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db-mcp

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db-mcp (SQLite MCP Server)

SQLite MCP Server with 151 specialized tools, 11 data resources + 9 help resources, and 10 prompts, audit logging with DDL backup snapshots, HTTP/SSE Transport, OAuth 2.1 authentication, tool filtering, granular access control, and structured error handling with categorized, actionable responses. Available in WASM and better-sqlite3 variants.

GitHub GitHub Release npm Docker Pulls License: MIT Status MCP Security TypeScript E2E Tests Coverage

Wiki • Changelog

🎯 What Sets Us Apart

Feature

Description

151 Specialized Tools

The most comprehensive SQLite MCP server available — core CRUD, JSON/JSONB, FTS5 full-text search, statistical analysis, vector search, geospatial/SpatiaLite, introspection, migration, and admin

20 Resources

11 data resources (schema, tables, indexes, views, health, metadata, insights, audit, compile_options, pragma) + 9 help resources (sqlite://help + per-group reference) — filtered by --tool-filter

10 AI-Powered Prompts

Guided workflows for schema exploration, query building, data analysis, optimization, migration, debugging, and hybrid FTS5 + vector search

Code Mode

Massive Token Savings: Execute complex, multi-step operations inside a V8 isolate sandbox with process-level isolation and hard timeouts. Instead of spending thousands of tokens on back-and-forth tool calls, Code Mode exposes all 151 capabilities locally, reducing token overhead by 70–90% and supercharging AI agent reasoning

Token-Optimized Payloads

Every tool response is designed for minimal token footprint with _meta.tokenEstimate on every response so agents know their token cost. Tools include compact, nodesOnly, maxOutliers, minSeverity, and maxInvalid parameters where applicable — letting agents control response size without losing data access

Dual SQLite Backends

WASM (sql.js) for zero-compilation portability, Native (better-sqlite3) for high-performance concurrent execution with full features including transactions, window functions, and SpatiaLite GIS

OAuth 2.1 + Access Control

Enterprise-ready security with RFC 9728/8414 compliance, granular scopes (read, write, admin, db:*, table:*:*), and Keycloak integration

Smart Tool Filtering

10 tool groups + 7 shortcuts let you stay within IDE limits while exposing exactly what you need

HTTP Streaming Transport

Streamable HTTP (/mcp) for modern clients + legacy SSE (/sse) for backward compatibility — both protocols supported simultaneously with security headers, rate limiting, health check, and stateless mode for serverless

Production-Ready Security

SQL injection protection, parameterized queries, input validation, sandboxed code execution, HTTP body size enforcement, 7 security headers, server timeouts (slowloris protection), Retry-After rate limiting, trustProxy for reverse proxy deployments, opt-in HSTS, non-root Docker execution, and build provenance

Strict TypeScript

100% type-safe codebase with strict mode, no any types, 1911 unit tests + 1136 E2E tests and 90% coverage

Deterministic Error Handling

Every tool returns structured {success, error, code, category, suggestion, recoverable} responses — no raw exceptions, no silent failures. Agents get enriched error context with actionable suggestions instead of cryptic SQLite codes

MCP 2025-03-26 Compliant

Full protocol support with tool safety hints, resource priorities, and progress notifications

🚀 Quick Start

Option 1: Docker (Recommended)

Pull and run instantly:

docker pull writenotenow/db-mcp:latest

Run with volume mount:

docker run -i --rm \
  -v $(pwd):/workspace \
  writenotenow/db-mcp:latest \
  --sqlite-native /workspace/database.db

Option 2: Node.js Installation

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/neverinfamous/db-mcp.git

Navigate to directory:

cd db-mcp

Install dependencies:

npm install

Build the project:

npm run build

Run the server with Native backend (better-sqlite3 — full features, requires Node.js native build):

node dist/cli.js --transport stdio --sqlite-native ./database.db

Or with WASM backend (sql.js — cross-platform, no compilation required):

node dist/cli.js --transport stdio --sqlite ./database.db

Backend Choice: Use --sqlite-native for full features (151 tools, transactions, window functions, SpatiaLite). Use --sqlite for WASM mode (125 tools, no native dependencies).

