Airtable

This MCP server provides read and write access to Airtable databases, enabling large language models to inspect schemas and perform CRUD operations on records. It exposes a set of tools that let you list bases and tables, read and modify records, manage tables and fields, and add comments, all through a standardized MCP interface.

How to use

You connect to the Airtable MCP server from your MCP client. The server exposes a collection of tools that you call to interact with Airtable bases and tables, read records, create new ones, update fields, or describe table structures. Start by configuring your client with the server’s connection method (stdio) and your Airtable API key. Provide the API key as shown in the configuration examples so the client can authenticate and execute the available actions.

How to install

Prerequisites You need Node.js installed on your machine to run the MCP server client tooling used in examples.

Choose an installation path based on your MCP client. The following example demonstrates configuring Claude Desktop via a JSON configuration that launches the MCP server through npx and passes your Airtable API key.

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

Notes on configuration and startup

The Airtable MCP server requires your Airtable personal access token. In your setup, place the token in the environment variable AIRTABLE_API_KEY as shown in the JSON example. You can run the MCP server using a predefined command like npx with the airtable-mcp-server package, ensuring the environment variable is present for authentication.

Additional content to help you get started

The server exposes a rich set of tools to interact with Airtable programmatically. You can list bases, list tables in a base, describe a table, and perform CRUD operations on records. There are also tools to create and update tables, fields, and to manage comments on records.

Security and tokens

Protect your Airtable API token. Treat AIRTABLE_API_KEY as a sensitive credential and avoid embedding it in shared configurations. Use environment variables or secret management to keep tokens secure.

Troubleshooting and tips

If you encounter authentication errors, verify that AIRTABLE_API_KEY is correctly set in your MCP client configuration. Ensure the token has the necessary scopes for the operations you intend to perform, such as schema and data access.

Available tools

list_records

Lists records from a specified Airtable table. Parameters: baseId, tableId, maxRecords (default 100), filterByFormula.

search_records

Searches for records containing specific text. Parameters: baseId, tableId, searchTerm, fieldIds (optional), maxRecords (default 100).

list_bases

Lists all accessible Airtable bases. No input parameters. Returns baseId, name, and permission level.

list_tables

Lists all tables in a base. Parameters: baseId, detailLevel. Returns tableId, name, description, fields, and views.

describe_table

Gets detailed information about a specific table. Parameters: baseId, tableId, detailLevel. Returns detailed table schema.

get_record

Fetches a single record by ID. Parameters: baseId, tableId, recordId.

create_record

Creates a new record in a table. Parameters: baseId, tableId, fields.

update_records

Updates one or more records. Parameters: baseId, tableId, records.

delete_records

Deletes one or more records. Parameters: baseId, tableId, recordIds.

create_table

Creates a new table in a base. Parameters: baseId, name, description, fields.

update_table

Updates a table’s name or description. Parameters: baseId, tableId, name, description.

create_field

Creates a new field in a table. Parameters: baseId, tableId, name, type, description, options.

update_field

Updates a field’s name or description. Parameters: baseId, tableId, fieldId, name, description.

create_comment

Creates a comment on a record. Parameters: baseId, tableId, recordId, text, parentCommentId (optional). Returns the created comment with ID, author, creation time, and text.

list_comments

Lists comments on a record. Parameters: baseId, tableId, recordId, pageSize (default 100), offset (optional). Returns comments with author, text, timestamps, reactions, and mentions.