Airtable MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Airtable with full CRUD operations, schema management, record comments, webhooks, batch operations, governance controls, and AI-powered analytics.

Version 5.1.0 | MCP Protocol 2026-07-28 (stateless core, legacy 2025-era clients still served) | Works with Claude, Codex, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code, and any MCP client |

Quick Start (Claude Desktop)

No installation required — just add this to your Claude Desktop config and restart:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "airtable": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@rashidazarang/airtable-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "AIRTABLE_TOKEN": "YOUR_AIRTABLE_TOKEN",
        "AIRTABLE_BASE_ID": "YOUR_BASE_ID"
      }
    }
  }
}

That's it. npx downloads and runs the server automatically. No git clone, no npm install.

Get your token at airtable.com/create/tokens — grant all scopes listed under Token Scopes below. Get your Base ID from the URL when viewing your base: https://airtable.com/[BASE_ID]/... (or omit it and use list_bases to discover bases dynamically).

Quick Start (Claude Code)

One-command install

Terminal

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rashidazarang/airtable-mcp/main/setup.sh | bash

The script checks prerequisites, prompts for your Airtable token, and writes the MCP config to ~/.claude.json. Restart Claude Code (or run /mcp) to connect.

You can also pass your token directly:

Terminal

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rashidazarang/airtable-mcp/main/setup.sh | bash -s -- YOUR_AIRTABLE_TOKEN

Manual config

Add to ~/.claude.json under mcpServers:

config.json

{
  "airtable": {
    "type": "stdio",
    "command": "/bin/bash",
    "args": ["-c", "cd /tmp && npx -y @rashidazarang/airtable-mcp"],
    "env": {
      "AIRTABLE_TOKEN": "YOUR_AIRTABLE_TOKEN"
    }
  }
}

Why the bash wrapper? npx can fail to resolve the binary when run from a directory that contains a package.json with the same package name. The cd /tmp && prefix avoids this edge case.

Quick Start (Codex, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code)

The server works with any MCP client. It serves both the modern 2026-07-28 protocol and 2025-era clients automatically — no configuration needed for either.

OpenAI Codex (CLI, IDE extension, ChatGPT desktop)

One command:

bash

codex mcp add airtable -- npx -y @rashidazarang/airtable-mcp

Or edit ~/.codex/config.toml (or .codex/config.toml for a trusted project) directly:

toml

[mcp_servers.airtable]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@rashidazarang/airtable-mcp"]

[mcp_servers.airtable.env]
AIRTABLE_TOKEN = "YOUR_AIRTABLE_TOKEN"

The Codex CLI, IDE extension, and ChatGPT desktop app share this configuration.

Cursor

Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global) or .cursor/mcp.json (per project):

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "airtable": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@rashidazarang/airtable-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "AIRTABLE_TOKEN": "YOUR_AIRTABLE_TOKEN",
        "AIRTABLE_TOOLSET": "core"
      }
    }
  }
}

Why AIRTABLE_TOOLSET=core? Cursor caps agents at 40 enabled tools across all servers, and this server exposes 42. The core profile registers the 18 record-centric tools (reads, writes, batches, governance), leaving room for other servers. Omit it (or set full) if Airtable is your only MCP server and you manage the cap by disabling individual tools in Cursor's Tools & MCP settings. Also note: Cursor offers MCP tools in Agent and Plan modes only (not Ask/Edit), and consumes tools and resources but not MCP prompts.

Windsurf

Add the same JSON block to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json (Cascade → MCP settings). Windsurf supports per-tool toggling if you prefer the full toolset.

VS Code (GitHub Copilot agent mode)

Add to .vscode/mcp.json:

config.json

{
  "servers": {
    "airtable": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@rashidazarang/airtable-mcp"],
      "env": { "AIRTABLE_TOKEN": "YOUR_AIRTABLE_TOKEN" }
    }
  }
}

Compatibility notes (any client)

Both protocol eras served — modern 2026-07-28 clients and legacy 2025-era clients (Codex, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, Zed, and most others today) negotiate automatically.
Tool names are client-safe — bare snake_case, well under length limits, and free of : and * (reserved by Cursor's allowlist grammar server:tool).
Logs never touch stdout — all logging goes to stderr, so stdio framing is never corrupted.
Remote/HTTP clients — start the server with PORT or MCP_HTTP_PORT set and point the client at http://host:port/mcp (streamable HTTP, stateless; /health for orchestrators).
Tool caps — use AIRTABLE_TOOLSET=core or an explicit allowlist (e.g. AIRTABLE_TOOLSET=describe,query,list_records) for clients that limit enabled tools or to slim the agent's context.

Overview

This server provides comprehensive Airtable integration through the Model Context Protocol, enabling natural language interactions with your Airtable data. It includes 42 tools covering every Airtable PAT scope and 10 AI prompt templates for intelligent analytics.

Key Features

Full CRUD Operations — Create, read, update, and delete records with filtering and pagination
Record Comments — List, create, update, and delete comments on records
Schema Management — Create and modify tables, fields, and views programmatically
Batch Operations — Process up to 10 records per operation for improved performance
Webhook Management — Set up real-time notifications for data changes
Governance & Compliance — Allow-list governance, PII masking, and exception tracking
User Identity — Verify token identity with the whoami tool
AI Analytics — 10 prompt templates for predictive analytics, natural language queries, and automated insights
Multi-Base Support — Discover and work with multiple bases dynamically
Type Safety — Full TypeScript support with comprehensive type definitions

Protocol Support

Built on the MCP 2026-07-28 specification with the v2 TypeScript SDK (@modelcontextprotocol/server):

Stateless core — every request is served by a fresh server instance from a shared factory; no sessions, no sticky routing. In HTTP mode any request can land on any replica, so the server deploys cleanly to serverless and horizontally scaled environments.
Both eras served — modern 2026-07-28 clients (per-request envelope) and legacy 2025-era clients (initialize handshake) are handled by the same factory: per-connection era pinning over stdio, per-request stateless fallback over HTTP.
Transports — stdio (serveStdio) for local clients like Claude Desktop/Code, and streamable HTTP (createMcpHandler + Node adapter) when PORT/MCP_HTTP_PORT is set, with a /health endpoint for orchestrators.
Tasks extension — deliberately not implemented: the 2026-07-28 spec moved Tasks out of core into the io.modelcontextprotocol/tasks extension, and every operation this server exposes is a sub-second Airtable API call (batches are capped at 10 records), so background-task semantics add nothing. This will be revisited if long-running tools are added.

Prerequisites

Node.js 20 or later (required by the MCP v2 SDK)
An Airtable account with a Personal Access Token
Your Airtable Base ID (optional — can be discovered via the list_bases tool)

Token Scopes

Create a Personal Access Token at airtable.com/create/tokens with these scopes:

Scope	Purpose
`data.records:read`	Read records
`data.records:write`	Create, update, delete records
`data.recordComments:read`	Read record comments
`data.recordComments:write`	Create, update, delete comments
`schema.bases:read`	View table schemas
`schema.bases:write`	Create and modify tables and fields
`user.email:read`	Read user identity (whoami)
`webhook:manage`	Manage webhooks (optional)

Usage

Once configured, interact with your Airtable data using natural language:

Basic Operations

"List all my accessible Airtable bases"
"Show me all records in the Projects table"
"Create a new task with priority 'High' and due date tomorrow"
"Update the status of task ID rec123 to 'Completed'"
"Search for records where Status equals 'Active'"

Schema Management

"Show me the complete schema for this base"
"Create a new table called 'Tasks' with Name, Priority, and Due Date fields"
"Add a Status field to the Projects table"

Record Comments

"Show me all comments on record rec123"
"Add a comment to this record: 'Reviewed and approved'"
"Update my comment to say 'Needs revision'"

Batch Operations

"Create 5 new records at once in the Tasks table"
"Update multiple records with new status values"
"Delete these 3 records in one operation"

Webhooks

"List all active webhooks in my base"
"Create a webhook for changes to my Projects table"

Available Tools (42)

Core Operations (4 tools)

Tool	Description
`list_bases`	List all accessible bases with permissions
`describe`	Describe base or table schema (supports detail levels)
`query`	Query records with filtering, sorting, and pagination
`search_records`	Advanced search with Airtable formulas

Record CRUD (5 tools)

Tool	Description
`list_records`	List records with field selection and pagination
`get_record`	Retrieve a single record by ID
`create`	Create new records (requires dryRun diff review)
`update`	Update existing records (requires dryRun diff review)
`delete_record`	Remove a record from a table

Upsert (2 tools)

Tool	Description
`upsert`	Update or create records based on merge fields
`batch_upsert_records`	Batch upsert with merge-on fields

Schema Discovery (4 tools)

Tool	Description
`list_tables`	Get all tables in a base with schema info
`get_base_schema`	Get complete schema for any base
`list_field_types`	Reference guide for available field types
`get_table_views`	List all views for a table

