SQLite (Node.js) MCP server

The MCP SQLite Server provides a Node.js implementation of the Model Context Protocol SQLite server, offering an npx-based alternative for environments where Python's UVX runner is not available. It enables Claude AI to connect with SQLite databases, allowing for database queries and operations directly from your AI conversations.

Installation and Setup

For Claude Desktop

You can set up the MCP SQLite Server for Claude Desktop in two ways:

Manual Configuration

Add the MCP server configuration to your Claude Desktop config file:

1. Locate your Claude Desktop configuration file:

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

2. Add the following configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sqlite": {
      "command": "/absolute/path/to/npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-server-sqlite-npx",
        "/absolute/path/to/database.db"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PATH": "/absolute/path/to/executables",
        "NODE_PATH": "/absolute/path/to/node_modules"
      }
    }
  }
}

Configuration Examples

macOS with nvm

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sqlite": {
      "command": "/Users/{username}/.nvm/versions/node/v22.12.0/bin/npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-server-sqlite-npx",
        "/Users/{username}/projects/database.db"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PATH": "/Users/{username}/.nvm/versions/node/v22.12.0/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin",
        "NODE_PATH": "/Users/{username}/.nvm/versions/node/v22.12.0/lib/node_modules"
      }
    }
  }
}

Windows with nvm

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sqlite": {
      "command": "C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\npx.cmd",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-server-sqlite-npx",
        "C:\\Users\\{username}\\projects\\database.db"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PATH": "C:\\Program Files\\nodejs;%PATH%",
        "NODE_PATH": "C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\node_modules"
      }
    }
  }
}

Automated Installation via Smithery

For a more streamlined setup, you can use Smithery:

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

Testing the Server

Using MCP Inspector

You can verify your server is working correctly with the MCP Inspector tool:

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector node dist/index.js /absolute/path/to/database.db

After running this command, click "Connect" and navigate to "Tools" to start using the server.

Testing with Claude Desktop Directly

Add this configuration to your Claude Desktop config file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sqlite": {
      "command": "/absolute/path/to/node",
      "args": [
        "/absolute/path/to/dist/index.js",
        "/absolute/path/to/database.db"
      ]
    }
  }
}

For example:

• Node path: /Users/{username}/.nvm/versions/node/v20.18.1/bin/node
• Index.js path: /Users/{username}/projects/mcp-server-sqlite-npx/dist/index.js
• Database path: /Users/{username}/projects/database.db

Usage

Once configured, Claude will be able to interact with your SQLite database. You can ask Claude to:

1. Query data from tables
2. Insert, update, or delete records
3. Create or modify database schema
4. Analyze data in your database

Simply tell Claude what database operations you want to perform, and it will use the MCP SQLite Server to execute your requests.

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 "sqlite" '{"command":"npx","args":["-y","mcp-server-sqlite-npx","/absolute/path/to/database.db"]}'

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": {
        "sqlite": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "mcp-server-sqlite-npx",
                "/absolute/path/to/database.db"
            ]
        }
    }
}

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": {
        "sqlite": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "mcp-server-sqlite-npx",
                "/absolute/path/to/database.db"
            ]
        }
    }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect