airtable-cli

# airtable-mcp ## Self-discovery Tools are fetched from the MCP server at runtime, so the CLI never has a hardcoded command list. Discover what's available: ```sh airtable-mcp tools # human-readable list airtable-mcp tools --json # machine-parseable list airtable-mcp <tool> --help # show flags and descriptions for a tool ``` Run `airtable-mcp tools` before assuming a tool exists. Tool names, arguments, and output shapes can change between server releases without a CLI update. ## Install ```sh npm install -g @airtable/mcp-cli ``` ## Auth The CLI needs an Airtable personal access token (PAT). Two paths: **Environment variable (preferred for scripts/agents):** ```sh export AIRTABLE_TOKEN=pat_xxx ``` **Interactive configure (stores token in `~/.airtable/cli.json` with 0600 permissions):** ```sh airtable-mcp configure ``` Create tokens at https://airtable.com/create/tokens. Ensure the token has the scopes required by the tools being called. `AIRTABLE_TOKEN` takes precedence over saved profiles when no `--profile` flag is set. Never log or echo tokens. ## Quick reference | Task | Command | | ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- | | Set up credentials | `airtable-mcp configure` | | Add a named profile | `airtable-mcp configure --profile work` | | Check auth status | `airtable-mcp whoami` | | Remove credentials | `airtable-mcp logout` | | Remove all profiles | `airtable-mcp logout --all` | | List available tools | `airtable-mcp tools` | | Run a tool | `airtable-mcp <tool> --flagName value` | | Get tool help | `airtable-mcp <tool> --help` | | Pass args via stdin | `echo '{"key":"val"}' \| airtable-mcp <tool> --input -` | | Bypass tool cache | `airtable-mcp <tool> --refresh` | | Suppress status msgs | `airtable-mcp <tool> -q` | | Raw text output | `airtable-mcp <tool> --output raw` | | Use a specific profile | `airtable-mcp <tool> --profile work` | Tool names use hyphens on the CLI (`list-records`) but underscores in MCP (`list_records`). The CLI translates automatically. ## Workflow 1. **Auth** — set `AIRTABLE_TOKEN` or run `airtable-mcp configure` 2. **Discover** — run `airtable-mcp tools` to see available tools 3. **Inspect** — run `airtable-mcp <tool> --help` for flags and descriptions 4. **Check access** — in `tools --json` output, check the `access` field: `read-only`, `write`, or `destructive`. Confirm with the user before running `destructive` tools. 5. **Execute** — run `airtable-mcp <tool> --flagName value` ## Output & automation - Default output is formatted JSON to stdout. Status messages go to stderr. - `--json` on `tools` gives a JSON array of `{name, title, access}`. - `-q` / `--quiet` suppresses stderr status messages (cache warnings, etc). - `--output raw` returns the raw server response text instead of parsed JSON. - `--input -` reads tool arguments as a JSON object from stdin, bypassing flag parsing. - Exit codes: `0` success, `1` error (auth, tool failure, not found), `2` usage error (bad flags, bad input). ## Common tasks **Find a base and list its tables:** ```sh airtable-mcp search-bases --searchQuery "Project Tracker" -q airtable-mcp list-tables-for-base --baseId appK9MtBqFw3o5jGN -q ``` **List records with specific fields:** ```sh airtable-mcp list-records-for-table \ --baseId appK9MtBqFw3o5jGN --tableId tblL4GpTfEz8byRsW \ --fieldIds '["Name","Status"]' --pageSize 10 -q ``` **Filter records** — filters use structured JSON, not formula strings. Wrap conditions in an `operands` array; the top-level `operator` defaults to `and` if omitted: ```sh airtable-mcp list-records-for-table \ --baseId appK9MtBqFw3o5jGN --tableId tblL4GpTfEz8byRsW \ --filters '{"operator":"and","operands":[{"operator":"=","operands":["Status","Done"]}]}' -q ``` For select fields, filter by choice ID (from `get-table-schema`), not the display name. The `airtable-filters` skill covers compound filters, date filters, and operator-by-field-type details. **Search records** — use `search-records` for free-text/fuzzy queries on large tables. Use `list-records-for-table` with `--filters` when filtering by exact field values: ```sh airtable-mcp search-records \ --baseId appK9MtBqFw3o5jGN --table tblL4GpTfEz8byRsW \ --query "acme" --fields '["Name","Notes"]' -q ``` Pass `--fields ALL_SEARCHABLE_FIELDS` to search across every indexed field. Date, rating, checkbox, and button fields are not searchable. **Update records** — complex args are easier via `--input -`: ```sh echo '{"baseId":"appK9MtBqFw3o5jGN","tableId":"tblL4GpTfEz8byRsW","records":[{"id":"recVnR3xPq8sD2yLk","fields":{"fld8WsrpLHHevsnW8":"Done"}}]}' \ | airtable-mcp update-records-for-table --input - -q ``` Select field values are returned as objects (`{"id":"sel...","name":"Done"}`) but must be written as plain strings (`"Done"`). Record field keys in create/update currently require field IDs (`fldXXX`) — use `get-table-schema` to resolve names to IDs before writing. Note that `fieldIds`, `sort`, and `filters` accept both names and IDs. ## Gotchas | Problem | Cause | Fix | | -------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | `Unknown tool: X` | Tool name doesn't exist on the server or cache is stale | Run `airtable-mcp tools --refresh` to refresh, then retry | | `Authentication failed` | Token expired, revoked, or wrong | Run `airtable-mcp configure` or check `AIRTABLE_TOKEN` | | `Access denied` | Token missing required scopes | Add scopes at https://airtable.com/create/tokens | | `Connection timed out` | Server unreachable (10s timeout) | Check network; CLI falls back to stale cache if available | | Boolean flags take no value | `--dryRun true` passes `"true"` as next arg | Use `--dryRun` alone (booleans are presence-based) | | Array/object args fail | Value isn't valid JSON | Pass as JSON string: `--fieldMappings '{"a":"b"}'` | | Filter rejected at top level | Single condition passed without `operands` wrapper | Wrap in `{"operands":[...]}` (`operator` defaults to `and`) | | Sort key is `fieldId` not `field` | `--sort '[{"field":"Name"}]'` silently ignored | Use `{"fieldId":"Name","direction":"asc"}` — accepts field IDs or names | | Select filter returns no matches | Filtering by display name instead of choice ID | Run `get-table-schema` first to get `sel...` choice IDs | | `INVALID_RECORDS` on batch write | Batch limit is 10 records per request (default; varies by account) | Split into chunks of ≤10 and check `<tool> --help` for the current limit | | Permission error on `list-records-for-table` | User has interface-only access to the base | Use `list-records-for-page` / `get-record-for-page` instead | | Endpoints restricted | CLI only allows HTTPS on `*.airtable.com` | Cannot point at arbitrary servers (security constraint) |