Airtable Automation

1---
2name: airtable-automation
3description: "Automate Airtable tasks via Rube MCP (Composio): records, bases, tables, fields, views. Always search tools first for current schemas."
4requires:
5  mcp: [rube]
6---
7 
8# Airtable Automation via Rube MCP
9 
10Automate Airtable operations through Composio's Airtable toolkit via Rube MCP.
11 
12## Prerequisites
13 
14- Rube MCP must be connected (RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS available)
15- Active Airtable connection via `RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS` with toolkit `airtable`
16- Always call `RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS` first to get current tool schemas
17 
18## Setup
19 
20**Get Rube MCP**: Add `https://rube.app/mcp` as an MCP server in your client configuration. No API keys needed — just add the endpoint and it works.
21 
22 
231. Verify Rube MCP is available by confirming `RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS` responds
242. Call `RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS` with toolkit `airtable`
253. If connection is not ACTIVE, follow the returned auth link to complete Airtable auth
264. Confirm connection status shows ACTIVE before running any workflows
27 
28## Core Workflows
29 
30### 1. Create and Manage Records
31 
32**When to use**: User wants to create, read, update, or delete records
33 
34**Tool sequence**:
351. `AIRTABLE_LIST_BASES` - Discover available bases [Prerequisite]
362. `AIRTABLE_GET_BASE_SCHEMA` - Inspect table structure [Prerequisite]
373. `AIRTABLE_LIST_RECORDS` - List/filter records [Optional]
384. `AIRTABLE_CREATE_RECORD` / `AIRTABLE_CREATE_RECORDS` - Create records [Optional]
395. `AIRTABLE_UPDATE_RECORD` / `AIRTABLE_UPDATE_MULTIPLE_RECORDS` - Update records [Optional]
406. `AIRTABLE_DELETE_RECORD` / `AIRTABLE_DELETE_MULTIPLE_RECORDS` - Delete records [Optional]
41 
42**Key parameters**:
43- `baseId`: Base ID (starts with 'app', e.g., 'appXXXXXXXXXXXXXX')
44- `tableIdOrName`: Table ID (starts with 'tbl') or table name
45- `fields`: Object mapping field names to values
46- `recordId`: Record ID (starts with 'rec') for updates/deletes
47- `filterByFormula`: Airtable formula for filtering
48- `typecast`: Set true for automatic type conversion
49 
50**Pitfalls**:
51- pageSize capped at 100; uses offset pagination; changing filters between pages can skip/duplicate rows
52- CREATE_RECORDS hard limit of 10 records per request; chunk larger imports
53- Field names are CASE-SENSITIVE and must match schema exactly
54- 422 UNKNOWN_FIELD_NAME when field names are wrong; 403 for permission issues
55- INVALID_MULTIPLE_CHOICE_OPTIONS may require typecast=true
56 
57### 2. Search and Filter Records
58 
59**When to use**: User wants to find specific records using formulas
60 
61**Tool sequence**:
621. `AIRTABLE_GET_BASE_SCHEMA` - Verify field names and types [Prerequisite]
632. `AIRTABLE_LIST_RECORDS` - Query with filterByFormula [Required]
643. `AIRTABLE_GET_RECORD` - Get full record details [Optional]
65 
66**Key parameters**:
67- `filterByFormula`: Airtable formula (e.g., `{Status}='Done'`)
68- `sort`: Array of sort objects
69- `fields`: Array of field names to return
70- `maxRecords`: Max total records across all pages
71- `offset`: Pagination cursor from previous response
72 
73**Pitfalls**:
74- Field names in formulas must be wrapped in `{}` and match schema exactly
75- String values must be quoted: `{Status}='Active'` not `{Status}=Active`
76- 422 INVALID_FILTER_BY_FORMULA for bad syntax or non-existent fields
77- Airtable rate limit: ~5 requests/second per base; handle 429 with Retry-After
78 
79### 3. Manage Fields and Schema
80 
81**When to use**: User wants to create or modify table fields
82 
83**Tool sequence**:
841. `AIRTABLE_GET_BASE_SCHEMA` - Inspect current schema [Prerequisite]
852. `AIRTABLE_CREATE_FIELD` - Create a new field [Optional]
863. `AIRTABLE_UPDATE_FIELD` - Rename/describe a field [Optional]
874. `AIRTABLE_UPDATE_TABLE` - Update table metadata [Optional]
88 
89**Key parameters**:
90- `name`: Field name
91- `type`: Field type (singleLineText, number, singleSelect, etc.)
92- `options`: Type-specific options (choices for select, precision for number)
93- `description`: Field description
94 
95**Pitfalls**:
96- UPDATE_FIELD only changes name/description, NOT type/options; create a replacement field and migrate
97- Computed fields (formula, rollup, lookup) cannot be created via API
98- 422 when type options are missing or malformed
99 
100### 4. Manage Comments
101 
102**When to use**: User wants to view or add comments on records
103 
104**Tool sequence**:
1051. `AIRTABLE_LIST_COMMENTS` - List comments on a record [Required]
106 
107**Key parameters**:
108- `baseId`: Base ID
109- `tableIdOrName`: Table identifier
110- `recordId`: Record ID (17 chars, starts with 'rec')
111- `pageSize`: Comments per page (max 100)
112 
113**Pitfalls**:
114- Record IDs must be exactly 17 characters starting with 'rec'
115 
116## Common Patterns
117 
118### Airtable Formula Syntax
119 
120**Comparison**:
121- `{Status}='Done'` - Equals
122- `{Priority}>1` - Greater than
123- `{Name}!=''` - Not empty
124 
125**Functions**:
126- `AND({A}='x', {B}='y')` - Both conditions
127- `OR({A}='x', {A}='y')` - Either condition
128- `FIND('test', {Name})>0` - Contains text
129- `IS_BEFORE({Due Date}, TODAY())` - Date comparison
130 
131**Escape rules**:
132- Single quotes in values: double them (`{Name}='John''s Company'`)
133 
134### Pagination
135 
136- Set `pageSize` (max 100)
137- Check response for `offset` string
138- Pass `offset` to next request unchanged
139- Keep filters/sorts/view stable between pages
140 
141## Known Pitfalls
142 
143**ID Formats**:
144- Base IDs: `appXXXXXXXXXXXXXX` (17 chars)
145- Table IDs: `tblXXXXXXXXXXXXXX` (17 chars)
146- Record IDs: `recXXXXXXXXXXXXXX` (17 chars)
147- Field IDs: `fldXXXXXXXXXXXXXX` (17 chars)
148 
149**Batch Limits**:
150- CREATE_RECORDS: max 10 per request
151- UPDATE_MULTIPLE_RECORDS: max 10 per request
152- DELETE_MULTIPLE_RECORDS: max 10 per request
153 
154## Quick Reference
155 
156| Task | Tool Slug | Key Params |
157|------|-----------|------------|
158| List bases | AIRTABLE_LIST_BASES | (none) |
159| Get schema | AIRTABLE_GET_BASE_SCHEMA | baseId |
160| List records | AIRTABLE_LIST_RECORDS | baseId, tableIdOrName |
161| Get record | AIRTABLE_GET_RECORD | baseId, tableIdOrName, recordId |
162| Create record | AIRTABLE_CREATE_RECORD | baseId, tableIdOrName, fields |
163| Create records | AIRTABLE_CREATE_RECORDS | baseId, tableIdOrName, records |
164| Update record | AIRTABLE_UPDATE_RECORD | baseId, tableIdOrName, recordId, fields |
165| Update records | AIRTABLE_UPDATE_MULTIPLE_RECORDS | baseId, tableIdOrName, records |
166| Delete record | AIRTABLE_DELETE_RECORD | baseId, tableIdOrName, recordId |
167| Create field | AIRTABLE_CREATE_FIELD | baseId, tableIdOrName, name, type |
168| Update field | AIRTABLE_UPDATE_FIELD | baseId, tableIdOrName, fieldId |
169| Update table | AIRTABLE_UPDATE_TABLE | baseId, tableIdOrName, name |
170| List comments | AIRTABLE_LIST_COMMENTS | baseId, tableIdOrName, recordId |
171