Qualtrics MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that gives Claude full control over the Qualtrics platform. Build surveys, manage questions, configure logic flows, distribute via email, handle contacts, export responses, and more — all through natural language.

What Can It Do?

53 tools across 8 domains covering the entire Qualtrics API surface:

Domain	Tools	Capabilities
Surveys	8	Create, list, get, update, delete, activate, deactivate, estimate export size
Questions	7	Full CRUD + simplified helpers for multiple choice, text entry, and matrix/Likert
Blocks	4	Create, list, update, delete survey blocks
Survey Flow	7	Get/update flow, add embedded data, add web services, list fields, piped text reference
Responses	7	Export (with smart filtering + auto-save), get/create/update/delete individual responses
Contacts	7	Mailing lists CRUD, individual + bulk contact import, update, remove
Distributions	5	Email distributions, anonymous links, reminders, list, delete
Webhooks	3	Event subscriptions for survey lifecycle events
Users	2	List organization users, get user details

Survey Management

• list_surveys — List surveys with filtering and pagination
• get_survey — Get survey details, optionally with full definition
• create_survey — Create a new survey
• update_survey — Update name, status, expiration
• delete_survey — Delete with name confirmation safety check
• activate_survey / deactivate_survey — Toggle collection
• estimate_export_size — Preview data size before downloading

Question Management

• list_questions — List all questions with types and previews
• get_question — Get full question definition
• create_question — Create with full Qualtrics spec (any type/selector)
• update_question — Modify text, choices, validation
• delete_question — Remove a question
• add_multiple_choice_question — Simplified MC creation from a list of choice strings
• add_text_entry_question — Simplified TE creation (single/multi/essay)
• add_matrix_question — Simplified Likert/matrix with statements + scale points

Block Management

• list_blocks / create_block / update_block / delete_block

Survey Flow & Logic

• get_survey_flow — Full flow tree (blocks, randomizers, branches, embedded data, web services)
• update_survey_flow — Replace the entire flow
• add_embedded_data — Inject embedded data fields into the flow
• add_web_service — Call external APIs mid-survey with response-to-field mapping
• list_embedded_data — List all declared embedded data fields
• list_web_services — List all web service elements
• piped_text_reference — Look up ${e://Field/...}, ${q://QID.../...}, etc. syntax

Response Export & Data

• export_responses — Export all responses (auto-saves large files to Downloads)
• export_responses_filtered — Export with date ranges, completion filters, question selection
• check_export_status — Poll an in-progress export job
• get_response / create_response / update_response / delete_response

Contacts & Mailing Lists

• list_mailing_lists / create_mailing_list / delete_mailing_list
• list_contacts — Paginated contact list
• add_contact / update_contact / remove_contact
• bulk_import_contacts — Import multiple contacts at once

Distributions

• list_distributions / get_distribution / delete_distribution
• create_anonymous_link — Generate a shareable survey URL
• create_email_distribution — Send survey invitations to a mailing list
• create_reminder — Send follow-up reminders for existing distributions

Webhooks

• list_webhooks / create_webhook / delete_webhook
• Subscribe to events like completedResponse.{surveyId}, controlpanel.activateSurvey, etc.

Users

• list_users / get_user

Server Control

• set_read_only_mode — Toggle read-only mode at runtime (blocks all write/update/delete operations)

Setup

Prerequisites

• Node.js 22+
• Qualtrics API token with appropriate permissions
• Qualtrics data center ID

Installation

git clone https://github.com/yrvelez/qualtrics-mcp-server.git
cd qualtrics-mcp-server
pnpm install

Configure environment variables:

cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your Qualtrics credentials

Configuration

Set these in your .env file:

Variable	Required	Default	Description
QUALTRICS_API_TOKEN	Yes	—	Your Qualtrics API token
QUALTRICS_DATA_CENTER	Yes	—	Data center ID (e.g., yul1)
QUALTRICS_BASE_URL	No	Auto-generated	Custom base URL override
QUALTRICS_READ_ONLY	No	false	Block all write/delete operations (safe exploration mode)
RATE_LIMITING_ENABLED	No	true	Enable/disable rate limiting
RATE_LIMIT_RPM	No	50	Requests per minute
REQUEST_TIMEOUT	No	30000	Request timeout in ms

Read-Only Mode

Set QUALTRICS_READ_ONLY=true to block all write, update, and delete operations. This is useful for safely exploring surveys and exporting data without risk of accidental changes. You can also toggle this at runtime using the set_read_only_mode tool.

Claude Desktop Integration

Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "qualtrics": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["tsx", "/path/to/qualtrics-mcp-server/src/index.ts"],
      "env": {
        "QUALTRICS_API_TOKEN": "your_api_token",
        "QUALTRICS_DATA_CENTER": "your_data_center_id"
      }
    }
  }
}

Usage Examples

Once configured, ask Claude things like:

Survey building:

• "Create a survey called 'Customer Satisfaction Q1 2026'"
• "Add a 5-point Likert matrix question measuring service quality"
• "Set up a randomizer that splits participants into two conditions"
• "Add embedded data fields for condition assignment and participant ID"

Data collection:

• "Create a mailing list and import these 50 contacts"
• "Send the survey to my research participants mailing list"
• "Generate an anonymous link for the pre-screen survey"
• "Send a reminder to everyone who hasn't responded yet"

Data export:

• "Export all complete responses from the last 30 days as CSV"
• "How many responses does my survey have? Estimate the export size"
• "Download responses for questions QID1-QID5 only"

Flow & logic:

• "Show me the current survey flow"
• "Add a web service call to my API that sets the stimulus condition"
• "What piped text syntax do I use to reference embedded data?"

Architecture

src/
  config/settings.ts          — Environment config with Zod validation
  services/
    qualtrics-client.ts       — HTTP client with auth, rate limiting, read-only enforcement
    survey-api.ts             — Survey + question + block CRUD
    flow-api.ts               — Survey flow management
    response-api.ts           — Response export + individual response CRUD
    contact-api.ts            — Mailing list + contact management
    distribution-api.ts       — Email distributions + anonymous links
    user-api.ts               — Organization user lookups
    webhook-api.ts            — Event subscription management
  tools/
    survey-tools.ts           — Survey MCP tool definitions
    question-tools.ts         — Question MCP tools (raw + simplified helpers)
    block-tools.ts            — Block MCP tools
    flow-tools.ts             — Flow, embedded data, web service, piped text tools
    response-tools.ts         — Export + individual response tools
    contact-tools.ts          — Mailing list + contact tools
    distribution-tools.ts     — Distribution tools
    user-tools.ts             — User tools
    webhook-tools.ts          — Webhook tools
    _helpers.ts               — Shared tool result helpers
    index.ts                  — Tool registry
  types/                      — TypeScript type definitions
  utils/                      — File saving utilities

Development

pnpm start          # Run the server
pnpm dev             # Run with file watching
pnpm typecheck       # Type check with tsgo

Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution
"Unexpected token 'Q'"	Ensure no console.log statements interfere with MCP JSON protocol
"Read-only file system"	Use absolute paths or let auto-save write to Downloads
Large file timeouts	Use export_responses_filtered with date ranges and questionIds
Rate limit errors	Built-in rate limiting handles this automatically; reduce RATE_LIMIT_RPM if needed

License

MIT