Click on "Deploy Server".
Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state.
In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@formbase MCP server Send the Supplier onboarding form to ada@acme.example with company name prefilled."
That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed.
Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.
The hosted MCP server for formbase.so. formbase collects and verifies information from customers for workflows and AI agents.
Your agent creates a request for one person. That person, the recipient, gets a branded form with what you already know filled in. They complete it on any device, without an account. formbase hands the answers back under field keys your agent can read.
The server lives at:
https://api.formbase.so/api/mcpThis repository holds documentation, example configs and a Grok Build plugin manifest. There is nothing to install or run.
Send requests. Ask one named person for information, with answers filled in or locked, and read what they answered.
Build forms. Create a form and add, edit or remove its questions, pages and logic.
Publish and share. Publish a form, create share links, translate it, and set its theme and settings.
Read results. List a form's submissions and read its analytics.
MCP (the Model Context Protocol) is the standard AI tools use to call other apps. Most AI tools sign in to formbase with OAuth: you paste the URL, sign in to formbase in the browser, and pick a workspace. Scripts and headless agents send an API token instead.
Related MCP server: FormFor MCP Server
Leave any client ID, secret or token field empty. The AI tool finds the formbase sign-in page from the server and registers itself.
claude mcp add --transport http formbase https://api.formbase.so/api/mcpThen type /mcp in Claude Code to sign in.
To share the server with everyone who works on a project, commit a .mcp.json to the project instead:
{
"mcpServers": {
"formbase": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://api.formbase.so/api/mcp"
}
}
}Open Customize › Connectors › + › Add custom connector and paste the URL. A connector added on claude.ai also works in the desktop and mobile apps.
On Team and Enterprise, an owner adds the connector first under Organization settings › Connectors. Members then click Connect on it. On Free you can add one custom connector. Claude's own guide: Get started with custom connectors.
Add this to .cursor/mcp.json in your project, or to ~/.cursor/mcp.json for every project:
{
"mcpServers": {
"formbase": {
"url": "https://api.formbase.so/api/mcp"
}
}
}Add this to .vscode/mcp.json in your project. Note that VS Code names the top-level key servers:
{
"servers": {
"formbase": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://api.formbase.so/api/mcp"
}
}
}Or run MCP: Add Server from the Command Palette and paste the URL. See VS Code's MCP guide.
This repository is also a Grok Build plugin: .grok-plugin/plugin.json, the .mcp.json server config and one skill, formbase-requests. The plugin runs nothing on your machine. It calls one network endpoint, https://api.formbase.so/api/mcp, and signs in with formbase OAuth, or with an API token you add as a header.
Any tool that supports remote MCP servers with sign-in works the same way: look for where it adds a server by URL. The connect guide also covers ChatGPT and Codex.
The first time the agent uses formbase, your AI tool opens a formbase page in the browser. Sign in, pick the workspace, and click Authorize.
A connection reaches that one workspace only. To use another workspace, add formbase a second time and pick the other one.
To check that it works, ask:
List my formbase forms and whether each one is published.To remove the connection, open OAuth and API Keys in the formbase workspace sidebar. Under Connected apps, click the trash icon next to the connection and confirm with Disconnect.
Anything that cannot open a browser, such as a script, a CI job or a headless agent, sends an API token as a header instead.
Open OAuth and API Keys in your workspace sidebar and click Create token (API tokens).
Copy the token. It starts with fb_.
Send it as an Authorization: Bearer header.
A token reaches exactly one workspace, like an OAuth connection. It expires 30 days after you create it and cannot be extended, so plan to replace it. Keep it out of git.
Claude Code, from the command line:
claude mcp add --transport http formbase https://api.formbase.so/api/mcp \
--header "Authorization: Bearer fb_YOUR_TOKEN"Or in a config file. This is .mcp.json for Claude Code; Cursor takes the same headers object in its mcp.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"formbase": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://api.formbase.so/api/mcp",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Bearer fb_YOUR_TOKEN"
}
}
}
}Other tools take the same URL and header. See their documentation for where.
