Research a topic and write it up in Notion

Research notes end up scattered and without sources.

3 stepsSimple

Claude DesktopClaude CodeBrave SearchNotion

How it connects

Your AI reaches your apps through small connectors called MCP servers.

Your AI

Claude DesktopClaude Code

Connectors

Brave SearchNotion

Your apps

Notion

This setup is for analysts, founders and writers who need short research briefs with real sources. Claude searches the web through Brave Search, reads the results, and writes a structured page in Notion with a link for every key claim. You end up with briefs in one Notion location that you and your team can check and reuse.

Set it up

3 steps. Open one for the details.

1Add web search
Create a Brave Search API key in the Brave Search API dashboard and add the Brave Search MCP server to Claude Desktop or Claude Code with that key. Restart the host and ask Claude a simple current question to confirm it returns web results. Check your Brave plan's query limits, since a single brief can run many searches.
Tip: Store the API key in the server's env settings, not in a prompt.
2Connect Notion
Add Notion's MCP server and sign in with your Notion account, or use the local server with an internal integration token. With the token approach, share only the parent page where briefs should live with the integration. Ask Claude to list the pages it can see to confirm the scope is right.
Tip: Create a dedicated "Research" parent page so new briefs never land in random places.
3Ask for a sourced brief
Give Claude a clear question, the audience and your template headings, for example Summary, Findings, Open questions and Sources. Ask it to cite a link next to each claim and to say when sources disagree. Read the draft, open the links behind the key numbers, then ask Claude to create the page under your research parent.
Tip: Ask for a "confidence" note per finding so weak claims stand out.

Then just ask

Things to say once it's connected. Click one to copy it.

Ask Claude Desktop…Claude Desktop

Good to know

What you need, what it won't do, and how to keep it safe.

What you need

Brave Search API key
Notion workspace where you can connect integrations
Claude Desktop or Claude Code
A Notion parent page or template for briefs

Limits

Claude only sees what search results and accessible pages contain; paywalled sources are out of reach.
Briefs reflect the date you ran them and do not update themselves.
Citations can point to the right page but the wrong detail, so check key claims.

Keep it safe

Search results can be wrong. Check key claims against the cited source.
Limit Notion access to one teamspace.

Brave Search MCP Server (web-search) Notion MCP Server (page-read, page-write)

Questions

Straight answers before you start

Do I need to pay for Brave Search?

You need a Brave Search API key, and Brave's API plans set how many queries you can make. Check the current plans on Brave's site before you run many briefs, because each brief can use several searches.

How do I know the brief is accurate?

Claude cites the pages it used, but search results and summaries can still be wrong. Open the sources behind any number or quote you plan to reuse and correct the page if needed.

Can Claude read paywalled articles?

No. Brave Search returns titles, snippets and links, and Claude cannot get past paywalls or logins. Paste the text yourself if you have legitimate access and want it included.

Which host works best?

Claude Desktop is the simplest place to run research and review drafts. Claude Code also works if you prefer the terminal or want to save briefs as files too.

Tools in this setup

The products involved

Notion

Notion combines pages, wikis, project boards and simple databases in one flexible workspace. Teams keep internal knowledge, meeting notes and plans there, and built-in AI searches, summarises and drafts text. Templates get you started fast. It has a free plan and works for anything from personal notes to a company wiki.

Free planTry