Verify It Works

node dist/cli.js --transport stdio --sqlite-native :memory:

Expected output:

[db-mcp] Starting MCP server...
[db-mcp] Registered adapter: Native SQLite Adapter (better-sqlite3) (sqlite:default)
[db-mcp] Server started successfully

Run the test suite:

npm run test

Prerequisites

  • ✅ Docker installed and running (for Docker method)

  • ✅ Node.js 24+ (LTS) (for local installation)

Code Mode: Maximum Efficiency

Code Mode (sqlite_execute_code) dramatically reduces token usage (70–90%) and is included by default in all presets.

Code executes in a worker-thread sandbox — a separate V8 isolate with its own memory space. All sqlite.* API calls are forwarded to the main thread via a MessagePort-based RPC bridge, where the actual database operations execute. This provides:

  • Process-level isolation — user code runs in a separate V8 instance with enforced heap limits

  • Readonly enforcement — when readonly: true, write methods return structured errors instead of executing

  • Hard timeouts — worker termination if execution exceeds the configured limit

  • Full API access — all 11 tool groups are available via sqlite.* (e.g., sqlite.core.readQuery(), sqlite.json.extract())

Set CODEMODE_ISOLATION=vm to fall back to the in-process vm module sandbox if needed.

⚡ Code Mode Only (Maximum Token Savings)

If you control your own setup, you can run with only Code Mode enabled — a single tool that provides access to all 151 tools' worth of capability through the sqlite.* API:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "db-mcp-sqlite": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/path/to/db-mcp/dist/cli.js",
        "--transport",
        "stdio",
        "--sqlite-native",
        "/path/to/database.db",
        "--tool-filter",
        "codemode"
      ]
    }
  }
}

This exposes just sqlite_execute_code plus built-in tools. The agent writes JavaScript against the typed sqlite.* SDK — composing queries, chaining operations across all 11 tool groups, and returning exactly the data it needs — in one execution. This mirrors the Code Mode pattern pioneered by Cloudflare for their entire API: fixed token cost regardless of how many capabilities exist.

TIP

Maximize Token Savings: Instruct your AI agent to prefer Code Mode over individual tool calls:

"When using db-mcp, prefer sqlite_execute_code (Code Mode) for multi-step database operations to minimize token usage."

🎛️ Tool Filtering

IMPORTANT

AI-enabled IDEs like Cursor have tool limits. With 151 tools in the native backend, you must use tool filtering to stay within limits. Use shortcuts or specify groups to enable only what you need.

Quick Start: Recommended Configurations

Starter (50 tools)

If you prefer individual tool calls, starter provides Core + JSON + Text:

{
  "args": ["--tool-filter", "starter"]
}

Custom Groups

Specify exactly the groups you need:

{
  "args": ["--tool-filter", "core,json,stats"]
}

Shortcuts (Predefined Bundles)

Note: Native includes FTS5 (5), window functions (6), transactions (8), and SpatiaLite (7) not available in WASM.

Shortcut

WASM

Native

+ Built-in

What's Included

starter

53

58

+3

Core, JSON, Text

analytics

55

61

+3

Core, JSON, Stats

search

40

45

+3

Core, Text, Vector

spatial

30

37

+3

Core, Geo, Vector

dev-schema

30

30

+3

Core, Introspection, Migration

minimal

15

15

+3

Core only

full

125

151

+3

Everything enabled

Tool Groups (10 Available)

Note: +3 built-in tools (server_info, server_health, list_adapters) and +1 code mode are always included.

Group

WASM

Native

+ Built-in

Description

codemode

1

1

+3

Code Mode (sandboxed code execution) 🌟

core

14

14

+3

Basic CRUD, schema, tables

json

24

24

+3

JSON/JSONB operations, analysis

text

14

19

+3

Text processing + FTS5 + advanced search

stats

16

22

+3

Statistical analysis (+ window funcs)

vector

11

11

+3

Embeddings, similarity search

admin

26

26

+3

Backup, restore, virtual tables, pragma

transactions

0

8

+3

Transaction control and atomic execution

geo

4

11

+3

Geospatial + SpatiaLite (Native only)

introspection

9

9

+3

FK graph, cascade sim, storage/index audit

migration

6

6

+3

Migration tracking, apply, rollback (opt-in)

Syntax Reference

Prefix

Target

Example

Effect

(none)

Shortcut

starter

Whitelist Mode: Enable ONLY this shortcut

(none)

Group

core

Whitelist Mode: Enable ONLY this group

(none)

Tool

read_query

Whitelist Mode: Enable ONLY this tool

+

Group

+vector

Add tools from this group to current set

-

Group

-admin

Remove tools in this group from current set

+

Tool

+fuzzy_search

Add one specific tool

-

Tool

-drop_table

Remove one specific tool

Custom Tool Selection

You can list individual tool names (without + prefix) to create a fully custom whitelist — only the tools you specify will be enabled:

Enable exactly 3 tools (whitelist mode):

--tool-filter "read_query,write_query,list_tables"

Mix tools from different groups:

--tool-filter "read_query,fuzzy_search,vector_search"

Combine with a shortcut or group:

--tool-filter "starter,+vector_search,+fuzzy_search"

This is useful for scripted or automated clients that need a minimal, precise set of capabilities.

Examples:

--tool-filter "starter"
--tool-filter "core,json,text,fts5"
--tool-filter "starter,+stats"
--tool-filter "starter,-fts5"

Legacy Syntax (still supported): If you start with a negative filter (e.g., -vector,-geo), it assumes you want to start with all tools enabled and then subtract.

--tool-filter "-stats,-vector,-geo,-backup,-monitoring,-transactions,-window"

🔌 SQLite Extensions

SQLite supports both built-in extensions (compiled into better-sqlite3) and loadable extensions (require separate binaries).

Built-in Extensions (work out of box)

Extension

Purpose

Status

FTS5

Full-text search with BM25 ranking

✅ Always loaded

JSON1

JSON functions (json_extract, etc.)

✅ Always loaded

R-Tree

Spatial indexing for bounding boxes

✅ Always loaded

Loadable Extensions (require installation)

Extension

Purpose

Tools

CLI Flag

CSV

CSV virtual tables

2

--csv

SpatiaLite

Advanced GIS capabilities

7

--spatialite

Installing Extensions

CSV Extension:

Download a precompiled binary or compile from source: https://www.sqlite.org/csv.html

Set the environment variable (Linux/macOS):

export CSV_EXTENSION_PATH=/path/to/csv.so

On Windows, use .dll:

export CSV_EXTENSION_PATH=/path/to/csv.dll

Or use the CLI flag:

db-mcp --sqlite-native ./data.db --csv

SpatiaLite Extension:

Install the library for your platform:

Set the environment variable:

export SPATIALITE_PATH=/path/to/mod_spatialite.so

Or use the CLI flag:

db-mcp --sqlite-native ./data.db --spatialite

Note: Extension binaries must match your platform and architecture. The server searches common paths automatically, or use the CSV_EXTENSION_PATH / SPATIALITE_PATH environment variables for custom locations.

📁 Resources

Data Resources (11)

MCP resources provide read-only access to database metadata:

Resource

URI

Description

Min Config

sqlite_schema

sqlite://schema

Full database schema

minimal

sqlite_tables

sqlite://tables

List all tables

minimal

sqlite_table_schema

sqlite://table/{tableName}/schema

Schema for a specific table

minimal

sqlite_indexes

sqlite://indexes

All indexes in the database

minimal

sqlite_views

sqlite://views

All views in the database

core,admin

sqlite_health

sqlite://health

Database health and status

(read-only)

sqlite_meta

sqlite://meta

Database metadata and PRAGMAs

core,admin

sqlite_compile_options

sqlite://compile_options

SQLite compile-time build options

(read-only)

sqlite_pragma

sqlite://pragma

Runtime PRAGMA config snapshot

(read-only)

sqlite_insights

memo://insights

Business insights memo (analysis)

core,admin

sqlite_audit

sqlite://audit

Recent audit log + backup stats

--audit-log

Help Resources (1 + up to 8)

On-demand tool reference documentation, filtered by --tool-filter:

