MSSQL MCP Server

⚠️ EXPERIMENTAL USE ONLY — This MCP Server is provided for educational and experimental purposes. It is NOT intended for production use. Use appropriate security measures and test thoroughly before any deployment.

What is this? 🤔

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that lets AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and other LLM-powered tools query and manage your Microsoft SQL Server database using natural language.

Quick Example

You: "Show me all customers from New York"
AI: *queries your MSSQL database and returns the results in plain English*

Features 📊

• Natural language to SQL — Ask questions in plain English
• Row-level CRUD support — Read, insert, update, and delete rows with dedicated tools
• Schema discovery — Inspect tables, views, procedures, functions, and triggers
• Safer write workflows — preview_update and preview_delete plus confirmation gating for destructive tools
• Rich text tool results — Concise summaries with JSON inlined in the primary text block when helpful, plus resource links for large artifacts
• Query analysis — Generate estimated execution plans with explain_query
• MCP resources and prompts — Expose schema snapshots, query artifacts, and prompt templates to capable clients
• Remote transport support — Run locally over stdio or remotely over Streamable HTTP
• Multi-database support — Connect to multiple databases on the same server
• Read-only mode — Restrict to inspection, search, read, and explain tools for safer environments
• Secure by default — WHERE clauses required for updates/deletes; SQL injection safeguards for reads; DDL tools off unless ENABLE_DDL=true

Supported AI Clients

• Claude Desktop
• Cursor (VS Code with AI)
• VS Code Agent extension
• Any MCP-compatible client

Quick Start 🚀

One-Click Install (Cursor / VS Code)

Click Add to Cursor or Install in VS Code above to add the MCP server—no cloning required; it runs via npx.

Cursor opens a dedicated install page that lists env vars you can edit before saving (similar to a short form). The Add to Cursor preset includes every variable from the table below (connection, timeouts, ENABLE_DDL defaulting to false, write caps, MCP_TRANSPORT / HTTP settings, MCP_BASE_URL, etc.); set ENABLE_DDL to true there if you want schema tools.

VS Code only applies the JSON embedded in the vscode:mcp/install link: you get static placeholder values, not an interactive database wizard. To be prompted for host, database, and credentials when the server starts, add inputs to .vscode/mcp.json as in the Prompted inputs example under VS Code (mcp.json) below.

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18 or higher
• SQL Server (local, Azure SQL, or remote)
• An MCP-compatible AI client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.)

Installation

From npm (recommended):

npx -y @eamonboyle/mssql-mcp

Or install globally: npm install -g @eamonboyle/mssql-mcp

From source (for development):

git clone https://github.com/eamonboyle/mssql-mcp.git
cd mssql-mcp
npm install
npm run build

Configuration

Environment Variables

Variable	Required	Description
SERVER_NAME	Yes	SQL Server host (e.g., localhost, my-server.database.windows.net)
DATABASE_NAME	Yes**	Default database name. Optional when DATABASES is set.
DB_USER	Yes*	SQL Server username (for SQL authentication)
DB_PASSWORD	Yes*	SQL Server password (for SQL authentication)
READONLY	No	"true" for read-only mode, "false" for full access (default: "false")
DATABASES	No	Comma-separated allowlist for multi-database access (e.g., ProdDB,StagingDB)
CONNECTION_TIMEOUT	No	Timeout in seconds (default: 30)
QUERY_TIMEOUT_MS	No	Query timeout in milliseconds (default: 30000)
MAX_ROWS	No	Maximum rows returned by read tools (default: 10000)
TRUST_SERVER_CERTIFICATE	No	"true" for self-signed certs (e.g., local dev) (default: "false")
MCP_TRANSPORT	No	stdio (default) or http
MCP_HTTP_HOST	No	Bind host for Streamable HTTP mode (default: 127.0.0.1)
MCP_HTTP_PORT	No	Bind port for Streamable HTTP mode (default: 3333)
MCP_BASE_URL	No	Optional externally visible base URL for remote deployments
ENABLE_DDL	No	"true" enables create_table, create_index, and drop_table (default: false)
MAX_WRITE_ROWS	No	Maximum rows a single write tool may affect before it is blocked (default: 100)
REQUIRE_WRITE_PREVIEW	No	"true" (default): call preview_update / preview_delete, then pass the returned previewToken with confirmed=true on update_data / delete_data. Set "false" to skip the token (confirmation still applies).

* Required for SQL authentication. For Windows/Integrated authentication, consult the mssql package documentation.

** Required for single-database setups. When DATABASES is provided, DATABASE_NAME becomes optional and is used as the default database if set.

Cursor (mcp.json)

Use global or project MCP config: e.g. ~/.cursor/mcp.json or .cursor/mcp.json in your repo.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mssql": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@eamonboyle/mssql-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "SERVER_NAME": "localhost",
        "DATABASE_NAME": "AppDB",
        "DATABASES": "AppDB,ReportingDB",
        "DB_USER": "your_username",
        "DB_PASSWORD": "your_password",
        "READONLY": "false"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Cursor after changes.

Cursor HTTP MCP

To expose the server remotely over Streamable HTTP:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mssql-http": {
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:3333"
    }
  }
}

Run the server with:

MCP_TRANSPORT=http MCP_HTTP_HOST=127.0.0.1 MCP_HTTP_PORT=3333 npx -y @eamonboyle/mssql-mcp

VS Code (mcp.json)

VS Code uses .vscode/mcp.json (or MCP: Open User Configuration) with a top-level servers object—not mcpServers.

