Vertica MCP Server

How to use

Connect with an MCP client that talks to your MCP server. You can perform typical SQL actions such as selecting data, describing schemas, and explaining query plans. Start with readonly mode enabled to protect data, then selectively enable write operations only after you understand the implications.

Typical usage patterns include querying data with parameter binding to avoid SQL injection, streaming large results in batches, and discovering schema details like table structures and available views. Use the provided tools to execute SQL, stream large datasets, and perform schema discovery tasks.

How to install

Prerequisites: Node.js version 18 or newer must be installed on your system.

Install the MCP server client runner and prepare environment values as shown in the example commands.

# Run the Vertica MCP server using npx with environmental configuration
npx -y @hechtcarmel/vertica-mcp@latest --env-file /path/to/your/.env
```

```
# Example .env file contents
VERTICA_HOST=your-vertica-host.com
VERTICA_PORT=5433
VERTICA_DATABASE=your_database
VERTICA_USER=your_username
VERTICA_PASSWORD=your_password
```

```
# If you are using Cursor, you would reference the same environment file in its MCP config
# Path shown is an example and should be replaced with your actual path
```

```
# Claude Desktop/Clipboard style setup contains similar npx-based startup
npx @hechtcarmel/vertica-mcp --env-file /path/to/your/.env
```

```
# Example Vertica connection settings can be adjusted via optional env vars
VERTICA_READONLY_MODE=true
VERTICA_QUERY_TIMEOUT=60000

Configuration and usage details

Required environment variables: VERTICA_HOST, VERTICA_DATABASE, and VERTICA_USER must be provided to connect to your Vertica instance.

Optional environment variables include port, password, read-only mode, connection limits, timeouts, SSL settings, and default schema. You can enable or disable write operations by adjusting VERTICA_READONLY_MODE.

If you set VERTICA_READONLY_MODE=false, write operations such as INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, CREATE, or DROP become available. Only disable readonly mode if you understand the risks.

To optimize performance, you can rely on projection awareness and columnar query support, enable SSL, and configure connection pools and timeouts as described.

Examples

-- Basic data query
SELECT customer_state, COUNT(*) as count
FROM customer_dimension
GROUP BY customer_state
ORDER BY count DESC
LIMIT 10;
```

```
-- Schema exploration
SHOW TABLES;
DESCRIBE customer_dimension;
```

```
-- Explain plan for performance analysis
EXPLAIN SELECT * FROM store_sales_fact
WHERE sale_date_key > '2023-01-01';
```

```
-- Streaming large results (batching example, actual batch size is configurable)
SELECT * FROM large_table

Troubleshooting and notes

Connection failures can be diagnosed by verifying host, port, credentials, and permissions. Test connectivity with a simple Vertica client if needed and ensure the MCP server can reach the Vertica instance.

If you encounter permission errors, ensure the user has SELECT permissions on the needed tables and access to system catalogs (v_catalog.*).

For long-running queries, increase VERTICA_QUERY_TIMEOUT to allow more time for complex executions.

When dealing with large result sets, prefer stream_query over execute_query to manage batching efficiently.

Notes on security and production readiness

This MCP server is designed with safety-first principles: default readonly mode reduces the risk of unintended data modification. Production deployments should carefully validate and monitor permissions, SSL settings, and connection limits.

execute_query

Execute SQL with optional parameters and return results.

stream_query

Handle large result sets by streaming in configurable batches.

get_table_structure

Return table columns, types, and constraints.

list_tables

List all tables in the schema with metadata.

list_views

List all views with definitions.

list_indexes

List Vertica projections for optimization.