BaseQL MCP Server

BaseQL MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides access to BaseQL GraphQL endpoints for Airtable and Google Sheets data.

BaseQL is a service that creates GraphQL APIs for your Airtable bases and Google Sheets, allowing you to query your data with the power and flexibility of GraphQL.

 

🚀 Quick Start

Easy Installation (Recommended)

The fastest way to get started with BaseQL MCP Server:

# Interactive setup wizard (recommended)
npx @baseql/mcp-server setup

# Or start server directly with your credentials
npx @baseql/mcp-server serve --endpoint YOUR_ENDPOINT --key "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

That's it! The setup wizard will:

• ✅ Verify your BaseQL credentials
• ✅ Test your connection
• ✅ Automatically configure Claude Desktop
• ✅ Create local environment files

Prerequisites

1. BaseQL Account: Sign up at baseql.com
2. Airtable Base or Google Sheet: Connect your data source to BaseQL
3. Node.js: Version 18 or higher

Getting BaseQL Credentials

1. Connect your Airtable base or Google Sheet to BaseQL
2. In BaseQL dashboard, find your endpoint URL: https://api.baseql.com/airtable/graphql/YOUR_APP_ID
3. Generate an API key from the BaseQL dashboard
4. Important: API key must include "Bearer " prefix

📦 Installation Options

Python / FastMCP (Railway-friendly)

• See docs/fastmcp-python.md for the Python implementation using the MCP Python SDK + FastMCP.
• Run locally: cd python && pip install -r requirements.txt && pip install ".[fastmcp]" && python -m baseql_mcp.http_entry
• Env vars: BASEQL_API_ENDPOINT, BASEQL_API_KEY (Bearer-prefixed), optional MCP_HOST, MCP_PORT (default 8080), MCP_TRANSPORT (http/sse/stdio), MCP_PATH (default /mcp).
• Optional auth: set FASTMCP_API_KEY (or MCP_API_KEY) to require Authorization: Bearer <token> on requests.
• Deploy on Railway with the included Dockerfile/Procfile; expose 8080 and point clients to https://<host>/mcp.
• Minimal LLM flow: listTables → getTableSchema → queryTable (use searchTable for exact, case-sensitive string matches).

Option 1: NPX (No Installation Required)

# Run setup wizard
npx @baseql/mcp-server setup

# Start server
npx @baseql/mcp-server serve

# Validate configuration
npx @baseql/mcp-server validate

Option 2: Global Installation

# Install globally
npm install -g @baseql/mcp-server

# Use anywhere
baseql-mcp setup
baseql-mcp serve
baseql-mcp validate

Option 3: Local Development

# Clone and build from source
git clone https://github.com/baseql/mcp-server.git
cd mcp-server
npm install
npm run build

# Use locally
node dist/cli.js setup

🛠️ CLI Commands

setup - Interactive Configuration Wizard

npx @baseql/mcp-server setup

The setup wizard will:

• Check your BaseQL account
• Validate your credentials
• Test the connection
• Configure your MCP client (Claude Desktop, VS Code, etc.)
• Save environment files for development

serve - Start the MCP Server

# Use environment variables or .env file
npx @baseql/mcp-server serve

# Provide credentials directly
npx @baseql/mcp-server serve \
  --endpoint "https://api.baseql.com/airtable/graphql/YOUR_APP_ID" \
  --key "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

# Specify transport (default: stdio)
npx @baseql/mcp-server serve --transport stdio

validate - Test Configuration

npx @baseql/mcp-server validate

Validates:

• ✅ Configuration file format
• ✅ API endpoint accessibility
• ✅ Authentication credentials
• ✅ MCP client integration
• ✅ Server functionality

⚙️ Configuration

Automatic Configuration (Recommended)

Run the setup wizard to automatically configure your environment:

npx @baseql/mcp-server setup

Manual Configuration

Environment Variables

export BASEQL_API_ENDPOINT="https://api.baseql.com/airtable/graphql/YOUR_APP_ID"
export BASEQL_API_KEY="Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

.env File

Create a .env file in your project root: ``env BASEQL_API_ENDPOINT=https://api.baseql.com/airtable/graphql/YOUR_APP_ID BASEQL_API_KEY=Bearer YOUR_API_KEY ``

MCP Client Configuration

Claude Desktop

The setup wizard automatically configures Claude Desktop, or you can add manually:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "baseql": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@baseql/mcp-server", "serve"],
      "env": {
        "BASEQL_API_ENDPOINT": "https://api.baseql.com/airtable/graphql/YOUR_APP_ID",
        "BASEQL_API_KEY": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

VS Code / Cursor

Add to your .vscode/mcp.json:

{
  "servers": {
    "baseql": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@baseql/mcp-server", "serve"],
      "env": {
        "BASEQL_API_ENDPOINT": "https://api.baseql.com/airtable/graphql/YOUR_APP_ID",
        "BASEQL_API_KEY": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

📊 Features

• Schema Introspection: Browse and explore your BaseQL schema
• Table Management: List all available tables and get detailed schema information
• Data Querying: Execute GraphQL queries with full support for:
• Field selection
• Filtering
• Sorting
• Pagination
• Full-Text Search: Search across your data with field-specific or global search
• Field Options Discovery: Analyze existing data to discover single/multi-select field options
• Resources: Access schema information as MCP resources
• Configuration Validation: Built-in tools to test your setup
• Cross-Platform Support: Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux

🎯 Usage in Claude Desktop

Once configured, you can use natural language to query your data. The MCP automatically selects the right tool based on your request:

Discovery & Exploration

• "Using BaseQL, what tables are available?"
• "Show me the schema for the contacts table"
• "What are the possible values for the 'type' field in contacts?"

Data Querying

• "Get the first 10 contacts who are Students"
• "Find all purchases over $100 sorted by amount"
• "Show me contacts from University of Maryland (umd.edu domain)"
• "Get team members from the Engineering team"

Advanced Queries

• "Search for contacts named 'John' in any field"
• "Filter programs by graduation year 2024, show program name and college"
• "Get all events this month with their attendance count"

🔧 Available Tools

The BaseQL MCP provides 6 specialized tools that LLMs automatically select based on your needs:

1. listTables - Discover Available Data

Use first to see what data is available in your BaseQL endpoint.

What it returns: List of all tables with descriptions When to use: Starting point for any data exploration

2. getTableSchema - Understand Table Structure

Essential before querying to understand field names, types, and relationships.

Example Input: ``json {"tableName": "contacts"} ``

When to use: Before building queries or understanding what fields you can filter/sort by

3. queryTable - Retrieve Data (Most Common)

Primary tool for getting data with filtering, sorting, and pagination.

Example - Get Students: ``json { "tableName": "contacts", "fields": ["id", "firstName", "email", "type"], "filter": {"type": "Student"}, "limit": 10 } ``

Example - Sort by Name: ``json { "tableName": "contacts", "sort": [{"field": "lastName", "direction": "asc"}], "limit": 20 } ``

Key Points:

• ✅ BaseQL _filter supports operators like _eq, _in, _and, _or
• ✅ Exact matches are case-sensitive: {"email": {"_eq": "user@umd.edu"}}
• ✅ Sort directions: "asc" or "desc" (lowercase)
• ✅ Linked records: {"team": ["recXYZ123"]}
• ✅ Max limit: 100 records

4. searchTable - Find Records by Text

Search for records by exact, case-sensitive matches on specific string fields.

Example: ``json { "tableName": "contacts", "searchTerm": "engineering", "fields": ["firstName", "lastName", "email"], "limit": 10 } ``

Important: This is not full-text search. Case-insensitive or partial matching requires client-side sampling and may miss records beyond the sample size.

5. getFieldOptions - Discover Dropdown Values

Perfect for understanding what values are used in select/dropdown fields.

Example: ``json { "tableName": "contacts", "fieldName": "type", "sampleSize": 50 } ``

Returns: [{"value": "Student", "count": 25}, {"value": "Staff", "count": 8}]

6. query - Advanced GraphQL (Expert Use)

Execute custom GraphQL queries for complex needs.

Example: ``graphql query { contacts(_page_size: 5, _filter: {type: "Student"}) { id firstName email education { institution graduationYear } } } ``

BaseQL Syntax Notes:

• Use Float not Int for numbers
• Use _page_size and _page for pagination
• Unquoted keys in filters: {email: "test@example.com"}
• Access linked data: purchaser { id fullName }

💡 Common Patterns & Best Practices

Typical Workflow

1. Start with listTables - See what data is available
2. Use getTableSchema - Understand table structure
3. Query with queryTable - Get the data you need
4. Use getFieldOptions - For dropdown/select fields

Smart Filtering Examples

// Find university students
{"filter": {"type": "Student", "email": "*umd.edu"}}

// Get recent records (if you have a date field)
{"filter": {"created": "2024-01-01"}, "sort": [{"field": "created", "direction": "desc"}]}

// Filter by linked record ID
{"filter": {"team": ["recABC123"]}}

Performance Tips

• Specify fields you need: "fields": ["id", "name", "email"]
• Use reasonable limits: Default 10, max 100
• Sort by indexed fields when possible
• Filter first, then sort for better performance

When to Use Each Tool

• Discovery: listTables → getTableSchema
• Simple queries: queryTable (90% of use cases)
• Text search: searchTable (limited - filters specific fields)
• Complex joins: query (advanced GraphQL)
• Dropdown values: getFieldOptions

🗄️ Available Resources

• baseql://schema - Access the complete GraphQL schema information

📝 BaseQL-Specific Notes

GraphQL Syntax

• BaseQL uses Float type instead of Int for numbers
• Field arguments must have unquoted keys: {email: "test@example.com"} not {"email": "test@example.com"}
• Sort direction must be lowercase: "asc" or "desc" (not "ASC"/"DESC")

Pagination

• Use _page_size and _page instead of limit and offset
• Maximum _page_size is 100 records
• Example: contacts(_page_size: 10, _page: 2)

Filtering

• Filter syntax: _filter: {fieldName: "value"}
• Multiple filters are AND conditions
• No built-in OR support in filters

Linked Records

• Linked fields return arrays even for single relationships
• Access linked data through field names: purchaser, team, product

🐛 Troubleshooting

Diagnosis Tools

# Validate your entire setup
npx @baseql/mcp-server validate

# Check CLI help
npx @baseql/mcp-server --help

# Check specific command help
npx @baseql/mcp-server setup --help

Common Issues

1. "Missing required credentials"

• Run npx @baseql/mcp-server setup to configure
• Ensure API key has "Bearer " prefix
• Check endpoint URL format

1. "Connection failed"

• Verify your API endpoint is accessible
• Check your API key is valid
• Test with: npx @baseql/mcp-server validate

1. "Unknown type Int" error

• BaseQL uses Float for all numeric types
• Update your queries to use Float instead of Int

1. "Unknown argument" errors

• Check that you're using BaseQL's argument names: _filter, _page_size, _page
• Not the standard GraphQL where, limit, skip

1. MCP client not finding server

• Restart your MCP client (Claude Desktop, VS Code, etc.)
• Check configuration with: npx @baseql/mcp-server validate
• Verify client configuration format

Debug Mode

For detailed debugging: ```bash

Check environment variables

npx @baseql/mcp-server validate

Test connection manually

curl -X POST https://api.baseql.com/airtable/graphql/YOUR_APP_ID \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \ -d '{"query": "{ __schema { queryType { name } } }"}' ```

📚 Real-World Examples

Find Recent Purchases

query RecentPurchases {
  purchases(
    _filter: {status: "completed"}
    _order_by: {purchaseDate: "desc"}
    _page_size: 10
  ) {
    id
    amount
    purchaseDate
    purchaserName
    productName
  }
}

Search Contacts by Domain

query ContactsByDomain {
  contacts(_page_size: 100) {
    id
    email
    fullName
  }
}

Then filter results in your application by email domain.

Get Team Members

query TeamMembers($teamId: String!) {
  members(_filter: {team: [$teamId]}) {
    id
    contact {
      fullName
      email
    }
    status
  }
}

🔄 Migration from v1.x

If you're upgrading from BaseQL MCP Server v1.x:

Quick Migration

# Install new version
npx @baseql/mcp-server setup

The setup wizard will automatically:

• Detect your existing configuration
• Update to the new format
• Test your setup

Manual Migration

1. Old Configuration (v1.x):

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "baseql": {
         "command": "node",
         "args": ["/path/to/baseql-mcp/dist/index.js"],
         "env": {
           "BASEQL_API_ENDPOINT": "your-endpoint",
           "BASEQL_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
         }
       }
     }
   }

1. New Configuration (v2.0+):

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "baseql": {
         "command": "npx",
         "args": ["-y", "@baseql/mcp-server", "serve"],
         "env": {
           "BASEQL_API_ENDPOINT": "your-endpoint",
           "BASEQL_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
         }
       }
     }
   }

What's New in v2.0

• ✅ NPM Package: No more manual building or cloning
• ✅ Interactive Setup: Guided configuration wizard
• ✅ Built-in Validation: Test your setup with one command
• ✅ Cross-platform: Automatic path detection for all platforms
• ✅ Better Error Messages: Clear, actionable error messages
• ✅ Backward Compatibility: v1.x configurations still work

🛠️ Development

Build from Source

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/baseql/mcp-server.git
cd mcp-server

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build TypeScript
npm run build

# Run locally
node dist/cli.js setup

Scripts

# Build the TypeScript code
npm run build

# Run in development mode
npm run dev

# Type checking
npm run type-check

# Run tests
npm test

Project Structure

src/
├── cli.ts              # CLI entry point
├── server.ts           # Main server implementation
├── setup.ts            # Interactive setup wizard
├── validator.ts        # Configuration validation
├── validators.ts       # Schema validation utilities
├── config-manager.ts   # Configuration file management
└── index.ts            # Module exports & backward compatibility

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

📞 Support

• Documentation: GitHub Repository
• Issues: GitHub Issues
• BaseQL Support: support@baseql.com

📄 License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

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