NocoDB

# Fix list: NocoDB

From Anchor Terminal's listing at https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/nocodb, the October 2026 research run, assessed 8 October 2026. Grade BB, 75.7 out of 100.

This is everything the published grade says the listing lacks, the biggest possible gain to the total first. It comes from the reason given for each score, the checklist each category was scored against (https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/#checklist), the provenance checks, the deductions, what we couldn't check and what the review panel asked for. A fix counts at the next check, once it's public.

For a coding agent working on NocoDB: work through the items below in the product, its docs and its public pages. Each category gives the reason for its score, with the points each checklist item earned, and the checklist itself, so the gap is the items that earned less than their points. Change the product, not the wording, and keep a note of what you changed and where it's published.

## 1. Payments & pricing, 30 out of 100, up to 8.8 more on the total

Why it scored 30: No x402, MPP or L402 found (0). Plan prices are public, Plus $12, Business $24 and Scale $45 a seat a month billed annually, with monthly API call allowances and no per-call price (10). A Free plan with 1,000 API calls a month, marked 'no credit card required' on the pricing page. We didn't complete a signup (20). A person signs up in a browser and creates a token or approves OAuth. Dynamic client registration exists, but a person still authorises (0). The self-hosted Community Edition is free, and the paid Cloud is what was scored.

The checklist (https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/#checklist-payments):

The published rubric, also on the [x402 page](https://www.anchorterminal.com/x402/).

- 40, a machine payment protocol (x402, MPP or L402) on the tool's own endpoints. 10 to 30 when it covers only some endpoints or only goes through a third party, and the note says which.
- 20, per-call or per-unit pricing published without a login. 10 for public plan-only pricing, 0 for "contact sales" or prices behind a login.
- 20, a free tier or trial that doesn't need a card.
- 20, autonomous onboarding, meaning an agent can get access without a person signing up in a browser (keyless use, x402, a programmatic key API).

Payment platforms and agent wallets rarely charge for their own API over a machine protocol, so the first line has steps for them, and the highest one that applies counts. 40 when x402, MPP or L402 runs on all their own endpoints, 30 when it runs on part of their own API, 25 when their merchants can accept one, 20 for running a facilitator, 15 for paying as a buyer, and 0 when the only protocol is their own. Merchant acceptance sits above a facilitator because the platform's own customers can charge agents through it, while a facilitator settles for sellers who wire up the protocol themselves. The counter-argument (a facilitator does more for the protocol as a whole) has a point. Each note says which step applied.

Open-source software you run yourself is scored on its hosted or paid option if it has one. A free, self-hosted package with nothing to buy gets 20, 20 and 20 for the last three lines, and 0 to 40 for the first only if it ships a payment protocol.

## 2. Security & auth, 71 out of 100, up to 5.1 more on the total

Why it scored 71: Fine-grained tokens limited to eight permission categories and chosen bases, with expiry, an on-off switch and SHA-256 storage, or OAuth with PKCE, refresh tokens, revocation and dynamic client registration. Secrets travel in headers (30). Read levels per category, an MCP allowlist with separate write and delete levels, and the owner's role checked on each call. No server-side confirmation before a delete was found, though the MCP tools include trash restore (15 of 20). Records and comments can hold text written by others, and no prompt-injection guidance was found (3 of 15). Workspace audit logs record user, IP address, event and payload, API token events included, but only on the Scale plan and above. Record history is on every record (10 of 15). SECURITY.md gives a reporting address and advisories are published on GitHub, ten on the first of five pages, the latest in June 2026. The Master Subscription Agreement states SOC 2 Type II with the report on request. No security.txt and no bug bounty found (13 of 20).

