db-mcp (SQLite MCP Server)
SQLite MCP server with OAuth 2.1, HTTP/SSE, 122 tools, and smart tool filtering
Open source Open in the app JSON README (API)
About
SQLite MCP server with OAuth 2.1, HTTP/SSE, 122 tools, and smart tool filtering
Details
- Kind
- MCP servers
- Topic
- Databases
- Publisher
- neverinfamous
- Origin
- official
- Category
- ferramentas
- Transport
- local
- Version
- 1.0.2
- Stars
- 11
- Forks
- 1
- Open pull requests
- 5
- Last push
- 2026-09-02T19:14:55Z
- Repository state
- ativo
- Language
- TypeScript
- License
- MIT
- Added
- 2026-08-29 04:00:53
- Updated
- 2026-08-29 04:00:53
- Origin id
io.github.neverinfamous/db-mcp
README
# db-mcp (SQLite MCP Server)
<!-- mcp-name: io.github.neverinfamous/db-mcp -->
**SQLite MCP Server** with 170+ specialized tools, 11 data resources + 11 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.
[](https://github.com/neverinfamous/db-mcp)
[](https://www.npmjs.com/package/db-mcp)
[](https://hub.docker.com/r/writenotenow/db-mcp)
[](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT)
[](https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0/servers?search=io.github.neverinfamous/db-mcp)
[](SECURITY.md)
[](https://github.com/neverinfamous/db-mcp)
[](https://github.com/neverinfamous/db-mcp/actions/workflows/e2e.yml)
[](https://github.com/neverinfamous/db-mcp)
[](https://github.com/neverinfamous/db-mcp)
**[Wiki](https://github.com/neverinfamous/db-mcp/wiki)** • **[Changelog](CHANGELOG.md)**
---
## 🎯 What Sets Us Apart
| Feature | Description |
| -------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **181+ 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 |
| **Deep Observability** | Built-in Prometheus `/metrics` export, real-time `sqlite://metrics` MCP resource, historical persistence to a `SystemDb` sidecar, and a granular `sqlite_audit_search` tool for compliance and investigation |
| **Dynamic Configuration** | Full YAML/JSON config file support (`--config`) with precedence rules, plus a `sqlite_server_config` tool for live runtime config updates (e.g., log levels) without server restarts |
| **Advanced Query & Search** | O(1) cursor-based keyset pagination, faceted search aggregation, and `sqlite_hybrid_search` orchestrating FTS5 + Vector similarity with Reciprocal Rank Fusion (RRF) in a single tool call |
| **AI Index Recommendations** | `sqlite_index_audit` automatically analyzes `EXPLAIN QUERY PLAN` responses to suggest optimized composite and partial indexes based on workload patterns |
| **Real-time Subscriptions** | Native `resources/subscribe` support pushing event-driven notifications for `sqlite://schema` DDL changes and periodic `sqlite://health` updates directly to clients |
| **22 Resources** | 11 data resources (schema, tables, table_schema, indexes, views, health, meta, audit, metrics, compile_options, pragma) + 11 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 180+ 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 (`full`, `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 + Unicode-normalized WHERE clause validation), sandboxed code execution (V8 `codeGeneration` restrictions, frozen prototypes, 29 blocked patterns, Proxy nullified, RPC allowlist), CORS deny-all default, fail-closed scope enforcement, JWT claims sanitization, 7 security headers, body size limits, rate limiting with Retry-After, slowloris timeouts, `trustedProxyIps`, opt-in HSTS, non-root Docker, and build provenance |
| **Encryption at Rest** | Native SQLCipher support via `--encryption-key` or `DB_ENCRYPTION_KEY`. Dynamically loads `better-sqlite3-multiple-ciphers` and automatically encrypts the sidecar `SystemDb` audit logs to prevent sensitive queries from leaking |
| **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 (`sensitiveHint`, `readOnlyHint`), resource priorities, and progress notifications |
## 🚀 Quick Start
### Option 1: Docker (Recommended)
Pull and run instantly:
```bash
docker pull writenotenow/db-mcp:latest
```
Run with volume mount:
```bash
docker run -i --rm \
-v $(pwd):/workspace \
writenotenow/db-mcp:latest \
--sqlite-native /workspace/database.db
```
### Option 2: Node.js Installation
Clone the repository:
```bash
git clone https://github.com/neverinfamous/db-mcp.git
```
Navigate to directory:
```bash
cd db-mcp
```
Install dependencies:
```bash
pnpm install
```
Build the project:
```bash
pnpm run build
```
Run the server with **Native backend** (better-sqlite3 — full features, requires Node.js native build):
```bash
node dist/cli.js --transport stdio --sqlite-native ./database.db
```
Or with **WASM backend** (sql.js — cross-platform, no compilation required):
```bash
node dist/cli.js --transport stdio --sqlite ./database.db
```
> **Backend Choice:** Use `--sqlite-native` for full features (181 MCP tools / 170 group tools, transactions, window functions, SpatiaLite). Use `--sqlite` for WASM mode (154 MCP tools / 143 group tools, no native dependencies).
