Allows AI agents to explore schemas, query data, and execute SQL statements on a MySQL database. Supports read-only queries (SELECT/SHOW/DESCRIBE/EXPLAIN) and optional write operations (INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE/DDL) when write mode is enabled.
Click on "Deploy Server".
Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state.
In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@mcp-mysql-explorer show me all tables"
That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed.
Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that connects AI agents (Cursor, Claude Desktop, etc.) to MySQL databases, enabling schema exploration, data querying, and SQL execution through natural language.
Chinese docs: README.zh.md
Tool | Description |
| List all tables in the database |
| View table schema with column types and comments |
| Execute read-only queries (SELECT / SHOW / DESCRIBE / EXPLAIN) |
| Execute write operations (INSERT / UPDATE / DELETE / DDL), disabled in read-only mode |
| Show all indexes of a table |
| Get the CREATE TABLE statement |
| Get database overview (version, size, table count) |
Related MCP server: DatabaseMCP
pip install mcp-mysql-explorerOpen Cursor Settings -> MCP, add a new server. Three ways to configure the database connection. SSH tunneling through a bastion/jump host is also supported.
{
"mcpServers": {
"mysql": {
"command": "mcp-mysql-explorer",
"args": [
"--host", "your-mysql-host",
"--port", "3306",
"--user", "your-user",
"--password", "your-password",
"--database", "your-database"
]
}
}
}Enable write mode explicitly:
{
"mcpServers": {
"mysql": {
"command": "mcp-mysql-explorer",
"args": [
"--host", "your-mysql-host",
"--database", "your-database",
"--allow-write"
]
}
}
}If the database is only reachable through an SSH bastion, add --ssh-* arguments:
{
"mcpServers": {
"mysql": {
"command": "mcp-mysql-explorer",
"args": [
"--host", "mysql.internal",
"--port", "3306",
"--user", "your-db-user",
"--password", "your-db-password",
"--database", "your-database",
"--ssh-host", "bastion.example.com",
"--ssh-port", "22",
"--ssh-user", "your-ssh-user",
"--ssh-private-key", "/Users/you/.ssh/id_rsa"
]
}
}
}In SSH mode,
--host/MYSQL_HOSTis the MySQL address as seen from the SSH server. SSH tunneling is enabled automatically when--ssh-hostorMYSQL_SSH_HOSTis set. You can explicitly disable it with--ssh-enabled false.
{
"mcpServers": {
"mysql": {
"command": "mcp-mysql-explorer",
"env": {
"MYSQL_HOST": "your-mysql-host",
"MYSQL_PORT": "3306",
"MYSQL_USER": "your-user",
"MYSQL_PASSWORD": "your-password",
"MYSQL_DATABASE": "your-database",
"MYSQL_READ_ONLY": "true",
"MYSQL_SSH_HOST": "bastion.example.com",
"MYSQL_SSH_PORT": "22",
"MYSQL_SSH_USER": "your-ssh-user",
"MYSQL_SSH_PRIVATE_KEY": "/Users/you/.ssh/id_rsa"
}
}
}
}SSH environment variables:
Environment variable | Description |
| Enable SSH tunneling (true/false). Defaults to enabled when |
| SSH bastion/jump host |
| SSH port, defaults to |
| SSH username |
| SSH password |
| Path to SSH private key |
| SSH private key passphrase |
| Local forwarding bind host, defaults to |
| Local forwarding bind port, defaults to |
.env fileCreate a .env file in the working directory:
MYSQL_HOST=your-mysql-host
MYSQL_PORT=3306
MYSQL_USER=your-user
MYSQL_PASSWORD=your-password
MYSQL_DATABASE=your-database
MYSQL_READ_ONLY=true
MYSQL_SSH_HOST=bastion.example.com
MYSQL_SSH_USER=your-ssh-user
MYSQL_SSH_PRIVATE_KEY=/Users/you/.ssh/id_rsaThen simply:
{
"mcpServers": {
"mysql": {
"command": "mcp-mysql-explorer"
}
}
}Priority: command-line args > environment variables >
.envfile
Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"mysql": {
"command": "mcp-mysql-explorer",
"args": [
"--host", "your-mysql-host",
"--user", "your-user",
"--password", "your-password",
"--database", "your-database"
]
}
}
}# With command-line arguments
mcp-mysql-explorer --host localhost --user root --password secret --database mydb
# Explicitly allow write operations
mcp-mysql-explorer --host localhost --user root --password secret --database mydb --allow-write
# Through an SSH bastion
mcp-mysql-explorer --host mysql.internal --user root --password secret --database mydb \
--ssh-host bastion.example.com --ssh-user deploy --ssh-private-key ~/.ssh/id_rsa
# With .env file
mcp-mysql-explorer
# As a Python module
python -m mcp_mysql_explorer --host localhost --database mydb# Run unit tests (no real database needed)
python scripts/run_tests.py# Optional manual smoke check (reads credentials from env only)
# Required env: MYSQL_HOST, MYSQL_PORT, MYSQL_USER, MYSQL_PASSWORD, MYSQL_DATABASE
python scripts/manual_smoke_check.py --mode bothThe query tool only allows SELECT / SHOW / DESCRIBE / EXPLAIN statements.
Read-only mode is enabled by default (MYSQL_READ_ONLY=true).
To enable writes, set MYSQL_READ_ONLY=false or pass --allow-write.
The execute_sql tool can run write operations only when read-only mode is disabled.
Query results are capped at 1000 rows by default.
Table/column identifiers are backtick-wrapped to prevent SQL injection.
MIT
This server cannot be deployed
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