name: airtable
description: Enables Claude to create, manage, and query databases in Airtable via Playwright MCP
category: productivity

Airtable Skill

Overview

Claude can manage your Airtable bases to create databases, add records, build views, and create automations. A flexible database platform that combines spreadsheet simplicity with database power.

Quick Install

curl -sSL https://canifi.com/skills/airtable/install.sh | bash

Or manually:

cp -r skills/airtable ~/.canifi/skills/

Setup

Configure via canifi-env:

# First, ensure canifi-env is installed:
# curl -sSL https://canifi.com/install.sh | bash

canifi-env set AIRTABLE_EMAIL "[email protected]"

Privacy & Authentication

Your credentials, your choice. Canifi LifeOS respects your privacy.

Option 1: Manual Browser Login (Recommended)

If you prefer not to share credentials with Claude Code:
1. Complete the Browser Automation Setup using CDP mode
2. Login to the service manually in the Playwright-controlled Chrome window
3. Claude will use your authenticated session without ever seeing your password

Option 2: Environment Variables

If you're comfortable sharing credentials, you can store them locally:

canifi-env set SERVICE_EMAIL "your-email"
canifi-env set SERVICE_PASSWORD "your-password"

Note: Credentials stored in canifi-env are only accessible locally on your machine and are never transmitted.

Capabilities

• Create and manage bases
• Add and edit records
• Create tables with custom fields
• Build filtered views
• Create forms for data entry
• Set up automations
• Link between tables
• Create interfaces
• Generate reports
• Use extensions
• Import/export data
• Build apps on data

Usage Examples

Example 1: Add Record

User: "Add a new contact to the CRM base: John Smith, [email protected]"
Claude: Opens CRM base, adds record with name and email.
        Confirms: "Contact added: John Smith"

Example 2: Query Data

User: "Show me all high-priority tasks in Airtable"
Claude: Opens Tasks table, filters by priority.
        Reports: "5 high-priority tasks: Design review, API update..."

Example 3: Create View

User: "Create a view showing only overdue items"
Claude: Creates filtered view with due date < today.
        Confirms: "Created 'Overdue Items' view"

Example 4: Update Record

User: "Mark the Johnson deal as closed-won"
Claude: Finds record, updates status field.
        Confirms: "Johnson deal status updated to Closed-Won"

Authentication Flow

1. Claude navigates to airtable.com via Playwright MCP
2. Enters AIRTABLE_EMAIL for authentication
3. Handles 2FA if required (notifies user via iMessage)
4. Maintains session for database operations

Selectors Reference

// Base list
'.bases-list'

// Table tabs
'.tableTabList'

// Record rows
'.dataRow'

// Cell content
'.cellContainer'

// Add record button
'[aria-label="Add record"]'

// Field input
'.cellInput'

// View menu
'.viewMenuButton'

// Create view
'.addViewButton'

// Filter button
'[aria-label="Filter"]'

// Sort button
'[aria-label="Sort"]'

Field Types

Text            // Single line or long text
Number          // Integer or decimal
Select          // Single or multi-select
Date            // Date with optional time
Checkbox        // Boolean true/false
Link            // Link to another record
Attachment      // Files and images
Formula         // Calculated fields
Rollup          // Aggregate linked records
Lookup          // Pull fields from linked records

Error Handling

• Login Failed: Retry 3 times, notify user via iMessage
• Session Expired: Re-authenticate automatically
• Base Not Found: List available bases, ask user
• Record Create Failed: Retry, check required fields
• Formula Error: Identify syntax issue, suggest fix
• Permission Denied: Notify user of access issue

Self-Improvement Instructions

When you learn a better way to accomplish a task with Airtable:
1. Document the improvement in your response
2. Suggest updating this skill file with the new approach
3. Include specific base organization patterns
4. Note useful formula techniques

Notes

• Relational database with spreadsheet interface
• Forms for external data collection
• Automations for workflows
• Extensions for added functionality
• Interfaces for custom apps
• Sync for external data sources
• API for advanced integrations
• Templates for common use cases