> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://tinkeringwithideas.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Build an Idea Capture System With Readwise and Notion - URL: https://tinkeringwithideas.io/build-an-idea-capture-system-with-readwise-and-notion/ - Published: 2026-09-17T15:15:46.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-17T15:15:46.000Z - Author: Anna Burgess Yang Are you the person who loves saving things you read or hear? Highlights in articles you read online, snippets from podcasts, book passages? But then you can never actually find that information again? AI-powered search has completely changed that. Here’s how to set up a system to capture information from what you read or listen to, and then actually be able to find it later. ### Before you get started: - A [Readwise](https://readwise.io/?ref=tinkeringwithideas.io) account with highlights already saved (from articles, podcasts, books, or newsletters) - An app that has AI-powered search. I use [Notion](https://affiliate.notion.so/annabyang?ref=tinkeringwithideas.io) *\[affiliate link*\].\* ❗ Note: this same approach works with any Readwise output destination that has AI-powered search, including Obsidian or Google Docs. The sync setup and the way highlights appear will look a little different in each, but the AI search principle is the same. ## Why skipping the tagging step actually works Back in the day, I used Google Keep, then graduated to [Readwise](https://readwise.io/?ref=tinkeringwithideas.io). Readwise lets me save almost anything I read or listen to. It will sync to a variety of external sources, like Obsidian, Roam Research, or even a Google Doc. For example, if I read something interesting, I simply right-click on the text and highlight it. Readwise saves the highlight and will send it to your output destination. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c6/8b/c68b9f37-94e3-4c3c-ae12-39470811de24/content/images/2026/09/annabyang-readwise-save-01.jpeg) But retrieval was still a problem. I synced to an app called Reflect but had to implement an elaborate tagging system. It was time-consuming and fragile — utterly dependent on my ability to tag things consistently. The promise of AI-powered search was enough to make me change my output destination from Reflect to Notion. Notion’s AI-powered search is exactly what I needed, with prompts like “Find me this quote from a podcast I listened to on XYZ topic,” and Notion can surface it. I don’t need to do any tagging or categorization. ## Step 1: Connect Readwise to your Notion workspace In Readwise, you’ll go to the Exports section. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c6/8b/c68b9f37-94e3-4c3c-ae12-39470811de24/content/images/2026/09/annabyang-readwise-notion---Step-1.jpeg) Readwise has dozens of export options. Choose your tool and click “Connect.” You’ll be prompted to enter your credentials. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c6/8b/c68b9f37-94e3-4c3c-ae12-39470811de24/content/images/2026/09/annabyang-readwise-notion---Step-2.jpeg) ## Step 2: Confirm your library is syncing Once connected, everything from Readwise will sync to the output destination. In apps like Reflect or Roam Research, each Save gets its own page. In Google Docs, every save is appended to a single Google Doc (and then you can use something like Notebook LM to search). In Notion, each page is added to a Notion database, with structured fields for the type of content (podcast, article, book, etc) with other data fields. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c6/8b/c68b9f37-94e3-4c3c-ae12-39470811de24/content/images/2026/09/annabyang-readwise-notion---Step-5.jpeg) Open a page, and you can see all of the fields imported from Readwise. I did not set any of these manually. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c6/8b/c68b9f37-94e3-4c3c-ae12-39470811de24/content/images/2026/09/annabyang-readwise-notion---Step-8.jpeg) The content you’ve saved or highlighted is in the body of the page itself. Here's an example from a podcast. I use [Snipd](https://www.snipd.com/?ref=tinkeringwithideas.io) as a podcast player so I can save bits of podcast transcripts. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c6/8b/c68b9f37-94e3-4c3c-ae12-39470811de24/content/images/2026/09/annabyang-readwise-notion---Step-11.jpeg) ❗ Note: The only thing Readwise won't do is pull text from your screenshots, but I [use Zapier for that](https://tinkeringwithideas.io/extract-text-from-screenshots/). It feeds into the same Readwise library in Notion. ## Step 3: Run a search and open the results Now use AI to search your Readwise library. When I’m working on something in Notion and need to find a source, I open Notion’s AI and type in what I’m looking for. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c6/8b/c68b9f37-94e3-4c3c-ae12-39470811de24/content/images/2026/09/annabyang-readwise-notion---Step-18--1-.jpeg) Notion gives me a list of results that match my prompt. I can click on an individual link to be taken to the source’s Notion page in the Readwise library to review it. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c6/8b/c68b9f37-94e3-4c3c-ae12-39470811de24/content/images/2026/09/annabyang-readwise-notion---Step-19.jpeg) ## Step 4: Save your AI search prompt In Notion, I've actually saved a more complex prompt. Because most of my searches are related to my writing, I want the search results to populate a specific part of my Notion page. I also tell Notion AI to limit the search to the top five results. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c6/8b/c68b9f37-94e3-4c3c-ae12-39470811de24/content/images/2026/09/annabyang-readwise-notion---Step-21.jpeg) ## Get the prompt ## Get the Search Prompt Enter your email and I'll send over the prompt I use to search my own library, plus the Zapier template that pulls screenshots into it. Get it! Fill out your email address to access the resources. ## More resources - [Automatically Add Blog Posts to Notebook LM](https://tinkeringwithideas.io/blog-posts-notebook-lm/) - [Build a Note-Taking System You'll Actually Use](https://blog.annabyang.com/best-tools-for-capturing-notes/?ref=tinkeringwithideas.io)