Automatic Blog Posting Workflow Setup

What this guide covers

The blog post on automatic blog posting explains why this pipeline works. This guide is the setup. Every account, every key, every connection, in the exact order that avoids redoing any steps.

When you are done, you fill a row in Notion. Claude Code picks it up, researches the keyword, writes the post, and pushes a branch to GitHub. You review it, merge, and Cloudflare deploys. That is the whole loop.

Unlike typical automation guides, this setup does not use Make.com, n8n, or Zapier. There are no complex multi-step integration processes to map out and debug on third-party platforms. It is a direct, one-time configuration of the four core tools, with Claude Code's native MCP integration handling the connections directly. The workflow handles the entire content generation process. You only provide the topic keyword in Notion. The rest, including SERP research, content outline, writing, and formatting, is generated automatically based on the instructions in your repository's markdown template file.

Notion: Your Content Database

Every post starts as a row in a Notion database. The automation reads the database, finds rows where Status is "Scheduled" and Target Date is today or earlier, and passes that row to Claude Code as the brief. No row, no post.

Step 1.1: Create Your Notion Account

1. Go to notion.so and sign up. The free plan is enough.
2. Choose "For myself" when asked. You can add a workspace later.
3. Skip the template prompts. You are building your own database below.

Step 1.2: Build the Editorial Calendar Database

Create a full-page database (not inline). Call it "Blog Editorial Calendar" or anything clear. Add these fields in this order:

Step 1.3: Create the Notion Integration (API Key)

Claude Code connects to Notion via its official API. You need an integration token to give it access.

1. Go to notion.so/my-integrations and click + New integration.
2. Name it something like "Claude Blog Automation". Associate it with your workspace.
3. Under Capabilities, enable: Read content, Update content. You do not need Insert or Delete for this workflow.
4. Click Submit. Copy the Internal Integration Token, which starts with secret_. Save it securely.
5. Go back to your Editorial Calendar database. Click ⋯ → Connections → Add connections and add your integration. Without this step, the API token cannot read your database.

Step 1.4: Get Your Database ID

Claude Code also needs the database ID to query the right rows.

1. Open your Editorial Calendar database in a browser (not the desktop app).
2. Look at the URL. It will look like: notion.so/YOUR-WORKSPACE/XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX?v=...
3. The 32-character string before the ?v= is your Database ID. Copy and save it alongside your token.

Claude Code: The AI Writing Agent

Claude Code is Anthropic's CLI agent. In this workflow, it reads your Notion row, runs SERP research on the primary keyword, writes the post following your template, and pushes the branch to GitHub, all in one session, without you running any of those steps manually.

Step 2.1: Create an Anthropic Account

1. Go to console.anthropic.com and sign up.
2. Add a payment method. Claude Code runs on the API, not the web chat, so a paid account is required.
3. Go to Settings → API Keys → Create Key. Name it something like "Blog Automation". Copy the key immediately. It is only shown once.

Step 2.2: Install Claude Code

Claude Code is a CLI tool. Install it via npm:

1. After installation, run claude in your terminal.
2. It will ask for your API key on first run. Paste the key from Step 2.1.
3. Check it works: claude --version.

Step 2.3: Install the Notion MCP Server

Anthropic's Model Context Protocol (MCP) lets Claude Code connect directly to Notion, GitHub, and other services without any custom integration code. You register each MCP server once and it is available in every Claude Code session from that point forward.

Replace your_secret_token_here with the Integration Token you saved in Step 1.3.

Step 2.4: Write Your CLAUDE.md Blog Template

This file controls everything. The CLAUDE.md spec tells Claude Code exactly what to write, how to structure it, and what to avoid. Every post is as good as this file is specific.

Create the file at .claude/blog-automation/CLAUDE.md inside your repo. It should cover:

• Frontmatter format: Exact YAML fields your static site generator requires (title, description, pubDate, category, readTime, etc.)
• Body structure: The required sections in order: introduction, table of contents, H2 sections, key takeaways, FAQ block, author bio.
• SEO rules: Keyword density (1-2%), first 100 words must include the primary keyword, at least 2 named external citations with year, internal links required.
• Word and phrase blacklist: "Delve", "It is worth noting", "In conclusion", AI cliches, generic filler phrases.
• Infographic spec: SVG figure format, caption style, accessibility attributes required.
• File path: Where to save the file, e.g. src/content/blog/[slug].md

## Frontmatter
title: "Post Title Here"
description: "150-160 char meta description"
pubDate: YYYY-MM-DD
category: "Category from Tag field"
readTime: "X min read"
featured: false