### Verify It Works
```bash
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:
```bash
pnpm 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`, stripped methods throw clear error messages listing available methods via Proxy traps
- **Hard timeouts** — worker termination if execution exceeds the configured limit
- **V8 code generation restrictions** — `eval()` and `Function()` construction from strings disabled at the V8 engine level via `codeGeneration: { strings: false, wasm: false }`
- **RPC allowlist** — host-side validation prevents workers from invoking unauthorized API methods
- **Full API access** — all 10 tool groups are available via `sqlite.*` (e.g., `sqlite.core.readQuery()`, `sqlite.json.extract()`)
Set `CODEMODE_ISOLATION=vm` with `CODEMODE_ISOLATION_INSECURE=1` 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 180+ tools' worth of capability through the `sqlite.*` API:
```json
{
"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 10 tool groups, and returning exactly the data it needs — in one execution. This mirrors the [Code Mode pattern](https://blog.cloudflare.com/code-mode-mcp/) 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 180+ 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 (core + json + text)
If you prefer individual tool calls, `starter` provides Core + JSON + Text:
```json
{
"args": ["--tool-filter", "starter"]
}
```
#### Custom Groups
Specify exactly the groups you need:
```json
{
"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` | **65** | **70** | +4 | Core, JSON, Text |
| `analytics` | 67 | 73 | +4 | Core, JSON, Stats |
| `search` | 51 | 56 | +4 | Core, Text, Vector |
| `spatial` | 40 | 47 | +4 | Core, Geo, Vector |
| `dev-schema` | 41 | 41 | +4 | Core, Introspection, Migration |
| `minimal` | 25 | 25 | +4 | Core only |
| `full` | 143 | 170 | +4 | Everything enabled |
### Tool Groups (10 Available)
> **Note:** +4 built-in tools (server_info, server_health, list_adapters, sqlite_execute_code) are injected into every group.
| Group | WASM | Native | + Built-in | Description |
| --------------- | ---- | ------ | ---------- | ------------------------------------------ |
| `core` | 25 | 25 | +4 | Basic CRUD, schema, tables |
| `json` | 25 | 25 | +4 | JSON/JSONB operations, analysis |
| `text` | 15 | 20 | +4 | Text processing + FTS5 + advanced search |
| `stats` | 17 | 23 | +4 | Descriptive, inference, window functions |
| `vector` | 11 | 11 | +4 | Vector storage, similarity search |
| `admin` | 30 | 31 | +4 | DB maintenance, backup, virtual tables |
| `transactions` | 0 | 8 | +4 | Commit, rollback, savepoints (Native only) |
| `geo` | 4 | 11 | +4 | Geospatial + SpatiaLite (Native only) |
| `introspection` | 10 | 10 | +4 | Schema mapping, FK graph, analysis |
| `migration` | 6 | 6 | +4 | Schema migration tracking (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):
```bash
--tool-filter "read_query,write_query,list_tables"
```
Mix tools from different groups:
```bash
--tool-filter "read_query,fuzzy_search,vector_search"
```
Combine with a shortcut or group:
```bash
--tool-filter "starter,+vector_search,+fuzzy_search"
```
This is useful for scripted or automated clients that need a minimal, precise set of capabilities.
