SQLite Explorer MCP Server

An MCP server that provides safe, read-only access to SQLite databases through Model Context Protocol (MCP). This server is built with the FastMCP framework, which enables LLMs to explore and query SQLite databases with built-in safety features and query validation.

📋 System Requirements

Python 3.6+
SQLite database file (path specified via environment variable)

📦 Dependencies

Install all required dependencies:

# Using pip
pip install -r requirements.txt

Required Packages

fastmcp: Framework for building Model Context Protocol servers

All dependencies are specified in requirements.txt for easy installation.

📑 Table of Contents

System Requirements
Dependencies
MCP Tools
Getting Started
Installation Options
- Claude Desktop
- Cline VSCode Plugin
Safety Features
Development Documentation
Environment Variables

🛠️ MCP Tools

The server exposes the following tools to LLMs:

read_query

Execute a SELECT query on the database with built-in safety validations. Features:

Query validation and sanitization
Parameter binding support
Row limit enforcement
Results formatted as dictionaries

list_tables

List all available tables in the database with their names.

describe_table

Get detailed schema information for a specific table, including:

Column names and types
NULL constraints
Default values
Primary key information

🚀 Getting Started

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/hannesrudolph/sqlite-explorer-fastmcp-mcp-server.git
cd sqlite-explorer-fastmcp-mcp-server

📦 Installation Options

You can install this MCP server in either Claude Desktop or the Cline VSCode plugin. Choose the option that best suits your needs.

Option 1: Install for Claude Desktop

Install using FastMCP:

fastmcp install sqlite_explorer.py --name "SQLite Explorer" -e SQLITE_DB_PATH=/path/to/db

Replace /path/to/db with the path to your SQLite database file.

Option 2: Install for Cline VSCode Plugin

To use this server with the Cline VSCode plugin:

In VSCode, click the server icon (☰) in the Cline plugin sidebar
Click the "Edit MCP Settings" button (✎)
Add the following configuration to the settings file:

{
  "sqlite-explorer": {
    "command": "uv",
    "args": [
      "run",
      "--with",
      "fastmcp",
      "fastmcp",
      "run",
      "/path/to/repo/sqlite_explorer.py"
    ],
    "env": {
      "SQLITE_DB_PATH": "/path/to/your/database.db"
    }
  }
}

Replace:

/path/to/repo with the full path to where you cloned this repository (e.g., /Users/username/Projects/sqlite-explorer-fastmcp-mcp-server)
/path/to/your/database.db with the full path to your SQLite database file

🔒 Safety Features

Read-only access to SQLite databases
Query validation and sanitization
Parameter binding for safe query execution
Row limit enforcement
Progress output suppression for clean JSON responses

📚 Development Documentation

The repository includes documentation files for development:

mcp-documentation.txt: Contains comprehensive documentation about the MCP server implementation and FastMCP framework usage.

This documentation serves as context when developing features and can be used with LLMs to assist in development.

⚙️ Environment Variables

The following environment variables must be set:

SQLITE_DB_PATH: Full path to the SQLite database file you want to explore