Microsoft SQL Server (MSSQL) MCP server

Microsoft SQL Server MCP Server provides secure access to SQL Server databases through Claude Desktop using the Model Context Protocol (MCP). This server allows you to list database tables and execute various SQL queries while supporting multiple authentication methods and configurations.

Installation

Using Claude Desktop Configuration

Add the Microsoft SQL Server MCP server to your claude_desktop_config.json file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mssql": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["microsoft_sql_server_mcp"],
      "env": {
        "MSSQL_SERVER": "localhost",
        "MSSQL_DATABASE": "your_database",
        "MSSQL_USER": "your_username",
        "MSSQL_PASSWORD": "your_password"
      }
    }
  }
}

Using pip

You can also install the server using pip:

pip install microsoft_sql_server_mcp

Then configure your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mssql": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["-m", "mssql_mcp_server"],
      "env": {
        "MSSQL_SERVER": "localhost",
        "MSSQL_DATABASE": "your_database",
        "MSSQL_USER": "your_username",
        "MSSQL_PASSWORD": "your_password"
      }
    }
  }
}

Configuration Options

Basic SQL Authentication

Configure the server with SQL authentication:

MSSQL_SERVER=localhost          # Required
MSSQL_DATABASE=your_database    # Required
MSSQL_USER=your_username        # Required for SQL auth
MSSQL_PASSWORD=your_password    # Required for SQL auth

Windows Authentication

Use Windows credentials instead of SQL authentication:

MSSQL_SERVER=localhost
MSSQL_DATABASE=your_database
MSSQL_WINDOWS_AUTH=true         # Use Windows credentials

Azure SQL Database

Connect to an Azure SQL Database:

MSSQL_SERVER=your-server.database.windows.net
MSSQL_DATABASE=your_database
MSSQL_USER=your_username
MSSQL_PASSWORD=your_password
# Encryption is automatic for Azure

Optional Settings

Customize your connection with additional options:

MSSQL_PORT=1433                 # Custom port (default: 1433)
MSSQL_ENCRYPT=true              # Force encryption

Security Best Practices

To maintain secure database access:

• Create a dedicated SQL user with minimal permissions
• Never use admin/sa accounts
• Use Windows Authentication when possible
• Enable encryption for sensitive data

How to install this MCP server

For Claude Code

To add this MCP server to Claude Code, run this command in your terminal:

claude mcp add-json "mssql" '{"command":"uvx","args":["microsoft_sql_server_mcp"],"env":{"MSSQL_SERVER":"localhost","MSSQL_DATABASE":"your_database","MSSQL_USER":"your_username","MSSQL_PASSWORD":"your_password"}}'

See the official Claude Code MCP documentation for more details.

For Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > Tools & Integrations and click "New MCP Server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "mssql": {
            "command": "uvx",
            "args": [
                "microsoft_sql_server_mcp"
            ],
            "env": {
                "MSSQL_SERVER": "localhost",
                "MSSQL_DATABASE": "your_database",
                "MSSQL_USER": "your_username",
                "MSSQL_PASSWORD": "your_password"
            }
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explicitly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.

For Claude Desktop

To add this MCP server to Claude Desktop:

1. Find your configuration file:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
• Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

2. Add this to your configuration file:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "mssql": {
            "command": "uvx",
            "args": [
                "microsoft_sql_server_mcp"
            ],
            "env": {
                "MSSQL_SERVER": "localhost",
                "MSSQL_DATABASE": "your_database",
                "MSSQL_USER": "your_username",
                "MSSQL_PASSWORD": "your_password"
            }
        }
    }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect