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Airtable MCP Server

Create a powerful Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Airtable in minutes with our AI Gateway. This guide walks you through setting up seamless database integration with spreadsheet-like ease and instant API authentication.

About Airtable API​

Airtable is a cloud-based platform that combines the simplicity of a spreadsheet with the power of a database. The API enables programmatic access to your bases, tables, records, and views, allowing for powerful integrations and automations.

Key Capabilities​

  • Database Management: Create, read, update, and delete records
  • Schema Operations: Manage tables, fields, and views
  • Collaboration: Share bases and manage permissions
  • Attachments: Upload and manage file attachments
  • Formulas: Leverage Airtable's formula engine
  • Automations: Trigger workflows and integrations
  • Real-time Updates: Subscribe to changes via webhooks
  • Enterprise Features: Advanced security and audit logs

API Features​

  • RESTful API: Standard HTTP methods
  • Personal Access Tokens: Secure authentication
  • Rate Limiting: 5 requests per second per base
  • Pagination: Handle large datasets efficiently
  • Field Types: Support for 20+ field types
  • Filtering: Complex queries with filterByFormula
  • Sorting: Multi-field sorting capabilities
  • Batch Operations: Create/update multiple records

What You Can Do with Airtable MCP Server​

The MCP server transforms Airtable API into a natural language interface, enabling AI agents to:

Database Operations​

  • Record Management

    • "Create new customer record"
    • "Update project status to completed"
    • "Delete old inventory items"
    • "Find all active clients"

  • Table Operations

    • "List all tables in Sales base"
    • "Get table schema"
    • "Count records in Orders table"
    • "Export table to CSV"

  • View Management

    • "Show records from 'This Week' view"
    • "Apply filters from saved view"
    • "Create custom filtered view"
    • "Sort by priority and date"

Search and Filter​

  • Basic Queries

    • "Find products under $50"
    • "Search for customers in California"
    • "Get overdue tasks"
    • "Show high-priority items"

  • Complex Filtering

    • "Find orders from last month over $1000"
    • "Get tasks assigned to John due this week"
    • "Show products with low inventory"
    • "Filter by multiple conditions"

  • Formula-based Queries

    • "Calculate total revenue by month"
    • "Find records matching formula"
    • "Apply complex business logic"
    • "Use Airtable functions"

File Management​

  • Attachments

    • "Upload invoice PDF"
    • "Add product images"
    • "Download all attachments"
    • "Replace existing files"

  • Media Handling

    • "Process image thumbnails"
    • "Get file metadata"
    • "Validate file types"
    • "Manage storage limits"

Data Synchronization​

  • Import/Export

    • "Import CSV data"
    • "Export to Excel format"
    • "Sync with external systems"
    • "Bulk data operations"

  • Integration Support

    • "Sync with CRM"
    • "Update from webhooks"
    • "Push to analytics"
    • "Real-time updates"

Collaboration Features​

  • Base Sharing

    • "Share base with team"
    • "Set view permissions"
    • "Manage collaborators"
    • "Control access levels"

  • Comments & Activity

    • "Add comment to record"
    • "View revision history"
    • "Track changes"
    • "Get activity feed"

Analytics and Reporting​

  • Aggregations

    • "Sum sales by region"
    • "Count tasks by status"
    • "Average project duration"
    • "Group by categories"

  • Custom Reports

    • "Generate monthly summary"
    • "Create pivot tables"
    • "Build dashboards"
    • "Export visualizations"

Prerequisites​

  • Access to Cequence AI Gateway
  • Airtable account (Free tier or higher)
  • Base ID and table names
  • Personal Access Token or API key

Step 1: Configure Airtable API Access​

1.1 Get Your API Key​

  1. Log in to Airtable
  2. Go to Account Overview
  3. Click on "API" in the left sidebar
  4. Generate a Personal Access Token with required scopes

1.2 Find Your Base ID​

  1. Open your Airtable base
  2. Click "Help" "API documentation"
  3. Copy the Base ID (starts with 'app')
  4. Note your table names

1.3 Set Token Scopes​

Configure your token with these scopes:

  • data.records:read - Read records
  • data.records:write - Create/update records
  • data.recordComments:read - Read comments
  • data.recordComments:write - Write comments
  • schema.bases:read - Read base schema
  • schema.bases:write - Modify schema (if needed)

Step 2-4: Standard Setup​

Follow standard steps to access AI Gateway, find Airtable API, and create MCP server.

