Obsidian $5k Bounty: Notion API Importer with Databases→Bases Conversion

Obsidian is offering a $5,000 bounty to build a Notion API importer that converts Notion pages and databases into Obsidian Markdown and Bases. The project must handle the new Notion Data Source object, attachments, and accurate property/view mapping. Testable, reproducible imports are required, and selection of a developer is expected within days.

Key Points

Build a Notion API importer (using integration token) that supports the new Notion Data Source object (Sept 2025).
Convert Notion content to Obsidian-flavored Markdown, including tables, to-dos, and accurate block rendering.
Download and relink images/attachments to the user’s chosen attachment location in Obsidian.
Implement Databases→Bases translation, deciding how to map views, properties, groups, summaries/rollups, and formulas into Base filters and frontmatter.
Provide working tests and a reproducible import scenario; bounty is $5,000 with a 30-day timeframe.

Sentiment

Mixed: supportive of bounties in general, cautiously optimistic about assisted tooling, but skeptical about the bounty size, the difficulty of Notion→Bases fidelity, and the quality risks of AI-generated PRs.

In Agreement

Open-source bounties are an effective way to motivate contributors and offload maintainer workload; even modest amounts can catalyze engagement.
LLMs can be helpful for migrations, exploring APIs, enumerating edge cases, and generating tests and docs, making them a useful assistant for this task.
A PR already exists attempting the importer, suggesting feasibility if guided and reviewed properly.
For developers with prior Notion and Obsidian experience, the project may be tractable within the bounty terms.

Opposed

$5,000 is likely insufficient given the complexity and limitations of Notion’s API and the difficulty of faithfully mapping databases to Obsidian Bases.
LLM-assisted development often yields low-quality or incoherent PRs, misses edge cases, and increases maintainer review burden and spam.
The existing AI-heavy PR was criticized as monolithic and hard to review; concerns that AI-generated code should be disclosed or even labeled by law.
Requiring applicants to explore both the Importer codebase and Notion API upfront reduces the expected value for candidates, further shrinking the pool.
Notion’s API lacks full feature parity with the UI, making complete fidelity and complex features (rollups, formulas, grouping) challenging.