PostgreSQL MCP server

This MCP server provides read-only access to PostgreSQL databases, enabling LLMs to inspect database schemas and execute read-only queries. It's designed to allow AI assistants like Claude to interact with PostgreSQL databases in a controlled, secure manner.

Installation Options

You can run the PostgreSQL MCP server using either Docker or NPX.

Docker Installation

To use the server with Docker:

docker run -i --rm mcp/postgres postgresql://host:port/db-name

Note for macOS users: When running Docker on macOS, use host.docker.internal in place of localhost if the server is running on the host network:

docker run -i --rm mcp/postgres postgresql://host.docker.internal:5432/db-name

NPX Installation

Alternatively, you can run the server directly with NPX:

npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-postgres postgresql://localhost/db-name

Replace /db-name with your actual database name.

Configuring with Claude Desktop

To use this PostgreSQL MCP server with the Claude Desktop app, you'll need to add configuration to your claude_desktop_config.json file.

Docker Configuration

Add the following to the "mcpServers" section of your config file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "postgres": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run", 
        "-i", 
        "--rm", 
        "mcp/postgres", 
        "postgresql://host.docker.internal:5432/mydb"]
    }
  }
}

NPX Configuration

Alternatively, use NPX configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "postgres": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-postgres",
        "postgresql://localhost/mydb"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Authentication

To include username and password authentication, add them to the PostgreSQL URL:

postgresql://username:password@host:port/db-name

Capabilities

The PostgreSQL MCP server offers:

Query Tool

Execute read-only SQL queries against your database:

• All queries run within a READ ONLY transaction for safety
• Input required: sql (string) containing the SQL query to execute

Database Schema Access

The server automatically provides schema information for all tables:

• Available at postgres://<host>/<table>/schema
• Includes JSON schema with column names and data types
• Schema information is automatically discovered from database metadata

How to add this MCP server to 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 > MCP and click "Add new global MCP server".

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

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "cursor-rules-mcp": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "cursor-rules-mcp"
            ]
        }
    }
}

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 explictly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.