**Examples:**
```bash
--tool-filter "starter"
--tool-filter "core,json,text,stats"
--tool-filter "starter,+stats"
--tool-filter "starter,-vector"
```
**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.
```bash
--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):
```bash
export CSV_EXTENSION_PATH=/path/to/csv.so
```
On Windows, use `.dll`:
```bash
export CSV_EXTENSION_PATH=/path/to/csv.dll
```
Or use the CLI flag:
```bash
db-mcp --sqlite-native ./data.db --csv
```
**SpatiaLite Extension:**
Install the library for your platform:
- **Linux (apt):** `sudo apt install libspatialite-dev`
- **macOS (Homebrew):** `brew install libspatialite`
- **Windows:** Download from https://www.gaia-gis.it/gaia-sins/
Set the environment variable:
```bash
export SPATIALITE_PATH=/path/to/mod_spatialite.so
```
Or use the CLI flag:
```bash
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_audit` | `sqlite://audit` | Recent audit log + backup stats | `--audit-log` |
| `sqlite_metrics` | `sqlite://metrics` | Internal server metrics | _(read-only)_ |
### Help Resources (1 + up to 10)
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_core` | `sqlite://help/core` | Core CRUD and table operations reference | When core group on |
| `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` | `127.0.0.1` | Host/IP to bind to (`0.0.0.0` in Docker) (CLI: `--server-host`) |
| `SQLITE_DATABASE` | — | SQLite database path (CLI: `--sqlite` / `--sqlite-native`) |
| `DB_ENCRYPTION_KEY` | — | SQLCipher encryption key (Native only) (CLI: `--encryption-key`) |
| `DB_MCP_TOOL_FILTER` | — | Tool filter string (CLI: `--tool-filter`) |
| `METRICS_EXPORT` | — | Export metrics at HTTP /metrics (e.g., `prometheus`) (CLI: `--metrics-export`) |
| `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`) |
| `MCP_ENABLE_HSTS` | `false` | Enable HSTS header (CLI: `--enable-hsts`) |
| `NO_AUTH_ENFORCEMENT` | `false` | Explicitly bypass auth enforcement for HTTP (CLI: `--no-auth-enforcement`) |
| `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` | `isolate` | Code Mode sandbox: `isolate` (isolated-vm native) or `worker` |
| `CODE_MODE_MAX_RESULT_SIZE` | `102400` | Maximum Code Mode result payload in bytes (default 100KB, cap 50MB) |
| `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) |
| `ALLOWED_IO_ROOTS` | — | JSON array or comma-separated list of absolute paths allowed for IO operations |
| `MCP_AUTH_TOKEN` | — | Simple bearer token for HTTP auth (CLI: `--auth-token`) |
| `AUDIT_LOG` | — | Audit log file path, or `stderr` (CLI: `--audit-log`) |
| `AUDIT_REDACT` | `true` | Redact tool arguments from audit entries (CLI: `--audit-no-redact` to disable) |
| `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: --oauth-enabled --oauth-issuer <url> --oauth-audience <aud>
Database: --sqlite <path> | --sqlite-native <path> [--encryption-key <key>]
Extensions: --csv --spatialite (native only)
Security: --allowed-io-roots <paths>
Audit: --audit-log <path> --audit-no-redact --audit-reads --audit-backup --audit-backup-data
Server: --name <name> --version <ver> --metrics-export <type> --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:
```json
{
"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"
]
}
}
}
```
> [!TIP]
> **Switching backends:** The config above uses the **Native** backend (better-sqlite3, 181 MCP tools). To use the **WASM** backend (sql.js, 154 MCP tools, zero native dependencies), change `--sqlite-native` to `--sqlite` in the args array. See the [Backend Options table in DOCKER_README](DOCKER_README.md#backend-options) for feature differences.
