# Quick Start Guide
Get up and running with the Enhanced Airtable MCP Server in minutes.
## Prerequisites
- Node.js 18+ installed
- An Airtable account with API access
- Airtable API key and Base ID
## Step 1: Get Your Airtable Credentials
### API Key
1. Go to https://airtable.com/account
2. In the "API" section, click "Generate API key"
3. Copy your API key (starts with `key...` or `pat...`)
### Base ID
1. Open your Airtable base in your browser
2. Look at the URL: `https://airtable.com/appXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/...`
3. The part starting with `app` is your Base ID
## Step 2: Install Dependencies
```bash
npm install
```
## Step 3: Build the Project
```bash
npm run build
```
## Step 4: Test Locally (Optional)
Create a `.env` file:
```bash
cp .env.example .env
```
Edit `.env` and add your credentials:
```
AIRTABLE_API_KEY=your_actual_api_key
AIRTABLE_BASE_ID=your_actual_base_id
```
Run the server:
```bash
npm run dev
```
## Step 5: Configure Claude Desktop
### Find Your Config File
- **macOS**: `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
- **Windows**: `%APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
### Add the Server Configuration
Edit the config file and add:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"airtable": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/FULL/PATH/TO/airtable-mcp-server/build/index.js"],
"env": {
"AIRTABLE_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here",
"AIRTABLE_BASE_ID": "your_base_id_here"
}
}
}
}
```
**Important**: Replace `/FULL/PATH/TO/airtable-mcp-server` with the actual absolute path to this project.
To get the full path, run this in the project directory:
```bash
pwd
```
### Example Configuration
If your project is at `/Users/jordan/Projects/airtable-mcp-server`, your config should look like:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"airtable": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/Users/jordan/Projects/airtable-mcp-server/build/index.js"],
"env": {
"AIRTABLE_API_KEY": "keyXXXXXXXXXXXXXX",
"AIRTABLE_BASE_ID": "appYYYYYYYYYYYYYY"
}
}
}
}
```
## Step 6: Restart Claude Desktop
Completely quit and restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect.
## Step 7: Verify It's Working
In Claude Desktop, try asking:
> "Can you list the available tools for Airtable?"
You should see tools like:
- `airtable_list_records`
- `airtable_get_record`
- `airtable_create_record`
- `airtable_update_record`
- `airtable_delete_record`
- `airtable_set_table_schema`
## Your First Commands
### List Records from a Table
> "Show me all records from my Tasks table"
### Create a Record
> "Create a new task in my Tasks table with name 'Review documentation', status 'To Do', and due date '2024-10-30'"
### Set Up Schema (Recommended)
> "Set up the schema for my Projects table. It has these fields:
> - Name (text)
> - Status (single select: Planning, In Progress, On Hold, Completed)
> - Priority (single select: Low, Medium, High, Urgent)
> - Start Date (date)
> - Budget (currency)
> - Active (checkbox)"
## Common Issues
### "Command not found" or Server Won't Start
**Issue**: The path to the server is incorrect.
**Solution**:
1. Run `pwd` in the project directory
2. Copy the full path
3. Update your config with the complete path to `build/index.js`
### "AIRTABLE_API_KEY is required"
**Issue**: Environment variables not set correctly.
**Solution**:
- Make sure your API key and Base ID are in the `env` section of the config
- Check for typos in the key names
- Ensure the values are strings in quotes
### No Tools Showing Up
**Issue**: Claude Desktop hasn't loaded the server.
**Solution**:
1. Completely quit Claude Desktop (not just close the window)
2. Check the config file syntax is valid JSON
3. Restart Claude Desktop
4. Check Claude Desktop's logs for errors
### Wrong Base Being Accessed
**Issue**: Viewing data from a different Airtable base.
**Solution**:
- Double-check your Base ID in the config
- Each base has a unique ID starting with `app`
- You can run multiple instances for different bases with different names
## Next Steps
- Read [README.md](README.md) for detailed documentation
- Check out [EXAMPLES.md](EXAMPLES.md) for usage examples
- Learn about [Airtable formulas](https://support.airtable.com/docs/formula-field-reference) for advanced filtering
## Advanced: Multiple Bases
To work with multiple Airtable bases, add multiple server configurations:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"airtable-projects": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/path/to/airtable-mcp-server/build/index.js"],
"env": {
"AIRTABLE_API_KEY": "key123",
"AIRTABLE_BASE_ID": "appProjects"
}
},
"airtable-customers": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/path/to/airtable-mcp-server/build/index.js"],
"env": {
"AIRTABLE_API_KEY": "key123",
"AIRTABLE_BASE_ID": "appCustomers"
}
}
}
}
```
## Support
If you encounter issues:
1. Check the build compiled successfully: `npm run build`
2. Test locally first: `npm run dev`
3. Verify your Airtable credentials work in the Airtable web interface
4. Check Claude Desktop logs for error messages
5. Review the examples in [EXAMPLES.md](EXAMPLES.md)
Happy automating with Airtable!
