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obsidian-to-NotionNext/docs/en/04-sync.md

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Syncing Notes How to sync your Obsidian notes to Notion using the NotionNext plugin

Syncing Notes

After configuring your Notion database in the plugin settings, you can start syncing your Obsidian notes to Notion.

Manual Sync

To sync a note, open the note you want to sync and use the "Share to NotionNext" command from the command palette or the note context menu. This will create a new page in your Notion database with the content of your Obsidian note.

Auto Sync

The plugin supports automatic syncing that monitors your notes for changes and automatically syncs them to Notion.

Enabling Auto Sync

  1. Open the plugin settings
  2. Find the "Auto Sync" toggle under General Settings
  3. Enable the toggle
  4. Configure the "Auto Sync Delay" (default: 5 seconds, minimum: 2 seconds)

Prepare the Frontmatter

Auto sync reads the database list from the frontmatter key you configured in Settings → Auto Sync Frontmatter Key (default: autosync-database). To make sure your notes can sync automatically:

  • Add the configured key to your note's frontmatter
  • List one or more database abbreviations that you defined in the plugin settings
  • Keep the list updated if you change the databases a note should sync to

Example with the default key:

---
title: My Article
autosync-database: [blog, portfolio]
---

If you change the key name in the settings, update your frontmatter to match. The plugin will prompt you when the entry is missing.

How Auto Sync Works

When auto sync is enabled:

  • The plugin monitors markdown files for changes
  • After you stop editing for the configured delay period, auto sync is triggered
  • Only files that have already been synced to Notion (have a NotionID in frontmatter) will be auto-synced
  • If a file is linked to multiple databases, it will sync to all of them automatically

Auto Sync Scenarios

Scenario A: Missing Auto Sync Entry

---
title: My New Article
tags: [blog, tech]
---

Behavior:

  • Detects that the configured auto sync key is missing
  • Shows notice: ⚠️ Auto sync skipped: Add a "{key}" entry in the frontmatter to choose databases
  • No sync operation performed
  • 📝 Action Required: Add the configured key (default autosync-database) to the frontmatter with the database abbreviations

Scenario B: New Document (Not Yet Synced)

---
title: My New Article
aytosync-database: [blog]
---

Behavior:

  • Detects no NotionID present
  • Shows notice: "⚠️ Auto sync skipped: This document has not been synced to Notion, please upload manually first"
  • No sync operation performed
  • 📝 Action Required: Manually sync the document first using the command palette

Scenario C: Synced to One Database

---
title: My Article
NotionID-blog: abc123
autosync-database: [blog]
---

Behavior:

  • Detects 1 NotionID
  • Automatically syncs to the Blog database
  • Shows success/failure notification from the upload command
  • 📝 No Action Required: Changes are automatically synced

Scenario D: Synced to Multiple Databases

---
title: My Article  
NotionID-blog: abc123
NotionID-portfolio: def456
NotionID-notes: ghi789
---

Behavior:

  • Detects 3 NotionIDs
  • Shows notice: "🔄 Auto sync: Syncing to 3 database(s)..."
  • Syncs to all 3 databases sequentially
  • Shows individual result notifications for each database
  • 📝 No Action Required: Changes are automatically synced to all linked databases

Scenario E: Custom Frontmatter Key

---
title: My Article
NotionID-blog: abc123
NotionID-portfolio: def456
🚀-sync-targets: [blog, portfolio]
---

Behavior:

  • Uses your custom key (for example 🚀-sync-targets) configured in settings
  • Syncs to the listed databases when NotionIDs are present
  • 📝 Remember: Update both the setting and your frontmatter if you rename the key

Auto Sync Best Practices

  1. First Sync Manually: Always perform the first sync manually to establish the NotionID link
  2. Configure Delay Appropriately: Set a longer delay (5-10 seconds) if you make frequent edits
  3. Monitor Sync Status: Check the notifications to ensure syncs complete successfully
  4. Check Logs: Open the developer console (Ctrl+Shift+I / Cmd+Option+I) to view detailed sync logs

Troubleshooting

Having issues with auto sync? Check the Troubleshooting Guide for detailed solutions to common problems.