Step 5: Configure API Endpoints​

  1. Base URL: https://api.airtable.com/v0/{baseId}
  2. Table Selection: Choose tables to expose
  3. View Configuration: Select default views
  4. Click Next

Step 6: MCP Server Configuration​

  1. Name: "Airtable Database"
  2. Description: "Spreadsheet database integration"
  3. Rate Limits: Configure based on your plan
  4. Click Next

Step 7: Configure Authentication​

  1. Authentication Type: Bearer Token
  2. Token Format: Personal Access Token
  3. Header: Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN
  4. Test connection with sample request

Available Airtable API Operations​

Record Operations​

  • List Records

    • Get all records from table
    • Apply filters and sorting
    • Paginate through results
    • Select specific fields

  • Create Records

    • Single record creation
    • Batch create (up to 10)
    • Set field values
    • Return created data

  • Update Records

    • Update specific fields
    • Replace entire record
    • Batch updates
    • Conditional updates

  • Delete Records

    • Single deletion
    • Batch delete
    • Soft delete options
    • Cascade handling

Schema Operations​

  • Get Base Schema

    • List all tables
    • Field configurations
    • View definitions
    • Relationships

  • Table Management

    • Create new tables
    • Modify field types
    • Add/remove fields
    • Set validations

Advanced Features​

  • Webhooks

    • Subscribe to changes
    • Real-time notifications
    • Event filtering
    • Payload customization

  • Metadata API

    • Base information
    • Collaborator details
    • Permission levels
    • Usage statistics

Step 8-10: Complete Setup​

Configure security settings, choose deployment options, and deploy your server.

Using Your Airtable MCP Server​

With Claude Desktop​

{
  "servers": {
    "airtable": {
      "url": "your-mcp-server-url",
      "auth": {
        "type": "bearer",
        "token": "your-personal-access-token"
      },
      "config": {
        "baseId": "appXXXXXXXXXXXXXX",
        "tables": ["Customers", "Orders", "Products"]
      }
    }
  }
}

Natural Language Commands​

  • "Show all customers from the West region"
  • "Create a new order for John Doe"
  • "Update product inventory after sale"
  • "Find overdue invoices from this month"
  • "Calculate total revenue by product category"

API Integration Example​

// Initialize MCP client
const mcpClient = new MCPClient({
  serverUrl: 'your-mcp-server-url',
  auth: {
    type: 'bearer',
    token: 'your-personal-access-token'
  }
});

// List records with filtering
const customers = await mcpClient.airtable.listRecords({
  tableName: 'Customers',
  filterByFormula: "AND({Status} = 'Active', {Region} = 'West')",
  sort: [
    { field: 'Company Name', direction: 'asc' }
  ],
  maxRecords: 100,
  fields: ['Company Name', 'Contact', 'Email', 'Status']
});

console.log(`Found ${customers.records.length} active customers in West region`);

// Create a new record
const newOrder = await mcpClient.airtable.createRecord({
  tableName: 'Orders',
  fields: {
    'Order Number': 'ORD-2025-001',
    'Customer': ['recXXXXXXXXXXXXXX'], // Link to customer record
    'Products': ['recYYYYYYYYYYYYYY', 'recZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ'], // Multiple products
    'Order Date': '2025-01-30',
    'Status': 'Pending',
    'Total Amount': 1500.00,
    'Notes': 'Rush delivery requested'
  }
});

console.log(`Created order: ${newOrder.id}`);

