What is Coda Mcp

coda-mcp is a fully featured MCP client that wraps the Coda API, designed for seamless AI automation and integration with Model Context Protocol (MCP).

Use cases

Use cases for coda-mcp include automating data entry in Coda documents, managing large datasets, and integrating AI capabilities for enhanced productivity.

How to use

To use coda-mcp, install it via npm with ‘npm install coda-mcp-client’. Set your Coda API key as an environment variable and start utilizing its features for page creation, updates, and AI automation.

Key features

Key features include reliable page creation and updates, handling of unlimited content size, complete table operations, support for replace/append modes, and integration with AI systems via MCP.

Where to use

coda-mcp can be used in various fields such as project management, data organization, and any application requiring automated workflows with the Coda platform.

coda-mcp-client

Complete Coda API client with MCP integration for AI automation

🎁 Get Free Automation Guide + Templates

A production-ready Coda API client that solves real problems in the Coda ecosystem. Built by Ryan Scott at The Developers to fill gaps in existing tools and provide seamless AI automation through Model Context Protocol (MCP) integration.

🚀 Why This Client?

Fixes What’s Broken:

• ✅ Page creation/updates that actually work (existing tools have broken API calls)
• ✅ Handles unlimited content size with automatic chunking (no size limitations!)
• ✅ Complete table operations with proper error handling
• ✅ Support for replace/append modes for page content
• ✅ Markdown & HTML content support

Powers AI Automation:

• 🤖 MCP integration for Claude and other AI systems
• 🔧 CLI + programmatic API - works both ways
• 🎯 Production-tested with real workflows
• 📡 No external dependencies - just Node.js built-ins

📦 Installation

npm install coda-mcp-client

# Or use globally for CLI
npm install -g coda-mcp-client

🔑 Setup

Step 1: Get Your Coda API Key

1. Go to coda.io/account
2. Generate an API token under “API Settings”
3. Copy the token (starts with something like 464c04e1-...)

Step 2: Set Environment Variable

For current terminal session:

export CODA_API_KEY="464c04e1-a705-4206-a87c-beeca5044089"

For permanent setup (recommended):

Add to your shell profile (~/.zshrc, ~/.bashrc, or ~/.bash_profile):

echo 'export CODA_API_KEY="464c04e1-a705-4206-a87c-beeca5044089"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

Step 3: Verify Setup

# Test the CLI
coda-mcp list-docs

# Should show your documents, not an error about missing API key

🚨 Common Issues

Error: “CODA_API_KEY environment variable not set”

• Make sure you’ve exported the key in your current terminal
• Restart your terminal after adding to shell profile
• Verify with: echo $CODA_API_KEY

Error: “API Error 401”

• Double-check your API key is correct
• Make sure there are no extra spaces or quotes
• Generate a new API key if needed

Error: “No documents found”

• Your API key might not have access to any documents
• Try creating a test document in Coda first
• Check that your account has the necessary permissions

🎁 Free Resources

Automation Starter Guide

Get our comprehensive guide with proven workflows:

• ✅ Complete setup walkthrough
• ✅ 5 production-ready automation templates
• ✅ Troubleshooting checklist
• ✅ Advanced integration examples

Download Free Guide →

Premium Workflows

Want done-for-you solutions? Check out our premium automation pack:

• 🚀 15+ advanced workflow templates
• 🎥 Video setup tutorials
• 💬 Private community access
• 🛠️ Custom configuration files

Get Premium Pack ($47) →

🏗️ Usage

Programmatic API

const CodaClient = require('coda-mcp-client');

const client = new CodaClient(process.env.CODA_API_KEY);

// List documents
const docs = await client.listDocs();

// Find document by name
const doc = await client.findDocByName('My Project');

// Get table data
const rows = await client.listRows(docId, tableId, { 
    limit: 50, 
    useColumnNames: true 
});

// Insert new row
await client.insertRow(docId, tableId, {
    'Name': 'John Doe',
    'Email': '[email protected]',
    'Status': 'Active'
});

// Create page with content
const page = await client.createPage(docId, {
    name: 'New Report',
    subtitle: 'Generated by AI'
});

// Update page content (supports markdown/html)
await client.updatePageContent(docId, page.id, `
# My Report

This page was created via the API!

## Data Summary
- Total items: 42
- Status: Complete
`, 'replace', 'markdown');

Command Line Interface

# List all documents
coda-mcp list-docs

# Find document by name
coda-mcp find-doc "Project Tracker"

# List tables in a document
coda-mcp list-tables doc-abc123

# Get table data (limit to 10 rows)
coda-mcp list-rows doc-abc123 grid-xyz789 10

# Insert new row
coda-mcp insert-row doc-abc123 grid-xyz789 '{"Name":"Jane","Status":"New"}'

# Create page
coda-mcp create-page doc-abc123 '{"name":"Weekly Report","subtitle":"Team Update"}'

# Update page content
coda-mcp update-page-content doc-abc123 page-def456 "# Updated content" replace markdown

🤖 MCP Integration (Claude AI)

This client is designed for seamless integration with Claude’s Model Context Protocol:

1. Quick Start for Claude Desktop

Step 1: Install the package globally

npm install -g coda-mcp-client

Step 2: Create MCP server file
Create /path/to/coda-mcp-server.js:

