Kobo MCP

An MCP server for KoboToolbox that enables Claude to deploy surveys and fetch submissions.

Documentation

Requires Python 3.10+

Quick Start with Claude Code

Set your KoboToolbox API token, then register the server with a single command:

export KOBO_API_TOKEN="your-token-here"
claude mcp add kobotoolbox -- env KOBO_API_TOKEN=$KOBO_API_TOKEN uvx kobo-mcp

For the EU server, also pass the server URL:

export KOBO_API_TOKEN="your-token-here"
claude mcp add kobotoolbox -- env KOBO_API_TOKEN=$KOBO_API_TOKEN KOBO_SERVER=https://eu.kobotoolbox.org uvx kobo-mcp

That's it -- restart Claude Code and you can start managing KoboToolbox surveys directly from the CLI.

To get your API token, go to KoboToolbox -> Account Settings -> Security -> API Key.

Features

• info - Get help and discover workflows (translate, deploy, data export)
• list_forms - List all KoboToolbox surveys
• get_form - Get detailed form structure (JSON)
• resolve_form - Find the form UID for an Enketo submission URL
• export_form - Download an existing form as XLSForm (.xlsx)
• get_submissions - Fetch survey responses with optional filtering
• deploy_form - Upload and deploy new XLSForm files
• replace_form - Update existing forms preserving submissions
• set_validation_status - Approve, reject, or flag submissions
• export_data - Export data as CSV or Excel

Installation

pip install kobo-mcp

Or run directly with uvx (no install needed):

uvx kobo-mcp

Configuration

Manual JSON configuration

If you prefer to configure Claude manually instead of using claude mcp add, add to ~/.claude.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kobotoolbox": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["kobo-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "KOBO_API_TOKEN": "your-token-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

For the EU server, add "KOBO_SERVER": "https://eu.kobotoolbox.org" to the env block.

Using with Claude Desktop

Add the same JSON block above to your Claude Desktop config file:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Development

git clone https://github.com/bbdaniels/kobo-mcp.git
cd kobo-mcp
pip install -e .

Troubleshooting

"KOBO_API_TOKEN not set"

The server requires a KOBO_API_TOKEN environment variable. Make sure it is passed in the env block of your MCP configuration, or exported in your shell before running claude mcp add.

To get your token: log in to KoboToolbox -> Account Settings -> Security -> API Key.

Server not appearing in Claude Code

After running claude mcp add, restart Claude Code for the change to take effect. You can verify the server is registered by running:

claude mcp list

Connection errors or timeouts

• Check that your API token is valid and has not been revoked.
• If you are on the EU server (eu.kobotoolbox.org), make sure you set the KOBO_SERVER environment variable to https://eu.kobotoolbox.org.
• The default server is https://kf.kobotoolbox.org. If your organization uses a custom KoboToolbox instance, set KOBO_SERVER to its URL.

"uvx: command not found"

Install uv first:

curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

Or install with pip/pipx:

pip install uv

Python version errors

Kobo MCP requires Python 3.10 or later. Check your version with:

python3 --version

License

MIT