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Tablewalk

MCP for coding agents

Give a coding agent your database’s schema, rows and relationships as MCP tools, read-only unless a connection says otherwise.

.mcp.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tablewalk": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["tablewalk", "--mcp", "--config", "/absolute/path/tablewalk.json"]
    }
  }
}

The config file is the same one the browser reads (connections); npx tablewalk --mcp <url or file> works for one database.

What you’ll see

Section titled “What you’ll see”
  • The agent calls schema_summary first, then table, query and record as it needs them.
  • Every answer carries a link: open it and you are on the same rows in the browser.
  • 23 tools: 17 that only read, and 6 writes listed only when a connection is "writable": true.

When to use it

Section titled “When to use it”
  • Use database MCP when an agent should read your schema and data: to write a migration, a query, a fixture or a first App.
  • Use App MCP instead when the agent should act through an App’s grants and commands, as a signed-in role would.
  • Use the agent skill beside either one when the agent is building an App: the skill says how; MCP shows what is there.

The tools

Section titled “The tools”
Task Tools
Orient connections, schema_summary, tables, table
Locate and inspect find, query, record, profile
Summarize breakdown
Diagnose sql, explain, lint, change_impact, diff
Prepare fixtures order, fixture
Refresh refresh
Write (writable only) insert, update, delete, insert_graph, delete_graph, revert

query and breakdown take the query language verbatim.

Options

Section titled “Options”
Flag Does Default
--tools <profile> Offers one job’s worth: explore, migrate or seed. A profile never grants writes. full
--output-schema Advertises each tool’s output shape in tools/list. off
--config <path> The connections, each read-only unless "writable": true. tablewalk.json in the working directory, then ~/.config/tablewalk/connections.json

Every statement stops at 30 seconds (sql takes a lower timeout_ms) and when the client cancels. Counts stop at 10,000 and say so. sql and explain refuse tablewalk’s own __tablewalk_ tables and the tablewalk_auth schema.

Common mistakes

Section titled “Common mistakes”
  • The agent sees no insert or update → the connection is read-only; add "writable": true to it, and connect as a database role that may write.
  • No config file at … → a relative --config path resolved against the agent’s working directory, not yours; give an absolute path.
  • An App that signs people in, or names its sources, is refused → database MCP serves no App; use App MCP (--app-mcp) under a token.
Section titled “Related”