Notion API v3 – nested database relations return only IDs, not full objects

Goal

Clarify how the Notion API v3 handles nested database relations when querying a page that contains a relation property.

Current Observed Behavior

The API returns the relation property as an array of page IDs, omitting the full property values of the related pages. Clients must perform separate queries to resolve these IDs.

Constraints & Uncertainty

Additional round‑trips increase latency and complexity for applications that build relational views. The documentation does not state whether this is intentional or an oversight, and no official issue tracker entry confirms the intended behavior.

Questions

1. Is the current return format of nested relations in v3 intentional, or will future releases expand the related objects automatically?
2. Does the API provide any hidden or undocumented parameters that allow fetching full related page details in a single call?
3. What is the recommended approach for developers who need relational data without incurring repeated queries?