# Airtable CLI

> Lists bases, reads and writes records, manages tables and fields, filters and searches data in Airtable via the `airtable-mcp` CLI. Use when the task involves Airtable data or the user mentions airtable-mcp, bases, tables, records, or fields.

- Skill: `airtable/airtable-cli-2` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 12 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add airtable/airtable-cli-2`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/airtable/airtable-cli-2/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: AI & ML
- Author: airtable (https://skillmd.com/u/airtable)
- Updated: 2026-09-22
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/airtable/airtable-cli-2

---


# 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 (also: -h)
```

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) |