# Airtable setup for PopMCP

One Airtable personal access token, scoped to the bases you pick and shown exactly once, pasted into PopMCP's Personal access token field.

- Auth: API credentials
- Setup time: 4 min
- API base URL: https://api.airtable.com/v0
- Credentials screen: https://airtable.com/create/tokens
- Provider docs: https://airtable.com/developers/web/api/authentication

## Before you begin

- Airtable account on any plan, including Free
- Collaborator access to the bases you want PopMCP to reach, because a token can never exceed the permissions of the person who made it
- Enterprise Scale plan only if you need the enterprise.* admin scopes

## Get your credentials

### 1. Open Personal access tokens in Builder hub

Click your profile icon at the top right of the Airtable home screen and choose Builder hub, then open Development and Personal access tokens. The direct link is airtable.com/create/tokens.

Screen: https://airtable.com/create/tokens

### 2. Name the token and add scopes

Click Create new token and type a name such as `PopMCP`. Click + Add a scope for each permission you need, at minimum `data.records:read`, `data.records:write` and `schema.bases:read`.

### 3. Grant the token access to your bases

Under Access, click + Add a base to pick individual bases, or + Add all resources to include every base in a workspace you own. Then click Create token.

### 4. Copy the token immediately

Airtable shows the `pat` string in a one-time dialog. Click Copy and paste it straight into PopMCP.

## Fields PopMCP asks for

- Personal access token (accessToken) [required]: Create one at airtable.com/create/tokens. Add the scopes you need (data.records:read/write, data.recordComments:read/write, schema.bases:read/write, webhook:manage, user.email:read; enterprise.* for admin) and add the bases/workspaces the token may access. An OAuth access token works here too. Stored encrypted.

## Verify

PopMCP shows Airtable as Connected, and a list-bases tool call returns exactly the bases you granted the token and nothing more.

## Troubleshooting

### 401 Unauthorized

Cause: Token mistyped, truncated, deleted or regenerated in Builder hub.

Fix: Create or regenerate the token at airtable.com/create/tokens and paste the fresh pat string into PopMCP.

### 404 NOT_FOUND on a base ID you know exists

Cause: Airtable returns 404 rather than 403 for bases outside the token's access list.

Fix: Edit the token, click + Add a base, add that base, and click Save changes. No new token is needed.

### 403 NOT_AUTHORIZED or INVALID_PERMISSIONS

Cause: The base is granted but the matching scope is missing, for example writing records with only data.records:read.

Fix: Edit the token, click + Add a scope for the missing permission, and save.

### You closed the dialog before copying the token

Cause: Airtable displays the pat string exactly once.

Fix: Open the ... menu next to the token and choose Regenerate token, then copy the new value.

### 429 with a required 30-second wait

Cause: More than 5 requests per second against one base, or 50 per second across the whole token.

Fix: Let PopMCP back off for 30 seconds and use page sizes of 100 instead of many small calls.

### enterprise.* scopes are greyed out

Cause: Those scopes are limited to Enterprise Scale plans.

Fix: Use the standard data and schema scopes. Enterprise admin endpoints are not available on other plans.

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Source: https://www.docs.popmcp.com/docs/integrations/airtable/