## Required Body Sections (in order)
1. Opening paragraph (no heading)
2. Blockquote summary
3. Table of Contents
4. H2 sections (minimum 4, maximum 7)
5. Key Takeaways (bulleted list)
6. FAQ (3-5 questions using details tags)

## SEO Rules
- Primary keyword in title, first 100 words, at least 1 H2
- Keyword density: 1-2% of total word count
- Minimum 2 named external citations with year
- Minimum 1 internal link per 500 words

## Never Use
delve, it is worth noting, in conclusion,
as an AI language model, groundbreaking,
synergies, game-changer

GitHub: Version Control and Review Gate

Every draft lands on its own branch before anything goes live. Claude Code creates the branch (auto/blog-[slug]), commits the file, and pushes. Nothing touches main until you merge it. That merge is the publish action.

Step 3.1: Create a GitHub Account and Repository

1. Go to github.com and create a free account if you do not have one.
2. Create a new repository for your website. If you are using a static site generator like Astro, Hugo, or Next.js, the repo should contain your full site source code.
3. Set the repo to Private during setup if your site code is not public. Cloudflare Pages can deploy from private repos.
4. Initialize with a README and push your site code to the main branch.

Step 3.2: Install the GitHub MCP Server for Claude Code

Claude Code uses the GitHub MCP server to create branches and commit files without you running any Git commands manually.

1. Generate a GitHub Personal Access Token: go to GitHub → Settings → Developer settings → Personal access tokens → Tokens (classic).
2. Click Generate new token. Give it a descriptive name. Set expiration (90 days recommended).
3. Under scopes, check: repo (full control of private repositories). This is the minimum required for branch creation and commits.
4. Click Generate. Copy the token, which starts with ghp_.

Step 3.3: Configure Branch Protection on Main

This step prevents accidental direct commits to main and enforces that posts only go live when you explicitly merge a branch.

1. In your repository, go to Settings → Branches.
2. Under Branch protection rules, click Add rule.
3. Set Branch name pattern to main.
4. Enable: Require a pull request before merging. Optional but recommended.
5. Save the rule.

Step 3.4: Branch Naming Convention

Claude Code will create branches named auto/blog-[slug] where [slug] comes from the Slug field in your Notion database. Make sure slugs are URL-safe: lowercase, hyphens instead of spaces, no special characters.

Cloudflare Pages: Auto-Deploy on Merge

Cloudflare Pages watches your repository. When you merge a branch into main, it builds and deploys automatically. Usually takes 30-90 seconds. No manual upload, no FTP, no dashboard login required.

Step 4.1: Create a Cloudflare Account

1. Go to dash.cloudflare.com and sign up. The free tier includes unlimited Pages projects and bandwidth.
2. You do not need to add a domain yet; Cloudflare gives every project a free subdomain at your-project.pages.dev.

Step 4.2: Connect Your GitHub Repository

1. In the Cloudflare dashboard, go to Workers & Pages → Create → Pages → Connect to Git.
2. Authenticate with GitHub. Select the repository you set up in Step 3.1.
3. Choose your production branch: main.

Step 4.3: Set Your Build Configuration

Configure the build settings to match your static site generator:

Step 4.4: Add a Custom Domain (Optional)

1. In your Pages project, go to Custom domains → Set up a custom domain.
2. Enter your domain (e.g. yourblog.com).
3. Cloudflare will prompt you to update your DNS records or, if you already manage DNS in Cloudflare, it will do it automatically.
4. HTTPS is provisioned automatically. No certificate configuration required.

Running It End to End

Four tools set up. Here is what actually happens when you run the workflow on a post.

Getting more from your CLAUDE.md

Most of the editing you do after a post runs comes from a vague template. These are the things worth getting specific about from the start.

• Tone by example, not label. "Conversational" means nothing to Claude Code. "Short paragraphs, no jargon, explain it like you are talking to a smart friend outside the industry" is something it can follow.
• Lock the citation format. Every citation should name the source, the year, and what the finding actually was. "Research shows" will fail your review every time.
• List your internal links. Name the 5-10 posts or pages you want linked most often. Claude Code will use them. This is how internal equity gets built without thinking about it.
• Set word count floors per section. Introductions under 150 words tend to miss context. H2 sections under 200 words tend to be thin. Put the minimums in the template.
• Update it when you keep making the same edit. After 5-10 posts, look at what you always change. If the same thing comes up twice, it belongs in the template, not your review pass.

Setup Checklist

Go through this before you run the workflow for the first time. All 16 items need to be done.