MCP Toolbox for Databases: Setup for Claude, Cursor and Other Apps

• Runs any SQL statement

  Executes a single SQL statement against the database. It can read, change or delete data, whatever the database user is allowed to do.

  Try: “Run SELECT count(*) FROM orders.”

  Delete · execute_sql

• Lists tables and their columns

  Lists your tables with columns, constraints, indexes, triggers, owner and comment, optionally filtered by name.

  Try: “What tables do I have and what columns are in users?”

  Read · list_tables

• Lists views

  Lists views from the database, 50 rows by default.

  Try: “Which views exist in this database?”

  Read · list_views

• Lists schemas

  Lists the schemas in the database.

  Try: “What schemas are in this database?”

  Read · list_schemas

• Lists indexes

  Lists the user indexes in the database.

  Try: “Which indexes exist on the orders table?”

  Read · list_indexes

• Lists triggers

  Lists the triggers in the database.

  Try: “What triggers are defined here?”

  Read · list_triggers

• Lists sequences

  Lists the sequences in the database.

  Try: “Show me all sequences.”

  Read · list_sequences

• Lists stored procedures

  Lists the stored procedures in the database.

  Try: “What stored procedures exist?”

  Read · list_stored_procedure

• Shows query statistics

  Lists statistics about the queries the server has run.

  Try: “Which queries use the most time?”

  Read · list_query_stats

• Shows how a query would run

  Generates the estimated EXPLAIN plan for one SQL statement without running it.

  Try: “Show the plan for this slow join.”

  Read · get_query_plan

• Shows database activity statistics

  Lists key performance and activity statistics for each database on the server.

  Try: “How busy is each database?”

  Read · list_database_stats

• Lists queries running now

  Lists the top 50 currently running queries, longest first, from pg_stat_activity.

  Try: “What is running on the database right now?”

  Read · list_active_queries

• Finds long transactions

  Lists transactions that run longer than a time limit you set.

  Try: “Are any transactions stuck for over 5 minutes?”

  Read · long_running_transactions

• Lists locks

  Lists locks held by active processes with the query and lock mode for each.

  Try: “Is anything blocking my migration?”

  Read · list_locks

• Finds the most bloated tables

  Lists the tables with the most wasted space.

  Try: “Which tables need vacuuming?”

  Read · list_top_bloated_tables

• Finds unusable indexes

  Lists indexes that take disk space but cannot be used, often left by a failed concurrent index build.

  Try: “Do I have any broken indexes?”

  Read · list_invalid_indexes

• Shows table statistics

  Lists statistics for tables.

  Try: “Which tables are read the most?”

  Read · list_table_stats

• Counts distinct values in a column

  Gets the cardinality of columns.

  Try: “How many distinct values does status have?”

  Read · get_column_cardinality

• Shows autovacuum settings

  Lists autovacuum-related settings from pg_settings.

  Try: “What are the autovacuum settings?”

  Read · list_autovacuum_configurations

• Shows memory settings

  Lists memory-related settings from pg_settings.

  Try: “What are the memory settings?”

  Read · list_memory_configurations

• Lists server settings

  Lists configuration parameters of the PostgreSQL server.

  Try: “Show the server configuration.”

  Read · list_pg_settings

• Lists tablespaces

  Lists the tablespaces in the database.

  Try: “What tablespaces exist?”

  Read · list_tablespaces

• Summarizes the server state

  Fetches the current state of the PostgreSQL server.

  Try: “Give me an overview of this database server.”

  Read · database_overview

• Lists extensions you could install

  Lists PostgreSQL extensions available to install on the server.

  Try: “Is pgvector available?”

  Read · list_available_extensions

• Lists installed extensions

  Lists installed extensions with version, schema and owner.

  Try: “Which extensions are installed?”

  Read · list_installed_extensions

• Shows replication status

  Lists each replica with its state, sync state and lag.

  Try: “Are my replicas keeping up?”

  Read · replication_stats

• Lists replication slots

  Lists replication slots with their type, status and the WAL they hold back.

  Try: “Is any replication slot holding back WAL?”

  Read · list_replication_slots

• Lists tables in publications

  Lists the tables included in publications.

  Try: “Which tables are published?”

  Read · list_publication_tables

• Lists database roles

  Lists the user-created roles in the database.

  Try: “Which roles exist?”

  Read · list_roles

Watch out for

• The SQL tool can change or delete data

  The execute SQL tool runs any single statement the database user may run. Give it a user with only the access you want the assistant to have. github.com

• Your database password sits in a client config

  Connection details are set as environment variables, often in an MCP config file. Keep that file private. github.com

• Tools differ per database

  Other databases expose different tools, some of them for administering cloud services. Check the vendor's reference before connecting a production system. github.com

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