Airtable

What is Airtable MCP Server?

Airtable MCP Server is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that facilitates interaction with the Airtable API. It enables programmatic management of Airtable bases, tables, fields, and records through Claude Desktop or other MCP clients. This server is designed to build complex Airtable tables in stages, leveraging Claude's agentic capabilities to minimize failure rates.

How to use Airtable MCP Server?

To use Airtable MCP Server, you need Node.js (version 18 or higher) and an Airtable API key. The API key requires specific scopes: data.records:read, data.records:write, schema.bases:read, and schema.bases:write. You can install the server using one of three methods:

1. npx (Recommended): Configure claude_desktop_config.json in your Claude Desktop directory to use npx @felores/airtable-mcp-server with your Airtable API key as an environment variable.
2. mcp-installer: Install mcp-installer and then prompt Claude Desktop to install @felores/airtable-mcp-server and set the AIRTABLE_API_KEY.
3. Local Development: Clone the repository, install dependencies (npm install), build (npm run build), and then run locally (node build/index.js). Configure Claude Desktop to use the local build.

After installation, verify by starting Claude Desktop and checking for the Airtable MCP server in the "Connected MCP Servers" section. You can test it with a simple command like "List all bases."

Key Features of Airtable MCP Server

• Base Management: List, create, and update Airtable bases and tables.
• Field Management: Create and update fields within tables.
• Record Operations: List, create, update, delete, search, and retrieve individual records.
• Staged Table Building: Specialized implementation for building complex tables in stages, improving reliability.
• LLM Guidance: Includes system prompt and project knowledge markdown files to guide the Language Model (LLM) when interacting with Airtable.
• Supported Field Types: Supports various field types including single-line text, multi-line text, email, phone number, number, currency, date, single select, and multi-select.
• Field Colors: Provides a range of bright and dark colors for select fields.

Use Cases of Airtable MCP Server

• Automated Airtable Management: Programmatically manage Airtable data, including creating new bases, tables, and records, or updating existing ones.
• Integration with Claude Desktop: Extend Claude Desktop

Airtable MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol server that provides tools for interacting with Airtable's API. This server enables programmatic management of Airtable bases, tables, fields, and records through Claude Desktop or other MCP clients.

This MCP server features a specialized implementation that allows it to build tables in stages, leveraging Claude's agentic capabilities and minimizing the failure rate typically seen in other MCP servers for Airtable when building complex tables. It also includes system prompt and project knowledge markdown files to provide additional guidance for the LLM when leveraging projects in Claude Desktop.

Requirements: Node.js

1. Install Node.js (version 18 or higher) and npm from nodejs.org
2. Verify installation:

   node --version
   npm --version
   

⚠️ Important: Before running, make sure to setup your Airtable API key

Obtaining an Airtable API Key

1. Log in to your Airtable account at airtable.com
2. Create a personal access token at Airtable's Builder Hub
3. In the Personal access token section select these scopes:
   • data.records:read
   • data.records:write
   • schema.bases:read
   • schema.bases:write
4. Select the workspace or bases you want to give access to the personal access token
5. Keep this key secure - you'll need it for configuration

Installation

Method 1: Using npx (Recommended)

1. Navigate to the Claude configuration directory:

   • Windows: C:\Users\NAME\AppData\Roaming\Claude
   • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/

   You can also find these directories inside the Claude Desktop app: Claude Desktop > Settings > Developer > Edit Config

2. Create or edit claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "airtable": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@felores/airtable-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "AIRTABLE_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: For Windows paths, use double backslashes (\) or forward slashes (/).

Method 2: Using mcp-installer:

mcp-installer is a MCP server to install other MCP servers.

1. Install mcp-installer
2. Install the Airtable MCP server by prompting Claude Desktop:

Install @felores/airtable-mcp-server set the environment variable AIRTABLE_API_KEY to 'your_api_key'

Claude will install the server, modify the configuration file and set the environment variable AIRTABLE_API_KEY to your Airtable API key.

Method 3: Local Development Installation

If you want to contribute or modify the code run this in your terminal:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/felores/airtable-mcp.git
cd airtable-mcp

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the server
npm run build

# Run locally
node build/index.js

Then modify the Claude Desktop configuration file to use the local installation:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "airtable": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["path/to/airtable-mcp/build/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "AIRTABLE_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Verifying Installation

1. Start Claude Desktop
2. The Airtable MCP server should be listed in the "Connected MCP Servers" section
3. Test with a simple command:

List all bases

Features

Available Operations

Base Management

• list_bases: List all accessible Airtable bases
• list_tables: List all tables in a base
• create_table: Create a new table with fields
• update_table: Update a table's name or description

Field Management

• create_field: Add a new field to a table
• update_field: Modify an existing field

Record Operations

• list_records: Retrieve records from a table
• create_record: Add a new record
• update_record: Modify an existing record
• delete_record: Remove a record
• search_records: Find records matching criteria
• get_record: Get a single record by its ID

Field Types

• singleLineText: Single line text field
• multilineText: Multi-line text area
• email: Email address field
• phoneNumber: Phone number field
• number: Numeric field with optional precision
• currency: Money field with currency symbol
• date: Date field with format options
• singleSelect: Single choice from options
• multiSelect: Multiple choices from options

Field Colors

Available colors for select fields:

• blueBright, redBright, greenBright
• yellowBright, purpleBright, pinkBright
• grayBright, cyanBright, orangeBright
• blueDark1, greenDark1

Contributing

We welcome contributions to improve the Airtable MCP server! Here's how you can contribute:

1. Fork the Repository

   • Visit https://github.com/felores/airtable-mcp
   • Click the "Fork" button in the top right
   • Clone your fork locally:

     git clone https://github.com/your-username/airtable-mcp.git
     

2. Create a Feature Branch

   git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name
   

3. Make Your Changes

   • Follow the existing code style
   • Add tests if applicable
   • Update documentation as needed

4. Commit Your Changes

   git add .
   git commit -m "feat: add your feature description"
   

5. Push to Your Fork

   git push origin feature/your-feature-name
   

6. Create a Pull Request

   • Go to your fork on GitHub
   • Click "New Pull Request"
   • Select your feature branch
   • Describe your changes in detail

Development Guidelines

• Use TypeScript for new code
• Follow semantic commit messages
• Update documentation for new features
• Add examples for new functionality
• Test your changes thoroughly

Getting Help

• Open an issue for bugs or feature requests
• Join discussions in existing issues
• Ask questions in pull requests

Your contributions help make this tool better for everyone. Whether it's:

• Adding new features
• Fixing bugs
• Improving documentation
• Suggesting enhancements

We appreciate your help in making the Airtable MCP server more powerful and user-friendly!

License

MIT

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Made with ❤️ by the Airtable MCP community