stackql

Deploy, manage and query cloud resources and interact with APIs using SQL

The Universal Interface for the Agentic Era. Configuration-as-Data. Infrastructure-as-Context.

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About The Project

StackQL is an open-source project built with Golang that allows you to create, modify and query the state of services and resources across different local and remote interfaces, using SQL semantics. Such interfaces canonically include, but are not limited to, cloud and SaaS providers (Google, AWS, Azure, Okta, GitHub, etc.).

How it works

StackQL is a standalone application that can be used in client mode (via exec or shell) or accessed via a Postgres wire protocol client (psycopg2, etc.) using server mode (srv).

StackQL parses SQL statements and transpiles them into API requests to the (cloud) resource provider. The API calls are then executed and the results are returned to the user.

StackQL provider interfaces are canonically defined in OpenAPI extensions to the providers' specification. These definitions are then used to generate the SQL schema and the API client. The source for the provider definitions are stored in the StackQL Registry. The semantics of provider interactions are defined in our any-sdk library. For more detail on nuts and bolts, please see the local AGENTS.md file and that of any-sdk.

flowchart LR
  subgraph StackQL
    direction BT
    subgraph ProviderDefs
        Registry[Provider Registry Docs]    
    end
    subgraph App
        Proc[$ stackql exec\n$ stackql shell\n$ stackql srv]
        style Proc fill:#000,stroke:#000,color:#fff,text-align:left;

        %% ,font-family:'Courier New', Courier, monospace
    end
  end
  User((User)) <--> StackQL <--> Provider[Cloud Provider API]
  ProviderDefs --> App

More detailed design documentation can be found in the here.

Related MCP server: sql-explorer-mcp

MCP Server

StackQL is an MCP server - SQL over 40+ cloud and SaaS providers for AI agents. Point any MCP-capable client (Claude, VS Code, Cursor, etc.) at StackQL and it can query and provision cloud resources using SQL.

Run it over stdio:

stackql mcp --mcp.server.type=stdio

StackQL MCP is published to the Official MCP Registry as io.github.stackql/stackql-mcp and distributed via npm, PyPI, Docker, a GitHub Action and .mcpb bundles. Pick an install vector and add the matching block to your MCP client config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "stackql": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@stackql/mcp-server"]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "stackql": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["stackql-mcp-server"]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "stackql": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": ["run", "-i", "--rm", "stackql/stackql-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Download the bundle for your platform from the latest release and install it in your MCP client (one-click in clients that support .mcpb).

• stackql-mcp-linux-x64.mcpb

• stackql-mcp-linux-arm64.mcpb

• stackql-mcp-windows-x64.mcpb

• stackql-mcp-darwin-universal.mcpb

Wire StackQL MCP into agentic CI workflows. Defaults to read_only mode, the safe default for CI.

- uses: stackql/setup-stackql-mcp@v1
  with:
    mode: read_only

For client-specific setup, authentication and server modes, see the full MCP install and usage docs.

Installation

StackQL is available for Windows, MacOS, Linux, Docker, GitHub Actions and more. See the installation instructions below for your platform.

• Homebrew (amd64 and arm64)

  • brew install stackql or brew tap stackql/tap && brew install stackql/tap/stackql

• MacOS PKG Installer (amd64 and arm64)

  • download the latest MacOS PKG installer for StackQL

  • run the installer and follow the prompts

• MSI Installer

  • download the latest MSI installer for StackQL

  • run the installer and follow the prompts

• Chocolatey

  • install Chocolatey

  • run choco install stackql

• ZIP Archive

  • download the latest Windows ZIP archive for StackQL

  • extract the archive (code signed stackql.exe file) to a directory of your choice

  • add the directory to your PATH environment variable (optional)

• ZIP Archive

  • download the latest Linux ZIP archive for StackQL

    • or via curl -L https://bit.ly/stackql-zip -O && unzip stackql-zip

  • extract the archive (stackql file) to a directory of your choice

  • add the directory to your PATH environment variable (optional)

View all available StackQL images on DockerHub. Images available include stackql, stackql-jupyter-demo and more. Pull the latest StackQL base image using:

docker pull stackql/stackql

Use StackQL in your GitHub Actions workflows to automate cloud infrastructure provisioning, IaC assurance, or compliance/security. Available GitHub Actions include: setup-stackql, stackql-exec and more

Usage

StackQL can be used via the interactive REPL shell, or via the exec command or ran as a server using the Postgres wire protocol.

ℹ️ StackQL does not require or install a database.

• Interactive Shell

  # run interactive stackql queries
  stackql shell --auth="${AUTH}"

• Execute a statement or file

  stackql exec --auth="${AUTH}" -i myscript.iql --iqldata vars.jsonnet --output json
  
  # or
  
  stackql exec --auth="${AUTH}" "SELECT id, status FROM aws.ec2.instances WHERE region = 'us-east-1'"

  ℹ️ output options of json, csv, table and text are available for the exec command using the --output flag

  ℹ️ StackQL supports passing parameters using jsonnet or json, see Using Variables

• Server

  # serve client requests over the Postgres wire protocol (psycopg2, etc.) 
  stackql srv --auth="${AUTH}"

For more examples, please check our Blog

Contributing

Contributions are welcome and encouraged. For more information on how to contribute, please see our contributing guide.

License

Distributed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for more information. Licenses for third party software we are using are included in the /docs/licenses directory.

Contact

Get in touch with us via Twitter at @stackql, email us at info@stackql.io or start a conversation using discussions.

Acknowledgements

Forks of the following support our work:

• vitess

• kin-openapi

• gorilla/mux

• readline

• psql-wire

• mcp-postgres

• the golang MCP SDK

• ...and more. Please excuse us for any omissions.

We gratefully acknowledge these pieces of work.