Airtable MCP Server

Airtable MCP Server

What is Airtable MCP Server about?

Enables AI models to interact directly with Airtable databases, offering both schema discovery and full CRUD operations on records. The server acts as a bridge, exposing Airtable data through the Model Context Protocol so that LLMs can query structures, retrieve, create, update, and delete records programmatically.

How to use Airtable MCP Server?

1. Create a Personal Access Token on Airtable with scopes schema.bases:read, data.records:read and optionally schema.bases:write, data.records:write.
2. Run the server with Node.js:

   AIRTABLE_API_KEY=your_token npx -y airtable-mcp-server
   

   (or configure the environment variable in a client‑side MCP JSON as shown in the serverConfig section).
3. Connect via an MCP‑compatible client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Cline, etc.) by adding an entry for the server name (e.g., "airtable") and supplying the same API key.
4. Use the exposed tools (list_records, create_record, update_table, etc.) through the client’s prompt or programmatic calls.

Key features of Airtable MCP Server

• Schema Introspection: list_bases, list_tables, describe_table provide detailed metadata, including field types and view definitions.
• Record Management: list_records, search_records, get_record, create_record, update_records, delete_records cover the full CRUD lifecycle.
• Structure Manipulation: create_table, update_table, create_field, update_field allow programmatic schema changes.
• Resource Endpoint: Direct access to JSON schema via airtable://<baseId>/<tableId>/schema.
• Cross‑client Support: Ready‑made installation instructions for Claude Desktop, Cursor, and Cline.

Use cases of Airtable MCP Server

• AI‑assisted data entry: An LLM can automatically populate Airtable forms based on user input.
• Dynamic reporting: Generate summaries or dashboards by querying records and schema in real time.
• Workflow automation: Trigger record updates from other AI agents without writing custom API calls.
• Knowledge extraction: Search across bases for relevant information using natural language queries.
• Schema migration: Programmatically create or modify tables/fields across environments.

FAQ from the Airtable MCP Server

• Do I need a paid Airtable plan? No, a personal access token works with free accounts as long as the required scopes are granted.
• Which environment variable holds the token? AIRTABLE_API_KEY is the expected variable; it can be set directly in the shell or via the MCP JSON configuration.
• Can I run the server without installing Node.js globally? Yes, the npx -y airtable-mcp-server command downloads and runs the package on‑the‑fly.
• What limits exist on record operations? The server respects Airtable’s API limits (typically 5 requests per second per base). Use pagination or maxRecords to control payload size.
• How do I debug connectivity issues? Ensure the API key has the correct scopes, the token is correctly set in AIRTABLE_API_KEY, and the server logs any HTTP errors to the console.

airtable-mcp-server

A Model Context Protocol server that provides read and write access to Airtable databases. This server enables LLMs to inspect database schemas, then read and write records.

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/c8285e76-d0ed-4018-94c7-20535db6c944

Installation

Step 1: Create an Airtable personal access token by clicking here. Details:

• Name: Anything you want e.g. 'Airtable MCP Server Token'.
• Scopes: schema.bases:read, data.records:read, and optionally schema.bases:write and data.records:write.
• Access: The bases you want to access. If you're not sure, select 'Add all resources'.

Keep the token handy, you'll need it in the next step. It should look something like pat123.abc123 (but longer).

Step 2: Follow the instructions below for your preferred client:

• Claude Desktop
• Cursor
• Cline

Claude Desktop

(Recommended) Via the extensions browser

1. Open Claude Desktop and go to Settings → Extensions
2. Click 'Browse Extensions' and find 'Airtable MCP Server'
3. Click 'Install' and paste in your API key

(Advanced) Alternative: Via manual .dxt installation

1. Find the latest dxt build in the GitHub Actions history (the top one)
2. In the 'Artifacts' section, download the airtable-mcp-server-dxt file
3. Rename the .zip file to .dxt
4. Double-click the .dxt file to open with Claude Desktop
5. Click "Install" and configure with your API key

(Advanced) Alternative: Via JSON configuration

1. Install Node.js
2. Open Claude Desktop and go to Settings → Developer
3. Click "Edit Config" to open your claude_desktop_config.json file
4. Add the following configuration to the "mcpServers" section, replacing pat123.abc123 with your API key:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "airtable": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "airtable-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "AIRTABLE_API_KEY": "pat123.abc123",
      }
    }
  }
}

5. Save the file and restart Claude Desktop

Cursor

(Recommended) Via one-click install

1. Click
2. Edit your mcp.json file to insert your API key

(Advanced) Alternative: Via JSON configuration

Create either a global (~/.cursor/mcp.json) or project-specific (.cursor/mcp.json) configuration file, replacing pat123.abc123 with your API key:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "airtable": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "airtable-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "AIRTABLE_API_KEY": "pat123.abc123"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cline

(Recommended) Via marketplace

1. Click the "MCP Servers" icon in the Cline extension
2. Search for "Airtable" and click "Install"
3. Follow the prompts to install the server

