paypal_get_tablesLABSCO SUMMARY
Transaction history you can query, with no path to move money.
The CData JDBC Driver presents PayPal as relational tables, so a month of transactions becomes something you can filter and total in one query. The read-only surface is the point: three tools, all of them reads, so connecting a model to payment data does not also hand it a way to act on that data.
What it is
A Java MCP server that puts CData's JDBC Driver for PayPal behind three read-only tools: list the tables, list a table's columns, and run a SQL SELECT. The driver is what does the work — it exposes PayPal as relational SQL models — and the server hands those models to your client so you can ask questions in plain language instead of writing SQL yourself.
What you get
get_tablesreturns the tables available in the data source, as CSV with a header rowget_columnsreturns the columns of one table, in the same CSV shaperun_queryexecutes a SQL SELECT and returns the rows- Every tool name is prefixed with the server name from your
.prpfile, so several CData servers can run side by side without colliding - Questions like "how many open tickets do I have" go straight to the client — it picks the tools and writes the SQL
Requirements
Build the server with mvn clean install, which produces CDataMCP-jar-with-dependencies.jar. Separately download the CData JDBC Driver for PayPal and license it: run java -jar cdata.jdbc.paypal.jar --license and enter your name, email and either TRIAL or a licence key. Then write a .prp file naming DriverClass=cdata.jdbc.paypal.PayPalDriver plus the JdbcUrl you build in the driver's connection-string utility, and point your client at java -jar with the jar and that file. Transport is stdio, so the server has to run on the same machine as the client.
Setup effort
Build from source — clone the repository, then point your client at the binary
USE CASES
Reconciling a month
Pull the transactions for the period as CSV and total them outside PayPal's reporting.
Finding a specific payment
Filter by amount, date or counterparty instead of scrolling the activity list.
Checking what fields are available
List the columns before building a recurring report on top.
3 tools
Listed in project docs. Your client may show a different list.
paypal_get_columnspaypal_run_queryBEFORE YOU INSTALL
What to know first
Tools you get
3 tools named in the project's documentation. Tool names take the Prefix from the .prp file, such as paypal_get_tables; source_get_tables in the examples is an unfilled placeholder. Despite a line promising writes, run_query executes SELECT only.
Where it runs
Both documented setups run the server on your machine.
INSTALLATION
Connect your client
Clone the repository, then point your client at the binary. This one is built from source rather than installed with a single command.
Server setup
git clone https://github.com/cdatasoftware/paypal-mcp-server-by-cdata.git
cd paypal-mcp-server-by-cdata
mvn clean installDownload and install the CData JDBC Driver for PayPal from https://www.cdata.com/drivers/paypal/download/jdbc
License the driver: from the driver install's lib folder run java -jar cdata.jdbc.paypal.jar --license, then enter your name, email, and "TRIAL" (or your license key)
Build the connection string: run java -jar cdata.jdbc.paypal.jar to open the Connection String utility, click "Test Connection" (browser OAuth if the source needs it), and copy the connection string
Create paypal.prp with:
Prefix=paypal
ServerName=CDataPayPal
ServerVersion=1.0
DriverPath=<YOUR_DRIVER_PATH>
DriverClass=cdata.jdbc.paypal.PayPalDriver
JdbcUrl=<YOUR_JDBC_URL>
Tables=Tables only picks which tables also get a ready-made description for your assistant, and empty means none; the server can still list and query every table your connection string reaches, so to keep data out of reach, limit that connection or the account it signs in with.
Add the mcpServers entry (block below) to claude_desktop_config.json, then fully quit and re-open the client
MCP Clients
Claude Desktop — macOS, Linux, Windows
{
"mcpServers": {
"paypal": {
"command": "<YOUR_PATH_TO_JAVA>",
"args": [
"-jar",
"<YOUR_PATH_TO_CDATA_MCP_JAR_WITH>",
"<YOUR_PATH_TO_PAYPAL>"
]
}
}
}