Coda Automation Skill for Cursor

Coda Automation via Rube MCP

Automate Coda document and data operations through Composio's Coda toolkit via Rube MCP.

Toolkit docs: composio.dev/toolkits/coda

Prerequisites

• Rube MCP must be connected (RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS available)
• Active Coda connection via RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS with toolkit coda
• Always call RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS first to get current tool schemas

Setup

Get Rube MCP: Add https://rube.app/mcp as an MCP server in your client configuration. No API keys needed — just add the endpoint and it works.

• Verify Rube MCP is available by confirming RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS responds
• Call RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS with toolkit coda
• If connection is not ACTIVE, follow the returned auth link to complete Coda authentication
• Confirm connection status shows ACTIVE before running any workflows

Core Workflows

1. Search and Browse Documents

When to use: User wants to find, list, or inspect Coda documents

Tool sequence:

• CODA_SEARCH_DOCS or CODA_LIST_AVAILABLE_DOCS - Find documents [Required]
• CODA_RESOLVE_BROWSER_LINK - Resolve a Coda URL to doc/page/table IDs [Alternative]
• CODA_LIST_PAGES - List pages within a document [Optional]
• CODA_GET_A_PAGE - Get specific page details [Optional]

Key parameters:

• query: Search term for finding documents
• isOwner: Filter to docs owned by the user
• docId: Document ID for page operations
• pageIdOrName: Page identifier or name
• url: Browser URL for resolve operations

Pitfalls:

• Document IDs are alphanumeric strings (e.g., 'AbCdEfGhIj')
• CODA_RESOLVE_BROWSER_LINK is the best way to convert a Coda URL to API IDs
• Page names may not be unique within a doc; prefer page IDs
• Search results include docs shared with the user, not just owned docs

2. Work with Tables and Data

When to use: User wants to read, write, or query table data

Tool sequence:

• CODA_LIST_TABLES - List tables in a document [Prerequisite]
• CODA_LIST_COLUMNS - Get column definitions for a table [Prerequisite]
• CODA_LIST_TABLE_ROWS - List all rows with optional filters [Required]
• CODA_SEARCH_ROW - Search for specific rows by query [Alternative]
• CODA_GET_A_ROW - Get a specific row by ID [Optional]
• CODA_UPSERT_ROWS - Insert or update rows in a table [Optional]
• CODA_GET_A_COLUMN - Get details of a specific column [Optional]

Key parameters:

• docId: Document ID containing the table
• tableIdOrName: Table identifier or name
• query: Filter query for searching rows
• rows: Array of row objects for upsert operations
• keyColumns: Column IDs used for matching during upsert
• sortBy: Column to sort results by
• useColumnNames: Use column names instead of IDs in row data

Pitfalls:

• Table names may contain spaces; URL-encode if needed
• CODA_UPSERT_ROWS does insert if no match on keyColumns, update if match found
• keyColumns must reference columns that have unique values for reliable upserts
• Column IDs are different from column names; list columns first to map names to IDs
• useColumnNames: true allows using human-readable names in row data
• Row data values must match the column type (text, number, date, etc.)

3. Manage Formulas

When to use: User wants to list or evaluate formulas in a document

Tool sequence:

• CODA_LIST_FORMULAS - List all named formulas in a doc [Required]
• CODA_GET_A_FORMULA - Get a specific formula's current value [Optional]

Key parameters:

• docId: Document ID
• formulaIdOrName: Formula identifier or name

Pitfalls:

• Formulas are named calculations defined in the document
• Formula values are computed server-side; results reflect the current state
• Formula names are case-sensitive

4. Export Document Content

When to use: User wants to export a document or page to HTML or Markdown

Tool sequence:

• CODA_BEGIN_CONTENT_EXPORT - Start an export job [Required]
• CODA_CONTENT_EXPORT_STATUS - Poll export status until complete [Required]

Key parameters:

• docId: Document ID to export
• outputFormat: Export format ('html' or 'markdown')
• pageIdOrName: Specific page to export (optional, omit for full doc)
• requestId: Export request ID for status polling

Pitfalls:

• Export is asynchronous; poll status until status is 'complete'
• Large documents may take significant time to export
• Export URL in the completed response is temporary; download promptly
• Polling too frequently may hit rate limits; use 2-5 second intervals

5. Manage Permissions and Sharing

When to use: User wants to view or manage document access

Tool sequence:

• CODA_GET_SHARING_METADATA - View current sharing settings [Required]
• CODA_GET_ACL_SETTINGS - Get access control list settings [Optional]
• CODA_ADD_PERMISSION - Grant access to a user or email [Optional]

