Integration · Forms

Connect Claude & ChatGPT to ODK

Ask your AI how many submissions came in on a form, what the answers say, or who submitted them. It can list projects and forms, read the questions of a form, query submission answers with filters and export them as CSV. It can also comment on submissions and read, create and update entities in your entity lists.

Connect ODK free

Free plan, no credit card. Takes about a minute.

Try asking

“Which forms in the household survey project have the most submissions?”
The AI lists the forms in the project with their state and submission counts.
“Show answers from the intake form where district is North.”
It reads the form's fields, then queries the submission answers with a filter on that field.
“Export this month's submissions of the water point form as CSV.”
It exports the form's submissions as CSV with a date filter.

What your AI can do

Projects and forms

List projects and forms, with state and submission counts, and read the questions of a form with their paths and types.

Submissions

List submissions, query their answers with OData filters, export CSV, see attachments and submitters, and read or add comments.

Entities

Read entity lists, query and get entities with their properties and history, and create or update entities.

“Who has submitted to the site visit form?”
It lists the users and app users who have submitted to the form.
“Comment on submission uuid:4a1f... that the GPS point looks wrong.”
It adds the comment to that submission, so reviewers see it in Central.
“Update entity 7c2e... in the households list: set status to visited.”
It reads the entity with its current version and updates the property.

24 tools for ODK

These tools are switched on when you connect. You can switch any of them off, or require your approval before it runs.

add_submission_commentChanges dataAdd a comment (`body`) to a submission by `project_id`, `xml_form_id` and `instance_id`.
create_entityChanges dataCreate an entity in an entity list by `project_id` and `name`; pass the label and property values in `body`.
export_submissions_csvExport a form's submissions as CSV by `project_id` and `xml_form_id`, with an optional OData `filter`.
get_current_userGet the ODK Central user you are signed in as.
get_entityGet one entity by `project_id`, entity list `name` and `entity_uuid`, with its current property values.
get_entity_listGet one entity list by `project_id` and `name`, including its properties.
get_formGet one form by `project_id` and `xml_form_id`, including its state and latest submission time.
get_projectGet one project by `project_id`.
get_submissionGet the metadata of one submission by `project_id`, `xml_form_id` and `instance_id`.
list_app_usersList the app users (data collectors) of a project by `project_id`.
list_entitiesList the entities in an entity list by `project_id` and `name`, with their labels and IDs.
list_entity_listsList the entity lists (datasets) in a project by `project_id`.
list_entity_versionsList the version history of an entity by `project_id`, `name` and `entity_uuid`.
list_form_fieldsList the questions (fields) of a form by `project_id` and `xml_form_id`, with their paths and types.
list_formsList the forms in a project by `project_id`, with their xmlFormId, name, state and submission count.
list_projectsList the projects you can access. Set `forms` or `datasets` to include their forms or entity lists.
list_submission_attachmentsList the attachments (photos, files) of a submission and whether they have been uploaded.
list_submission_commentsList the comments on a submission by `project_id`, `xml_form_id` and `instance_id`.
list_submissionsList the submissions of a form (metadata such as instanceId, submitter, date and review state) by `project_id` and `xml_form_id`, with `limit` and `offset`.
list_submittersList the users and app users who have submitted to a form, by `project_id` and `xml_form_id`.
query_entitiesRead the entities of an entity list with their property values via OData, by `project_id` and `name`. Supports `filter`, `select`, `orderby`, `limit` and `offset`.
query_submission_dataRead the answers of a form's submissions via OData, by `project_id`, `xml_form_id` and `table` (usually Submissions). Supports `filter`, `select`, `orderby`, `limit` and `offset`.
search_usersList or search ODK Central web users; pass `q` to search by name or email.
update_entityChanges dataUpdate an entity's `label` or property values in `data`, by `project_id`, `name` and `entity_uuid`. Pass `base_version` or set `force` to true.

Set up in three steps

1
Pick the app
Create a free PipMCP account and choose ODK from the app list.
2
Paste your key
Enter your ODK Central host name without https:// (for example central.example.org or yourname.getodk.cloud) and the email and password of an ODK Central web user. A dedicated user with only the project roles the AI needs is best. Login does not work if your server uses single sign-on (OIDC).
3
Add the link to your AI
You get a personal MCP link. Add it to Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor:
1. Click your name, then Settings › Connectors › Add custom connector.
2. Paste your link as the Remote MCP server URL.
3. Switch it on from the + menu in a chat.

Questions

What can the AI do in ODK?

The AI can list projects, forms, form fields, submissions, submitters, attachments, comments, entity lists, entities, app users and web users. It can query submission answers and entities with OData filters and export submissions as CSV. It can add comments to submissions and create and update entities.

Does the AI see my ODK Central credentials?

No. Your ODK Central credentials are encrypted at rest and never shown to the AI. After you save them, they are not shown again, not even to you. The AI only sees the results of the tools it calls.

Can I control what the AI is allowed to do?

Yes. You choose which tools are switched on, so you can start read-only. Creating or updating entities and adding comments can require your approval before they run. The AI can also only reach the projects that the ODK Central user has access to. Every tool call is logged.

Does it work with ChatGPT?

Yes. In ChatGPT go to Settings › Apps & Connectors › Advanced and turn on Developer mode, then add your PipMCP link. Developer mode needs a paid ChatGPT plan: Plus, Pro, Business or Enterprise. The same link also works in Claude (Settings › Connectors › Add custom connector), Cursor and other MCP clients.

What does it cost?

PipMCP has a free plan with no credit card required. Paid plans bill per completed task. You also need access to an ODK Central server, your own or a hosted one.

Which ODK Central user should I use?

Use a dedicated web user with only the project roles the AI needs. The AI sees and changes only what that user is allowed to in ODK Central. Servers that use single sign-on (OIDC) do not allow email and password login, so they cannot be connected this way.