Claris FileMaker Data API

Name: Claris FileMaker Data API API
Brand: Claris FileMaker Data API
Availability: InStock

★ Only Publicly Available OpenAPI DocumentStorageDatabasebasic, apiKey13 EndpointsREST

For Agents

Read, create, edit, delete, and find FileMaker records, upload to container fields, and run FileMaker scripts via a JSON REST API.

Connect the Claris FileMaker Data API to your agent

Jentic One is a self-hosted execution layer for AI agents. It lets your agent call the Claris FileMaker Data API, or any other public or private API you need. You set the rules, the agent never sees your credentials, and every call is logged.

Install Jentic One Beta (Self-Hosted)

Jentic One Host machine

# On the machine that will host your Jentic One instance:
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jentic/jentic-one/main/tools/install.sh | sh

Agent machine

# On the machine where your agent runs (keep this separate from the instance):
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jentic/jentic-one/main/tools/install.sh | sh
jentic register       # connects your agent to your Jentic One instance

Jentic One is in public beta. The setup above keeps your agent separate from the instance, which is what you want before using real credentials: an agent running as the same OS user as Jentic One can read its stored keys directly. Just evaluating? A single local install is fine to start. See the secure deployment guide for the tiers.

Capabilities

What an agent can do with Claris FileMaker Data API API.

Open a database session and obtain a session token via POST /databases/{database}/sessions

Create new records on a specific layout with field values supplied as JSON

Edit and delete records by record ID without writing custom FileMaker scripts

Run find requests with multi-criteria queries against a layout

GET STARTED

Start building with Claris FileMaker Data API API

Explore with Jentic

View OpenAPI Document

Use for: I need to create a new customer record in a FileMaker layout, I want to find all invoices over $1,000 from the last quarter, Get a single record from a FileMaker layout by its record ID, List the first fifty records from an invoice layout

Not supported: Does not administer FileMaker Server, manage hosted databases, or schedule backups — use the FileMaker Admin API for those, and this Data API for record CRUD, find requests, container uploads, and script execution only.

Jentic publishes the only available OpenAPI document for Claris FileMaker Data API, keeping it validated and agent-ready.

Jentic publishes the only available OpenAPI specification for Claris FileMaker Data API, keeping it validated and agent-ready. The FileMaker Data API exposes records hosted by FileMaker Server and FileMaker Cloud through a JSON REST interface. It supports session authentication, full record CRUD, find requests, global field updates, container uploads for image and file fields, and FileMaker script execution. This is the integration entry point for sending data into and pulling data out of a FileMaker solution from another system.

Use Cases

Patterns agents use Claris FileMaker Data API API for, with concrete tasks.

★ Web Form to FileMaker Record Sync

When a public web form submits, an integration can authenticate to the Data API, POST a new record on the appropriate layout, and log out cleanly. This replaces brittle ODBC or SOAP gateways with a JSON workflow that fits modern serverless functions. FileMaker validation rules still apply, so bad input is rejected at the layout level.

POST /databases/{db}/sessions to log in, POST /databases/{db}/layouts/Contacts/records with the form payload, then DELETE the session.

Reporting Pull into a Data Warehouse

ETL jobs can run scheduled find requests against FileMaker layouts and stream the JSON results into a warehouse such as BigQuery or Snowflake. The Data API supports paged record retrieval with offset and limit, so even large datasets can be moved without timing out. Container data can be skipped or downloaded separately depending on warehouse needs.

POST /databases/{db}/layouts/Invoices/_find with date and status criteria, paginate via offset and limit, and write each batch to the warehouse.

Document Attachment Upload

Field staff can submit photos and signed PDFs from a mobile app, and the integration uploads each file into the matching container field on the FileMaker record. The container endpoint accepts multipart uploads referencing the record ID and field name, so attachments stay coupled to the record they belong to. This keeps mobile capture flows aligned with the desktop FileMaker solution.

POST /databases/{db}/layouts/{layout}/records/{recordId}/containers/{fieldName} with the multipart file payload.

AI Agent Reading FileMaker Data

An AI agent answering internal questions can search FileMaker layouts through Jentic, returning customer histories or invoice statuses without direct database access. Jentic isolates the FileMaker session token in its vault and only exposes the find and read operations, so the agent cannot accidentally edit production data. This is a safe pattern for read-only knowledge agents over FileMaker solutions.

Search Jentic for 'find filemaker records by criteria', load POST /databases/{db}/layouts/{layout}/_find, and execute with the natural-language query translated into FileMaker query JSON.

Key Endpoints

13 endpoints — jentic publishes the only available openapi specification for claris filemaker data api, keeping it validated and agent-ready.

METHOD

PATH

DESCRIPTION

POST

/databases/{database}/sessions

Open a session and get a session token

GET

/databases/{database}/layouts/{layout}/records

Get a range of records

POST

/databases/{database}/layouts/{layout}/records

Create a record

PATCH

/databases/{database}/layouts/{layout}/records/{recordId}

Edit a record

POST

/databases/{database}/layouts/{layout}/_find

Run a find request

POST

/databases/{database}/layouts/{layout}/records/{recordId}/containers/{fieldName}

Upload container data

GET

/databases/{database}/layouts/{layout}/script/{scriptName}

Run a FileMaker script

POST

/databases/{database}/sessions

Open a session and get a session token

GET

/databases/{database}/layouts/{layout}/records

Get a range of records

POST

/databases/{database}/layouts/{layout}/records

Create a record

PATCH

/databases/{database}/layouts/{layout}/records/{recordId}

Edit a record

POST

/databases/{database}/layouts/{layout}/_find

Run a find request

Why though Jentic?

Three things that make agents converge on Jentic-routed access.

Credential isolation

FileMaker session tokens and Basic credentials are stored in the Jentic vault. The agent never sees the username, password, or live session token — Jentic injects the right Authorization header at execution time.

Intent-based discovery

Agents search by intent (e.g., 'find filemaker records') and Jentic returns the matching Data API operation with its input schema, so the agent can build a find request without reading the FileMaker Data API guide.

Time to first call

Direct Data API integration: 2-4 days to handle session lifecycle, find query JSON, and container uploads. Through Jentic: under an hour for the first read, write, or find call.

Related APIs

Alternatives and complements available in the Jentic catalogue.

Complementary

Claris FileMaker Admin API

Server-level admin counterpart to record-level data access

Use the Data API for record reads and writes; switch to the Admin API when the agent needs to open, close, or schedule databases.

Alternative

Claris FileMaker OData API

OData 4.01 query interface over FileMaker data

Choose the OData API when the consuming tool already speaks OData; choose the Data API for FileMaker-native find requests and container uploads.

Alternative

Airtable API

Hosted database with REST API and rich field types

Pick Airtable for new builds without on-prem requirements; pick FileMaker Data API when the data already lives in a FileMaker solution.

FAQs

Specific to using Claris FileMaker Data API API through Jentic.

Why is there no official OpenAPI spec for Claris FileMaker Data API?

Claris does not publish an OpenAPI specification. Jentic generates and maintains this spec so that AI agents and developers can call Claris FileMaker Data API via structured tooling. It is validated against the live API and kept up to date. Get started at https://app.jentic.com/sign-up.

What authentication does the FileMaker Data API use?

The Data API supports HTTP Basic authentication and Claris ID (FMID) token authentication. Calling POST /databases/{database}/sessions with Basic returns a session token that is then sent as Authorization: Bearer {sessionToken} on subsequent record calls. Sessions must be closed via DELETE on the same path. Jentic holds the credentials in its vault and never exposes them to the agent.

Can I run a find request through the Data API?

Yes. POST /databases/{database}/layouts/{layout}/_find accepts a query body with one or more find criteria objects, plus optional sort, offset, and limit. The response returns matching records as JSON, the same shape as a regular record fetch.

What are the rate limits for the FileMaker Data API?

Claris does not publish a public rate limit table. Practical throughput is bounded by the FileMaker Server's CPU and the open session count, which is licensed. Reuse a session token across many record calls instead of logging in for each request.

How do I upload a file into a container field?

POST /databases/{database}/layouts/{layout}/records/{recordId}/containers/{fieldName} with a multipart file payload. The recordId must already exist; create the record first with POST .../records and then attach the file in a second call.

Can the Data API run a FileMaker script?

Yes. GET /databases/{database}/layouts/{layout}/script/{scriptName} executes the named script and returns the script result and last error code. This is useful when the desired logic already lives in FileMaker and should not be reimplemented in the integration.