Airtable Local MCP Server

This project provides a local Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI models like Claude (via Claude for Desktop) to interact directly with your Airtable bases using natural language.

You can list bases, tables, and records, fetch specific records, create, update, and delete records, all through MCP tools.

This package is designed to be installed and run using pipx for isolated execution.

Prerequisites

• Python: Version 3.10 or higher.
• pipx: Tool for installing and running Python applications in isolated environments. Installation instructions here.
• git (for pipx installation from source)
• Airtable Account: You need an Airtable account.

Run with pipx

Run the server with pipx:

pipx run airtable-mcp

Example MCP Config

    {
      "mcpServers": {
        "airtable-pipx": { // You can name this key anything descriptive
          "command": "pipx",
          "args": ["run", "airtable-mcp"] // No arguments needed as config is via environment variables
          // "options": {} // Usually not needed if command is in PATH and env vars are set globally
          "env": {
            "AIRTABLE_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "XXXX",
            "AIRTABLE_BASE_ID": "XXXX"
          }
        }
        // Add other servers here if needed
      }
    }

Installation with pipx

Install the server with pipx:

pipx run airtable-mcp

Install the server directly from this repository:

# Example using HTTPS URL
pipx install git+https://github.com/alexbruf/airtable-mcp.git

# Or if you have cloned it locally:
pipx install ./path/to/cloned/airtable-mcp

This command installs the package and makes the airtable-mcp command available in your PATH.

Configuration

This server requires an Airtable Personal Access Token to authenticate API requests.

1. Generate an Airtable Token:

   • Go to your Airtable Developer Hub.
   • Create a new token with the following scopes:
     • data.records:read
     • data.records:write
     • schema.bases:read
   • Make sure to grant access to the specific bases you want to use.
   • Copy the generated token securely.

2. Set Environment Variables: The server reads the token from the AIRTABLE_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN environment variable. You can optionally set a default AIRTABLE_BASE_ID.

   Crucially, these environment variables must be available in the environment where pipx runs the airtable-mcp command.

   • Recommended: Add export commands to your shell profile (~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, ~/.profile, etc.) and restart your shell or source the file:

     # Example for ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc
     export AIRTABLE_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN="YOUR_SECURE_TOKEN_HERE"
     export AIRTABLE_BASE_ID="YOUR_DEFAULT_BASE_ID" # Optional
     

   • Alternative (Less Permanent): Export the variables in your current terminal session before running the server or configuring Claude.

     export AIRTABLE_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN="YOUR_SECURE_TOKEN_HERE"
     export AIRTABLE_BASE_ID="YOUR_DEFAULT_BASE_ID" # Optional
     

   • Note on .env files: While the server code attempts to load .env files using python-dotenv, this relies on the file being present in the current working directory when the command is run. This can be unreliable with pipx and Claude Desktop, so setting environment variables directly is the recommended approach.

Running the Server

Ensure the environment variables are set in your current shell.

Simply run the command installed by pipx:

airtable-mcp

The server will start and log messages indicating it's ready and which token/base ID (if any) it's using.

Connecting with Claude for Desktop

To allow Claude for Desktop to use the tools from this server:

1. Edit Claude's Config:

   • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
   • Windows: %APPDATA%\\Claude\\claude_desktop_config.json
   • Create the file/directory if it doesn't exist.

2. Add Server Configuration: Add the following structure to the mcpServers object. Since pipx places the command in your PATH, you usually don't need to specify a full path or cwd.

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "airtable-pipx": { // You can name this key anything descriptive
         "command": "pipx",
         "args": ["run", "airtable-mcp"] // No arguments needed as config is via environment variables
         // "options": {} // Usually not needed if command is in PATH and env vars are set globally
         "env": {
           "AIRTABLE_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "XXXX",
           "AIRTABLE_BASE_ID": "XXXX"
         }
       }
       // Add other servers here if needed
     }
   }
   

   • Important: Ensure the environment variables (AIRTABLE_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN, etc.) are correctly set in the environment that Claude for Desktop uses when launching commands. Setting them globally via your shell profile is the most reliable way.

3. Restart Claude for Desktop: Close and reopen the application.

4. Verify: The tool icon (hammer) should appear in Claude. Clicking it should show the tools from this server (e.g., list_bases, list_records).

Available Tools

The following tools are exposed by the server:

Tool Name	Description
list_bases	Lists all Airtable bases accessible with the configured token.
list_tables	Lists all tables within the active (or specified) base.
list_records	Lists records from a specified table (supports filtering, views, fields).
get_record	Retrieves a single record by its ID from a specified table.
create_records	Creates one or more new records in a table from a JSON string.
update_records	Updates one or more existing records in a table from a JSON string.
delete_records	Deletes one or more records by their IDs (max 10 per call).

Usage Examples (in Claude)

• "List my airtable bases."
• "Show the tables in the current base."
• "List 5 records from the 'Tasks' table."
• "Get the record with ID recYYYYYYYYYYYYYY from the 'Projects' table."
• "Create a record in 'Tasks' with fields {'Name': 'New idea', 'Status': 'Todo'}."
• "Update record recZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ in 'Tasks' with fields {'Status': 'Done'}."
• "Delete record recAAAAAAAAAAAAAA from the 'Log' table."

Troubleshooting

• airtable-mcp command not found: Ensure pipx installation completed successfully. Check if the pipx bin directory is in your PATH (echo $PATH and pipx ensurepath).
• Authentication errors: Verify AIRTABLE_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN is correctly set in the environment where the command runs. Use printenv | grep AIRTABLE in your terminal to check.
• Claude connection issues: Ensure environment variables are globally accessible or set in a way Claude can inherit them. Try running airtable-mcp manually in a terminal first. Check the server logs for connection attempts or errors when Claude tries to connect.
• Tool errors: Check the server logs (airtable-mcp output) for detailed error messages from the Airtable API.

Uninstallation

pipx uninstall airtable-mcp

License

MIT