Resource

URI

Description

When Registered

sqlite_help

sqlite://help

Gotchas, WASM vs Native, Code Mode API

Always

sqlite_help_json

sqlite://help/json

JSON/JSONB operations reference

When json group on

sqlite_help_text

sqlite://help/text

Text processing + FTS5 reference

When text group on

sqlite_help_stats

sqlite://help/stats

Statistical analysis + window functions reference

When stats group on

sqlite_help_vector

sqlite://help/vector

Vector/semantic search reference

When vector group on

sqlite_help_geo

sqlite://help/geo

Geospatial + SpatiaLite reference

When geo group on

sqlite_help_admin

sqlite://help/admin

Admin, backup, virtual tables reference

When admin group on

sqlite_help_transactions

sqlite://help/transactions

Transaction control reference

When transactions group on

sqlite_help_introspection

sqlite://help/introspection

Schema introspection, FK graph, diagnostics reference

When introspection group on

sqlite_help_migration

sqlite://help/migration

Migration tracking, apply, rollback reference

When migration group on

Efficiency Tip: Data resources are always readable regardless of tool configuration. The "Min Config" column shows the smallest configuration that provides tools to act on what the resource exposes. Help resources are served on-demand — agents read them only when working with a specific tool group.

💬 Prompts (10)

MCP prompts provide AI-assisted database workflows:

Prompt

Description

sqlite_explain_schema

Explain database structure and relationships

sqlite_query_builder

Help construct SQL queries for common operations

sqlite_data_analysis

Analyze data patterns and provide insights

sqlite_optimization

Analyze and suggest database optimizations

sqlite_migration

Help create database migration scripts

sqlite_debug_query

Debug SQL queries that aren't working

sqlite_documentation

Generate documentation for the database schema

sqlite_summarize_table

Intelligent table analysis and summary

sqlite_hybrid_search_workflow

Hybrid FTS5 + vector search workflow

sqlite_demo

Interactive demo of MCP capabilities

🔧 Configuration

Environment Variables

Variable

Default

Description

MCP_HOST

0.0.0.0

Host/IP to bind to (CLI: --server-host)

SQLITE_DATABASE

—

SQLite database path (CLI: --sqlite / --sqlite-native)

DB_MCP_TOOL_FILTER

—

Tool filter string (CLI: --tool-filter)

MCP_AUTH_TOKEN

—

Simple bearer token for HTTP auth (CLI: --auth-token)

OAUTH_ENABLED

false

Enable OAuth 2.1 (CLI: --oauth-enabled)

OAUTH_ISSUER

—

Authorization server URL (CLI: --oauth-issuer)

OAUTH_AUDIENCE

—

Expected token audience (CLI: --oauth-audience)

OAUTH_JWKS_URI

—

JWKS URI, auto-discovered if omitted (CLI: --oauth-jwks-uri)

OAUTH_CLOCK_TOLERANCE

60

Clock tolerance in seconds (CLI: --oauth-clock-tolerance)

LOG_LEVEL

info

Log verbosity: debug, info, warning, error

METADATA_CACHE_TTL_MS

5000

Schema cache TTL in ms (auto-invalidated on DDL operations)

CODEMODE_ISOLATION

worker

Code Mode sandbox: worker (enhanced isolation) or vm

MCP_RATE_LIMIT_MAX

100

Max requests/minute per IP (HTTP transport)

CSV_EXTENSION_PATH

—

Custom path to CSV extension binary (native only)

SPATIALITE_PATH

—

Custom path to SpatiaLite extension binary (native only)

AUDIT_LOG

—

Audit log file path, or stderr (CLI: --audit-log)

AUDIT_REDACT

false

Redact tool arguments from audit entries (CLI: --audit-redact)

AUDIT_READS

false

Also log read-scoped tool invocations (CLI: --audit-reads)

AUDIT_BACKUP

false

Enable pre-mutation DDL snapshots (CLI: --audit-backup)

AUDIT_BACKUP_DATA

false

Include sample data rows in snapshots (CLI: --audit-backup-data)

Tip: Lower METADATA_CACHE_TTL_MS for development (e.g., 1000), or increase it for production with stable schemas (e.g., 60000 = 1 min). Schema cache is automatically invalidated on DDL operations (CREATE/ALTER/DROP).

CLI Reference

db-mcp [options]

Transport:    --transport <stdio|http|sse>  --port <N>  --server-host <host>  --stateless
Auth:         --auth-token <token>  |  --oauth-enabled --oauth-issuer <url> --oauth-audience <aud>
Database:     --sqlite <path>  |  --sqlite-native <path>
Extensions:   --csv  --spatialite                         (native only)
Audit:        --audit-log <path>  --audit-redact  --audit-reads  --audit-backup  --audit-backup-data
Server:       --name <name>  --version <ver>  --tool-filter <filter>

CLI flags override environment variables. Run node dist/cli.js --help for full details.

📚 MCP Client Configuration

Add to your ~/.cursor/mcp.json, Claude Desktop config, or equivalent:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "db-mcp-sqlite": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "C:/path/to/db-mcp/dist/cli.js",
        "--transport",
        "stdio",
        "--sqlite-native",
        "C:/path/to/your/database.db",
        "--tool-filter",
        "codemode"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Variants (modify the args array above):

Variant

Change

WASM backend

Replace --sqlite-native with --sqlite

In-memory database

Replace the database path with :memory:

Starter preset

Replace "codemode" with "starter" for individual tool calls

CSV extension

Add "--csv" before "--tool-filter" (native only)

SpatiaLite

Add "--spatialite" and set env: { "SPATIALITE_PATH": "/path/to/mod_spatialite" } (native only)

Linux/macOS

Use forward-slash Unix paths (e.g., /path/to/db-mcp/dist/cli.js)

Docker

Replace "command": "node" with "command": "docker" and wrap args in run -i --rm -v ./data:/app/data writenotenow/db-mcp:latest

See Tool Filtering to customize which tools are exposed.

🌐 HTTP/SSE Transport (Remote Access)

For remote access, web-based clients, or HTTP-compatible MCP hosts, use the HTTP transport:

node dist/cli.js \
  --transport http \
  --port 3000 \
  --sqlite-native ./database.db

Docker:

docker run --rm -p 3000:3000 \
  -v ./data:/app/data \
  writenotenow/db-mcp:latest \
  --transport http --port 3000 \
  --sqlite-native /app/data/database.db

The server supports two MCP transport protocols simultaneously, enabling both modern and legacy clients to connect:

Streamable HTTP (Recommended)

Modern protocol (MCP 2025-03-26) — single endpoint, session-based:

Method

Endpoint

Purpose

POST

/mcp

JSON-RPC requests (initialize, tools/list, etc.)

GET

/mcp

SSE stream for server notifications

DELETE

/mcp

Session termination

Sessions are managed via the Mcp-Session-Id header.

Stateless Mode

For serverless/stateless deployments where sessions are not needed:

node dist/cli.js --transport http --port 3000 --stateless --sqlite-native ./database.db

In stateless mode: GET /mcp returns 405, DELETE /mcp returns 204, /sse and /messages return 404. Each POST /mcp creates a fresh transport.

Legacy SSE (Backward Compatibility)

Legacy protocol (MCP 2024-11-05) — for clients like Python mcp.client.sse:

Method

Endpoint

Purpose

GET

/sse

Opens SSE stream, returns /messages?sessionId=<id> endpoint

POST

/messages?sessionId=<id>

Send JSON-RPC messages to the session

Utility Endpoints

Method

Endpoint

Purpose

GET

/health

Health check (bypasses rate limiting, always available for monitoring)

🔐 Authentication

db-mcp supports two authentication mechanisms for HTTP transport:

Simple Bearer Token (--auth-token)

Lightweight authentication for development or single-tenant deployments:

node dist/cli.js --transport http --port 3000 --auth-token my-secret --sqlite-native ./database.db

# Or via environment variable
export MCP_AUTH_TOKEN=my-secret
node dist/cli.js --transport http --port 3000 --sqlite-native ./database.db

Clients must include Authorization: Bearer my-secret on all requests. /health and / are exempt. Unauthenticated requests receive 401 with WWW-Authenticate: Bearer headers per RFC 6750.