**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](#️-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:
```bash
node dist/cli.js \
--transport http \
--port 3000 \
--sqlite-native ./database.db \
--allowed-io-roots $(pwd)
```
**Docker:**
```bash
docker run --rm -p 3000:3000 \
-v ./data:/app/data \
writenotenow/db-mcp:latest \
--transport http --port 3000 \
--sqlite-native /app/data/database.db \
--allowed-io-roots /app/data
```
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:
```bash
node dist/cli.js --transport http --port 3000 --stateless --sqlite-native ./database.db --allowed-io-roots $(pwd)
```
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 secures the HTTP transport using strict OAuth 2.1 authentication:
### OAuth 2.1 (Enterprise)
Full OAuth 2.1 with RFC 9728/8414 compliance for production multi-tenant deployments:
```bash
node dist/cli.js \
--transport http \
--port 3000 \
--sqlite-native ./database.db \
--allowed-io-roots $(pwd) \
--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 |
| ------- | -------------------------------------- |
| `full` | Unrestricted access to all operations |
| `read` | Read-only access to all databases |
| `write` | Read and write access to all databases |
| `admin` | Full administrative access |
### 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`). Unknown or unmapped tools default to `admin` (fail-closed). 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, all clients have full unrestricted access. Always enable authentication for production HTTP deployments. See [SECURITY.md](SECURITY.md) for details.
## 🔐 Encryption at Rest (Native Only)
db-mcp supports transparent database encryption using SQLCipher via the `better-sqlite3-multiple-ciphers` driver. When encryption is enabled, the server automatically encrypts both your target database (if newly created) and the sidecar `SystemDb` audit log, ensuring your schema, queries, and results are protected at rest.
**Important WASM Limitation**: The WASM backend (`sql.js`) **does not** support encryption. If you supply an encryption key to the WASM backend, it will gracefully ignore it for the target database. However, this can cause conflicts if both a Native and WASM backend share the same `--audit-log` file (since the Native backend will encrypt the shared audit log, causing the WASM backend to crash when reading it). To avoid this in dual-backend setups, assign a separate audit log (e.g., `--audit-log mcp-audit-wasm.db`) for your WASM instance.
**Configuring the Key**:
You can provide the key via the `--encryption-key` CLI flag or the `DB_ENCRYPTION_KEY` environment variable.
1. **Strong Passphrase**: A standard string. SQLCipher will automatically use PBKDF2 key derivation.
```bash
DB_ENCRYPTION_KEY="your-strong-passphrase-here"
```
2. **Raw Hex Key (Best Performance)**: To skip PBKDF2 derivation overhead, provide an exact 256-bit raw hex key prefixed with `x` and wrapped in single quotes:
```bash
DB_ENCRYPTION_KEY="x'2DD29CA851E7B56E4697B0E1F08507293D761A05CE4D1B628663F411A8086D99'"
```
> [!WARNING]
> **Audit Log Compatibility**: The `DB_ENCRYPTION_KEY` environment variable applies globally and will cause the internal `SystemDb` to attempt to decrypt your audit log (`--audit-log`). If you have an existing unencrypted audit log, the server will fail to start with `file is not a database`. To encrypt ONLY your target database (leaving the audit log unencrypted), use the `--encryption-key` CLI flag instead of the global environment variable.
## 📊 Benchmarks
Performance benchmarks measure framework overhead on critical hot paths using [Vitest bench](https://vitest.dev/guide/features.html#benchmarking) (tinybench). The suite validates that framework plumbing stays negligible relative to actual database I/O:
- **Tool dispatch:** 6–14M ops/sec — Map-based lookup is effectively zero-cost
- **Auth scope checks:** 4–8M ops/sec — OAuth middleware adds no measurable latency
- **Identifier validation:** 4–7M ops/sec — SQL sanitization is near-instant
- **Schema cache hits:** 3–6M ops/sec — metadata lookups avoid redundant queries
- **Debug log (filtered):** 5–11M ops/sec — disabled log levels are true no-ops
- **Code Mode security:** ~0.2–1.3M validations/sec for typical code, blocked patterns rejected in 1-2 µs
- **Sandbox execution:** ~0.5–4.9K executions/sec — trivial code round-trips through V8 isolate in 0.2-1.5 ms
```bash
pnpm run bench # Run all benchmarks
pnpm 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](CONTRIBUTING.md) before submitting a pull request.
## Security
For security concerns, please see our [Security Policy](SECURITY.md).
> **⚠️ Never commit credentials** - Store secrets in `.env` (gitignored)
## License
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the [LICENSE](LICENSE) file for details.
## Code of Conduct
Please read our [Code of Conduct](CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md) before participating in this project.