Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are useful for thin film-based device integration as they show high adsorption capacity for selected gases. However, optimized device integration of MOFs for various platforms requires high-quality, well controlled thin film growth techniques that are flexible, scalable, and manufacturable. For this reason, there is a critical need for the ability to grow MOFs in the form of dense and uniform thin films efficiently on a wide range of substrates. In this work, copper benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate (Cu–BTC) MOF thin films are rapidly produced at room temperature by using a conductive aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) as a seed layer to template Cu–BTC growth, with growth only occurring on the AZO layer via a hydroxy double salt intermediate. The formation pathway of the Cu–BTC films was investigated in detail because of the significant importance of improving the Cu–BTC film growth from the perspective of optimized device integration. We demonstrate that the structure of the resultant Cu–BTC film could be fine-tuned via alterations to the solvents used during growth conditions, pH, and the identity of the Cu salt anion. The technique described here is rapid, tunable, selective, and applicable to a variety of substrates.