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Build an AI work partner that sets up Notion around how you actually work

Use the interview prompt I used to turn scattered notes, calendars and ideas into a Notion system I could realistically maintain.

What do I need to set up?

Open the option that matches what you already use. If you are unsure, start with the first one.

I only have a normal AI chat

Paste the master prompt below into a new ChatGPT or Claude conversation. The AI will interview you, propose a workspace and give you a manual Notion build checklist. You need a chat account, a Notion workspace and about 20 minutes. You do not need a connector, MCP or coding tool.

I use ChatGPT

The prompt works on the web and in the desktop app. A Notion connection is optional. The standard Notion app available to new ChatGPT users can search authorized content, but it may not create or edit pages. Check the actions shown in your account. If there is no write action, ask ChatGPT for the structure and manual build checklist.

I use Claude

The prompt works in Claude on the web and in Claude Desktop. On an eligible paid plan, you can add Notion in Settings, then Connectors. Notion's remote MCP address is https://mcp.notion.com/mcp. A connected client can act with your Notion permissions, so begin inside one empty test page.

I use Codex or Claude Code

Use this route when you want the AI to work with project files or maintain a repeatable workflow. You still do not need a coding agent for the first interview. If your setup has no approved Notion connection, ask it to save the workspace specification as Markdown and build the plan manually.

Why the interview matters

I wanted Notion to organize my work, but setting it up kept becoming another unfinished project. Asking AI to “make me a Notion” did not solve that. It needed to learn how I plan, where I capture ideas, what I abandon and what I do not want automated.

The useful order is: interview first, summarize what it learned, propose the smallest system, show the plan, then build only what you approve.

I call this an AI work partner, not an AI clone. It does not already know how you work. You give it context, decide what it can access and approve what happens next.

Before you connect anything

Create one empty top-level Notion page called AI Workspace Sandbox. If your setup lets you limit access, give the AI access only to that page. Keep private journals, client databases, HR information and financial records out of the first test.

The master prompt

Copy the full prompt. Leave the text in square brackets blank if you want the AI to ask you.

I want to build a simple organization system that fits the way I actually work. I do not want you to give me a generic template or start creating things immediately.

Your role is to interview me, design the smallest useful system, and help me implement it safely.

PHASE 1: INTERVIEW ME

Ask one question at a time. Wait for my answer before asking the next question.

Cover these areas:

- What I am trying to organize and why it feels difficult now
- The responsibilities, projects, ideas, or information I need to track
- What I currently use, including calendars, notes, task managers, email, files, and Notion
- Which parts of my current system work and which parts I keep abandoning
- How and where I naturally capture new information
- How often I realistically review or maintain a system
- Whether I prefer lists, boards, calendars, dashboards, or simple pages
- Any accessibility, attention, energy, or executive-function needs that affect the design
- What information is private or should never be connected
- What I want the AI to do, what it may suggest, and what it must never change without permission

Do not recommend a structure until you understand my answers. If something is unclear, ask a follow-up question.

PHASE 2: SUMMARIZE BEFORE DESIGNING

When the interview is complete, give me:

1. A short summary of how I work
2. The three biggest problems the system needs to solve
3. The tools I already use and whether they should stay
4. The maintenance level I can realistically sustain
5. Any privacy, permission, or technical limits you identified

Ask me to correct this summary. Do not continue until I approve it.

PHASE 3: PROPOSE THE SMALLEST USEFUL SYSTEM

Design a minimum version first. Avoid adding a database, property, automation, dashboard, or connection unless it solves a problem from the interview.

For a Notion setup, propose:

- The pages and databases needed
- The purpose of each one
- The properties and views needed
- What information moves between them
- What I will do daily, weekly, and only when needed
- What should remain outside Notion
- Which steps can be automated and which decisions remain mine

Show the proposed structure as a clear outline. Include a short explanation of why each part exists. Then ask me to approve, remove, or change each major part.

PHASE 4: CHECK YOUR TOOLS

Before taking action, state which tools or connectors you can use in this conversation.

If you cannot create or edit items in [NOTION OR MY CHOSEN TOOL], say so clearly. Give me a manual checklist instead. Do not pretend that you completed an action.

If you can take action, list the exact pages, databases, properties, or records you plan to create or change.

Use [AI WORKSPACE SANDBOX OR ANOTHER APPROVED LOCATION] as the only permitted working area.

PHASE 5: PERMISSION RULES

Start with read-only inspection when possible.

Ask for my confirmation before every batch of changes.

Never delete, archive, publish, share, invite people, send messages, change permissions, or modify anything outside the approved working area.

Never expose or copy private information into another tool without asking.

If an action is irreversible, difficult to undo, or affects another person, stop and explain the risk.

If the available connector has broader access than this task requires, tell me before using it.

PHASE 6: BUILD AND VERIFY

After I approve the plan, create only the minimum version.

After each batch:

- Tell me exactly what you created or changed
- Give me the links or locations
- Tell me what you could not complete
- Ask me to review the result before continuing

Finish with a short operating playbook that explains what I should do daily, weekly, and when the system starts feeling too complicated.

Do not call the setup finished until I confirm that the structure matches how I work.

Using a tool other than Notion?

Paste this after the master prompt. The interview and permission rules stay the same.

I am using [TOOL NAME] instead of Notion.

First, explain which parts of your proposed system this tool can support well and which parts need a different approach.

Before taking action, check whether you have a live connection that can read or write in this tool. Name the actions you can actually perform.

If there is no connection, give me a manual build checklist using the language and structure of [TOOL NAME]. Keep the same interview, approval, privacy, and verification rules from the original prompt.

What a good result looks like

Three problems you may hit

The AI keeps giving me a generic template

Reply: “Stop designing. Return to Phase 1 and continue the interview. Ask one question at a time and connect every future recommendation to something I told you.”

It says it created something, but I cannot find it

Ask for the exact tool call, page URL and location. If it cannot provide them, treat the action as incomplete and use the manual checklist.

The first version is too complicated

Reply: “Reduce this to the smallest version I could maintain for two weeks. Keep only the parts that solve the three problems from my interview.”

Using this inside a company

A personal test can use one person, one working area and one permission boundary. A company setup also needs owners, approved systems, access levels, review logs, fallback rules and a clear list of data that must never enter an external AI system.

Start with one contained workflow and one accountable owner. Do not begin by connecting the entire company workspace.

Want to build this safely with your team?

I help teams turn a vague AI ambition into a workflow people can use, with clear context, permissions, review points and a human owner.

Tell me what you want to improve

Sources and technical notes

Product capabilities change. Check the app or connector page in your own account before granting access. Technical details reviewed 1 August 2026.