Sync Modes

N2O gives you full control over how and when content flows between Notion and Obsidian. All automation settings live in Sync Configuration > Automation (open from N2O Settings or the Dashboard).

Sync Direction

The Sync Direction setting (Sync Configuration > Sync Behavior) controls which way data flows:

Setting	What it does
Bidirectional	Pull from Notion + push Obsidian changes back
Notion → Obsidian only	Pull only — Obsidian edits are never pushed
Obsidian → Notion only	Push only — useful for writing-first workflows

Free tier is always pull-only regardless of this setting.

Pull sync (Notion → Obsidian)

Free + Pro

Fetches content from Notion and writes it to your vault:

Reads pages, databases, and media from the Notion API
Converts Notion blocks to Markdown via N2O’s intermediate format
Writes .md files with YAML frontmatter to your sync folder
Downloads images and file attachments to _files/ subfolders

Pull sync is incremental — only pages with a newer last_edited_time in Notion since the last sync are re-fetched.

Commands:

N2O: Pull from Notion — pull only, no push
N2O: Sync with Notion (merge) — pull + push (bidirectional)
N2O: Preview sync (dry run) — shows what would change without writing anything

Push sync (Obsidian → Notion)

Pro only

Detects changes you make in Obsidian and writes them back to Notion:

Compares file content hashes to detect changes since the last push
Parses Markdown back into N2O’s intermediate format
Uses content-aware block diffing — only changed blocks are updated in Notion, not the whole page
Pushes updated frontmatter properties back to Notion database fields

Commands:

N2O: Push changes to Notion — push all changed files
N2O: Push current file to Notion — push the active file only
N2O: Sync with Notion (merge) — pull + push together

Auto-sync (timed full sync)

Pro only — Sync Configuration > Automation > Sync Mode

Set Sync Mode to Automatic to run a full pull sync on a timer:

Interval: 1–60 minutes (default: 5 minutes)
Each cycle runs a complete pull: discovery, new page pickup, orphan detection
Uses the same Sync Direction setting — if bidirectional, also pushes changes

When to use: Catching structural changes — new pages, deleted pages, database schema updates.

Fast polling (real-time pull)

Pro only — Sync Configuration > Automation > Fast Polling

A lightweight check that detects Notion edits quickly without a full sync:

Interval: 5–120 seconds (default: 30 seconds)
Uses a single Notion Search API call per poll with a 2-minute lookback window
Only fetches pages that actually changed — no unnecessary work
Pauses automatically during a full sync to prevent race conditions

When to use: Catching edits to existing pages near-instantly. Pairs well with auto-sync — use fast polling for real-time edits (every 30s) and auto-sync for structural changes (every 15–30 min).

Auto-push (debounced push)

Pro only — Sync Configuration > Automation > Auto-Push

Watches for file saves in your vault and pushes changes to Notion automatically:

Delay: 3–30 seconds (default: 5 seconds)
The timer resets each time you save — only pushes after you stop editing
Works only on files that have already been synced (have a notion_id in frontmatter)
Skips files just written by pull sync to prevent push-pull loops
Pauses during a full sync

When to use: Live bidirectional editing — you write in Obsidian, Notion updates automatically a few seconds later.

Manual sync

Free + Pro

Run any sync operation on demand:

Command	What it does
`N2O: Sync with Notion (merge)`	Full bidirectional sync
`N2O: Pull from Notion`	Pull only
`N2O: Push changes to Notion`	Push all changed files
`N2O: Sync current file with Notion`	Bidirectional sync for the active file
`N2O: Pull current file from Notion`	Pull the active file only
`N2O: Push current file to Notion`	Push the active file only
`N2O: Preview sync (dry run)`	Show changes without applying them

You can also trigger sync from the N2O Dashboard (click the sidebar icon or run N2O: Open Dashboard) or by clicking the status bar.

Recommended setups

Casual reading (Free)

Manual pull when you want updates. No automation needed.

Active writing (Pro)

Sync Direction: Bidirectional
Auto-Sync: On, 15–30 minute interval
Fast Polling: On, 30 seconds
Auto-Push: On, 5-second delay

This gives near-real-time sync in both directions with minimal API usage.

Notion-first, Obsidian read-only

Sync Direction: Notion → Obsidian only
Fast Polling: On, 30 seconds

Feature comparison

Feature	Free	Pro
Pull sync (manual)	✓	✓
Push sync (manual)	—	✓
Auto-sync (timed)	—	✓
Fast polling	—	✓
Auto-push	—	✓
Incremental sync	✓	✓
Page limit	100	Unlimited
Database limit	Unlimited	Unlimited