About db-gateway
db-gateway is an MCP server for AI agents that provides tools across relational, NoSQL, search, and streaming databases. It lets operators enable selected engines and hide write tools in read-only mode.
Key features
- 01Supports eight database engines
- 02Provides 145+ database tools
- 03Registers tools for enabled engines
- 04Hides write tools in read-only mode
- 05Connects to instances using aliases
Use cases
- 01Let agents inspect schemas and query data
- 02Connect multiple database types through one server
- 03Restrict production connections to read-only access
MCP support
This MCP server exposes database tools to MCP clients. Configuration selects the enabled engines and tools; read-only mode removes write tools.
Configuration
Local server config is the same for every client. Copy it into your client’s MCP config file.
npx -y db-gatewayDBSEngines to enable, comma-separated. Only the listed engines get their tools registered. Example: mysql,redis,kafkaREAD_ONLYSet to true to hide every write tool and restrict *_execute_query to SELECT-style statements. Recommended when pointing at production.MYSQLSecretMySQL connection string(s), semicolon-separated for multiple instances. Format: mysql://<user>:<password>@<host>:3306/<database>?alias=dev&default=true — alias is required.POSTGRESQLSecretPostgreSQL connection string(s), semicolon-separated. Format: postgresql://<user>:<password>@<host>:5432/<database>?alias=dev&ssl=true — alias is required.REDSHIFTSecretRedshift connection string(s), semicolon-separated. Format: redshift://<user>:<password>@<host>:5439/<database>?alias=dev&ssl=true — alias is required.MONGODBSecretMongoDB connection string(s), semicolon-separated. Format: mongodb://<user>:<password>@<host>:27017/<database>?alias=dev — alias is required.REDISSecretRedis connection string(s), semicolon-separated. Format: redis://:<password>@<host>:6379/0?alias=dev — leave the password empty for a no-auth instance. alias is required.ELASTICSEARCHSecretElasticsearch connection string(s), semicolon-separated. Format: elasticsearch://<user>:<password>@<host>:9200?alias=dev, or http(s)://<host>:9200?alias=dev for no auth. alias is required.KAFKASecretKafka connection string(s), semicolon-separated. Format: kafka://<user>:<password>@<broker1>:9092,<broker2>:9092?alias=dev&mechanism=plain — alias is required.DYNAMODB_REGIONAWS region for DynamoDB. DynamoDB is configured with discrete variables instead of a connection string.DYNAMODB_ACCESS_KEY_IDSecretAWS access key ID for DynamoDB.DYNAMODB_SECRET_ACCESS_KEYSecretAWS secret access key for DynamoDB.Local servers need a runtime on your machine (e.g. Node.js 18+). Config file locations differ by client; see your client’s docs.
Tools
Local servers expose tools only once running on your machine, and the maintainer has not provided a tool list.
Details
From the project READMEDB Gateway MCP Server
English | 한국어
An MCP server that gives AI agents direct access to your databases — 145+ tools across 8 engines.
The point is that the agent reads your schema itself instead of you pasting DDL into a prompt:
You: "Find users who signed up last month and never placed an order"
1. mysql_get_all_schemas → reads every table definition
2. mysql_get_table_relationships → finds the users ↔ orders foreign key
3. mysql_execute_query → runs the LEFT JOIN
Why db-gateway?
Most database MCP servers cover one engine, or a handful of relational ones. If your stack is MySQL for the app, Redshift for analytics, Redis for cache, and Kafka for events, that means four servers with four different config styles.
This is one server, one config block:
| Engines | Tools | |
|---|---|---|
| Relational | MySQL, PostgreSQL, Redshift | 59 |
| NoSQL | MongoDB, Redis, DynamoDB | 48 |
| Search | Elasticsearch | 19 |
| Streaming | Kafka | 19 |
DBS decides which of them are enabled — only those tools get registered, so a MySQL-only setup stays a MySQL-only tool list.
See It Work
Every screenshot below is one real session against a development MySQL database holding 249 rows — unedited output, not mock data. The agent calls a single tool, mysql_execute_query, and never sees a host, port, or password: those stay in the client config, and the agent only ever names the alias.





Point the same server at production with READ_ONLY=true and steps 2 through 4 simply do not exist — the write tools are never registered, so the agent cannot see them to call them.
Quick Start
Requires Node.js 18+. Register it with your MCP client — no install step:
{
"mcpServers": {
"db-gateway": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "db-gateway"],
"env": {
"DBS": "mysql,redis",
"MYSQL": "mysql://<user>:<password>@<host>:3306/<database>?alias=dev&default=true",
"REDIS": "redis://:@<host>:6379/0?alias=dev&default=true"
}
}
}
}
DBS decides which engines are enabled — only those tools get registered.
Connection strings
One string per engine. Semicolons separate multiple instances.
| Variable | Format |
|---|---|
MYSQL | mysql://<user>:<password>@<host>:<port>/<db>?alias=name |
POSTGRESQL | postgresql://<user>:<password>@<host>:<port>/<db>?alias=name&ssl=true |
REDIS | redis://:<password>@<host>:<port>/<db-index>?alias=name |
MONGODB | mongodb://<user>:<password>@<host>:<port>/<db>?alias=name |
REDSHIFT | redshift://<user>:<password>@<host>:<port>/<db>?alias=name&ssl=true |
ELASTICSEARCH | elasticsearch://<user>:<password>@<host>:<port>?alias=name, or http(s)://<host>:<port>?alias=name |
KAFKA | kafka://<user>:<password>@<broker>:<port>,<broker2>:<port>?alias=name&mechanism=plain |
aliasis required. It is how tools address a specific instance — omit it and that engine fails to connect.
Several instances of the same engine — separate their connection strings with a semicolon. The agent picks one by passing an alias argument to any tool; default=true marks the one used when no alias is given:
MYSQL="mysql://<user>:<password>@<dev-host>:3306/<db>?alias=dev&default=true;mysql://<user>:<password>@<prod-host>:3306/<db>?alias=prod"
DynamoDB is the exception — it takes DYNAMODB_REGION, DYNAMODB_ACCESS_KEY_ID, and DYNAMODB_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY instead. See .env.example for every option.
Read-Only Mode
READ_ONLY=true hides write tools from the tool list entirely and restricts *_execute_query to SELECT-style statements.
Register production as a second MCP server with this flag on. The agent then cannot modify production data — the write tools do not exist as far as it can see.
"db-gateway-prod": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "db-gateway"],
"env": { "READ_ONLY": "true", "DBS": "mysql", "MYSQL": "..." }
}
Documentation
- Tool Reference — all 145+ tools, by engine
- Connection Management — pooling, health checks, and why
connectionLimitmultiplies per session - Deployment — SSE mode, Nginx, PM2, sharing one gateway across a team
License
MIT
Comments
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