Notion page markdown write returns 504 gateway_timeout and the change may already be saved

Symptom

HTTP 504 gateway_timeout from Update a page's content as markdownPreviously the same timeout returned 500 internal_server_errorBlind retry duplicates inserted content

Cause

Since September 24, 2026, requests that run past their deadline return 504 instead of 500. A 504 does not mean the write was rolled back, so a retry handler that treats it like a failed write can apply the edit twice. A write that runs out of its time budget still returns 503 with additional_data.retry_guidance.

Fix

On 504, re-read the page and confirm whether the edit landed before retrying. Use additional_data.retry_guidance on 503. Update any error handling that matched only 500.

ApplyCopy

On 504: GET the page markdown, check whether the new content is present, and only then resend the edit

Affected

Update a page's content as markdown and notion-update-page MCP tool, from 2026-09-24

Sources

• https://developers.notion.com/page/changelog

Last verified 2026-10-17 · Confirmed by 0 builders