airtable-filters

Airtable MCP Filters

MCP tools that list or display records from tables or interface pages accept an optional filters parameter, using the same schema.

When querying records from an interface page, these filters are combined with the page's built-in filters using AND.

Schema shape

When no top-level operator is specified, conditions are combined with AND. The first element in a condition's operands array is always a field ID — look up the table's schema to find field IDs before filtering.

Field type categories

• Text-like: singleLineText, multilineText, email, url, phoneNumber, richText, barcode
• Numeric: number, percent, currency, rating, duration, autoNumber, count
• Date: date, dateTime, createdTime, lastModifiedTime
• Single select: singleSelect
• Multiple selects: multipleSelects
• Single collaborator: singleCollaborator
• Multiple collaborators: multipleCollaborators
• Linked records: multipleRecordLinks
• Attachment: multipleAttachments
• Checkbox: checkbox

Computed fields (formula, rollup, lookup) support whichever operators match their result type.

Comparison operators

Operator	Second operand	Field categories
=	string, number, boolean, choice ID	text-like, numeric, date, checkbox, single select, multiple selects, single collaborator, multiple collaborators, linked records
!=	string, number, choice ID	text-like, numeric, date, single select, single collaborator
<, >, <=, >=	number or date value object	numeric, date
contains	string	text-like, linked records
doesNotContain	string	text-like, linked records
doesNotContain	array of IDs	multiple selects, multiple collaborators
isEmpty, isNotEmpty	(none)	text-like, numeric, date, single select, multiple selects, single collaborator, multiple collaborators, linked records, attachment
hasAnyOf, hasAllOf	array of IDs	multiple selects, multiple collaborators, linked records
isAnyOf	array of IDs	single select, single collaborator
isNoneOf	array of IDs	single select, single collaborator, linked records
isWithin	date range object	date
filename, fileType	string or "image"/"text"	attachment

When matching a field against multiple values, prefer dedicated operators (isAnyOf, isNoneOf, hasAnyOf, hasAllOf) over combining multiple = conditions with or/and, when those operators are available for the field type.

Field-type rules

Select fields

For select fields, operand values must be choice IDs (e.g., "selABCDEFGHIJKLM"), not display names. Look up the table's schema to find choice IDs before filtering.

Collaborator fields

When filtering by a collaborator group ID, use operatorOptions to match individual members of the group instead of the literal group ID. See the tool's operatorOptions parameter for details.

Example operand: {"operator": "hasAnyOf", "operands": ["fldCRi9oz2vRLcIWr", "ugpDUVUnftA7H9bG8"], "operatorOptions": {"matchGroupsByMembership": true}}

Attachment fields

Use fileType to filter attachments by type (e.g., "image", "text") rather than isNotEmpty when the user specifies a file type.

Date fields

Date comparisons (=, !=, <, >, <=, >=) use a date value object instead of a raw date string, and isWithin uses a date range object. The tool schema defines the available modes for each. Always include timeZone.

Composing conditions

A filter's top-level operands array can contain two or more conditions, which are combined with the top-level operator (AND by default). For simple multi-condition filters, this flat structure is sufficient.

When the logic requires mixing AND and OR, nest a filter object as one of the operands. Each nested filter has its own operator and operands.

OR inside AND — useful when one condition is fixed and another allows multiple alternatives:

"Scripted videos that are either in Writing or Pre-Production" → Bucket = Scripted AND (Status = Writing OR Status = Pre-Production)

AND inside OR — useful when you want records matching either a simple condition or a combination:

"Approved videos, or videos assigned to Bailey that are in Cut 2" → Status = Approved OR (Editor = Bailey AND Status = Cut 2 Ready)

When combining many conditions on different fields, prefer a flat AND rather than unnecessary nesting. Only nest when the logic genuinely requires mixed AND/OR at different levels.

Prefer composing all conditions into a single filters object rather than splitting them across multiple calls. A single call with a composed filter is more efficient and returns the correct result set directly.

Examples

Filter where a text field equals "orange" OR a number field is greater than 5:

{
    "operator": "or",
    "operands": [
        {"operator": "=", "operands": ["fld8WsrpLHHevsnW8", "orange"]},
        {"operator": ">", "operands": ["fldulcCPDVz87Bmnw", 5]}
    ]
}

Filter for records where a date field is within the past week:

{
    "operands": [
        {
            "operator": "isWithin",
            "operands": ["fldABC12345678x", {"mode": "pastWeek", "timeZone": "America/New_York"}]
        }
    ]
}