The checklist (https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/#checklist-security):

- 0 to 30, the credential model. 30 for OAuth 2.1 with scopes, or scoped and revocable keys with rotation. 20 for plain revocable API keys. 10 for one all-powerful key. 10 off when a secret can travel in a URL query string as a documented option.
- 0 to 20, read-only or least-privilege modes, and confirmation or approval for destructive actions.
- 0 to 15, prompt-injection posture where the tool returns untrusted content (documented mitigations or guidance). A tool that returns no untrusted content gets 10.
- 0 to 15, audit logs or per-call visibility for the operator.
- 0 to 20, a security programme. security.txt or a disclosure policy, a bug bounty, SOC 2 or ISO 27001, advisories handled in public.

Models are read for retention, whether API data trains models (and whether that's off by default), zero-retention options and certifications. Frameworks for telemetry defaults, approval hooks, guardrails and sandboxing.

## 3. Agent ergonomics, 74 out of 100, up to 4.2 more on the total

Why it scored 74: The MCP server has 199 tools on NocoDB Cloud per the 2026.09.1 changelog, so 5 of 25, plus 10 back because a connection registers only the tools on its allowlist, set by section and access level (15). Page-based pagination with `next` and `prev` URLs, `where`, `sort`, `fields` and `viewId` (20). v3 errors return a stable `error` code with a message and a request id, though some older paths return a bare `msg` (16). The record tools in the source set `readOnlyHint`, `destructiveHint` and in places `idempotentHint`, and the API has an upsert on merge keys. No idempotency keys (15). Few required parameters. nocodb-sdk for JavaScript and TypeScript is the only official client, and the PyPI package is community-built (8).

The checklist (https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/#checklist-ergonomics):

- 0 to 25, context cost. For MCP, the number and size of the tool definitions (25 for ten or fewer compact tools, 15 for 11 to 30, 5 for more than 30, plus up to 10 back for toolsets, dynamic loading or read-only subsets). For APIs, whether responses can be sized (field selection, limits, summaries).
- 20, pagination, filtering and output-size controls.
- 20, actionable, documented error responses, codes and messages an agent can recover from.
- 20, idempotency or safe retries, and for MCP the `readOnlyHint` and `destructiveHint` annotations.
- 15, sensible defaults, few required parameters, and official SDKs in at least two languages.

Models are read for tool use, structured output, prompt caching, context length, batch and SDKs. Frameworks for how much code and how many defaults a tool-calling agent with MCP needs.

## 4. Schema & documentation, 85 out of 100, up to 2.4 more on the total

Why it scored 85: Public OpenAPI 3.1 file for the v3 REST API with 57 paths and 114 operations. In the source every MCP record tool declares a zod input schema. The input schemas of the Cloud-only tools weren't read (23 of 25). llms.txt at nocodb.com and a Markdown copy of every docs page at the same URL plus `.md` (10). REST operations describe behaviour and limits in prose. The 13 record tools have one-line descriptions, with a long manual of the filter syntax on `queryRecords` and a `generateSkillGuide` tool outside the Community Edition (14 of 20). Parameters are typed with enums and array limits, but record values are objects keyed by field and filters are strings in NocoDB's own syntax (11 of 15). Examples on 70 operations, and responses declared for 400, 401, 403, 404 and 422, with 429 on one operation (12 of 15). Versions in the path (v2, v3) and a changelog page per release (15).

The checklist (https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/#checklist-schema):

APIs and MCP servers.

- 25, a machine-readable contract (a public OpenAPI file or similar; for MCP, typed JSON Schema inputs on every tool).
- 10, llms.txt or Markdown docs served for agents.
- 0 to 20, descriptions that say what a tool is for, when to use it and when not to, read from the tool definitions in the source or the API reference.
- 0 to 15, typed inputs with enums, constraints and required fields, and no free-form JSON blobs.
- 0 to 15, examples and documented error responses.
- 15, versioning and a public changelog.

Models are read from the API reference, the OpenAPI file, llms.txt, the structured-output and tool-use docs and the model cards. Frameworks from docs a model can follow, typed interfaces, examples and the API reference.

## 5. Transparency & trust, 76 out of 100, up to 2.1 more on the total

Made of editorial 66, provenance 86.

Why it scored 76: Source is public under the Sustainable Use License since January 2026, with clear terms but not an OSI licence. It was AGPL-3.0 before (20 of 30). Privacy policy of 5 August 2025, AI terms that rule out model training on inputs, and a Master Subscription Agreement that allows export for 30 days after termination and removal within 90 days of a request. No retention periods for content on self-serve plans, deleted content may stay in backups, and no separate DPA was found (20 of 30). The docs give the version from which legacy tokens were blocked and mark webhook v2 deprecated, but the v2 APIs are 'will deprecate soon' with no date and no policy was found (8 of 20). Sub-processor list of 16 with countries, last updated 14 October 2025. Self-hosted telemetry is on by default with a documented `NC_DISABLE_TELE` switch (18 of 20).

The checklist (https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/#checklist-transparency):

- 0 to 30, source availability and licence clarity. 30 for open source under an OSI licence, 15 for closed with clear terms, 0 for unclear terms.
- 0 to 30, data handling and retention statements that agree with each other (privacy policy, DPA, retention periods, subprocessors).
- 0 to 20, a deprecation policy or notices with dates.
- 0 to 20, telemetry disclosed with an opt-out (local software), or subprocessors and data locations disclosed (hosted).

The other half of Transparency and trust is the provenance score, computed from checked facts (below). The category score is the mean of the two.

Provenance checks not met in full (half of this category, computed from checked facts):

- Domain age: nocodb.com, registered 2021-04-14 (5 years) (11 of 15)
- security.txt: not found (0 of 10)

## 6. Maintenance & community, 87 out of 100, up to 1.1 more on the total

Why it scored 87: Release 2026.09.1 was tagged on 29 September 2026, 9 days before the check (30). Six release tags in the last 90 days, from 2026.07.0 on 13 July to 2026.09.1 (20). 387 open issues on GitHub, the 25 newest opened between 11 July and 7 October 2026. We didn't read reply times (14 of 25). Not in the official MCP registry, where a search for nocodb returns nothing. nocodb-sdk 0.301.3 on npm matches the repository (15). The repository has unit test, build check and dependency review workflows and a Renovate config, with commits on 8 October 2026. We didn't read the workflow results (8 of 10).

The checklist (https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/#checklist-maintenance):

- 0 to 30, time since the last release, or the last published model or API change for a closed service. 30 within 30 days, 20 within 90, 10 within 180, 0 older.
- 20, at least three releases or dated changelog entries in the last 90 days.
- 0 to 25, responsiveness. Issues and pull requests answered on GitHub (the open issues and how recent the replies are). For closed services, a public changelog and a support or community channel that answers, 0 to 15.
- 15, presence in the official MCP registry under a verified namespace (MCP servers), or current official SDKs (APIs and models).
- 10, package health, current dependencies and CI.

Models are read for deprecation notice periods and model churn rather than release counts.

## 7. Reliability, 97 out of 100, up to 0.6 more on the total

Why it scored 97: Graded on NocoDB Cloud (the v3 REST API and the built-in MCP server) with the hosted lines. Status page at status.nocodb.com on Kener, with two components and 90-day availability (20). No incident is listed for July, August, September or October 2026, and the application shows 99.9907 per cent over 90 days (30). 5 requests a second per user on all plans, monthly API call allowances per plan, 10 records per REST write and 100 per MCP record call (15). A 429 means waiting 30 seconds per the docs and carries Retry-After per the OpenAPI file, and upsert on a merge key makes a repeated write safe. No idempotency keys (12). A 99.9 per cent monthly uptime commitment is published for Enterprise plans (10). The v3 API and the MCP server carry no beta label, while the pricing page marks the v2 APIs 'will deprecate soon' (10).

The checklist (https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/#checklist-reliability):

Hosted APIs, MCP servers, models and platforms.

- 20, a public status page with component history (Statuspage, Instatus, BetterStack or the vendor's own).
- 0 to 30, the incident record for the last 90 days on that page. 30 for a clean record or trivial incidents only, 20 for minor incidents only, 10 for one major outage (an hour or more of a core API down, or errors across the board), 0 for several. 5 when there's no history we could read, and the note says so.
- 15, rate limits documented with numbers.
- 15, documented 429 or overload handling (Retry-After, backoff guidance), and idempotency keys or safe-retry guidance where writes are involved.
- 10, an SLA published for any paid tier.
- 10, the surface agents use is generally available, not beta or preview.

Local packages, SDKs, frameworks and stdio MCP servers.

- 20, installs from an official package with supported runtimes stated.
- 25, a public CI and test suite, passing on the default branch.
- 0 to 25, open crash or regression issues relative to activity (25 for few and handled, 0 for many, old and unanswered).
- 15, semver discipline and breaking changes called out in a changelog.
- 15, version 1.0 or later, or declared stable.

Protocols are read from their reference implementations, the public facilitators or servers, spec stability and test vectors.

## What we couldn't check

What we couldn't read counted as absent. Publishing it on a page a plain HTTP fetch can read (not only in a browser) lets the next check count it.

- The lead called NocoDB open source. Since January 2026 it is under the Sustainable Use License, which the vendor's own licence page says is not OSI-approved
- The lead's docs link (nocodb.com/docs/product-docs/mcp) now redirects to nocodb.com/docs/apis-and-mcp/mcp, and the vendor's documents name it NocoDB Inc, without a comma
- The tool count differs between vendor pages. llms.txt says 149 tools and the 2026.09.1 changelog says 199. The listing uses 199
- unchecked: the input schemas, descriptions and annotations of the Cloud-only MCP tools, which need a signed-in account and aren't in the public repository. Only the 13 record tools were read in the source
- unchecked: whether signup for the Free plan asks for a card. The pricing page says no card is required and we didn't complete a signup
- unchecked: reply times on GitHub issues and the results of the CI workflows
- unchecked: the first release date, left empty
- The pricing cards show Plus at $12 and Business at $24 a seat billed annually, while the comparison table on the same page shows 15 and 30. The listing uses the card prices
- No security.txt, bug bounty, separate DPA, API deprecation policy or prompt-injection guidance was found in the reviewed pages
- The docs give 30 seconds as the wait after a 429 and the OpenAPI file says the response carries Retry-After. We didn't trigger one
- GitHub advisories from May and June 2026 include two rated High (stored cross-site scripting through a form redirect URL, and an attachment size limit bypass). They are published by the maintainers and no deduction was taken

## Weaknesses

- 5 requests a second per user on every plan, shared by all of that user's tokens, with a 30-second block after a 429
- REST create, update and upsert calls take 10 records each by default
- The Free plan allows 1,000 API calls a month and 1,000 records, and workspace audit logs start at the Scale plan
- The licence changed from AGPL-3.0 to the Sustainable Use License in January 2026, which is not OSI-approved
- No security.txt and no bug bounty were found, and the MCP server is not in the official MCP registry

## What costs an agent a turn today

The notes we give agents before they call it. Each one is a workaround an agent shouldn't need.

- Create a fine-grained token limited to the bases and categories the task needs. Send it as `xc-token` or as a Bearer token
- Stay under 5 requests a second across all tokens of one user. After a 429, honour `Retry-After` or wait 30 seconds
- Send REST writes in batches of 10 records. The MCP record tools take up to 100, counted as one API call per 10 records
- Write date filters with a sub-operator, such as `(due_date,eq,exactDate,2026-06-01)`, and put no space after `~and` or `~or`
- Use `/records/upsert` with a merge key so a repeated write updates the record instead of adding a duplicate

## When it's done

Send what changed and where it's published as a dispute (https://www.anchorterminal.com/builders/#disputes, or `POST https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/contact` with `"kind": "dispute"`). Disputes are answered in public, and the listing is checked again by the same checklist. Paying for an audit or a listing claim changes nothing here.