OAuth 2.1 (Enterprise)

Full OAuth 2.1 with RFC 9728/8414 compliance for production multi-tenant deployments:

node dist/cli.js \
  --transport http \
  --port 3000 \
  --sqlite-native ./database.db \
  --oauth-enabled \
  --oauth-issuer http://localhost:8080/realms/db-mcp \
  --oauth-audience db-mcp-server

Additional flags: --oauth-jwks-uri <url> (auto-discovered if omitted), --oauth-clock-tolerance <seconds> (default: 60).

OAuth Scopes

Access control is managed through OAuth scopes:

Scope

Description

read

Read-only access to all databases

write

Read and write access to all databases

admin

Full administrative access

db:{name}

Access to specific database only

table:{db}:{table}

Access to specific table only

RFC Compliance

This implementation follows:

  • RFC 9728 — OAuth 2.1 Protected Resource Metadata

  • RFC 8414 — OAuth 2.1 Authorization Server Metadata

  • RFC 7591 — OAuth 2.1 Dynamic Client Registration

The server exposes metadata at /.well-known/oauth-protected-resource.

Note for Keycloak users: Add an Audience mapper to your client (Client → Client scopes → dedicated scope → Add mapper → Audience) to include the correct aud claim in tokens.

NOTE

Per-tool scope enforcement: Scopes are enforced at the tool level — each tool group maps to a required scope (read, write, or admin). When OAuth is enabled, every tool invocation checks the calling token's scopes before execution. When OAuth is not configured, scope checks are skipped entirely.

TIP

Audit identity integration: When OAuth is enabled alongside audit logging (--audit-log), audit entries for write/admin tools automatically capture the authenticated user (claims.sub) and granted scopes. This provides a complete forensic trail linking every mutation to a specific identity. Without OAuth, these fields are null/[].

WARNING

HTTP without authentication: When using --transport http without enabling OAuth or --auth-token, all clients have full unrestricted access. Always enable authentication for production HTTP deployments. See SECURITY.md for details.

📊 Benchmarks

Performance benchmarks measure framework overhead on critical hot paths using Vitest bench (tinybench). The suite validates that framework plumbing stays negligible relative to actual database I/O:

  • Tool dispatch: 11–14M ops/sec — Map-based lookup is effectively zero-cost

  • Auth scope checks: 6–8M ops/sec — OAuth middleware adds no measurable latency

  • Identifier validation: 6–7M ops/sec — SQL sanitization is near-instant

  • Schema cache hits: 4–6M ops/sec — metadata lookups avoid redundant queries

  • Debug log (filtered): 10–11M ops/sec — disabled log levels are true no-ops

  • Code Mode security: 1–1.3M validations/sec for typical code, blocked patterns rejected in <1 µs

  • Sandbox execution: ~4.4–4.9K executions/sec — trivial code round-trips through V8 isolate in ~0.2 ms

npm run bench            # Run all benchmarks
npm run bench:verbose    # Verbose mode with detailed timings

Benchmark

What It Measures

Handler Dispatch

Tool lookup, error construction, progress notification overhead

Utilities

Identifier sanitization, WHERE clause validation, SQL validation

Tool Filtering

Filter parsing, group lookups, meta-group catalog generation

Schema Parsing

Zod schema validation for simple/complex/large payloads + failure paths

Logger & Sanitization

Log call overhead, message sanitization, sensitive data redaction

Transport & Auth

Token extraction, scope checking, error formatting, rate limiting

Code Mode

Sandbox creation, pool lifecycle, security validation, execution

Database Operations

PRAGMA ops, table metadata, query result processing, schema caching

Resource & Prompts

URI matching, content assembly, prompt generation, tool indexing

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please read our Contributing Guidelines before submitting a pull request.

Security

For security concerns, please see our Security Policy.

⚠️ Never commit credentials - Store secrets in .env (gitignored)

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Code of Conduct

Please read our Code of Conduct before participating in this project.

Install Server
A
license - permissive license
A
quality
C
maintenance

How are these scores calculated?

Maintenance

–Maintainers
–Response time
3wRelease cycle
7Releases (12mo)
Issues opened vs closed

Resources

Unclaimed servers have limited discoverability.

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If you are the server author, to access and configure the admin panel.

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