Send a request to one person. Use the name of one of your published forms:
Send a formbase request with the "Supplier onboarding" form to Ada Lovelace (ada@acme.example). Fill in the company name "Analytical Engines Ltd" and lock it so she cannot change it. Use supplier-2041 as the external ID. Don't email her; give me the link and I will send it myself.The agent reads the form's field keys with fields_list, creates the request with request_create, and gives you the request link.
If the form has Send reminders on, formbase still emails the recipient its scheduled reminders. To prevent that, also say no reminders.
The agent is not told when the recipient submits, so ask it later:
Has the formbase request supplier-2041 been answered? Show me the answers.The agent finds the request by its external ID with request_list, then reads it with request_get. Once the request is completed, the answers come back keyed by field key.
Step by step: Send a request with an AI agent and Build a form with an AI agent.
Every tool is on tools/list with its full input schema as soon as an AI tool connects. The MCP server reference describes them in detail.
Ask one named person for information and read the result.
fields_list: list the field keys a request can address on a published form. Call it before request_create.
request_create: assign a published form to one recipient, with prefill, locked fields, context, delivery, expiry and an optional callback.
request_get: read one request by its ID. Returns the status, the timeline and, once completed, the answers keyed by field key.
request_list: list requests for a form or a workspace, filtered by status, outcome or your own external ID.
request_cancel: withdraw a pending request.
request_remind: send the recipient a reminder email now.
request_replayCallback: send a callback again when it never reached your endpoint.
document_create: reserve an upload for a file a request hands to its recipient. One upload can serve any number of requests.
form_list, form_get, form_create, form_update: find, read, create and rename forms, and set the folder, emoji, cover and logo.
form_publish, form_unpublish: start and stop accepting submissions. form_publish is safe to call twice.
form_delete, form_restore: move a form to the trash, which also revokes its share links, and bring it back.
form_get returns the questions of the last published version. For a draft, read the content with editor_getDocument.
editor_getDocument: read the full structure of a form.
editor_updateElement, editor_deleteElement: edit, move or remove a block.
editor_formatText: format text inside a block.
editor_setLogic, editor_testLogic: change the rule of a logic block and test it. Create the block with editor_insertLogic.
Each block type has its own insert tool with a precise schema:
Questions: editor_insertTextQuestion, editor_insertContactQuestion, editor_insertNumberQuestion, editor_insertDateQuestion, editor_insertTimeQuestion, editor_insertRadioQuestion, editor_insertCheckboxQuestion, editor_insertSelectQuestion, editor_insertPictureChoiceQuestion, editor_insertSwitchQuestion, editor_insertRatingQuestion, editor_insertLinearScaleQuestion, editor_insertRankingQuestion, editor_insertMatrixQuestion, editor_insertFileQuestion, editor_insertSignatureQuestion, editor_insertPaymentQuestion, editor_insertScheduleAppointmentQuestion
Decision: editor_insertDecisionQuestion inserts the approve / decline / changes choice whose answer becomes the request outcome. A radio question built by hand never produces one.
Content: editor_insertHeader, editor_insertParagraph, editor_insertImage, editor_insertList, editor_insertTable, editor_insertRow, editor_insertEmbedded, editor_insertPageDivider, editor_insertDocumentsBlock
Data and logic: editor_insertHiddenField, editor_insertCalculatedField, editor_insertVariable, editor_insertRepeatingGroup, editor_insertLogic
formShareLink_list, formShareLink_create, formShareLink_update: manage share links, also on a custom domain.
formSubmission_list: list a form's submissions, partial and completed.
formAnalytics_get: views, submissions, completion rate, and breakdowns by device, country, browser and source.
formTheme_get, formTheme_set: light and dark themes.
formSettings_get, formSettings_update: notification emails, completion redirect, password, retention and language.
translationLanguage_list, translationDraft_get, translationDraft_update, translationDraft_publish, translationLanguage_delete: translate a form as a draft, then publish it.
workspace_list: the one workspace your connection reaches, with its ID.
workspaceFolder_list, workspaceFolder_create, workspaceFolder_update, workspaceFolder_delete: manage folders.