(Advanced) Alternative: Via JSON configuration

1. Click the "MCP Servers" icon in the Cline extension
2. Click on the "Installed" tab, then the "Configure MCP Servers" button at the bottom
3. Add the following configuration to the "mcpServers" section, replacing pat123.abc123 with your API key:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "airtable": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "airtable-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "AIRTABLE_API_KEY": "pat123.abc123"
      }
    }
  }
}

Components

Tools

• list_records

  • Lists records from a specified Airtable table
  • Input parameters:
    • baseId (string, required): The ID of the Airtable base
    • tableId (string, required): The ID of the table to query
    • maxRecords (number, optional): Maximum number of records to return. Defaults to 100.
    • filterByFormula (string, optional): Airtable formula to filter records

• search_records

  • Search for records containing specific text
  • Input parameters:
    • baseId (string, required): The ID of the Airtable base
    • tableId (string, required): The ID of the table to query
    • searchTerm (string, required): Text to search for in records
    • fieldIds (array, optional): Specific field IDs to search in. If not provided, searches all text-based fields.
    • maxRecords (number, optional): Maximum number of records to return. Defaults to 100.

• list_bases

  • Lists all accessible Airtable bases
  • No input parameters required
  • Returns base ID, name, and permission level

• list_tables

  • Lists all tables in a specific base
  • Input parameters:
    • baseId (string, required): The ID of the Airtable base
    • detailLevel (string, optional): The amount of detail to get about the tables (tableIdentifiersOnly, identifiersOnly, or full)
  • Returns table ID, name, description, fields, and views (to the given detailLevel)

• describe_table

  • Gets detailed information about a specific table
  • Input parameters:
    • baseId (string, required): The ID of the Airtable base
    • tableId (string, required): The ID of the table to describe
    • detailLevel (string, optional): The amount of detail to get about the table (tableIdentifiersOnly, identifiersOnly, or full)
  • Returns the same format as list_tables but for a single table
  • Useful for getting details about a specific table without fetching information about all tables in the base

• get_record

  • Gets a specific record by ID
  • Input parameters:
    • baseId (string, required): The ID of the Airtable base
    • tableId (string, required): The ID of the table
    • recordId (string, required): The ID of the record to retrieve

• create_record

  • Creates a new record in a table
  • Input parameters:
    • baseId (string, required): The ID of the Airtable base
    • tableId (string, required): The ID of the table
    • fields (object, required): The fields and values for the new record

• update_records

  • Updates one or more records in a table
  • Input parameters:
    • baseId (string, required): The ID of the Airtable base
    • tableId (string, required): The ID of the table
    • records (array, required): Array of objects containing record ID and fields to update

• delete_records

  • Deletes one or more records from a table
  • Input parameters:
    • baseId (string, required): The ID of the Airtable base
    • tableId (string, required): The ID of the table
    • recordIds (array, required): Array of record IDs to delete

• create_table

  • Creates a new table in a base
  • Input parameters:
    • baseId (string, required): The ID of the Airtable base
    • name (string, required): Name of the new table
    • description (string, optional): Description of the table
    • fields (array, required): Array of field definitions (name, type, description, options)

• update_table

  • Updates a table's name or description
  • Input parameters:
    • baseId (string, required): The ID of the Airtable base
    • tableId (string, required): The ID of the table
    • name (string, optional): New name for the table
    • description (string, optional): New description for the table

• create_field

  • Creates a new field in a table
  • Input parameters:
    • baseId (string, required): The ID of the Airtable base
    • tableId (string, required): The ID of the table
    • name (string, required): Name of the new field
    • type (string, required): Type of the field
    • description (string, optional): Description of the field
    • options (object, optional): Field-specific options

• update_field

  • Updates a field's name or description
  • Input parameters:
    • baseId (string, required): The ID of the Airtable base
    • tableId (string, required): The ID of the table
    • fieldId (string, required): The ID of the field
    • name (string, optional): New name for the field
    • description (string, optional): New description for the field

Resources

The server provides schema information for Airtable bases and tables:

• Table Schemas (airtable://<baseId>/<tableId>/schema)
  • JSON schema information for each table
  • Includes:
    • Base id and table id
    • Table name and description
    • Primary field ID
    • Field definitions (ID, name, type, description, options)
    • View definitions (ID, name, type)
  • Automatically discovered from Airtable's metadata API

Contributing

Pull requests are welcomed on GitHub! To get started:

1. Install Git and Node.js
2. Clone the repository
3. Install dependencies with npm install
4. Run npm run test to run tests
5. Build with npm run build

• You can use npm run build:watch to automatically build after editing src/index.ts. This means you can hit save, reload Claude Desktop (with Ctrl/Cmd+R), and the changes apply.

Releases

Versions follow the semantic versioning spec.

To release:

1. Use npm version <major | minor | patch> to bump the version
2. Run git push --follow-tags to push with tags
3. Wait for GitHub Actions to publish to the NPM registry.