How to Let AI Agents Build Your Forms with MCP

If you already work inside an AI agent (Claude Code, Cursor, ChatGPT, Codex), leaving it to click around a form builder feels like a step backwards. With the Model Context Protocol (MCP), you don't have to: connect Formly to your agent once, and it can create forms, edit them, publish links, and pull responses, all from the conversation you're already in.

This guide covers what that setup looks like and how to get it running in a few minutes.

What is MCP, briefly

The Model Context Protocol is an open standard that lets AI agents call tools in external services. A service exposes an MCP server; the agent connects to it and gains a set of typed tools it can invoke on your behalf. Formly ships an MCP server, which means any MCP-compatible agent can operate your Formly account, with your permission, using your API key.

In practice, that turns requests like these into finished work:

• "Build a job application form with a resume upload, then publish it."
• "Add a 1–5 rating question to my beta feedback survey."
• "Show me this week's responses to the signup form and summarize the common themes."

Step 1: Create an API key

You'll need a Formly account on the Pro plan. In the dashboard, go to Settings → Developer and generate an API key. This key is what authorizes your agent, so treat it like a password.

Step 2: Connect your agent

There are two ways to run the Formly MCP server. Both expose the same tools, so pick whichever your agent supports.

Remote (hosted, zero install). Add a remote MCP server pointing at:

https://api.formly.so/mcp

with your API key as a bearer token (Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY).

Local (npx). Add the formly-mcp package to your agent's MCP config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "formly": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "formly-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "FORMLY_API_KEY": "formly_sk_your_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

For CLI agents, registration is a one-liner. Claude Code:

claude mcp add formly --env FORMLY_API_KEY=formly_sk_your_key_here -- npx -y formly-mcp

Codex CLI:

codex mcp add formly --env FORMLY_API_KEY=formly_sk_your_key_here -- npx -y formly-mcp

There's an even lazier option: paste the ready-made setup prompt from the developer docs into a coding agent, and it will install and verify the connection itself.

Step 3: Just ask

Once connected, your agent has the full toolkit:

Tool	What it does
create_form	Build a new form from a description
edit_form	Change questions, pages, or structure
update_form_settings	Adjust settings like notifications or access
publish_form / unpublish_form	Take a form live, or take it down
list_forms / get_form	Browse forms and fetch links or structure
get_submissions	Read responses
create_space / list_spaces	Organize forms into workspaces

Ask in plain language and the agent chooses the right tools. A single request like "create a feedback survey for our beta users and publish it" typically chains create_form → publish_form → get_form and hands you the live link.

What this unlocks beyond convenience

• Forms inside automations. Because agents and workflow tools like n8n can call the same MCP server, form creation becomes a step in a pipeline: spin up an intake form for each new client, or a feedback survey after each release, automatically.
• Responses where you think. Instead of exporting CSVs, ask your agent to pull the latest submissions and summarize them in the middle of whatever you're working on.
• No context switching. The form lifecycle (create, revise, publish, read) happens without opening a dashboard.

If you'd rather integrate directly, everything the MCP server does is also available as a plain REST API, including an endpoint that generates a form from a description in one call.

Troubleshooting

• Agent can't see the tools? Reload or restart your agent's MCP servers after adding the config, then ask it to call list_forms as a sanity check.
• Authentication errors? Make sure the key is passed as FORMLY_API_KEY (local) or a bearer token (remote), and that your account is on the Pro plan.

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New to the prompt-based side of Formly? Start with how to create a form with AI, or get an API key and connect your agent now.