Airtable MCP server for AI agents

The Airtable MCP Server is a Node.js-based tool that enables AI agents to interact with Airtable bases through the Model Context Protocol. It provides a comprehensive interface for querying, modifying, and managing Airtable data with natural language capabilities and advanced AI features.

Installation

Prerequisites

Node.js 14+
An Airtable account with a Personal Access Token
Your Airtable Base ID (optional since v3.2.5)

Step 1: Get Your Airtable Credentials

Create a Personal Access Token Visit Airtable Account and create a token with these scopes:
- data.records:read
- data.records:write
- schema.bases:read
- schema.bases:write
- webhook:manage (optional)
Find your Base ID (Optional) The Base ID can be found in your Airtable base URL: https://airtable.com/[BASE_ID]/...

Step 2: Install the Package

Using NPM (Recommended)

npm install -g @rashidazarang/airtable-mcp

For TypeScript Development

npm install -g @rashidazarang/airtable-mcp
npm install --save-dev typescript @types/node

From GitHub

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

Step 3: Environment Setup

Create a .env file in your project directory:

AIRTABLE_TOKEN=your_personal_access_token_here
AIRTABLE_BASE_ID=your_base_id_here  # OPTIONAL since v3.2.5

Configuration

Claude Desktop Configuration

For TypeScript Users

Edit your Claude Desktop configuration file:

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "airtable-typescript": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@rashidazarang/airtable-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "AIRTABLE_TOKEN": "YOUR_AIRTABLE_TOKEN",
        "AIRTABLE_BASE_ID": "YOUR_BASE_ID",
        "NODE_ENV": "production",
        "LOG_LEVEL": "INFO"
      }
    }
  }
}

For JavaScript Users

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

Without Base ID (Dynamic Discovery)

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

Usage

After configuration, restart Claude Desktop or your MCP client to load the Airtable server.

Natural Language Examples

Basic Data 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'"
"Delete all records where status is 'Archived'"

Schema Operations

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

Batch Operations & Attachments

"Create 5 new records at once in the Tasks table"
"Update multiple records with new status values"
"Delete these 3 records in one operation"
"Attach this image URL to the record's photo field"

Available Tools

Data Operations

list_tables - Get all tables with schema information
list_records - Query records with optional filtering
get_record - Retrieve a single record by ID
create_record - Add new records to any table
update_record - Modify existing record fields
delete_record - Remove records from a table
search_records - Advanced search with formulas and sorting

Schema Discovery

list_bases - List all accessible Airtable bases
get_base_schema - Get complete schema for any base
describe_table - Get detailed table information
list_field_types - Reference guide for field types
get_table_views - List all views for a table

Table & Field Management

create_table - Create new tables with custom fields
update_table - Modify table names and descriptions
delete_table - Remove tables (with confirmation)
create_field - Add new fields to existing tables
update_field - Modify field properties and options
delete_field - Remove fields (with confirmation)

Batch Operations

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 at once
batch_upsert_records - Update or create based on key fields

Troubleshooting

"Connection Refused" Error

Ensure the MCP server is running
Check that port 8010 is not blocked
Restart your MCP client

"Invalid Token" Error

Verify your Personal Access Token is correct
Check token permissions/scopes
Ensure no extra spaces in your credentials

"Base Not Found" Error

Confirm your Base ID is correct
Check that your token has access to the base

How to install this MCP server

For Claude Code

To add this MCP server to Claude Code, run this command in your terminal:

claude mcp add-json "airtable-mcp" '{"command":"npx","args":["@smithery/cli","run","@rashidazarang/airtable-mcp","--token","YOUR_AIRTABLE_TOKEN","--base","YOUR_BASE_ID"]}'

See the official Claude Code MCP documentation for more details.

For Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > Tools & Integrations and click "New MCP Server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "airtable-mcp": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "@smithery/cli",
                "run",
                "@rashidazarang/airtable-mcp",
                "--token",
                "YOUR_AIRTABLE_TOKEN",
                "--base",
                "YOUR_BASE_ID"
            ]
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explicitly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.

For Claude Desktop

To add this MCP server to Claude Desktop:

1. Find your configuration file:

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

2. Add this to your configuration file:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "airtable-mcp": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "@smithery/cli",
                "run",
                "@rashidazarang/airtable-mcp",
                "--token",
                "YOUR_AIRTABLE_TOKEN",
                "--base",
                "YOUR_BASE_ID"
            ]
        }
    }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect