mcp-db-server

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An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that exposes relational databases (PostgreSQL/MySQL) to AI agents with natural language query support. Transform natural language questions into SQL queries and get structured results.

Features

• Multi-Database Support: Works with PostgreSQL and MySQL
• Natural Language to SQL: Convert plain English queries to SQL using HuggingFace transformers
• RESTful API: Clean FastAPI-based endpoints for database operations
• Safety First: Read-only operations with query validation and result limits
• Docker Ready: Complete containerization with Docker Compose
• Production Ready: Health checks, logging, and error handling
• AI Agent Friendly: Designed specifically for AI agent integration

Version 1.4.0 Changes

• Added mandatory X-API-Key authentication for all database HTTP endpoints; /health remains public for health checks.
• Removed unrestricted credentialed CORS and made allowed origins explicitly configurable.
• Changed the default HTTP bind address to 127.0.0.1.
• Added table-name validation against existing database tables to block SQL injection through table routes.
• Added PostgreSQL sslmode=require compatibility for asyncpg connections.
• Updated Docker Compose, environment examples, and documentation for secure API-key configuration.
• Published Docker images:
• souhardyak/mcp-db-server:1.4.0
• souhardyak/mcp-db-server:latest
• Added GitHub Container Registry publishing for:
• ghcr.io/souhar-dya/mcp-db-server:1.4.0
• ghcr.io/souhar-dya/mcp-db-server:latest

API Endpoints

Quick Start

Option 1: Docker Compose (Recommended)

1. Clone and start the services:

   git clone https://github.com/Souhar-dya/mcp-db-server.git
   cd mcp-db-server
   export MCP_API_KEY="$(openssl rand -hex 32)"
   docker-compose up --build

1. Test the endpoints:

   # Health check
   curl http://localhost:8000/health

   # List tables (requires the configured API key)
   curl -H "X-API-Key: $MCP_API_KEY" http://localhost:8000/mcp/list_tables

   # Describe a table
   curl -H "X-API-Key: $MCP_API_KEY" http://localhost:8000/mcp/describe/customers

   # Natural language query
   curl -X POST "http://localhost:8000/mcp/query" \
     -H "X-API-Key: $MCP_API_KEY" \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{"nl_query": "show top 5 customers by total orders"}'

Option 2: Local Development

1. Prerequisites:

• Python 3.11+
• PostgreSQL or MySQL database

1. Install dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

1. Set environment variables:

   export DATABASE_URL="postgresql+asyncpg://user:password@localhost:5432/dbname"
   export MCP_API_KEY="$(openssl rand -hex 32)"
   # or for MySQL:
   # export DATABASE_URL="mysql+pymysql://user:password@localhost:3306/dbname"

1. Run the server:

   python -m app.server

Sample Database

The project includes a sample database with realistic e-commerce data:

• customers: Customer information (10 sample customers)
• orders: Order records (17 sample orders)
• order_items: Individual items within orders
• order_summary: View combining order and customer data

Natural Language Query Examples

The server can understand various types of natural language queries:

# Get all customers
curl -X POST "http://localhost:8000/mcp/query" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"nl_query": "show all customers"}'

# Count orders by status
curl -X POST "http://localhost:8000/mcp/query" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"nl_query": "count orders by status"}'

# Top customers by order value
curl -X POST "http://localhost:8000/mcp/query" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"nl_query": "top 5 customers by total order amount"}'

# Recent orders
curl -X POST "http://localhost:8000/mcp/query" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"nl_query": "show recent orders from last week"}'

Configuration

Environment Variables

Database Connection Examples

# PostgreSQL
DATABASE_URL=postgresql+asyncpg://user:pass@localhost:5432/mydb

# MySQL
DATABASE_URL=mysql+pymysql://user:pass@localhost:3306/mydb

# PostgreSQL with SSL
DATABASE_URL=postgresql+asyncpg://user:pass@localhost:5432/mydb?sslmode=require

### Database Connection Examples

PostgreSQL (local or cloud)

DATABASE_URL=postgresql+asyncpg://user:password@host:5432/dbname

MySQL (local or cloud)

DATABASE_URL=mysql+aiomysql://user:password@host:3306/dbname

PostgreSQL with SSL (cloud, e.g. Neon, Supabase, Aiven)

DATABASE_URL=postgresql+asyncpg://user:password@host:5432/dbname?sslmode=require

MySQL with SSL (cloud, e.g. Aiven, PlanetScale)

DATABASE_URL=mysql+aiomysql://user:password@host:3306/dbname?ssl-mode=REQUIRED

> **Note:**
> - For MySQL cloud providers, the `ssl-mode` parameter in the URL is ignored by the driver, but SSL is always enabled in the MCP server for cloud connections.
> - For PostgreSQL, use `sslmode=require` for cloud DBs. For MySQL, just use the standard URL; SSL is handled automatically.
> - If you see errors about `ssl-mode` or `sslmode`, check your URL and ensure you are using the correct driver prefix (`mysql+aiomysql` or `postgresql+asyncpg`).

