📦Start from a template / clone an app

Use a Sample App, marketplace template, or a clone of an app you already own when you want a working first app instead of a blank builder. This page is the canonical reference for clone app, clone template, and preflight. Get started Create an app stays the short start-here and links here.

What this is / when to use it

Job	Use this	Do not use this
Copy an app you already own into the same account	Clone app (POST /:accountId/clone_app)	Recreating screens by hand
Start from a Sample App or marketplace template	Clone template + preflight	Importing a Notion export as if it were an app
Throw away a draft you no longer need	Delete app on this page	Archiving the Notion database

Clone copies the NotionApps app definition (screens, settings, automation bindings) and points the new app at Notion databases. It does not duplicate every Notion row unless the template flow says it will provision sample data.

When not to clone:

• You only need one extra screen on an existing app. Add a screen instead.

• You want a second brand on the same data. Prefer one app plus roles and navigation, or a linked app exchange if you are in Automation.

• You are debugging a save failure. Fix the original app first. Cloning a broken field map copies the break.

Before you start

1. You can sign in to the builder for the account that will own the new app.

2. Notion is connected. See Connect Notion.

3. For a template: you can open the Sample Apps / marketplace card and you have room on your plan for one more app. See Plans and entitlements.

4. For a clone of your own app: you know which app is the source, and you accept that the clone gets its own app id, URL slug, and publish state (draft until you publish).

Build it

Clone an app you already own

1. Open the builder home (your app list).

2. On the source app card, open the overflow menu and choose Clone / Duplicate app.

3. Confirm the destination workspace if the account has more than one.

4. Wait for the clone to finish. The new app appears in the list with a new name (usually “Copy of …”).

5. Open the clone. Check Databases — every linked database should resolve. If a database is missing, reconnect it from Manage linked databases.

6. Open Users if the source was private. The clone does not silently share the live user list until you link the Users database again.

7. Publish when the clone is ready. Publishing the clone does not unpublish the source.

Start from a Sample App or marketplace template

1. Open Sample Apps (or the marketplace card on builder home).

2. Pick a template that matches the job (Client Approval Hub, inspection ops, lead capture). Prefer a live-apps story you can also open as a guest so you know the end state.

3. Click Use template / Start from template.

4. Connect or confirm the Notion workspace the template will write into.

5. Run Preflight when the UI offers it. Preflight checks that required databases, properties, relations, and automation entitlements exist before the app is marked ready.

6. If preflight reports missing properties, add them in Notion (or let the provisioner create them when the template says it will), then run preflight again.

7. Open the new app. Walk the first-app path: list → details → one form → publish checklist.

8. Replace sample copy and sample users before you share the link with customers.

Delete an app

1. Open the app in the builder.

2. Go to Settings → Advanced (or the app card overflow → Delete).

3. Confirm the app name. Deletion removes the NotionApps app, its published URL, and builder history. It does not delete the Notion databases.

4. If you only need to hide the app, archive / unpublish instead. Delete is for apps you will not restore.

Every control

Control	Where	What it does
Clone / Duplicate	App card overflow	Calls clone app. New app id. Draft until you publish.
Use template	Sample Apps / marketplace	Provisions screens + optional Notion schema.
Preflight	Template / Automation template setup	Read-only check: databases, properties, relations, entitlements.
Repair	Template setup (when shown)	Attempts to create missing template pieces. Use after you understand what it will write to Notion.
Delete app	Settings → Advanced	Removes the NotionApps app only.
App name	Settings → General	Rename the clone so makers do not edit the source by mistake.

What users see

End users never see “clone” or “preflight.” They see whatever you publish on the new app URL. Until you publish the clone, they keep using the source app.

If the template includes sample rows (demo clients, demo requests), those rows are visible to anyone who can open the published app. Remove or replace them before a customer launch.

Limits and plans

• Each clone counts as an app on your plan. If you are at the app cap, clone fails until you delete or upgrade. See Plans and entitlements.

• Template automation (Workflow, Messaging, Approvals) is entitlement-gated. Preflight fails closed when the account cannot use those families. Request access from Automation Home rather than forcing a JSON import.

• Clone does not copy custom domain bindings. Re-add the domain on Publish & share.

• Clone does not copy collaborator invites. Re-add collaborators on the new app.

• File upload and two-way sync meters stay on the account. A clone that writes files still consumes the same upload quota.

Example

A maker has a working private portal App A and wants a second portal for another audience.

1. Clone App A.

2. Rename the clone App B.

3. In Databases, point lists at App B’s Notion databases (or keep the same databases and tighten data restriction).

4. In Users, link App B’s Users database and confirm login method.

5. Publish App B. Leave App A published.

Fix problems

Symptom	Likely cause	What to do
Clone button missing	Plan app cap, or you are a collaborator without clone permission	Check plan meters. Ask the account owner.
Preflight fails on a property	Template expects a Notion property that is missing or renamed	Restore the property name/type in Notion, or map the field in the builder, then re-run preflight.
Clone opens with empty lists	Databases not shared with the Notion integration	Share the databases with the NotionApps integration. Then sync.
Save failed after first edit	Field map points at a property the clone no longer has	See Save failed / field missing after Sync.
Automation screens empty	Entitlement not granted on the new app	Open Automation Home → Request access.

Related

Next on the maker path: Create an app if you are still on a blank app, or Add List and Details once the clone exists. When you are ready to share, use the first-app publish checklist and then the Publish & share hub.