DBHub

Token-efficient database MCP server for PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQL Server, Oracle, SQLite

What can you do with DBHub?

Local Development: Schema exploration, query validation, and data debugging with Claude Code, VS Code, Cursor, etc.
Non-Technical Access: Expose curated, read-only views to non-technical staff via Claude Desktop, VS Code, Cursor, etc.
Multi-Database Consolidation: Replace separate MCP servers for each database with a single DBHub process
Production Troubleshooting: Read-only diagnostics with guardrails against runaway queries

Install

Add this to your client's MCP configuration (Claude Desktop: claude_desktop_config.json; Cursor: .cursor/mcp.json; VS Code and others use the same "mcpServers" shape).

NPM package @bytebase/dbhub

Claude Code

claude mcp add dbhub -e 'DSN=<your dsn>' -e 'DB_TYPE=<DB_TYPE>' -e 'DB_HOST=<DB_HOST>' -e 'DB_PORT=<DB_PORT>' -e 'DB_USER=<DB_USER>' -e 'DB_PASSWORD=<your db_password>' -e 'DB_NAME=<DB_NAME>' -e 'TRANSPORT=<TRANSPORT>' -e 'PORT=<PORT>' -e 'ID=<ID>' -e 'SSH_HOST=<SSH_HOST>' -e 'SSH_PORT=<SSH_PORT>' -e 'SSH_USER=<SSH_USER>' -e 'SSH_PASSWORD=<your ssh_password>' -e 'SSH_KEY=<SSH_KEY>' -e 'SSH_PASSPHRASE=<your ssh_passphrase>' -e 'SSH_AUTH_SOCK=<SSH_AUTH_SOCK>' -- npx -y @bytebase/dbhub@1.5.0

JSON configuration (Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code)

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "dbhub": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "@bytebase/dbhub@1.5.0"
            ],
            "env": {
                "DSN": "<your dsn>",
                "DB_TYPE": "<DB_TYPE>",
                "DB_HOST": "<DB_HOST>",
                "DB_PORT": "<DB_PORT>",
                "DB_USER": "<DB_USER>",
                "DB_PASSWORD": "<your db_password>",
                "DB_NAME": "<DB_NAME>",
                "TRANSPORT": "<TRANSPORT>",
                "PORT": "<PORT>",
                "ID": "<ID>",
                "SSH_HOST": "<SSH_HOST>",
                "SSH_PORT": "<SSH_PORT>",
                "SSH_USER": "<SSH_USER>",
                "SSH_PASSWORD": "<your ssh_password>",
                "SSH_KEY": "<SSH_KEY>",
                "SSH_PASSPHRASE": "<your ssh_passphrase>",
                "SSH_AUTH_SOCK": "<SSH_AUTH_SOCK>"
            }
        }
    }
}

Environment variables

DSN secret Database connection string (e.g., postgres://user:pass@host:5432/db)
DB_TYPE Database type: postgres, mysql, mariadb, sqlserver, oracle, sqlite
DB_HOST Database hostname
DB_PORT Database port
DB_USER Database username
DB_PASSWORD secret Database password
DB_NAME Database name or SQLite file path
TRANSPORT Transport mode: stdio or http
PORT HTTP server port (default: 8080)
ID Instance identifier for tool names
SSH_HOST SSH server hostname
SSH_PORT SSH server port (default: 22)
SSH_USER SSH username
SSH_PASSWORD secret SSH password
SSH_KEY Path to SSH private key
SSH_PASSPHRASE secret SSH key passphrase
SSH_AUTH_SOCK Path to SSH agent socket

Documentation

From the project's README on GitHub, refreshed weekly. Links open on GitHub.

Contents

Token Efficiency
Use Cases
Supported Databases
MCP Tools
Workbench
Installation
Development
Contributors
Star History

[!NOTE]
If you need an enterprise-level database MCP server with built-in guardrails like approval flow, access control, data masking, and audit logging beyond what DBHub offers, check out Bytebase.

            +------------------+    +--------------+    +------------------+
            |                  |    |              |    |                  |
            |  Claude Desktop  +--->+              +--->+    PostgreSQL    |
            |                  |    |              |    |                  |
            |  Claude Code     +--->+              +--->+    SQL Server    |
            |                  |    |              |    |                  |
            |  Cursor          +--->+    DBHub     +--->+    Oracle        |
            |                  |    |              |    |                  |
            |  VS Code         +--->+              +--->+    SQLite        |
            |                  |    |              |    |                  |
            |  Copilot CLI     +--->+              +--->+    MySQL         |
            |                  |    |              |    |                  |
            |                  |    |              +--->+    MariaDB       |
            |                  |    |              |    |                  |
            +------------------+    +--------------+    +------------------+
                 MCP Clients           MCP Server             Databases

DBHub is a minimal MCP server: token-efficient, zero-dependency, and just two tools by default with opt-in extras. This lightweight gateway allows MCP-compatible clients to connect to and explore different databases:

Minimal: Zero dependency, token efficient with a minimal set of MCP tools to maximize context window
Multi-Database: PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQL Server, Oracle, and SQLite through a single interface
Multi-Connection: Connect to multiple databases simultaneously with TOML configuration
Guardrails: Read-only mode, row limiting, and query timeout to prevent runaway operations
Secure Access: SSH tunneling and SSL/TLS encryption

DBHub is the official example in the Claude Code docs for connecting to PostgreSQL via MCP.

Token Efficiency

DBHub loads just 2 tools by default at 1.4k tokens — 13-14x fewer than alternatives — keeping the context window open for your actual work.

MCP Server	Default Config	Default Tools
DBHub	1.4k	2 (`execute_sql`, `search_objects`)
MCP Toolbox	19.0k	28
Supabase MCP	19.3k	all

Use Cases

Local Development: Schema exploration, query validation, and data debugging with Claude Code, VS Code, Cursor, etc.
Non-Technical Access: Expose curated, read-only views to non-technical staff via Claude Desktop, VS Code, Cursor, etc.
Multi-Database Consolidation: Replace separate MCP servers for each database with a single DBHub process
Production Troubleshooting: Read-only diagnostics with guardrails against runaway queries

Supported Databases

PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server, MariaDB, Oracle, and SQLite.

MCP Tools

DBHub implements MCP tools for database operations:

execute_sql: Execute SQL queries with transaction support and safety controls
search_objects: Search and explore database schemas, tables, columns, indexes, and procedures with progressive disclosure
explain_sql (opt-in): Show a query's execution plan without running it
health_check (opt-in): Report connection pool state and buffer cache hit ratio
Custom Tools: Define reusable, parameterized SQL operations in your dbhub.toml configuration file

Workbench

DBHub includes a built-in web interface for interacting with your database tools. It provides a visual way to execute queries, run custom tools, and view request traces without requiring an MCP client.

Installation

npx @bytebase/dbhub@latest --transport http --port 8080 --dsn "postgres://user:password@localhost:5432/dbname?sslmode=disable"

Also available as:

Docker image
MCP Bundle (one-click install, read-only)
Claude Code plugin

See the Installation Guide for all options, Command-Line Options for parameters, and Multi-Database Configuration for connecting several databases at once.

Development

Requires Node.js >= 22.5.0 (DBHub uses the built-in node:sqlite module).

# Install dependencies
pnpm install

# Run in development mode
pnpm dev

# Build and run for production
pnpm build && pnpm start --transport stdio --dsn "postgres://user:password@localhost:5432/dbname"

See Testing and Debug.

Contributors

Star History

Frequently asked questions

What is DBHub?

Token-efficient database MCP server for PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQL Server, Oracle, SQLite

How do I install DBHub?

It runs on your machine. In Claude Code: claude mcp add dbhub -e 'DSN=<your dsn>' -e 'DB_TYPE=<DB_TYPE>' -e 'DB_HOST=<DB_HOST>' -e 'DB_PORT=<DB_PORT>' -e 'DB_USER=<DB_USER>' -e 'DB_PASSWORD=<your db_password>' -e 'DB_NAME=<DB_NAME>' -e 'TRANSPORT=<TRANSPORT>' -e 'PORT=<PORT>' -e 'ID=<ID>' -e 'SSH_HOST=<SSH_HOST>' -e 'SSH_PORT=<SSH_PORT>' -e 'SSH_USER=<SSH_USER>' -e 'SSH_PASSWORD=<your ssh_password>' -e 'SSH_KEY=<SSH_KEY>' -e 'SSH_PASSPHRASE=<your ssh_passphrase>' -e 'SSH_AUTH_SOCK=<SSH_AUTH_SOCK>' -- npx -y @bytebase/dbhub@1.5.0. For other clients, paste the JSON configuration from this page into their MCP settings.

Does DBHub need an API key?

Yes. It expects DSN, DB_PASSWORD, SSH_PASSWORD, SSH_PASSPHRASE, which you set in its configuration.

Is DBHub open source?

Yes. Its code is on GitHub under the MIT license.

Who maintains DBHub?

It is published by bytebase. AI.tn lists it but does not maintain or endorse it.

From the official MCP Registry. Listing is not an endorsement: review a server's code and permissions before giving it access to your data.

Server details

Listed in: Official MCP Registry
Publisher: bytebase
Category: Data and databases
Runs: Local
GitHub stars: ★ 3,730
License: MIT
Language: TypeScript
Last commit: Oct 26, 2026
Open issues: 2
Version: 1.5.0
Published: Oct 9, 2026

io.github.bytebase/dbhub

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