#### Cloud Database Examples

Neon (PostgreSQL)

DATABASE_URL=postgresql+asyncpg://username:[email protected]/dbname

Aiven (MySQL)

DATABASE_URL=mysql+aiomysql://avnadmin:[email protected]:11079/defaultdb?ssl-mode=REQUIRED

#### Docker Usage with Cloud DB

docker run -d \ -p 8000:8000 \ -e DATABASE_URL="<your_cloud_database_url>" \ -e MCP_API_KEY="<your_random_api_key>" \ souhardyak/mcp-db-server:latest

GitHub Container Registry is also available:

docker login ghcr.io docker pull ghcr.io/souhar-dya/mcp-db-server:latest docker run -d \ -p 8000:8000 \ -e DATABASE_URL="<your_database_url>" \ -e MCP_API_KEY="$MCP_API_KEY" \ ghcr.io/souhar-dya/mcp-db-server:latest

Images are published automatically when a `v*.*.*` tag is pushed. The workflow also creates the matching GitHub Release. To publish an existing tag such as `v1.4.0`, open the workflow's **Run workflow** action and enter `1.4.0`. Set the GHCR package visibility to **Public** in the repository's **Packages** settings if unauthenticated pulls should be allowed.

#### Troubleshooting

- If you get `connect() got an unexpected keyword argument 'ssl-mode'`, ignore it: SSL is still enabled.
- For network errors, check firewall and DB credentials.
- For MySQL, always use `mysql+aiomysql` in the URL for async support.

PostgreSQL SSL connection note

For PostgreSQL cloud providers, use an asyncpg URL and sslmode=require:

DATABASE_URL=postgresql+asyncpg://user:password@host:5432/dbname?sslmode=require

The server normalizes sslmode=require to the ssl option expected by asyncpg. A temporary PostgreSQL verification was completed successfully against a compatible cloud database using CREATE, INSERT, SELECT, UPDATE, DELETE, and DROP; no test data was retained. Never commit or share a connection URL containing a real password.

API key authentication

MCP_API_KEY is a secret that you generate and provide to the server. It protects all database HTTP endpoints through the X-API-Key request header. The /health endpoint remains public for container health checks.

Generate a strong key on Linux or macOS:

export MCP_API_KEY="$(openssl rand -hex 32)"

Generate one in Windows PowerShell:

$bytes = New-Object byte[] 32
[Security.Cryptography.RandomNumberGenerator]::Create().GetBytes($bytes)
$env:MCP_API_KEY = ([BitConverter]::ToString($bytes) -replace "-", "").ToLower()

Start the Docker image with the key:

docker run -d \
  -p 8000:8000 \
  -e DATABASE_URL="<your_database_url>" \
  -e MCP_API_KEY="$MCP_API_KEY" \
  souhardyak/mcp-db-server:latest

Call a protected endpoint with the same key:

curl -H "X-API-Key: $MCP_API_KEY" http://localhost:8000/mcp/list_tables

Keep the key in a password manager or deployment secret store. Do not commit it to Git, put it in a public image, or include it in logs.

Security Features

• Mandatory HTTP Authentication: Database API routes require X-API-Key; /health remains public for health checks
• Secure Network Default: HTTP mode binds to 127.0.0.1 unless explicitly configured otherwise
• Restricted CORS: Cross-origin access is disabled unless origins are explicitly configured
• Read-Only Operations: Only SELECT queries are allowed
• Query Validation: Automatic detection and blocking of dangerous SQL operations
• Result Limiting: Maximum 50 rows per query (configurable)
• Input Sanitization: Protection against SQL injection
• Safe Defaults: Secure configuration out of the box

Architecture

mcp-db-server/
├── app/
│   ├── __init__.py          # Package initialization
│   ├── server.py            # FastAPI application and endpoints
│   ├── db.py                # Database connection and operations
│   └── nl_to_sql.py         # Natural language to SQL conversion
├── .github/workflows/
│   └── docker-publish.yml   # CI/CD pipeline
├── docker-compose.yml       # Docker Compose configuration
├── Dockerfile               # Container definition
├── init_db.sql             # Sample database schema and data
├── requirements.txt         # Python dependencies
└── README.md               # This file

Model Context Protocol (MCP) Integration

This server is designed to work seamlessly with MCP-compatible AI agents:

1. Standardized Endpoints: RESTful API following MCP conventions
2. Structured Responses: JSON responses optimized for AI consumption
3. Error Handling: Consistent error messages and status codes
4. Documentation: OpenAPI/Swagger documentation available at /docs

Publish To VS Code MCP Store (Registry)

VS Code MCP gallery uses MCP Registry metadata. This repository now includes server.json for registry publication.

1) Build and publish Docker image

docker build -t souhardyak/mcp-db-server:1.3.1 .
docker push souhardyak/mcp-db-server:1.3.1

2) Validate server metadata

server.json is configured for an OCI package and stdio transport:

• name: io.github.Souhar-dya/mcp-db-server
• registryType: oci
• identifier: docker.io/souhardyak/mcp-db-server:1.3.1

The Dockerfile includes registry ownership annotation:

• io.modelcontextprotocol.server.name=io.github.Souhar-dya/mcp-db-server

3) Publish to MCP Registry

Install publisher and publish metadata:

mcp-publisher login github
mcp-publisher publish

After publishing, users can discover/install it from MCP-compatible clients, including VS Code MCP experiences that read from the registry.

4) Local VS Code config example

{
  "servers": {
    "mcp-db-server": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--rm",
        "-i",
        "-e",
        "DATABASE_URL=sqlite+aiosqlite:////data/default.db",
        "souhardyak/mcp-db-server:1.3.1"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Docker Smoke Test

Use the dedicated Docker smoke test in tests/docker:

python tests/docker/smoke_test.py

This verifies Docker daemon access, image build, container startup, and health status.

Deployment

Docker Hub

# Pull the latest image
docker pull souhardyak/mcp-db-server:latest

# Run with your database
docker run -d \
  -p 8000:8000 \
  -e DATABASE_URL="your_database_url_here" \
  souhardyak/mcp-db-server:latest

Kubernetes

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: mcp-db-server
spec:
  replicas: 3
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: mcp-db-server
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: mcp-db-server
    spec:
      containers:
        - name: mcp-db-server
          image: souhardyak/mcp-db-server:latest
          ports:
            - containerPort: 8000
          env:
            - name: DATABASE_URL
              valueFrom:
                secretKeyRef:
                  name: db-secret
                  key: url
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: mcp-db-server-service
spec:
  selector:
    app: mcp-db-server
  ports:
    - port: 80
      targetPort: 8000
  type: LoadBalancer

Testing

Run Tests Locally

# Start test database
docker-compose up postgres -d

# Wait for database to be ready
sleep 10

# Run tests
python -m pytest tests/ -v

Manual Testing

# Test health endpoint
curl http://localhost:8000/health

# Test table listing
curl http://localhost:8000/mcp/list_tables

# Test natural language query
curl -X POST "http://localhost:8000/mcp/query" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"nl_query": "show me all customers from California"}'

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

License

This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0 - see the LICENSE file for details.

📝 Changelog

v1.3.0 (2025-12-24) - Docker Path Fix

• Fixed: Resolved import path issues in Docker container causing from db import DatabaseManager to fail
• Fixed: Changed relative paths to absolute paths in Dockerfile and docker-compose.yml healthchecks
• Improved: mcp_server.py now uses robust path resolution that works both locally and in Docker containers
• Updated: Docker image rebuilt and pushed with all path fixes

v1.2.0 (2025-11-03) - MySQL Column Access Fix

• Fixed: Resolved Could not locate column in row for column 'column_name' error with MySQL databases
• Fixed: Changed describe_table method to use index-based row access for better SQLAlchemy compatibility
• Improved: Enhanced cross-database compatibility for schema introspection
• Resolved: GitHub Issue #1

v1.1.0 (2025-09-28) - Async Bug Fix

• Fixed: Resolved str can't be used in 'await' expression error in MCP server
• Improved: NLP query processing now works correctly with Claude Desktop integration
• Enhanced: Added comprehensive test database setup scripts
• Updated: Docker image rebuilt with bug fixes and updated dependencies

v1.0.0 (2025-09-25) - Initial Release

• Initial: Full MCP Database Server implementation
• Added: RESTful API with FastAPI
• Added: Natural language to SQL conversion
• Added: Docker containerization and deployment
• Added: Multi-database support (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite)

Acknowledgments

• FastAPI for the excellent web framework
• HuggingFace Transformers for NL to SQL capabilities
• SQLAlchemy for database abstraction
• The Model Context Protocol (MCP) community

Support

• Report Issues
• Discussions
• Documentation

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