#!/usr/bin/env node
const { CodaMCPServer } = require('coda-mcp-client/examples/mcp-integration');

const server = new CodaMCPServer(process.env.CODA_API_KEY);

// Start MCP server
async function main() {
    if (!process.env.CODA_API_KEY) {
        console.error('CODA_API_KEY environment variable required');
        process.exit(1);
    }
    
    console.log('Coda MCP server starting...');
    // MCP server implementation here
}

main().catch(console.error);

Step 3: Add to Claude Desktop config
Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "coda": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/absolute/path/to/coda-mcp-server.js"
      ],
      "env": {
        "CODA_API_KEY": "your-actual-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Important Notes:

• Use absolute paths, not relative paths
• Replace your-actual-api-key-here with your real API key
• Restart Claude Desktop after config changes

2. Alternative: Direct API Usage

const { CodaMCPServer } = require('coda-mcp-client/examples/mcp-integration');

const server = new CodaMCPServer(process.env.CODA_API_KEY);

// Get available tools for Claude
const tools = server.getTools();

// Execute tool calls from Claude
const result = await server.executeTool('coda_list_docs', {});

3. Available MCP Tools

• coda_list_docs - List all accessible documents
• coda_find_doc - Find document by name
• coda_list_tables - List tables in a document
• coda_analyze_table - Get sample data for AI analysis
• coda_insert_row - Insert new rows via conversation
• coda_create_page - Create pages with AI-generated content
• coda_search_data - Search for specific information

🚨 MCP Troubleshooting

Claude doesn’t see Coda tools:

• Verify Claude Desktop config syntax (valid JSON)
• Check that paths are absolute, not relative
• Restart Claude Desktop after config changes
• Look for errors in Claude logs

“CODA_API_KEY not set” in MCP:

• API key must be in Claude Desktop config env section
• Don’t rely on shell environment variables for MCP
• Each MCP server gets its own environment

MCP server won’t start:

• Test the server manually: node /path/to/coda-mcp-server.js
• Check Node.js version compatibility
• Verify all dependencies are installed globally

📚 API Reference

Documents

• listDocs() - List all accessible documents
• getDoc(docId) - Get document details
• findDocByName(name) - Find document by name

Tables

• listTables(docId) - List tables in document
• getTable(docId, tableId) - Get table details
• createTable(docId, tableData) - Create new table
• listColumns(docId, tableId) - List table columns

Rows

• listRows(docId, tableId, options) - List rows with options
• getRow(docId, tableId, rowId) - Get specific row
• insertRow(docId, tableId, cells, options) - Insert new row
• updateRow(docId, tableId, rowId, cells) - Update existing row
• deleteRow(docId, tableId, rowId) - Delete row
• searchRows(docId, tableId, column, value) - Search rows

Pages

• listPages(docId) - List pages in document
• getPage(docId, pageId) - Get page details
• createPage(docId, pageData) - Create new page
• updatePageContent(docId, pageId, content, mode, format) - Update page content
• updatePageMetadata(docId, pageId, metadata) - Update page metadata

🔧 Advanced Features

Error Handling

The client provides detailed error messages and proper HTTP status code handling:

try {
    await client.insertRow(docId, tableId, data);
} catch (error) {
    if (error.message.includes('401')) {
        console.log('Invalid API key');
    } else if (error.message.includes('404')) {
        console.log('Document or table not found');
    } else {
        console.log('Other error:', error.message);
    }
}

Batch Operations

// Insert multiple rows efficiently
const rows = [
    { 'Name': 'Alice', 'Status': 'Active' },
    { 'Name': 'Bob', 'Status': 'Pending' }
];

for (const rowData of rows) {
    await client.insertRow(docId, tableId, rowData);
}

Content Modes

Page updates support different insertion modes:

// Replace entire page content
await client.updatePageContent(docId, pageId, newContent, 'replace');

// Append to existing content  
await client.updatePageContent(docId, pageId, additionalContent, 'append');

🛠️ Development

Running Examples

# Basic usage example
node examples/basic-usage.js

# MCP integration example  
node examples/mcp-integration.js

# CLI test
npm test

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Add tests and examples
5. Submit a pull request

📄 License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

🙋 Support & Community

• ⭐ Star this repo if it helped you!
• 🐛 Issues: GitHub Issues
• 📖 Documentation: GitHub Wiki
• 🔧 Troubleshooting: Common issues & solutions
• 💬 Community: Join our Discord
• 📧 Updates: Newsletter for automation tips
• 🌐 Website: https://thedevelopers.dev
• 👨‍💻 Author: Ryan Scott

🤝 Professional Services

Need custom Coda automation or enterprise setup?

• Custom MCP server development
• Advanced workflow design
• Team training & support

Contact: [email protected]

🌟 Why We Built This

At The Developers, we build tools that developers actually want to use. Created by Ryan Scott, this client was built because existing Coda clients had broken functionality and missing features. We built this one to:

1. Actually work with the current Coda API
2. Support AI automation through MCP integration
3. Provide complete functionality including page management
4. Offer great developer experience with CLI + programmatic access

Built with ❤️ by Ryan Scott at The Developers

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This package is not officially affiliated with Coda. Coda is a trademark of Coda Project, Inc.