AI Registry Setup in Notion
The AI Registry is a Notion workspace template that gives you a structured system for tracking your business processes, workflows, AI building blocks, and connected applications. It serves as the central hub for your AI operations — a single place to document what you’re building, how it works, and what tools are involved.
This registry is also the foundation for the AI Registry plugin, a set of Claude Code skills that can read from and write to your registry automatically. Once your registry is set up and connected, Claude can name workflows, write SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures), register skills, and keep everything in sync — anywhere on the Claude platform.
Prerequisites
Section titled “Prerequisites”- Notion account (free or paid) — get Notion here
- Basic familiarity with Notion pages and databases
Setup Steps
Section titled “Setup Steps”Step 1: Get Notion
Section titled “Step 1: Get Notion”If you don’t already have Notion, sign up at notion.so. Notion is available on:
- Web — works in any browser
- Desktop — macOS and Windows apps
- Mobile — iOS and Android
A free Notion account is all you need to use the registry.
Step 2: Open the Template
Section titled “Step 2: Open the Template”Click this link to view the AI Registry template:
AI Registry - Template{:target=“_blank”}
Step 3: Click Duplicate
Section titled “Step 3: Click Duplicate”In the top-right corner of the template page, click the “Duplicate” button. If you’re not signed in to Notion, you’ll be prompted to log in first.
Step 4: Copy to Your Workspace
Section titled “Step 4: Copy to Your Workspace”Select the workspace you want to copy the template into. The entire page — including all four databases, sample entries, and relations between them — will be duplicated into your workspace.
Step 5: Review Sample Entries
Section titled “Step 5: Review Sample Entries”The template includes sample entries in each database so you can see how they work together. Explore a few entries to understand the structure:
- Click into a Business Process to see its linked workflows
- Click into a Workflow to see its linked AI building blocks and apps
- Notice how relations connect everything together
When you’re ready, delete the sample entries and start adding your own.
Step 6: Customize Databases and Properties
Section titled “Step 6: Customize Databases and Properties”Tailor the registry to your business. Each database comes with sensible defaults, but you’ll want to adjust them:
- Business Processes — Edit the Domain select field to match your business areas (Sales, Marketing, Product, Operations, etc.)
- Workflows — Update Status, Execution Mode (Augmented, Automated, Manual), and Autonomy Level (Deterministic, Guided, Autonomous, N/A) options to fit your workflow categories
- AI Building Blocks — Customize Asset Type options (Skill, Prompt, Agent, Project, Context MD, etc.)
- Apps — Configure Type options for your integration patterns (API, MCP Server, Native Integration, Webhook, etc.)
To edit a select field: click any cell with that property, then click “Edit property” to add, rename, or remove options.
Step 7: Connect Your AI Tools
Section titled “Step 7: Connect Your AI Tools”To let your AI tools read and update the registry, connect Notion using the built-in integrations available on each platform:
- Claude — Add the Notion connector from your Claude account settings under Connected Apps
- ChatGPT — Add the Notion connection from Connected Apps in your settings
Once connected, your AI tool can search, read, and update your registry databases directly. No custom configuration or API keys required.
Understanding the Registry Structure
Section titled “Understanding the Registry Structure”The Four Databases
Section titled “The Four Databases”| Database | Purpose | Key Fields |
|---|---|---|
| Business Processes | High-level business functions and their domains | Domain, LOB, Description, Guide (URL) |
| Workflows | Specific workflows within each process | Status, Execution Mode, Autonomy Level, Trigger, Process Outcome, SOP (URL), Workflow Definition (URL), Building Block Spec (URL) |
| AI Building Blocks | Skills, prompts, agents, and other AI components | Asset Type, Platform, Status, Dependencies |
| Apps | Connected applications and integrations | Type, Auth Type, Connection Status |
How Relations Work
Section titled “How Relations Work”The databases are linked to show how your operations connect:
Business Process → Workflows → AI Building Blocks ↘ Apps- Each Business Process contains multiple Workflows
- Each Workflow can use multiple AI Building Blocks and Apps
- Changes propagate automatically through relations
Using the AI Registry Plugin
Section titled “Using the AI Registry Plugin”Once your registry is connected via the Notion connector, install the companion plugin to let Claude work with it directly:
/plugin install ai-registry@handsonaiThe plugin includes five skills that automate common registry tasks:
| Skill | What it does |
|---|---|
naming-workflows | Generates consistent, outcome-focused workflow names and creates entries in the Workflows database |
writing-workflow-sops | Writes SOP markdown files for workflows and optionally links them from your tracker’s SOP URL property |
writing-process-guides | Writes process guide markdown files and optionally links them from your tracker’s Guide URL property |
registering-building-blocks | Registers AI building blocks (Skills, Agents, Prompts, Context MDs) in the AI Building Blocks database |
syncing-skills-to-github | Commits skills to GitHub and updates Notion with repository URLs |
Recommended workflow
Section titled “Recommended workflow”- Name — Ask Claude to name a workflow and it creates a Notion entry
- Document — Ask Claude to write the SOP for that workflow
- Connect — Ask Claude to write a process guide linking workflows together
- Register — Ask Claude to register any skills you’ve built in the AI Building Blocks database
- Sync — Ask Claude to push skills to GitHub with version tracking
See the AI Registry plugin page for full details and usage examples.
Verify Setup
Section titled “Verify Setup”After duplicating and customizing the template, confirm everything is working:
- You can see all four databases in your workspace (Business Processes, Workflows, AI Building Blocks, Apps)
- Clicking into a sample entry shows relations linking to other databases (e.g., a Workflow links to its Business Process)
- You can create a new entry in any database and fill in the fields
- If you connected an AI tool (Step 7), ask it: “Search my Notion workspace for the AI Registry” — it should find and describe your databases
Troubleshooting
Section titled “Troubleshooting”Relations not copying correctly?
- This is rare with Notion duplicates. Try duplicating again.
- Ensure you’re duplicating the entire page, not individual databases.
Can’t find the template?
- The template must be shared publicly. If the link doesn’t work, check for updates on GitHub.
AI tool can’t see your registry?
- Confirm the Notion connector is enabled in your AI tool’s settings
- Make sure you’ve granted access to the workspace containing your registry
- Try disconnecting and reconnecting the Notion integration
Need to start over?
- Delete your copy and duplicate the template again.
Ask AI for help
If you’re stuck, paste this into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini:
I’m setting up the AI Registry in Notion and running into this issue: [describe what’s happening]. I duplicated the template and can see the databases. What should I check?
- Add your first process — Start with one business domain you know well
- Document existing workflows — Capture what you’re already doing before adding AI
- Find AI opportunities — Use the Analyze AI Workflow Opportunities guide to identify where AI can add value
- Deconstruct workflows — Break workflows into AI building blocks with the Deconstruct Workflows guide
- Install the plugin — Set up the AI Registry plugin to automate registry updates
- Explore other setup guides — See Platforms for platform-specific CLI tools