRM with a table Contacts and a couple of records. Make sure this base is in the token's access (step A2).
In n8n: Manual Trigger → Airtable
- Resource: Record
- Operation: Search (or List)
- Base: Test CRM
- Table: Contacts
Run it. If you get your records as items: Airtable works.

Notion test

In Notion, create a database Test Tasks with a couple of records. Share it with the integration (step N2).
In n8n: Manual Trigger → Notion
- Resource: Database Page
- Operation: Get Many
- Database: Test Tasks
Run it. If you get your pages as items: Notion works.

Common traps

Trap 1: Token created, access not granted

What happens: The credential seems fine but the node doesn't see your bases/pages, or gives a permissions error.

How to avoid it: Step 2 (grant explicit access) isn't optional. Airtable: add the base to the token. Notion: share the page with the integration.

Trap 2: Using Airtable's old API Key

What happens: You look for your Airtable "API Key" and can't find it, or it doesn't work.

How to avoid it: Airtable discontinued API Keys. Now you use Personal Access Tokens. Create a new one and use the Airtable Personal Access Token API credential in n8n.

Trap 3: Sharing only the parent page and expecting to see the children

What happens: In Notion, you share a page but not the database that's inside another section.

How to avoid it: The integration sees a page and everything nested inside it. If your database lives in another branch of the workspace, share it (or share a common ancestor).

Trap 4: Insufficient scopes on the Airtable token

What happens: You can read records but not write, or you don't see the table's structure.

How to avoid it: When creating the Airtable token, include the read and write scopes for records, plus the one for reading the schema. If you missed one, edit the token or create another.

Trap 5: Exposing the tokens

What happens: You paste the token in a message, repo, or screenshot. Anyone with it accesses your data.

How to avoid it: Treat them like passwords. Both tools let you revoke and regenerate the token if it leaks.

Exercise: connect both

Goal: end with both credentials working and a test read in each tool.

Your task

Airtable: create a Personal Access Token with record scopes (read/write) and schema; create the base Test CRM with table Contacts; add that base to the token's access; create the credential in n8n; do the test read
Notion: create an internal integration; create the database Test Tasks; share it with the integration; create the credential in n8n; do the test read
Confirm that both reads return your records

Success checklist:

The Airtable credential reads the Contacts table
The Notion credential reads the Test Tasks database
You understand the pattern: token + explicit access (step 2 in both)

Summary and next step

Airtable and Notion don't use "Sign in" — each connects with a token you paste into n8n
In both, creating the token/integration doesn't grant access to the data — there's a mandatory second step: grant explicit access (Airtable: add bases to the token; Notion: share pages with the integration)
The token is an identity with no permissions by default — a guest that doesn't enter any room until you open the door
Airtable uses Personal Access Tokens (the old API Keys are discontinued); Notion uses an internal integration
In Notion, the integration sees a page and everything nested inside
5 traps: token with no access granted, using the old API Key, sharing only the parent page, insufficient scopes, exposing the tokens

Before moving on you should be able to:

Connect Airtable and Notion to n8n
Explain the "grant explicit access" step in each one
Do a test read in both

What comes next (capsule 03):

With both connected, we go in depth with the first one: Airtable. Bases, tables, records, and above all the field types — what makes Airtable real structure, not a sheet with another name.

Additional resources

Airtable: Personal Access Tokens - How to create and configure the token.
Notion: create integrations - Notion's integrations panel.
n8n Airtable / Notion Credentials Docs - Setup of both credentials in n8n.

Created: May 14, 2026 Version: 1.0

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