Metabase API: what you can do and how to use it with AI agents
Metabase has a REST API that lets you run saved questions, read dashboards, manage collections and users, and automate administration of the instance. Startups and data teams that want accessible BI use it. Because the instance usually belongs to the customer, access uses its own credentials.
What the Metabase API offers
Saved questions (cards)
Run saved queries and return the results in a structured format.
Dashboards
Read dashboards and the cards that make them up.
Collections
Organize questions and dashboards into collections and permissions.
Queries
Run queries on the connected databases, according to the user's permissions.
Users and groups
Manage users, groups and access.
Alerts and subscriptions
Periodic dashboard deliveries and condition-based alerts.
How to access the Metabase API
- With your company’s credentialsUses an API key created by the administrator (in recent versions) or a user session. Permissions follow the group tied to the key.
- Prefer having the agent use saved, reviewed questions over free-form SQL.
- The key's group defines what the agent sees: keep it restricted.
- Internal instances require controlled network access.
Official documentation: www.metabase.com/docs/latest/api
What an iTeam agent does with the Metabase API
The day's number in chat
The manager asks for yesterday's sales in Slack. The agent runs the official saved question and replies with the value and the card link.
Variance explained
When a metric drops, the agent runs the breakdowns already defined and shows which channel, region or product the drop is concentrated in.
Report for people who do not use BI
The agent runs the agreed cards and sends a text summary to leadership every Monday.
Access audit
The agent lists inactive users and groups with broad access for IT to review.
From the credential to the agent at work, with approval
Create a key or service user
In Metabase, create the API key or a dedicated user in a group with access only to the necessary collections.
Store it in the iTeam vault
Register the credential and the instance address in the vault. If the instance is internal, arrange network access with IT.
Validate with the data team
Define which saved questions the agent uses and compare the answers with the dashboard before release.
Ready-made AI teams that use Metabase
Questions about the Metabase API
Is the Metabase API free?
Yes, the API is part of Metabase, including the open-source version. Some administration features and advanced permissions are in the paid editions.
Do I need to write code to use the Metabase API with iTeam?
Not necessarily. iTeam reads the documentation and the deployment team connects the agent to the saved questions the data team approved.
Is the API documentation stable?
Metabase itself warns that the API may change between versions, so it is worth testing the integration after each update of the instance.
