Airtable — Bases, Tables & Records

Work with Airtable's REST API directly via curl using the terminal tool. No MCP server, no OAuth flow, no Python SDK — just curl and a personal access token.

Prerequisites

1. Create a Personal Access Token (PAT) at https://airtable.com/create/tokens (tokens start with pat...).
2. Grant these scopes (minimum):
   • data.records:read — read rows
   • data.records:write — create / update / delete rows
   • schema.bases:read — list bases and tables
3. Important: in the same token UI, add each base you want to access to the token's Access list. PATs are scoped per-base — a valid token on the wrong base returns 403.
4. Store the token in ${HERMES_HOME:-~/.hermes}/.env (or via hermes setup):

   AIRTABLE_API_KEY=pat_your_token_here

Note: legacy key... API keys were deprecated Feb 2024. Only PATs and OAuth tokens work now.

API Basics

• Endpoint: https://api.airtable.com/v0
• Auth header: Authorization: Bearer $AIRTABLE_API_KEY
• All requests use JSON (Content-Type: application/json for any POST/PATCH/PUT body).
• Object IDs: bases app..., tables tbl..., records rec..., fields fld.... IDs never change; names can. Prefer IDs in automations.
• Rate limit: 5 requests/sec/base. 429 → back off. Burst on a single base will be throttled.

Base curl pattern:

curl -s "https://api.airtable.com/v0/$BASE_ID/$TABLE?maxRecords=5" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AIRTABLE_API_KEY" | python3 -m json.tool

-s suppresses curl's progress bar — keep it set for every call so the tool output stays clean for Hermes. Pipe through python3 -m json.tool (always present) or jq (if installed) for readable JSON.

Field Types (request body shapes)

Pass "typecast": true at the top level of a create/update body to let Airtable auto-coerce values (e.g. create a new select option on the fly, convert "42" → 42).

Common Queries

List bases the token can see

curl -s "https://api.airtable.com/v0/meta/bases" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AIRTABLE_API_KEY" | python3 -m json.tool

List tables + schema for a base

curl -s "https://api.airtable.com/v0/meta/bases/$BASE_ID/tables" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AIRTABLE_API_KEY" | python3 -m json.tool

Use this BEFORE mutating — confirms exact field names and IDs, surfaces options.choices for select fields, and shows primary-field names.

List records (first 10)

curl -s "https://api.airtable.com/v0/$BASE_ID/$TABLE?maxRecords=10" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AIRTABLE_API_KEY" | python3 -m json.tool

Get a single record

curl -s "https://api.airtable.com/v0/$BASE_ID/$TABLE/$RECORD_ID" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AIRTABLE_API_KEY" | python3 -m json.tool

Filter records (filterByFormula)

Airtable formulas must be URL-encoded. Let Python stdlib do it — never hand-encode:

FORMULA="{Status}='Todo'"
ENC=$(python3 -c 'import sys, urllib.parse; print(urllib.parse.quote(sys.argv[1], safe=""))' "$FORMULA")
curl -s "https://api.airtable.com/v0/$BASE_ID/$TABLE?filterByFormula=$ENC&maxRecords=20" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AIRTABLE_API_KEY" | python3 -m json.tool

Useful formula patterns:

• Exact match: {Email}='user@example.com'
• Contains: FIND('bug', LOWER({Title}))
• Multiple conditions: AND({Status}='Todo', {Priority}='High')
• Or: OR({Owner}='alice', {Owner}='bob')
• Not empty: NOT({Assignee}='')
• Date comparison: IS_AFTER({Due}, TODAY())

Sort + select specific fields

curl -s "https://api.airtable.com/v0/$BASE_ID/$TABLE?sort%5B0%5D%5Bfield%5D=Priority&sort%5B0%5D%5Bdirection%5D=asc&fields%5B%5D=Name&fields%5B%5D=Status" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AIRTABLE_API_KEY" | python3 -m json.tool

Square brackets in query params MUST be URL-encoded (%5B / %5D).

Use a named view

curl -s "https://api.airtable.com/v0/$BASE_ID/$TABLE?view=Grid%20view&maxRecords=50" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AIRTABLE_API_KEY" | python3 -m json.tool

Views apply their saved filter + sort server-side.

Common Mutations

Create a record

curl -s -X POST "https://api.airtable.com/v0/$BASE_ID/$TABLE" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AIRTABLE_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"fields":{"Name":"New task","Status":"Todo","Priority":"High"}}' | python3 -m json.tool

Create up to 10 records in one call

curl -s -X POST "https://api.airtable.com/v0/$BASE_ID/$TABLE" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AIRTABLE_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "typecast": true,
    "records": [
      {"fields": {"Name": "Task A", "Status": "Todo"}},
      {"fields": {"Name": "Task B", "Status": "In progress"}}
    ]
  }' | python3 -m json.tool

Batch endpoints are capped at 10 records per request. For larger inserts, loop in batches of 10 with a short sleep to respect 5 req/sec/base.

Update a record (PATCH — merges, preserves unchanged fields)

curl -s -X PATCH "https://api.airtable.com/v0/$BASE_ID/$TABLE/$RECORD_ID" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AIRTABLE_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"fields":{"Status":"Done"}}' | python3 -m json.tool

Upsert by a merge field (no ID needed)

curl -s -X PATCH "https://api.airtable.com/v0/$BASE_ID/$TABLE" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AIRTABLE_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "performUpsert": {"fieldsToMergeOn": ["Email"]},
    "records": [
      {"fields": {"Email": "user@example.com", "Status": "Active"}}
    ]
  }' | python3 -m json.tool

performUpsert creates records whose merge-field values are new, patches records whose merge-field values already exist. Great for idempotent syncs.

Delete a record

curl -s -X DELETE "https://api.airtable.com/v0/$BASE_ID/$TABLE/$RECORD_ID" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AIRTABLE_API_KEY" | python3 -m json.tool

Delete up to 10 records in one call

curl -s -X DELETE "https://api.airtable.com/v0/$BASE_ID/$TABLE?records%5B%5D=rec1&records%5B%5D=rec2" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AIRTABLE_API_KEY" | python3 -m json.tool

Pagination

List endpoints return at most 100 records per page. If the response includes "offset": "...", pass it back on the next call. Loop until the field is absent:

OFFSET=""
while :; do
  URL="https://api.airtable.com/v0/$BASE_ID/$TABLE?pageSize=100"
  [ -n "$OFFSET" ] && URL="$URL&offset=$OFFSET"
  RESP=$(curl -s "$URL" -H "Authorization: Bearer $AIRTABLE_API_KEY")
  echo "$RESP" | python3 -c 'import json,sys; d=json.load(sys.stdin); [print(r["id"], r["fields"].get("Name","")) for r in d["records"]]'
  OFFSET=$(echo "$RESP" | python3 -c 'import json,sys; d=json.load(sys.stdin); print(d.get("offset",""))')
  [ -z "$OFFSET" ] && break
done

Typical Hermes Workflow

1. Confirm auth. curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}\n" https://api.airtable.com/v0/meta/bases -H "Authorization: Bearer $AIRTABLE_API_KEY" — expect 200.
2. Find the base. List bases (step above) OR ask the user for the app... ID directly if the token lacks schema.bases:read.
3. Inspect the schema. GET /v0/meta/bases/$BASE_ID/tables — cache the exact field names and primary-field name locally in the session before mutating anything.
4. Read before you write. For "update X where Y", filterByFormula first to resolve the rec... ID, then PATCH /v0/$BASE_ID/$TABLE/$RECORD_ID. Never guess record IDs.
5. Batch writes. Combine related creates into one 10-record POST to stay under the 5 req/sec budget.
6. Destructive ops. Deletions can't be undone via API. If the user says "delete all Xs", echo back the filter + record count and confirm before firing.

Pitfalls

• filterByFormula MUST be URL-encoded. Field names with spaces or non-ASCII also need encoding ({My Field} → %7BMy%20Field%7D). Use Python stdlib (pattern above) — never hand-escape.
• Empty fields are omitted from responses. A missing "Assignee" key doesn't mean the field doesn't exist — it means this record's value is empty. Check the schema (step 3) before concluding a field is missing.
• PATCH vs PUT. PATCH merges supplied fields into the record. PUT replaces the record entirely and clears any field you didn't include. Default to PATCH.
• Single-select options must exist. Writing "Status": "Shipping" when Shipping isn't in the field's option list errors with INVALID_MULTIPLE_CHOICE_OPTIONS unless you pass "typecast": true (which auto-creates the option).
• Per-base token scoping. A 403 on one base while another works means the token's Access list doesn't include that base — not a scope or auth issue. Send the user to https://airtable.com/create/tokens to grant it.
• Rate limits are per base, not per token. 5 req/sec on baseA and 5 req/sec on baseB is fine; 6 req/sec on baseA alone will throttle. Monitor the Retry-After header on 429.

Important Notes for Hermes

• Always use the terminal tool with curl. Do NOT use web_extract (it can't send auth headers) or browser_navigate (needs UI auth and is slow).
• AIRTABLE_API_KEY flows from ${HERMES_HOME:-~/.hermes}/.env into the subprocess automatically when this skill is loaded — no need to re-export it before each curl call.
• Escape curly braces in formulas carefully. In a heredoc body, {Status} is literal. In a shell argument, {Status} is safe outside {...} brace-expansion context — but pass dynamic strings through python3 urllib.parse.quote before splicing into a URL.
• Pretty-print with python3 -m json.tool (always present) rather than jq (optional). Only reach for jq when you need filtering/projection.
• Pagination is per-page, not global. Airtable's 100-record cap is a hard limit; there is no way to bump it. Loop with offset until the field is absent.
• Read the errors array on non-2xx responses — Airtable returns structured error codes like AUTHENTICATION_REQUIRED, INVALID_PERMISSIONS, MODEL_ID_NOT_FOUND, INVALID_MULTIPLE_CHOICE_OPTIONS that tell you exactly what's wrong.