Table Management (3 tools)

Tool	Description
`create_table`	Create tables with custom field definitions
`update_table`	Modify table names and descriptions
`delete_table`	Remove tables (requires confirmation)

Field Management (3 tools)

Tool	Description
`create_field`	Add fields to existing tables
`update_field`	Modify field properties and options
`delete_field`	Remove fields (requires confirmation)

Batch Operations (3 tools)

Tool	Description
`batch_create_records`	Create up to 10 records at once
`batch_update_records`	Update up to 10 records simultaneously
`batch_delete_records`	Delete up to 10 records in one operation

Webhook Management (5 tools)

Tool	Description
`list_webhooks`	View all configured webhooks
`create_webhook`	Set up real-time notifications
`delete_webhook`	Remove webhook configurations
`get_webhook_payloads`	Retrieve notification history
`refresh_webhook`	Extend webhook expiration

Views & Attachments (3 tools)

Tool	Description
`create_view`	Create views (grid, form, calendar, etc.)
`get_view_metadata`	Get view details including filters
`upload_attachment`	Attach files from URLs

Base Management (3 tools)

Tool	Description
`create_base`	Create new bases with initial structure
`list_collaborators`	View collaborators and permissions
`list_shares`	List shared views and configurations

Record Comments (4 tools)

Tool	Description
`list_comments`	List comments on a record
`create_comment`	Add a comment to a record
`update_comment`	Edit an existing comment
`delete_comment`	Remove a comment

User Info (1 tool)

Tool	Description
`whoami`	Get current user identity and scopes

Governance & Administration (2 tools)

Tool	Description
`list_governance`	Return governance allow-lists and PII masking policies
`list_exceptions`	List recent exceptions and remediation proposals

AI Intelligence Suite

Ten AI prompt templates for advanced analytics:

Prompt	Description
`analyze_data`	Statistical analysis with anomaly detection
`create_report`	Intelligent report generation
`data_insights`	Business intelligence and pattern discovery
`optimize_workflow`	Automation recommendations
`smart_schema_design`	Database optimization suggestions
`data_quality_audit`	Quality assessment and remediation
`predictive_analytics`	Forecasting and trend prediction
`natural_language_query`	Process questions with context awareness
`smart_data_transformation`	AI-assisted data processing
`automation_recommendations`	Workflow optimization with cost-benefit analysis

Advanced Configuration

Smithery Cloud

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "airtable": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "@smithery/cli",
        "run",
        "@rashidazarang/airtable-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "AIRTABLE_TOKEN": "YOUR_TOKEN",
        "AIRTABLE_BASE_ID": "YOUR_BASE_ID"
      }
    }
  }
}

Environment Variables

Variable	Required	Description
`AIRTABLE_TOKEN`	Yes	Personal Access Token
`AIRTABLE_BASE_ID`	No	Default base ID (discoverable via `list_bases`)
`AIRTABLE_TOOLSET`	No	Which tools to register: `full` (default, all 42), `core` (18 record-centric tools — fits Cursor's 40-tool cap), or a comma-separated allowlist of tool names
`LOG_LEVEL`	No	Logging level (default: `info`)
`MCP_HTTP_PORT`	No	Enable HTTP transport for hosted deployments

Development

Not required for users. Clone the repo only if you want to contribute or modify the server. End users should use npx as shown in the Quick Start sections above.

bash

git clone https://github.com/rashidazarang/airtable-mcp.git
cd airtable-mcp
npm install
npm run build

Testing

Terminal

npm run test:types     # Type checking
npm test               # Run test suite

Project Structure

Code

airtable-mcp/
├── src/typescript/          # TypeScript implementation
│   ├── app/
│   │   ├── tools/           # 42 tool implementations
│   │   ├── prompts/         # 10 AI prompt registrations
│   │   ├── airtable-client.ts
│   │   ├── governance.ts
│   │   └── context.ts
│   └── airtable-mcp-server.ts
├── dist/                    # Compiled output
├── docs/                    # Documentation
├── types/                   # TypeScript definitions
└── bin/                     # CLI executables

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

Verify the MCP server is running
Restart your MCP client
Check that your token has the required scopes

Invalid Token

Verify your Personal Access Token is correct
Confirm the token has the required scopes
Check for extra whitespace in credentials

Base Not Found

Confirm your Base ID is correct
Verify your token has access to the base
Use list_bases to discover accessible bases

Documentation

Contributing

Contributions are welcome. Please open an issue first to discuss major changes.

License

MIT License — see LICENSE for details.