Rowbase

Name: Rowbase
Author: djstreet11

@djstreet11MCP server · External

Safe, read-only-by-default MySQL, PostgreSQL & SQLite access for AI agents. TOON output.

Databasesv0.3.0Apache-2.0Swift

Freeno charge per call

How to install

Runs on your machine from its package; the steps are below.

Rowbase: table browser with row inspector — From the README · 1 of 4

What it does

Reads
Writes
High impact

Not assessed yet.

What it costs

Free

Odel charges nothing per call. The publisher may charge for its own service.

Runs locally over stdio

This server isn't hosted — your MCP client launches it from a package registry. Use one of the commands below, or drop the config into your client (e.g. Claude Desktop).

PyPIrowbase-dbv0.3.0

Run

uvx rowbase-db

MCP client config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rowbase": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "rowbase-db"
      ]
    }
  }
}

README4 min readView on GitHub

Rowbase icon

Rowbase

A fast, good-looking, read-only-by-default database client — for humans and for AI agents.
MySQL / MariaDB · PostgreSQL · SQLite · native macOS app · one-file app for macOS, Linux & Windows · built-in MCP server

Rowbase: table browser with row inspector

Why Rowbase?

Safe by default. Every connection is read-only until you say otherwise — enforced at four independent layers (driver-level single statement, SQL guard, READ ONLY transaction, timeouts). Production connections get a red accent.
Made for AI assistants too. A built-in MCP server lets Claude, Cursor, Codex & co. explore your schema and query data — read-only unless you allow writes, with a token-efficient output format (TOON) and a built-in guide so the assistant knows how to use it. One copy-paste prompt sets everything up.
One file, no installer. Download a single binary for macOS, Linux or Windows and run it — no admin rights, no Python, no drivers to install. Or use the native macOS app.
No SQL required. Filter any column from its header like in DataGrip — pick values from a list with counts, or use contains / starts with / between / LIKE / regex / NULL — and build whole queries visually (joins, counts and sums, conditions, sorting) in the query builder, with the generated SQL shown live.
Nice to use. Foreign-key navigation (also for UUID references without FKs, e.g. 1C-style schemas), "referenced by", transpose, column picker, schema-aware autocomplete, EXPLAIN highlighting, query cancel, inline editing with SQL preview, export to CSV/JSON/Markdown/SQL, SSH tunnels.
Open source under Apache-2.0. Passwords live in your OS keychain, never in config files.



SQL editor: autocomplete, ⌘↩ runs the statement under the caret, EXPLAIN, cancel	Edit rows safely: pending changes, SQL preview, one atomic save

Download

Grab the latest from Releases:

Platform	File	How to run
macOS (native app)	`Rowbase-x.y.z.dmg`	open, drag to Applications
macOS (one file)	`rowbase-macos-arm64`	`chmod +x rowbase-macos-arm64 && ./rowbase-macos-arm64`
Ubuntu / Debian	`rowbase_x.y.z_amd64.deb` / `_arm64.deb`	double-click → Install (or `sudo apt install ./rowbase_.deb`), then start Rowbase* from the apps menu
Linux, no root	one command	`curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/djstreet11/Rowbase/main/packaging/install.sh \| sh` — installs to `~/.local/bin` + apps menu
Linux x64 / arm64 (one file)	`rowbase-linux-x64` / `-arm64`	`chmod +x rowbase-linux-* && ./rowbase-linux-x64` (Ubuntu 20.04+, Debian 10+, RHEL 8+)
Windows 10 / 11	`rowbase-windows-x64.exe`	double-click

Started without arguments (or from the apps menu), Rowbase opens the web UI in your browser; starting it again just reopens the page. A downloaded Linux one-file binary has no "executable" flag, so a double-click does nothing — use the .deb or the install command above, or chmod +x it. Builds are not code-signed yet: macOS → System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway; Windows → More info → Run anyway.

Updates. The Mac app: Rowbase → Check for Updates… (from 0.3.0). One-file binaries: rowbase update, or the Update button in the web UI. PyPI installs: pipx upgrade rowbase-db. The only request is an anonymous check of GitHub Releases, at most once a day — no telemetry; turn it off with ROWBASE_NO_UPDATE_CHECK=1.

Connect your AI assistant (MCP)

Open AI / MCP in the app, click Copy prompt, paste it into your assistant — it registers the server, reads the built-in guide and creates a reusable skill. Or register manually:

bash

claude mcp add rowbase -- /path/to/rowbase mcp          # one-file binary or app
claude mcp add rowbase -- uvx --from rowbase-db rowbase mcp   # straight from PyPI, nothing to download

Listed in the official MCP Registry as io.github.djstreet11/rowbase.

Results come back as compact TOON tables (~40% fewer tokens than JSON):

rows[2]{id,customer,total}:
  1,"Smith, Bob",9.50
  2,ann,null
truncated: false

Tools: guide, connections, databases, tables, describe, search_schema, sample, count, query, explain, find_ref (+ apply_changes only when you allow writes). Details: docs/MCP.md.

CLI

Install from PyPI (pipx install rowbase-db / uv tool install rowbase-db) or use a one-file download.

bash

rowbase add shop 'postgres://me@db.example.com/shop?ssh=deploy@bastion'   # read-only unless --rw
rowbase tables -c shop
rowbase q "SELECT * FROM orders WHERE status = 'new'" -c shop --format json
rowbase ui        # web UI on http://127.0.0.1:8765
rowbase mcp       # MCP server (stdio)
rowbase doctor    # environment report
rowbase update    # update a one-file binary in place (--check: only check)

Dark mode

Build from source

Python track: python3 -m venv .venv && .venv/bin/pip install -e . && .venv/bin/rowbase ui
One-file binaries: docs/BUILDING.md · Native macOS app: cd native && swift build · releases: docs/RELEASING.md
Architecture & roadmap: SPEC.md

Contributing

Issues, ideas and pull requests are welcome — see CONTRIBUTING.md and the Code of Conduct. If Rowbase is useful to you, a ⭐ helps others find it.

License

Apache-2.0 — see NOTICE and THIRD_PARTY_LICENSES.md.

Similar modules

Browse Databases