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MCP Manual Test Plan

Prerequisites

A running Baserow instance (local dev or deployed)
For OAuth: BASEROW_MCP_OAUTH_ENABLED=true on the backend
An MCP-compatible client (see step 1)

1. Connect an MCP client

Clients connect with OAuth or with an endpoint key. Both are set up under My settings > MCP server.

The steps below use <server url>, the backend URL followed by /mcp:

local dev: http://localhost:8000/mcp
baserow.io: https://api.baserow.io/mcp
self-hosted: <PUBLIC_BACKEND_URL>/mcp

OAuth (recommended)

The OAuth tab shows <server url>. Connect one of these clients:

Claude Code:

claude mcp add --transport http baserow <server url>

Run /mcp in Claude Code to sign in.

MCP Inspector: run npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector, choose the Streamable HTTP transport and paste <server url>.

The baserow-mcp README has the steps for every other client, including Claude Desktop, claude.ai, ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor, VS Code and Gemini CLI.

The client opens the Baserow consent page. Pick a workspace and tick the tools to allow. Only the read tools are ticked on a first connection, so also tick Create rows, Update rows and Delete rows for the scenarios in step 4. Approve, and the app shows under Connected apps on the OAuth tab.

Hosted apps on a local stack

Claude Desktop, claude.ai and ChatGPT connect to Baserow from the internet, so they can’t reach localhost. Expose the backend with a tunnel, for example cloudflared tunnel --url http://localhost:8000, set PUBLIC_BACKEND_URL to the tunnel URL and restart the backend. Unset BASEROW_PUBLIC_URL if it is set: it overrides PUBLIC_BACKEND_URL, and setting it to the tunnel URL would also move the frontend there. <server url> is then <tunnel url>/mcp.

The server only accepts tokens issued for its current PUBLIC_BACKEND_URL. After the switch, clients set up with http://localhost:8000/mcp stop working, so point every client at the tunnel URL. When you switch back, sign in again from each client.

Plugin and skill

baserow/baserow-mcp packages the server config with the baserow-basics skill, which teaches the agent how to use the tools. Test it once on a release candidate:

Claude Code: the plugin asks for the server URL:
```
/plugin marketplace add baserow/baserow-mcp
/plugin install baserow@baserow
```
Enter <server url> when asked (change it later with /plugin configure baserow@baserow), then run /mcp, pick plugin:baserow:baserow and sign in. Remove any baserow server you added by hand first, or Claude Code hides the plugin’s server.
Other agents: the Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Copilot and Gemini plugins always point at https://api.baserow.io/mcp. To test another instance, add the server by hand as the README describes and install only the skill:
```
npx skills add baserow/baserow-mcp
```

Endpoint key

Create an endpoint. With OAuth on, this is on the Endpoint tab; with OAuth off there are no tabs and the page lists the endpoints directly. The UI shows the SSE URL with the key pre-filled:

<backend url>/mcp/YOUR_ENDPOINT_KEY/sse

MCP Inspector: choose the SSE transport and paste the URL.
Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf: paste the JSON config snippet shown in the Baserow UI into the client’s config file and restart the client.

The key also works as a bearer token on <server url>. This lists the tools:

curl -X POST <server url> \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ENDPOINT_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Accept: application/json, text/event-stream" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": 1, "method": "tools/list"}'

2. Verify connection

After connecting, your client should list the available Baserow tools. In Claude Desktop this appears as a hammer icon in the input bar. In MCP Inspector, tools appear in the left panel after connecting.

3. Available tools

The following tools are currently enabled:

Tool	Description
`list_applications`	List the workspace’s databases
`list_databases`	List all databases in the workspace
`list_tables`	List tables, optionally filtered by database or table name
`get_table_schema`	Get field names and types for one or more tables
`list_table_rows`	List rows with optional search and pagination
`create_rows`	Create one or more rows in a table
`update_rows`	Update existing rows by ID
`delete_rows`	Delete rows by ID
`list_views`	List the views of a table
`create_tables`	Create tables with their fields
`create_fields`	Add fields to a table
`update_fields`	Rename fields or change their settings
`delete_fields`	Delete (trash) fields
`create_views`	Create views in a table
`create_view_filters`	Add filters to views
`list_workflows`	List automations and their workflows
`list_nodes`	List a workflow’s nodes with their output paths
`create_workflows`	Create workflows with a trigger and nodes
`add_nodes`	Add nodes to a workflow
`update_nodes`	Change node labels, settings and router conditions
`delete_nodes`	Delete (trash) workflow nodes

The automation tools are off in the “Read only” preset. Turn them on at consent or under Settings > Connected apps.

4. Test scenarios

List databases and tables

Ask Claude: “What databases do I have in Baserow?”

Expected: Claude calls list_databases, then list_tables, and returns the names and IDs.

Read table schema

Ask Claude: “What fields does the [table name] table have?”

Expected: Claude calls list_tables to find the ID, then get_table_schema, and describes the fields.

Create rows

Ask Claude: “Add a row to [table name] with Name set to ‘Test’ and Status set to ‘Active’”

Expected: Claude calls get_table_schema to learn the field names, then create_rows with the correct payload.

Update rows

Ask Claude: “Change the Status of row 1 in [table name] to ‘Done’”

Expected: Claude calls update_rows with the row ID and new field value.

Delete rows

Ask Claude: “Delete row 1 from [table name]”

Expected: Claude calls delete_rows and confirms deletion.

Search

Ask Claude: “Find rows in [table name] that contain ‘test’”

Expected: Claude calls list_table_rows with a search parameter.

Create tables, fields and views

Ask Claude: “Create a table called Tasks in [database name] with a text field Name and a single select field Status with options Open and Done”

Expected: Claude calls list_applications or list_tables to find the database, then create_tables. The table appears in Baserow.

Ask Claude: “Add a number field Estimate to Tasks, rename Status to State, then delete Estimate”

Expected: Claude calls create_fields, update_fields and delete_fields. The field is in the trash afterwards and can be restored.

Ask Claude: “Create a grid view called Open tasks in Tasks showing only rows where State is Open”

Expected: Claude calls create_views, then create_view_filters. The view shows the filter in Baserow.

Automations

Connect with the “Read only” preset, then turn on the automation tools under Settings > Connected apps. Ask Claude: “In my automation, create a workflow that runs when a row is created in [table name]. If the row’s [number field] is above 100, email me with the row’s Name in the subject.”

Expected: Claude calls list_workflows to find the automation, then create_workflows with a “rows created” trigger, a router whose condition is a formula such as greater_than(get('previous_node.<id>.0.field_<id>'), 100) and an email node. The workflow appears in Baserow with the router branch and the email node on it.

Ask Claude to set the email subject to concat('Big order ', (an unfinished formula). Expected: update_nodes returns it in formula_errors with the parser’s message, the subject keeps its previous value, and Claude fixes it with another update_nodes call after reading the node’s output paths with list_nodes.

Ask Claude to delete the email node. Expected: delete_nodes moves it to the trash. Deleting the router while a node is on its branch is refused.

5. Verify disabled tools are not exposed

The following tools exist in the codebase but are not exposed to MCP clients. They are not listed on the consent page either:

update_table, delete_table

Verify these do not appear in your client’s tool list.

6. Verify tool selection (OAuth)

The consent page only shows again for a new grant, so first disconnect the app as in step 7. Sign in again from the client and leave only List databases and List tables ticked. Verify the client lists only list_databases and list_tables, and that asking it to create a row fails.

7. Verify disconnect

Click Disconnect next to the app under Connected apps, then click it again to confirm. Verify the next tool call from the client fails and the client asks you to sign in again.