Key parameters:

• docId: Document ID
• access: Permission level ('readonly', 'write', 'comment')
• principal: Object with email or user ID of the recipient
• suppressEmail: Whether to skip the sharing notification email

Pitfalls:

• Permission levels: 'readonly', 'write', 'comment'
• Adding permission sends an email notification by default; use suppressEmail to prevent
• Cannot remove permissions via API in all cases; check ACL settings

6. Publish and Customize Documents

When to use: User wants to publish a document or manage custom domains

Tool sequence:

• CODA_PUBLISH_DOC - Publish a document publicly [Required]
• CODA_UNPUBLISH_DOC - Unpublish a document [Optional]
• CODA_ADD_CUSTOM_DOMAIN - Add a custom domain for published doc [Optional]
• CODA_GET_DOC_CATEGORIES - Get doc categories for discovery [Optional]

Key parameters:

• docId: Document ID
• slug: Custom URL slug for the published doc
• categoryIds: Category IDs for discoverability

Pitfalls:

• Publishing makes the document accessible to anyone with the link
• Custom domains require DNS configuration
• Unpublishing removes public access but retains shared access

Common Patterns

ID Resolution

Doc URL -> Doc ID:

1. Call CODA_RESOLVE_BROWSER_LINK with the Coda URL
2. Extract docId from the response

Table name -> Table ID:

1. Call CODA_LIST_TABLES with docId
2. Find table by name, extract id

Column name -> Column ID:

1. Call CODA_LIST_COLUMNS with docId and tableIdOrName
2. Find column by name, extract id

Pagination

• Coda uses cursor-based pagination with pageToken
• Check response for nextPageToken
• Pass as pageToken in next request until absent
• Default page sizes vary by endpoint

Row Upsert Pattern

1. Call CODA_LIST_COLUMNS to get column IDs
2. Build row objects with column ID keys and values
3. Set keyColumns to unique identifier column(s)
4. Call CODA_UPSERT_ROWS with rows and keyColumns

Known Pitfalls

ID Formats:

• Document IDs: alphanumeric strings
• Table/column/row IDs: prefixed strings (e.g., 'grid-abc', 'c-xyz')
• Use RESOLVE_BROWSER_LINK to convert URLs to IDs

Data Types:

• Row values must match column types
• Date columns expect ISO 8601 format
• Select/multi-select columns expect exact option values
• People columns expect email addresses

Rate Limits:

• Coda API has per-token rate limits
• Implement backoff on 429 responses
• Bulk row operations via UPSERT_ROWS are more efficient than individual updates

Quick Reference

| Task | Tool Slug | Key Params |

|------|-----------|------------|

| Search docs | CODA_SEARCH_DOCS | query |

| List docs | CODA_LIST_AVAILABLE_DOCS | isOwner |

| Resolve URL | CODA_RESOLVE_BROWSER_LINK | url |

| List pages | CODA_LIST_PAGES | docId |

| Get page | CODA_GET_A_PAGE | docId, pageIdOrName |

| List tables | CODA_LIST_TABLES | docId |

| List columns | CODA_LIST_COLUMNS | docId, tableIdOrName |

| List rows | CODA_LIST_TABLE_ROWS | docId, tableIdOrName |

| Search rows | CODA_SEARCH_ROW | docId, tableIdOrName, query |

| Get row | CODA_GET_A_ROW | docId, tableIdOrName, rowIdOrName |

| Upsert rows | CODA_UPSERT_ROWS | docId, tableIdOrName, rows, keyColumns |

| Get column | CODA_GET_A_COLUMN | docId, tableIdOrName, columnIdOrName |

| Push button | CODA_PUSH_A_BUTTON | docId, tableIdOrName, rowIdOrName, columnIdOrName |

| List formulas | CODA_LIST_FORMULAS | docId |

| Get formula | CODA_GET_A_FORMULA | docId, formulaIdOrName |

| Begin export | CODA_BEGIN_CONTENT_EXPORT | docId, outputFormat |

| Export status | CODA_CONTENT_EXPORT_STATUS | docId, requestId |

| Get sharing | CODA_GET_SHARING_METADATA | docId |

| Add permission | CODA_ADD_PERMISSION | docId, access, principal |

| Publish doc | CODA_PUBLISH_DOC | docId, slug |

| Unpublish doc | CODA_UNPUBLISH_DOC | docId |

| List packs | CODA_LIST_PACKS | (none) |

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