// Update multiple records
const updates = await mcpClient.airtable.updateRecords({
  tableName: 'Products',
  records: [
    {
      id: 'recYYYYYYYYYYYYYY',
      fields: {
        'Inventory': 45,
        'Last Updated': new Date().toISOString()
      }
    },
    {
      id: 'recZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ',
      fields: {
        'Inventory': 120,
        'Last Updated': new Date().toISOString()
      }
    }
  ]
});

// Complex query with formula
const overdueInvoices = await mcpClient.airtable.listRecords({
  tableName: 'Invoices',
  filterByFormula: `AND(
    {Status} != 'Paid',
    IS_BEFORE({Due Date}, TODAY()),
    {Amount} > 1000
  )`,
  sort: [
    { field: 'Due Date', direction: 'asc' },
    { field: 'Amount', direction: 'desc' }
  ]
});

console.log(`${overdueInvoices.records.length} overdue invoices over $1000`);

// Upload attachment
const attachment = await mcpClient.airtable.uploadAttachment({
  tableName: 'Documents',
  recordId: 'recAAAAAAAAAAAAAA',
  fieldName: 'Files',
  file: {
    url: 'https://example.com/invoice.pdf',
    filename: 'Invoice-2025-001.pdf'
  }
});

// Get base schema
const schema = await mcpClient.airtable.getBaseSchema();
console.log(`Base contains ${schema.tables.length} tables`);

schema.tables.forEach(table => {
  console.log(`\nTable: ${table.name}`);
  console.log(`Fields: ${table.fields.map(f => f.name).join(', ')}`);
  console.log(`Views: ${table.views.map(v => v.name).join(', ')}`);
});

// Aggregate data
const salesSummary = await mcpClient.airtable.aggregate({
  tableName: 'Sales',
  groupBy: ['Product Category', 'Region'],
  aggregations: [
    { field: 'Amount', function: 'sum' },
    { field: 'Amount', function: 'avg' },
    { field: 'Order ID', function: 'count' }
  ],
  filterByFormula: "IS_AFTER({Date}, '2025-01-01')"
});

// Watch for changes (webhook)
const webhook = await mcpClient.airtable.createWebhook({
  baseId: 'appXXXXXXXXXXXXXX',
  tables: ['Orders', 'Customers'],
  events: ['record.created', 'record.updated'],
  callbackUrl: 'https://your-app.com/webhooks/airtable'
});

// Handle webhook events
app.post('/webhooks/airtable', (req, res) => {
  const { baseId, tableId, recordId, event, fields } = req.body;
  
  if (event === 'record.created' && tableId === 'Orders') {
    console.log(`New order created: ${recordId}`);
    // Process new order...
  }
  
  res.status(200).send('OK');
});

Common Use Cases​

CRM Integration​

  • Customer database management
  • Sales pipeline tracking
  • Contact relationship mapping
  • Activity logging

Project Management​

  • Task tracking and assignment
  • Timeline and deadline management
  • Resource allocation
  • Progress reporting

Inventory Management​

  • Stock level tracking
  • Order fulfillment
  • Supplier management
  • Reorder automation

Content Calendar​

  • Editorial planning
  • Publishing schedule
  • Asset management
  • Team collaboration

Best Practices​

  1. Rate Limit Management:

    • Implement request queuing
    • Use batch operations
    • Cache frequently accessed data
    • Monitor API usage

  2. Data Modeling:

    • Design efficient table relationships
    • Use appropriate field types
    • Implement data validation
    • Plan for scalability

  3. Performance Optimization:

    • Select only needed fields
    • Use view filters
    • Implement pagination
    • Optimize formulas

Troubleshooting​

Common Issues​

  1. Authentication Errors

    • Verify Personal Access Token
    • Check token scopes
    • Ensure base access permissions
    • Validate token expiration

  2. Rate Limiting

    • Implement exponential backoff
    • Use batch operations
    • Queue requests appropriately
    • Monitor usage patterns

  3. Data Sync Issues

    • Verify field mappings
    • Check data types
    • Handle relationship fields
    • Validate formula syntax

Getting Help​