Enrich new Airtable country watchlist rows with World Bank macros

Build an agent workflow that enriches new country rows in my Airtable Markets Watchlist with the latest World Bank macro indicators and a short written analysis.

Trigger: Airtable poll on the New Record event for my Markets Watchlist table. Each new row will have either a country name (e.g. "Brazil") or an ISO code (e.g. "BRA" or "BR") in a Country field. Treat that row as the input.

Steps the agent should run for each new row:

1. Resolve the country. Call world-bank.list_countries and find the entry whose name or ISO 2/3 code matches the input. Skip aggregates (regions, income groups). Capture the World Bank country id and the income group classification.

2. Pull the indicator panel. Call world-bank.get_indicator_data for that country id with this default set of indicator codes: NY.GDP.MKTP.CD (GDP USD), NY.GDP.PCAP.CD (GDP per capita), NY.GDP.MKTP.KD.ZG (real GDP growth), FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG (CPI inflation), SP.POP.TOTL (population), SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS (unemployment), NE.TRD.GNFS.ZS (trade as % of GDP). Prefer the most recent non-empty value per indicator (use mrnev=1 or filter out null years per World Bank common_docs). Keep the prior year's value too so we can compute year-over-year change.

3. Write the values back. Call airtable.update_record on the same record id, mapping each indicator to its matching column on the table. Do NOT create new fields, just fill the ones the user has already configured. If an indicator has no recent value, skip it rather than writing a blank.

4. Write the Macro Snapshot. Compose a 3 to 5 sentence summary in plain English and write it into a long-text field named "Macro Snapshot" on the same record (via the same update_record call). The summary should: name the most recent year of data, call out headline GDP, growth, and inflation, flag any notable year-over-year moves, and note where the country sits relative to its World Bank income group (low / lower-middle / upper-middle / high income).

5. Handle unresolved countries. If list_countries returns no match for the input, do not update any numeric fields. Instead call airtable.create_comment on the record with a short note like "Couldn't resolve this country against the World Bank list. Please check the spelling or use the ISO 3 code." so a human can fix it.

Keep the workflow idempotent: rerunning it on the same row should just overwrite with the latest values, never duplicate the comment, and never blank out indicators that simply have no fresh reading.

Additional information

What does this prompt do?

Watches your Airtable Markets Watchlist table and fires the moment a new country row appears.
Matches the country name or ISO code to the right World Bank entity and pulls the latest readings for GDP, GDP per capita, real growth, inflation, population, unemployment, and trade as a share of GDP.
Writes each number into its matching column on the row, skipping any indicator with no recent value instead of overwriting with blanks.
Drops a 3 to 5 sentence Macro Snapshot into the row that calls out the latest readings, notable year-over-year moves, and where the country sits versus its World Bank income group.
If the country name can't be resolved, leaves a comment on the record flagging it for manual review so nothing silently fails.

What do I need to use this?

An Airtable base with a Markets Watchlist table that has a country name or ISO code field plus columns for the indicators you want filled in.
A long-text field on the same table named Macro Snapshot for the written summary.
An Airtable login with access to the base. No World Bank account or key is required because the data source is free and public.

How can I customize it?

Swap in the indicators you actually track. The default panel covers GDP, GDP per capita, real growth, inflation, population, unemployment, and trade as a share of GDP, but you can add or remove any World Bank series.
Change the tone or length of the Macro Snapshot. Make it punchier, more analyst-style, or focused on a specific theme like emerging market risk.
Tighten the trigger. Filter to a specific view, region, or status column so only rows you have actually researched get enriched.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a World Bank API key or paid plan?

No. World Bank Indicators are free and public, so the workflow can pull data without any account or key on your side.

What happens if I type a country name the World Bank doesn't recognize?

The agent leaves a comment on the row flagging it for manual review instead of writing partial or wrong data. Try the official country name or the two or three letter ISO code.

Will it overwrite an indicator if the latest value is missing?

No. The agent skips indicators with no recent reading rather than blanking your existing column.

Can I run this on an existing watchlist with hundreds of rows?

Yes. The trigger only fires on brand-new rows, so historical rows are left alone. You can also kick off a one-time backfill on demand.

Can I add my own indicators like CO2 emissions or life expectancy?

Yes. The World Bank publishes thousands of indicators. Add a column for any series you care about and tell the agent which code to pull.