Static env (same idea as the one-click link; edit values in the file):

{
  "servers": {
    "mssql": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@eamonboyle/mssql-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "SERVER_NAME": "localhost",
        "DATABASE_NAME": "AppDB",
        "DATABASES": "AppDB,ReportingDB",
        "DB_USER": "your_username",
        "DB_PASSWORD": "your_password",
        "READONLY": "false",
        "CONNECTION_TIMEOUT": "30",
        "QUERY_TIMEOUT_MS": "30000",
        "MAX_ROWS": "10000",
        "TRUST_SERVER_CERTIFICATE": "false"
      }
    }
  }
}

Prompted inputs (closest to Cursor’s hosted form: VS Code asks on first start, then stores values). Use ${input:…} in env and define matching entries under inputs:

{
  "inputs": [
    {
      "type": "promptString",
      "id": "mssql-server",
      "description": "SQL Server host (e.g. localhost or my-server.database.windows.net)"
    },
    {
      "type": "promptString",
      "id": "mssql-database",
      "description": "Default database name"
    },
    {
      "type": "promptString",
      "id": "mssql-databases",
      "description": "Optional: comma-separated DB allowlist (e.g. AppDB,ReportingDB). Leave empty for a single database."
    },
    {
      "type": "promptString",
      "id": "mssql-user",
      "description": "SQL Server login (SQL authentication)"
    },
    {
      "type": "promptString",
      "id": "mssql-password",
      "description": "SQL Server password",
      "password": true
    }
  ],
  "servers": {
    "mssql": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@eamonboyle/mssql-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "SERVER_NAME": "${input:mssql-server}",
        "DATABASE_NAME": "${input:mssql-database}",
        "DATABASES": "${input:mssql-databases}",
        "DB_USER": "${input:mssql-user}",
        "DB_PASSWORD": "${input:mssql-password}",
        "READONLY": "false",
        "CONNECTION_TIMEOUT": "30",
        "QUERY_TIMEOUT_MS": "30000",
        "MAX_ROWS": "10000",
        "TRUST_SERVER_CERTIFICATE": "false"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop Setup

1. Open File → Settings → Developer → Edit Config
2. Add the MCP server configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mssql": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@eamonboyle/mssql-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "SERVER_NAME": "localhost",
        "DATABASE_NAME": "AppDB",
        "DATABASES": "AppDB,ReportingDB",
        "DB_USER": "your_username",
        "DB_PASSWORD": "your_password",
        "READONLY": "false"
      }
    }
  }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop.

Multi-Database Support

To allow queries across multiple databases:

"env": {
  "SERVER_NAME": "your-server.database.windows.net",
  "DATABASE_NAME": "ProdDB",
  "DATABASES": "ProdDB,StagingDB,AnalyticsDB",
  "DB_USER": "your_username",
  "DB_PASSWORD": "your_password",
  "READONLY": "false"
}

DATABASES defines which databases the MCP can access. All tools accept an optional databaseName parameter. When omitted, the server uses DATABASE_NAME if it is included in DATABASES; otherwise it falls back to the first entry in DATABASES.

Sample Configurations

See src/samples/ for example configs:

• claude_desktop_config.json — Claude Desktop
• vscode_agent_config.json — VS Code Agent

Usage Examples

Once configured, you can ask things like:

• "Show me all users from New York"
• "List the configured databases this MCP can access"
• "Preview the rows that would be updated before changing status to archived"
• "Explain this query and open the execution plan viewer"
• "Show the foreign keys and relationships around dbo.Orders"
• "Search the customers table for email addresses containing acme.com"
• "Create a new table called products with columns for id, name, and price"
• "Update all pending orders to completed status"
• "Delete inactive sessions older than 30 days"
• "List all tables in the database"
• "Describe the schema of the customers table"
• "List all views and procedures in the reporting database"
• "Explain why this SELECT query is slow"

Available Tools

Tool	Read-only	Description
read_data	✓	Execute validated SELECT queries
search_data	✓	Search one or more columns with parameterized LIKE
explain_query	✓	Get an estimated execution plan for a SELECT query
list_table	✓	List tables in a database
describe_table	✓	Get table schema (optional schemaName)
list_objects	✓	List tables, views, procedures, functions, and triggers
describe_object	✓	Describe an object definition and metadata
insert_data		Insert rows
update_data		Update rows (requires WHERE; optional schemaName)
delete_data		Delete rows (requires WHERE; optional schemaName)
create_table		Create tables
create_index		Create indexes
drop_table		Drop tables

Resources And Prompts

Clients that support MCP resources and prompts can use additional discovery surfaces:

• Resources — Server config, prompt catalog, per-database table lists, per-database object lists, and dynamic table/object resources
• Prompts — explore_schema, draft_safe_select, and review_write_operation

Changelog

Release notes: CHANGELOG.md.

Security Notes

• Credentials — Never commit DB_USER/DB_PASSWORD or config files with secrets. Use environment variables or a secrets manager.
• Read-only mode — Set READONLY: "true" when you only need queries.
• WHERE clauses — Update and delete operations require explicit WHERE clauses to reduce accidental full-table changes.
• SQL injection — The server validates and restricts dangerous SQL patterns.
• DDL tools — Disabled by default (ENABLE_DDL unset or false). Set ENABLE_DDL=true only if the assistant should create/drop tables or indexes.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please read CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines. By participating, you agree to uphold our Code of Conduct.

License

MIT License — see LICENSE for details.