MCP MySQL Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for MySQL databases, including support for AWS RDS and other cloud MySQL instances. This server provides comprehensive database management capabilities through a standardized MCP interface.

📋 Quick Start for VS Code Users: See VSCODE_SETUP.md for step-by-step VS Code and GitHub Copilot integration instructions.

Features

• ✅ Database Connection Management: Connect to local MySQL or cloud instances (AWS RDS, Google Cloud SQL, etc.)

• ✅ Query Execution: Execute SQL queries with prepared statement support

• ✅ Schema Inspection: List databases, tables, and describe table structures

• ✅ Index Management: View table indexes and statistics

• ✅ Security: Secure connection handling with SSL support

• ✅ Error Handling: Comprehensive error reporting and connection management

Installation

From NPM (Recommended)

npm install -g @sajithrw/mcp-mysql@1.0.0

Or run ad‑hoc without global install using npx (shown later in config).

From Source

git clone https://github.com/sajithrw/mcp-mysql.git
cd mcp-mysql
npm install
npm run build

Configuration

VS Code (mcp.json) Setup (Recommended)

Create (or update) .vscode/mcp.json in your project or in your global VS Code user settings folder. Use the published package via npx so you always invoke the correct version.

{
  "servers": {
    "mcp-mysql": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "@sajithrw/mcp-mysql@1.0.0"
      ],
      "env": {
        "MYSQL_HOST": "localhost",
        "MYSQL_PORT": "3306",
        "MYSQL_USER": "your_username",
        "MYSQL_PASSWORD": "your_password",
        "MYSQL_DATABASE": "your_database"
      }
    }
  }
}

Then:

1. Reload VS Code window (Command Palette: "Developer: Reload Window").

2. Open Command Palette and run: "MCP: Start Server" (pick mcp-mysql).

3. Use Copilot / MCP clients to call tools (e.g., ask to list tables).

Previous settings.json based github.copilot.advanced.mcp configuration is deprecated in favor of mcp.json discovery.

Alternative: Local Build Path

If working from a local clone/build instead of the published package:

{
  "servers": {
    "mcp-mysql": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/mcp-mysql/build/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "MYSQL_HOST": "localhost",
        "MYSQL_USER": "your_username",
        "MYSQL_PASSWORD": "your_password"
      }
    }
  }
}

Using with Claude Desktop

Add the server to your Claude Desktop configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mysql": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@sajithrw/mcp-mysql@1.0.0"],
      "env": {
        "MYSQL_HOST": "localhost",
        "MYSQL_USER": "your_username",
        "MYSQL_PASSWORD": "your_password"
      }
    }
  }
}

Using with MCP Inspector

For testing and development:

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector npx @sajithrw/mcp-mysql@1.0.0

Using with VS Code and GitHub Copilot

Once configured, you can use the MySQL MCP server with GitHub Copilot in VS Code to interact with your databases using natural language.

Example Interactions

1. Database Exploration:

   • "Show me all tables in the database"

   • "Describe the structure of the users table"

   • "What indexes are on the products table?"

2. Data Analysis:

   • "Show me the top 10 customers by order count"

   • "Find all users created in the last 30 days"

   • "Get statistics about the orders table"

3. Schema Management:

   • "List all databases on this server"

   • "Show me table sizes and row counts"

   • "Find tables with specific column names"

Step-by-Step (Recap)

1. Create .vscode/mcp.json with config above.

2. Reload VS Code window.

3. Run "MCP: Start Server".

4. Use Copilot Chat / MCP-aware client to issue requests.

Troubleshooting Quick Tips

• Ensure the package version (1.0.0) matches what you intend to use.

• If the server won't start, run it manually: npx @sajithrw/mcp-mysql@1.0.0 to see logs.

• Verify environment variables are present (you can also place them in a .env if your shell loads them before launching VS Code).

Available Tools

1. mysql_connect

Connect to a MySQL database.

Parameters:

• host (required): MySQL server hostname or IP address

• port (optional): MySQL server port (default: 3306)

• user (required): Database username

• password (required): Database password

• database (optional): Database name to connect to

• ssl (optional): Use SSL connection (default: false)

Example:

{
  "host": "localhost",
  "port": 3306,
  "user": "myuser",
  "password": "mypassword",
  "database": "mydb",
  "ssl": false
}

2. mysql_query

Execute a SQL query on the connected database.

Parameters:

• query (required): SQL query to execute

• parameters (optional): Array of parameters for prepared statements

Examples:

Simple query:

{
  "query": "SELECT * FROM users LIMIT 10"
}

Prepared statement:

{
  "query": "SELECT * FROM users WHERE age > ? AND city = ?",
  "parameters": ["25", "New York"]
}

3. mysql_list_databases

List all databases on the MySQL server.

Parameters: None

4. mysql_list_tables

List all tables in the current or specified database.

Parameters:

• database (optional): Database name (uses current database if not specified)

5. mysql_describe_table

Get the structure/schema of a specific table.

Parameters:

• table (required): Table name to describe

• database (optional): Database name (uses current database if not specified)

6. mysql_show_indexes

Show indexes for a specific table.

Parameters:

• table (required): Table name to show indexes for

• database (optional): Database name (uses current database if not specified)

7. mysql_get_table_stats

Get statistics about a table (row count, size, etc.).

Parameters:

• table (required): Table name to get statistics for

• database (optional): Database name (uses current database if not specified)

8. mysql_disconnect

Disconnect from the MySQL database.

Parameters: None

Common Use Cases

1. Connecting to AWS RDS

{
  "host": "mydb.abc123.us-west-2.rds.amazonaws.com",
  "port": 3306,
  "user": "admin",
  "password": "mypassword",
  "database": "production",
  "ssl": true
}

2. Exploring Database Schema

1. Connect to database using mysql_connect

2. List all databases with mysql_list_databases

3. List tables with mysql_list_tables

4. Describe specific tables with mysql_describe_table

5. Check indexes with mysql_show_indexes

3. Data Analysis

1. Connect to database

2. Execute analytical queries with mysql_query

3. Get table statistics with mysql_get_table_stats

Security Considerations

• Credentials: Never hardcode database credentials. Use environment variables or secure configuration management.

• SSL/TLS: Always use SSL when connecting to production databases or cloud instances.

• Permissions: Use database users with minimal required permissions.

• Query Validation: The server uses prepared statements to prevent SQL injection.

Environment Variables

You can set default connection parameters using environment variables:

export MYSQL_HOST=localhost
export MYSQL_PORT=3306
export MYSQL_USER=myuser
export MYSQL_PASSWORD=mypassword
export MYSQL_DATABASE=mydb
export MYSQL_SSL=true

Development

Building

npm run build

Testing

npm run test

Development Mode

npm run dev

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

1. Connection Refused: Check that MySQL server is running and accessible

2. Authentication Failed: Verify username and password

3. SSL Errors: Ensure SSL is properly configured on both client and server

4. Timeout: Check network connectivity and firewall settings

Common Error Messages

• "Not connected to MySQL": Use mysql_connect before executing other commands

• "Query execution failed": Check SQL syntax and table/column names

• "Connection failed": Verify connection parameters and network connectivity

Contributing

1. Fork the repository

2. Create a feature branch

3. Make your changes

4. Add tests

5. Submit a pull request

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Support

• GitHub Issues

• MCP Documentation

• MySQL Documentation

Related Projects

• Model Context Protocol

• MCP Python SDK

• MCP TypeScript SDK