diff --git a/packages/server/src/api/controllers/row/ExternalRequest.ts b/packages/server/src/api/controllers/row/ExternalRequest.ts
index 064e4d1792..9ab96fba69 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/api/controllers/row/ExternalRequest.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/api/controllers/row/ExternalRequest.ts
@@ -269,13 +269,25 @@ function isEditableColumn(column: FieldSchema) {
   return !(isExternalAutoColumn || isFormula)
 }
 
-export class ExternalRequest {
-  private operation: Operation
-  private tableId: string
+export type ExternalRequestReturnType<T> = T extends Operation.READ
+  ?
+      | Row[]
+      | {
+          row: Row
+          table: Table
+        }
+  : {
+      row: Row
+      table: Table
+    }
+
+export class ExternalRequest<T extends Operation> {
+  private readonly operation: T
+  private readonly tableId: string
   private datasource?: Datasource
   private tables: { [key: string]: Table } = {}
 
-  constructor(operation: Operation, tableId: string, datasource?: Datasource) {
+  constructor(operation: T, tableId: string, datasource?: Datasource) {
     this.operation = operation
     this.tableId = tableId
     this.datasource = datasource
@@ -739,7 +751,7 @@ export class ExternalRequest {
     return fields
   }
 
-  async run(config: RunConfig) {
+  async run(config: RunConfig): Promise<ExternalRequestReturnType<T>> {
     const { operation, tableId } = this
     let { datasourceId, tableName } = breakExternalTableId(tableId)
     if (!tableName) {
@@ -830,8 +842,11 @@ export class ExternalRequest {
     }
     const output = this.outputProcessing(response, table, relationships)
     // if reading it'll just be an array of rows, return whole thing
-    return operation === Operation.READ && Array.isArray(response)
-      ? output
-      : { row: output[0], table }
+    const result = (
+      operation === Operation.READ && Array.isArray(response)
+        ? output
+        : { row: output[0], table }
+    ) as ExternalRequestReturnType<T>
+    return result
   }
 }
diff --git a/packages/server/src/api/controllers/row/external.ts b/packages/server/src/api/controllers/row/external.ts
index 1e57416cd1..913a44a362 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/api/controllers/row/external.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/api/controllers/row/external.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,13 @@
-import { FieldTypes, NoEmptyFilterStrings } from "../../../constants"
+import { FieldTypes } from "../../../constants"
 import {
   breakExternalTableId,
   breakRowIdField,
 } from "../../../integrations/utils"
-import { ExternalRequest, RunConfig } from "./ExternalRequest"
+import {
+  ExternalRequest,
+  ExternalRequestReturnType,
+  RunConfig,
+} from "./ExternalRequest"
 import {
   Datasource,
   IncludeRelationship,
@@ -24,11 +28,11 @@ import {
 } from "../../../utilities/rowProcessor"
 import { cloneDeep, isEqual } from "lodash"
 
-export async function handleRequest(
-  operation: Operation,
+export async function handleRequest<T extends Operation>(
+  operation: T,
   tableId: string,
   opts?: RunConfig
-) {
+): Promise<ExternalRequestReturnType<T>> {
   // make sure the filters are cleaned up, no empty strings for equals, fuzzy or string
   if (opts && opts.filters) {
     opts.filters = sdk.rows.removeEmptyFilters(opts.filters)
@@ -37,7 +41,7 @@ export async function handleRequest(
     !dataFilters.hasFilters(opts?.filters) &&
     opts?.filters?.onEmptyFilter === EmptyFilterOption.RETURN_NONE
   ) {
-    return []
+    return [] as any
   }
 
   return new ExternalRequest(operation, tableId, opts?.datasource).run(