Can Claude work with Microsoft Access? Yes — here's how

Yes. Claude — including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, and any MCP-compatible agent like Cursor or GitHub Copilot — can work directly with Microsoft Access databases using Access-MCP, an MCP server built specifically for Access. It connects the agent to live .accdb and .mdb files on Windows: no exports, no CSV round-trips, no converting to another database first.

What Claude can actually do with an Access database

With Access-MCP running, you can ask Claude to:

• Map the database — list every table with row counts, relationships, indexes, and linked SQL Server tables.
• Run queries — read data with SQL, inspect saved queries, and (on Pro) execute updates and multi-statement batches transactionally.
• Read and refactor VBA — summarize what each module does, find dead code, patch modules in place, and compile — with a full audit log of every change (Pro).
• Work with forms and reports — list them, read control properties, and design changes (Pro).
• Document a legacy system — generate the documentation that never existed, in minutes, from the live file.

Everything read-oriented works on the free tier, forever. Writes, VBA patching, form design, and batch execution are Pro tools ($49/dev/month or $529/year).

How it works

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is the open standard AI agents use to call external tools. Access-MCP is a self-contained Windows executable (MS.Access.MCP.exe) that exposes 27 tools over MCP. Your agent — Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor — launches it locally and talks to your real Access file.

Your database never leaves your machine. The exe runs locally; licensing telemetry is limited to your key, version, and operation counts — never database contents.

Quick start (3 steps)

• Register for a free key (20 seconds, no card — 14-day full trial included): access-mcp.ai/register
• Download MS.Access.MCP.exe and activate: MS.Access.MCP.exe login YOUR-KEY
• Point your mcp.json at the exe:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "access": {
      "command": "C:\\Tools\\AccessMCP\\MS.Access.MCP.exe",
      "args": ["C:\\Data\\YourDatabase.accdb"],
      "env": { "ACCESS_MCP_LICENSE_KEY": "your-key-here" }
    }
  }
}

Using Claude Code specifically? Follow the dedicated guide: Using Access-MCP with Claude Code.

Requirements

• Windows with Microsoft Access installed (the server drives the real Access/Jet/ACE engine).
• Any MCP-compatible client: Claude Desktop, Claude Code (CLI), Cursor, GitHub Copilot, or your own agent.

Common questions

Your agent sees what it queries during your session, the same as any MCP tool — but Access-MCP itself sends no database contents anywhere. It's a local exe; only license validation (key, version, op counts) touches our server.

Access-MCP was built for exactly that: read-only mode, proper file locking, and a full audit log of every operation. The free tier is read-only by design.

Yes to start — register for a free key, get a 14-day full trial, then a forever-free read-only tier (50 operations/day). Pro is $49/dev/mo or $529/yr.