PostgreSQL Database Manager MCP server for AI agents

The PostgreSQL MCP Server provides comprehensive PostgreSQL database management capabilities for AI assistants through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). This server has been redesigned from 46 individual tools to 17 intelligent tools through consolidation and enhancement, offering better AI discovery while adding powerful data manipulation and comment management capabilities.

Quick Start

Installation Options

Using npm (Recommended)

# Install globally
npm install -g @henkey/postgres-mcp-server

# Or run directly with npx (no installation)
npx @henkey/postgres-mcp-server --connection-string "postgresql://user:pass@localhost:5432/db"

Add to your MCP client configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "postgresql-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "@henkey/postgres-mcp-server",
        "--connection-string", "postgresql://user:password@host:port/database"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Installing via Smithery

npx -y @smithery/cli install @HenkDz/postgresql-mcp-server --client claude

Server Capabilities

The server includes 17 powerful tools organized into three categories:

Consolidated Meta-Tools (8)

Schema Management - Tables, columns, ENUMs, constraints
User & Permissions - Create users, grant/revoke permissions
Query Performance - EXPLAIN plans, slow queries, statistics
Index Management - Create, analyze, optimize indexes
Functions - Create, modify, manage stored functions
Triggers - Database trigger management
Constraints - Foreign keys, checks, unique constraints
Row-Level Security - RLS policies and management

Enhancement Tools (4 new tools)

Execute Query - SELECT operations with count/exists support
Execute Mutation - INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE/UPSERT operations
Execute SQL - Arbitrary SQL execution with transaction support
Comments Management - Comprehensive comment management for database objects

Specialized Tools (5)

Database Analysis - Performance and configuration analysis
Debug Database - Troubleshoot connection, performance, locks
Data Export/Import - JSON/CSV data migration
Copy Between Databases - Cross-database data transfer
Real-time Monitoring - Live database metrics and alerts

Usage Examples

Analyzing Database Performance

{ "analysisType": "performance" }

Creating a Table with Constraints

{
  "operation": "create_table",
  "tableName": "users", 
  "columns": [
    { "name": "id", "type": "SERIAL PRIMARY KEY" },
    { "name": "email", "type": "VARCHAR(255) UNIQUE NOT NULL" }
  ]
}

Querying Data with Parameters

{
  "operation": "select",
  "query": "SELECT * FROM users WHERE created_at > $1",
  "parameters": ["2024-01-01"],
  "limit": 100
}

Inserting New Data

{
  "operation": "insert",
  "table": "users",
  "data": {"name": "John Doe", "email": "[email protected]"},
  "returning": "*"
}

Finding Slow Queries

{
  "operation": "get_slow_queries",
  "limit": 5,
  "minDuration": 100
}

Managing Database Object Comments

{
  "operation": "set",
  "objectType": "table",
  "objectName": "users",
  "comment": "Main user account information table"
}

Prerequisites

Before installing the PostgreSQL MCP Server, ensure you have:

Node.js ≥ 18.0.0
PostgreSQL server access
Valid connection credentials

Features Highlights

Consolidation Achievements

34→8 meta-tools - Intelligent consolidation for better AI discovery
Multiple operations per tool - Unified schemas with operation parameters
Smart parameter validation - Clear error messages and type safety

Enhanced Data Capabilities

Complete CRUD operations - INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE/UPSERT with parameterized queries
Flexible querying - SELECT with count/exists support and safety limits
Arbitrary SQL execution - Transaction support for complex operations

Production Ready

Flexible connection - CLI args, env vars, or per-tool configuration
Security focused - SQL injection prevention, parameterized queries
Robust architecture - Connection pooling, comprehensive error handling

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 "postgresql-mcp" '{"command":"npx","args":["@henkey/postgres-mcp-server","--connection-string","postgresql://user:password@host:port/database"]}'

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": {
        "postgresql-mcp": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "@henkey/postgres-mcp-server",
                "--connection-string",
                "postgresql://user:password@host:port/database"
            ]
        }
    }
}

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": {
        "postgresql-mcp": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "@henkey/postgres-mcp-server",
                "--connection-string",
                "postgresql://user:password@host:port/database"
            ]
        }
    }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect