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Flatfile MCP Server

The Flatfile MCP Server creates a bridge between AI assistants and your Flatfile data, enabling powerful natural language interactions with your data management workflows.

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Features

The Flatfile MCP Server allows AI assistants like Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, and others to:
  • Access and manage your Flatfile data using 190+ API endpoints
  • View and manipulate Sheets, Workbooks, and Spaces
  • Add, edit, and delete Records
  • Ask questions about your data
  • Generate new Sheets using natural language
  • Create Workbooks from scratch
  • And much more!

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Prerequisites

Before getting started, you’ll need:
  • A Flatfile account
  • Either a Flatfile Personal Access Token or API Key
  • An AI assistant that supports the Model Context Protocol (MCP)

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Getting Your Credentials

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API Key

To get your API Key:
  1. Log in to your Flatfile account
  2. Navigate to the Authentication settings
  3. Follow the instructions at Flatfile Authentication Documentation

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Personal Access Token

To create a Personal Access Token:
  1. Log in to your Flatfile account
  2. Navigate to your Account Settings
  3. Follow the instructions at Personal Access Tokens
Keep your credentials secure and never share them in public forums or repositories.

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Setup Options

The Flatfile MCP Server can be integrated with various AI assistants. Below are setup instructions for the most common platforms.

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Filtering Tools

Flatfile provides over 100 API endpoints. To improve performance and focus, you can filter the tools to only include those you need: 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-server-flatfile": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@flatfile/mcp-server", "--enabled-tools", "getRecords,updateRecords"],
      "env": {
        "FLATFILE_BEARER_TOKEN": "pat_your_token_here"
      }
    }
  }
}
For better performance and security, only enable the specific tools you need for your use case.

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Claude Desktop Setup

Add the following to your claude_desktop_config.json: 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-server-flatfile": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@flatfile/mcp-server", "--enabled-tools", "getRecords,updateRecords"],
      "env": {
        "FLATFILE_BEARER_TOKEN": "pat_your_token_here",
        "FLATFILE_API_URL": "https://platform.flatfile.com/api/v1"
      }
    }
  }
}
The "FLATFILE_API_URL": "https://platform.flatfile.com/api/v1" environment variable is optional and only needed for non-US regions or self-hosting.

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Claude Code Setup

To configure Claude Code with the Flatfile MCP Server:
  1. Open your terminal
  2. Run the following command:
claude mcp add mcp-server-flatfile -e FLATFILE_API_URL=https://platform.flatfile.com/api/v1 -e FLATFILE_BEARER_TOKEN=pat_your_token_here -- npx -y @flatfile/mcp-server --enabled-tools getRecords,updateRecords
The -e FLATFILE_API_URL=... environment variable is optional and only needed for non-US regions or self-hosting.
  1. Verify the installation by checking Claude Code’s configuration
See Claude Code MCP setup instructions for more details.

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Cursor Setup

Add the following to your .cursor/mcp.json: 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-server-flatfile": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@flatfile/mcp-server", "--enabled-tools", "getRecords,updateRecords"],
      "env": {
        "FLATFILE_BEARER_TOKEN": "pat_your_token_here",
        "FLATFILE_API_URL": "https://platform.flatfile.com/api/v1"
      }
    }
  }
}
The FLATFILE_API_URL environment variable is optional and only needed for non-US regions or self-hosting.

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Example Use Cases

Here are some powerful ways to leverage AI assistants with Flatfile:
  1. Natural Language Data Queries
    • Ask your AI assistant questions about your data like “Show me all customers who placed orders in the last month”
  2. Automated Data Analysis
    • Request summaries, insights, and patterns in your data
  3. Data Transformation & Cleanup
    • Use natural language to describe data transformations you want to apply
  4. Workflow Creation
    • Create new Workbooks and Sheets based on verbal descriptions
  5. Data Validation
    • Have your AI assistant validate data quality and suggest improvements

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Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues with your Flatfile MCP Server:
  • Verify your token credentials are correct and have not expired
  • Ensure your MCP configuration file has the correct syntax
  • Check that your enabled tools match your requirements
  • Verify your AI assistant has the necessary permissions
Visit our Community Forum or contact support@flatfile.com if you need additional assistance.

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Available Tools

The Flatfile MCP Server provides access to a comprehensive set of tools for the Flatfile API. Here’s a selection of the most commonly used tools:
CategoryTools
RecordsgetRecords, updateRecords, insertRecords, deleteRecords
WorkbooksgetWorkbook, createWorkbook, deleteWorkbook, listWorkbooks
SheetsgetSheet, createSheet, deleteSheet, listSheets
SpacesgetSpace, createSpace, deleteSpace, listSpaces
For a complete list of all 190+ available tools, refer to the Flatfile MCP Server repo.
Refer to the Flatfile Developer Documentation for detailed information on advanced configurations.