Notion Custom Agents are AI helpers that live in your workspace and run on their own, on a schedule or when something happens, like a new database page or a Slack message. To build one, go to Agents in the sidebar, click the plus button, describe the job in chat or pick a template, review the instructions, triggers and access Notion drafts, then save. You'll need a Business or Enterprise plan.
Notion has two kinds of agent, and the difference matters. Notion Agent is the assistant you talk to. Custom Agents are built to work in the background without you starting them each time. This guide is about the second kind, because that's where the real time savings are.
I've written this from Notion's own help centre and releases page, read in October 2026.
Notion Agent vs Custom Agents
| Notion Agent | Custom Agents | |
|---|---|---|
| How it starts | When you ask it something | Automatically, on triggers and schedules |
| Best for | One-off questions and edits | Recurring jobs like weekly reports or triage |
| Who it serves | You | A shared resource for the whole team |
If you're still getting to grips with the everyday assistant, my guide on how to use Notion AI covers that side.
What a Custom Agent can do
- Read Notion pages and databases, and certain connected apps
- Run on recurring schedules and workspace events
- Post reports, file bugs, update records or send messages
- Hand part of a job to another Custom Agent you've given it access to
- Be mentioned in pages, database properties and comments
Who can use Custom Agents
Notion says you must be on its Business or Enterprise plan, and you build, edit and use Custom Agents on desktop or the web. Agent work also uses Notion credits, which you can track in the credits dashboard. For what's included in each plan, see is Notion AI free.
How to build a Custom Agent, step by step
- Open the Agents section in the sidebar and select the plus button.
- Choose how to start: create with AI chat, from a template, or blank.
- If you chose chat, describe the job in plain English.
- Review the instructions, triggers and access that Notion AI drafts, and adjust them.
- Pick a model, or leave it on Auto.
- Save.
Notion's advice on instructions is sound: start with the job and the outcome you want, then add concrete steps, inputs and outputs, with examples if you have them. Here's the kind of description I'd start with:
Copy this prompt
Every Monday at 8am, read the Client Projects database and post a short summary in the Team Updates page: projects due this week, anything overdue, and any project with no update in seven days. Keep it under 150 words and list overdue items first.
The triggers you can use
| Trigger type | Examples Notion lists |
|---|---|
| Recurring | Every day, week, month or year at a set time and timezone |
| Notion events | A comment added, a page added to or removed from a database, a property updated, an AI Meeting Note finished |
| Slack events | A message in a channel, an emoji reaction, the agent mentioned |
You can combine triggers and add filters, such as a specific status or keyword, so the agent only runs when it should. In busy Slack channels, keywords cut the noise a lot.
The access setting most people get wrong
Here's the catch I'd flag first. Notion says linking to a page in your agent's instructions doesn't give the agent access to it. Access is set separately, in the Tools and access section of the agent's settings. If your agent seems to ignore a page you mentioned, that's almost always why.
Notion builds agents to be cautious by default. They only act on the pages, databases and apps you grant, and never get full workspace access unless you choose it. You can control who edits or runs each agent, see an activity log of what it did, and restore earlier set-ups from version history. Web access is a separate toggle: leave it off for purely internal jobs.
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Slack set-up notes
- A Slack workspace admin has to connect Slack to Notion first.
- Your Slack account should use the same email as your Notion account.
- To trigger an agent by mentioning it in Slack, the Slack admin must allow members to create user groups.
- Saved or Later messages in Slack aren't supported.
Choosing a model
Custom Agents can run on several models, including Claude, the newest GPT models, Gemini and Grok, with Auto as Notion's recommended default. Notion's tip is to give a lead agent a stronger model when it has to plan and check work, and give focused helper agents lighter, faster ones. One detail worth knowing: Notion says that with Claude Fable 5, available on Business and Enterprise only, Anthropic may store prompts and responses for a period, which is why a workspace owner has to switch it on first.
If you'd like help mapping which of your team's repetitive jobs could run on an agent, that's exactly what I do on my work with me page.
My verdict
Custom Agents are the most useful thing Notion has added in years, if you're on a Business or Enterprise plan. Start with one weekly report, give it access only to the database it needs, and check the activity log for the first few runs. Once it's reliable, add triggers for the jobs your team keeps forgetting.
Builders of automations and agents can see the AI topics I publish.
Frequently asked questions
What are Notion agents?
Notion has Notion Agent, the assistant you ask directly, and Custom Agents, which run automatically in the background on schedules and triggers using your docs and databases as context.
Which Notion plan do I need for Custom Agents?
Notion says you must be on its Business or Enterprise plan to use Custom Agents, and you build and use them on desktop or the web.
How do I create a Custom Agent in Notion?
Go to the Agents section in the sidebar, select the plus button, then create with AI chat, from a template or from blank. Review the draft instructions, triggers and access, then save.
Why can't my Notion agent see a page?
Linking a page in the instructions doesn't add it to the agent's access. Add the page or database in the Tools and access section of the agent's settings.
Can Notion agents work with Slack?
Yes. Once an admin connects Slack to Notion, Custom Agents can read selected channels, post to channels you choose and run when messages, reactions or mentions happen.
