Rowbase

What Rowbase MCP server does

The Rowbase MCP server gives MCP-compatible assistants a database interface for MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, and SQLite. It can expose connection details, list databases and tables, describe table structures, search schema metadata, inspect sample rows, count records, run SQL, explain queries, and locate referenced rows.

Database access starts in read-only mode. Rowbase describes four safeguards: driver-level single-statement handling, a SQL guard, read-only transactions, and timeouts. Write operations are not part of the normal tool set; apply_changes becomes available only when writes are explicitly allowed.

Query results use TOON, a compact tabular format intended to reduce the amount of output sent to an assistant. The server also includes a guide tool so an assistant can learn the available workflow and tool usage.

How it works

Rowbase runs as a local MCP process over stdio. You can use a downloaded one-file binary, the native application, or the Python package published as rowbase-db. The repository shows registration through the Claude command-line interface, either by pointing to a local executable or by running the package with uvx.

After the server is registered, the assistant can use the discovery tools before issuing a query. A typical workflow is to inspect connections, select a database, list tables, describe a table, and then sample or query rows. explain can inspect a query plan, while find_ref helps follow references between records.

Setup and configuration

Install Rowbase from a release binary or from PyPI with pipx or uv. Start the MCP process with the mcp subcommand. The README provides these registration patterns:

• A local binary or app executable followed by mcp
• uvx --from rowbase-db rowbase mcp

Connections can be added through the Rowbase CLI, including a PostgreSQL URL with an SSH tunnel. The standard CLI example uses rowbase add, then identifies the connection with -c for later commands. Passwords are stored in the operating system keychain rather than configuration files. The optional ROWBASE_NO_UPDATE_CHECK=1 setting disables the anonymous daily GitHub release check; it is not required to run the server.

Tools and capabilities

The Rowbase MCP server exposes these tools:

• guide for built-in usage instructions
• connections and databases for connection and database discovery
• tables, describe, and search_schema for schema inspection
• sample and count for lightweight data inspection
• query for SQL execution
• explain for query-plan inspection
• find_ref for locating referenced records
• apply_changes when write access has been enabled

The server supports MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, and SQLite. Its output can be truncated, and TOON output includes a truncation indicator when applicable.

Limitations and notes

Read-only behavior is the default, but write access can be enabled, so deployments should use connection permissions appropriate to the data being exposed. The README documents the MCP transport as stdio; it does not describe a hosted HTTP MCP endpoint. The examples also show local process registration rather than a remote service configuration.

The project is open source under Apache-2.0. Downloaded builds are not currently code-signed, which can require an operating-system security confirmation on macOS or Windows.