Two tools return documentation instead of doing work:
load_skill loads a guide on one topic: requests, question-types, logic-rules, editing-flows, form-best-practices, form-themes, form-settings, analytics or toon-format.
load_tools loads usage notes for a group of tools, called a catalog: request-lifecycle, editor-inserts, editor-actions, form-lifecycle, form-appearance, form-behavior, form-sharing, form-translations, form-data or workspace-management.
Every guide and catalog is also an MCP resource at skill://<name>, such as skill://requests. The server also serves four prompts: identity, capabilities, data_tools and editor_tools.
Six tools are marked destructive, because undoing them takes another call or is not possible: form_delete, form_unpublish, workspaceFolder_delete, editor_deleteElement, translationLanguage_delete and request_cancel. Most AI tools ask you before running them. The prompt comes from your AI tool, so check its approval settings if you need a hard stop.
Two actions cannot be undone:
workspaceFolder_delete permanently deletes the folder, its subfolders and every form inside.
formShareLink_update with revoked: true permanently disables a share link. This tool is not marked destructive, so your AI tool may not ask first.
Rate limit. 120 tool calls per minute per token, shared with the REST API. Only tools/call counts. Over the limit, the call returns a failed tool result with RATE_LIMITED and a retryAfterMs. request_create and document_create also share a second limit of 60 calls per minute per token.
Monthly allowance. Each request_create spends one unit of the monthly allowance of the workspace owner's plan, whether or not the recipient ever answers. A test request (test: true) spends nothing. When the allowance is spent, request_create fails with MONTHLY_ALLOWANCE_REACHED.
Paid plans. Emailing a recipient (the invitation and reminders) and formAnalytics_get need the Pro or Business plan. See plans and pricing.
No notification when a recipient submits. The server never calls your agent. Ask again later, or pass a callbackUrl to request_create so formbase calls your endpoint (callbacks).
No file uploads through a tool call. Images are set by URL: an http(s):// URL or a data:image URI. A document for a request is the exception: document_create returns an upload URL you PUT the file to within one hour. PDF and images only, 25 MB per file.
No workspace AI skills. Skills you write in formbase only work in formbase's built-in AI chat. The server's own guides (load_skill) work over MCP.
For anyone who writes their own MCP client or debugs a connection.
Transport. Streamable HTTP, POST only. Every response is JSON. There is no event stream and no session ID, so each call stands alone. As the MCP spec requires, send Content-Type: application/json and Accept: application/json, text/event-stream.
Protocol version. 2025-11-25.
Sign-in. Every call needs Authorization: Bearer <token>, initialize included. Without one, the server answers 401 with a WWW-Authenticate header that points to https://api.formbase.so/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource. From there a client finds the OAuth 2.1 server, which requires PKCE (S256) and supports dynamic client registration. The reference lists each step.
Tokens. Both kinds reach one workspace and the same tools.
An API token starts with fb_ and lasts 30 days from creation.
An OAuth access token starts with fbo_ and lasts 1 hour. Your AI tool renews it with a refresh token, which lasts 30 days and is replaced on every use.
Results. A tool result is one text item that holds JSON. A failure has success: false and an error message. Request tools add a reason code such as UNKNOWN_FIELD_KEY under details, and a suggestion that says how to fix the call. Troubleshooting requests explains the common ones.
Browsers. The server allows cross-origin calls from formbase's own sites only, so a web page on another origin cannot call it directly.
MCP server reference: every tool, OAuth for your own client, and limits
API tokens and the REST API
Email support@formbase.so.
Or open an issue in this repository. Say which AI tool you use, how it signs in, the tool it called, and the error it got back.
Issues are public. Never paste a token (fb_... or fbo_...) or a recipient's answers into one; email us instead. To report a security problem, see SECURITY.md.
Fixes to these docs are welcome as pull requests.
The files in this repository are MIT licensed; see LICENSE. Using the formbase service is covered by the terms of service.
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