MySQL MCP server

This MySQL MCP Server allows Large Language Models (LLMs) to interact with MySQL databases in a read-only capacity. It provides access to database schemas and enables execution of read-only queries, making database information available for AI assistance tools like Cursor.

Installation

Prerequisites

• Node.js installed on your system
• Access to a MySQL database

Setup Steps

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/mysql-mcp-server.git
cd mysql-mcp-server

2. Install dependencies:

npm run prepare
npm install

3. Create a global link to use the command anywhere:

npm link

Running the Server

After installation, you can run the MCP server by providing your MySQL connection string:

mysql-mcp-server mysql://user:password@localhost:3306/mydb

The connection string follows this format:

mysql://username:password@host:port/database

Configuring with Cursor

Setting Up in Cursor

1. Open Cursor's settings:

   • Click the gear icon (⚙️) in the bottom left corner
   • Or use the keyboard shortcut Shift + Cmd + J on macOS

2. Add the MCP Server configuration:

   • Navigate to "MCP" in the left sidebar
   • Click "Add Global MCP Server"
   • Add the following configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mysql": {
      "command": "mysql-mcp-server",
      "args": ["mysql://user:password@localhost:3306/mydb"]
    }
  }
}

3. Save and restart:
   • Click "Save" or press Cmd + S
   • Restart Cursor to apply the changes

Security Recommendations

For better security, use environment variables for credentials:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mysql": {
      "command": "mysql-mcp-server",
      "args": ["mysql://${MYSQL_USER}:${MYSQL_PASSWORD}@host:3306/mydb"]
    }
  }
}

Additional security practices:

• Ensure the MySQL user has read-only permissions
• Use strong passwords
• Avoid storing credentials in version control

Using the MCP Server

Once configured, you can use Cursor's Agentic chat to ask questions about your database. The MCP server provides:

Available Tools

• query: Execute read-only SQL queries
  • All queries run in a READ ONLY transaction
  • Authentication happens automatically with your provided credentials

Available Resources

• Table Schemas: Access structure information for all tables
  • Available at mysql://<host>/<table>/schema
  • Includes column names and data types
  • Automatically discovered from database metadata

Simply open the Agentic chat in Cursor and start asking questions about your database - the MCP server will provide the necessary context to the LLM.

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.