mcp-clickhouse

mcp-clickhouse

What is mcp-clickhouse?

mcp-clickhouse is an MCP server that allows you to connect ClickHouse to your AI assistants. It provides tools to interact with ClickHouse databases and also supports chDB, an embedded OLAP engine.

How to use mcp-clickhouse?

To use mcp-clickhouse, you need to configure it in your Claude Desktop configuration file. You can either use uv (a Python package installer and runner) or your system's Python installation.

Configuration Steps:

1. Locate Configuration File:

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

2. Add Server Configuration: You can configure it for ClickHouse, chDB, or both.

   • For ClickHouse:

     {
       "mcpServers": {
         "mcp-clickhouse": {
           "command": "uv", // or "python3" or "mcp-clickhouse"
           "args": [
             "run",
             "--with",
             "mcp-clickhouse",
             "--python",
             "3.10",
             "mcp-clickhouse"
           ], // Adjust args if not using uv
           "env": {
             "CLICKHOUSE_HOST": "<clickhouse-host>",
             "CLICKHOUSE_PORT": "<clickhouse-port>",
             "CLICKHOUSE_USER": "<clickhouse-user>",
             "CLICKHOUSE_PASSWORD": "<clickhouse-password>",
             "CLICKHOUSE_SECURE": "true", // Optional, defaults to true
             "CLICKHOUSE_VERIFY": "true", // Optional, defaults to true
             "CLICKHOUSE_CONNECT_TIMEOUT": "30", // Optional, defaults to 30
             "CLICKHOUSE_SEND_RECEIVE_TIMEOUT": "30", // Optional, defaults to 300
             "CLICKHOUSE_DATABASE": "<optional-database>" // Optional
           }
         }
       }
     }
     

     Replace placeholders like <clickhouse-host> with your actual ClickHouse connection details.

   • For chDB (in-memory):

     {
       "mcpServers": {
         "mcp-clickhouse": {
           "command": "uv",
           "args": [
             "run",
             "--with",
             "mcp-clickhouse",
             "--python",
             "3.10",
             "mcp-clickhouse"
           ],
           "env": {
             "CHDB_ENABLED": "true",
             "CLICKHOUSE_ENABLED": "false"
           }
         }
       }
     }
     

   • For chDB (persistent storage):

     {
       "mcpServers": {
         "mcp-clickhouse": {
           "command": "uv",
           "args": [
             "run",
             "--with",
             "mcp-clickhouse",
             "--python",
             "3.10",
             "mcp-clickhouse"
           ],
           "env": {
             "CHDB_ENABLED": "true",
             "CLICKHOUSE_ENABLED": "false",
             "CHDB_DATA_PATH": "/path/to/chdb/data"
           }
         }
       }
     }
     

3. Update uv Path (if using uv): If you use uv, ensure the command in the configuration points to the correct uv executable path (e.g., using which uv).

4. Restart Claude Desktop: After saving the configuration, restart Claude Desktop.

Running Without uv: You can also install the package using pip (pip install mcp-clickhouse) and configure Claude Desktop to use python3 -m mcp_clickhouse.main or the mcp-clickhouse script directly.

Key Features of mcp-clickhouse

• ClickHouse Tools:
  • run_select_query: Executes SQL queries on ClickHouse with readonly = 1.
  • list_databases: Lists all databases in the ClickHouse cluster.
  • list_tables: Lists all tables within a specified database.
• chDB Tools:
  • run_chdb_select_query: Executes SQL queries using chDB's embedded OLAP engine, allowing direct querying from various sources like files and URLs without ETL.
• Health Check Endpoint: Available at /health when using HTTP or SSE transport. Returns 200 OK if connected to ClickHouse, or 503 Service Unavailable otherwise.
• Configuration Flexibility: Supports enabling ClickHouse, chDB, or both, with various environment variables for customization (host, port, security, timeouts, transport methods, etc.).

Use Cases of mcp-clickhouse

• Data Analysis with AI: Enables AI assistants to query and analyze data stored in ClickHouse databases.
• Direct Data Access: Allows querying data from files or URLs directly using chDB without complex data loading processes.
• Development and Testing: Provides tools and configurations for local development, including integration with MCP Inspector and HTTP transport for easier debugging.

FAQ from mcp-clickhouse

• How to connect to ClickHouse Cloud? Use your ClickHouse Cloud instance details for CLICKHOUSE_HOST, CLICKHOUSE_USER, and CLICKHOUSE_PASSWORD. Secure defaults are usually enabled.

• How to use chDB with persistent storage? Set CHDB_ENABLED to true, CLICKHOUSE_ENABLED to false, and specify a file path for CHDB_DATA_PATH.

• How to enable HTTP transport for MCP Inspector? Set CLICKHOUSE_MCP_SERVER_TRANSPORT to http and configure CLICKHOUSE_MCP_BIND_HOST (e.g., 0.0.0.0) and CLICKHOUSE_MCP_BIND_PORT as needed. The health check will be available at http://<host>:<port>/health.

• What are the security considerations for ClickHouse credentials? Treat your MCP database user credentials with the same care as any external client. Grant only the minimum necessary privileges and avoid using default or administrative users in production environments.

• How to troubleshoot connection issues? Check CLICKHOUSE_HOST, CLICKHOUSE_PORT, CLICKHOUSE_USER, and CLICKHOUSE_PASSWORD. Ensure network connectivity and that the ClickHouse server is running. Adjust CLICKHOUSE_CONNECT_TIMEOUT and CLICKHOUSE_SEND_RECEIVE_TIMEOUT if necessary. The /health endpoint can also help diagnose connection problems.

ClickHouse MCP Server

An MCP server for ClickHouse.

Features

ClickHouse Tools

• run_select_query

  • Execute SQL queries on your ClickHouse cluster.
  • Input: sql (string): The SQL query to execute.
  • All ClickHouse queries are run with readonly = 1 to ensure they are safe.

• list_databases

  • List all databases on your ClickHouse cluster.

• list_tables

  • List all tables in a database.
  • Input: database (string): The name of the database.

chDB Tools

• run_chdb_select_query
  • Execute SQL queries using chDB's embedded OLAP engine.
  • Input: sql (string): The SQL query to execute.
  • Query data directly from various sources (files, URLs, databases) without ETL processes.

Health Check Endpoint

When running with HTTP or SSE transport, a health check endpoint is available at /health. This endpoint:

• Returns 200 OK with the ClickHouse version if the server is healthy and can connect to ClickHouse
• Returns 503 Service Unavailable if the server cannot connect to ClickHouse

Example:

curl http://localhost:8000/health
# Response: OK - Connected to ClickHouse 24.3.1

Configuration

This MCP server supports both ClickHouse and chDB. You can enable either or both depending on your needs.

1. Open the Claude Desktop configuration file located at:

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

2. Add the following:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-clickhouse": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--with",
        "mcp-clickhouse",
        "--python",
        "3.10",
        "mcp-clickhouse"
      ],
      "env": {
        "CLICKHOUSE_HOST": "<clickhouse-host>",
        "CLICKHOUSE_PORT": "<clickhouse-port>",
        "CLICKHOUSE_USER": "<clickhouse-user>",
        "CLICKHOUSE_PASSWORD": "<clickhouse-password>",
        "CLICKHOUSE_SECURE": "true",
        "CLICKHOUSE_VERIFY": "true",
        "CLICKHOUSE_CONNECT_TIMEOUT": "30",
        "CLICKHOUSE_SEND_RECEIVE_TIMEOUT": "30"
      }
    }
  }
}

Update the environment variables to point to your own ClickHouse service.

Or, if you'd like to try it out with the ClickHouse SQL Playground, you can use the following config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-clickhouse": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--with",
        "mcp-clickhouse",
        "--python",
        "3.10",
        "mcp-clickhouse"
      ],
      "env": {
        "CLICKHOUSE_HOST": "sql-clickhouse.clickhouse.com",
        "CLICKHOUSE_PORT": "8443",
        "CLICKHOUSE_USER": "demo",
        "CLICKHOUSE_PASSWORD": "",
        "CLICKHOUSE_SECURE": "true",
        "CLICKHOUSE_VERIFY": "true",
        "CLICKHOUSE_CONNECT_TIMEOUT": "30",
        "CLICKHOUSE_SEND_RECEIVE_TIMEOUT": "30"
      }
    }
  }
}

For chDB (embedded OLAP engine), add the following configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-clickhouse": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--with",
        "mcp-clickhouse",
        "--python",
        "3.10",
        "mcp-clickhouse"
      ],
      "env": {
        "CHDB_ENABLED": "true",
        "CLICKHOUSE_ENABLED": "false",
        "CHDB_DATA_PATH": "/path/to/chdb/data"
      }
    }
  }
}

You can also enable both ClickHouse and chDB simultaneously:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-clickhouse": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--with",
        "mcp-clickhouse",
        "--python",
        "3.10",
        "mcp-clickhouse"
      ],
      "env": {
        "CLICKHOUSE_HOST": "<clickhouse-host>",
        "CLICKHOUSE_PORT": "<clickhouse-port>",
        "CLICKHOUSE_USER": "<clickhouse-user>",
        "CLICKHOUSE_PASSWORD": "<clickhouse-password>",
        "CLICKHOUSE_SECURE": "true",
        "CLICKHOUSE_VERIFY": "true",
        "CLICKHOUSE_CONNECT_TIMEOUT": "30",
        "CLICKHOUSE_SEND_RECEIVE_TIMEOUT": "30",
        "CHDB_ENABLED": "true",
        "CHDB_DATA_PATH": "/path/to/chdb/data"
      }
    }
  }
}

3. Locate the command entry for uv and replace it with the absolute path to the uv executable. This ensures that the correct version of uv is used when starting the server. On a mac, you can find this path using which uv.

4. Restart Claude Desktop to apply the changes.

Running Without uv (Using System Python)

If you prefer to use the system Python installation instead of uv, you can install the package from PyPI and run it directly:

1. Install the package using pip:

   python3 -m pip install mcp-clickhouse
   

   To upgrade to the latest version:

   python3 -m pip install --upgrade mcp-clickhouse
   

2. Update your Claude Desktop configuration to use Python directly:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-clickhouse": {
      "command": "python3",
      "args": [
        "-m",
        "mcp_clickhouse.main"
      ],
      "env": {
        "CLICKHOUSE_HOST": "<clickhouse-host>",
        "CLICKHOUSE_PORT": "<clickhouse-port>",
        "CLICKHOUSE_USER": "<clickhouse-user>",
        "CLICKHOUSE_PASSWORD": "<clickhouse-password>",
        "CLICKHOUSE_SECURE": "true",
        "CLICKHOUSE_VERIFY": "true",
        "CLICKHOUSE_CONNECT_TIMEOUT": "30",
        "CLICKHOUSE_SEND_RECEIVE_TIMEOUT": "30"
      }
    }
  }
}

Alternatively, you can use the installed script directly:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-clickhouse": {
      "command": "mcp-clickhouse",
      "env": {
        "CLICKHOUSE_HOST": "<clickhouse-host>",
        "CLICKHOUSE_PORT": "<clickhouse-port>",
        "CLICKHOUSE_USER": "<clickhouse-user>",
        "CLICKHOUSE_PASSWORD": "<clickhouse-password>",
        "CLICKHOUSE_SECURE": "true",
        "CLICKHOUSE_VERIFY": "true",
        "CLICKHOUSE_CONNECT_TIMEOUT": "30",
        "CLICKHOUSE_SEND_RECEIVE_TIMEOUT": "30"
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: Make sure to use the full path to the Python executable or the mcp-clickhouse script if they are not in your system PATH. You can find the paths using:

• which python3 for the Python executable
• which mcp-clickhouse for the installed script

Development

1. In test-services directory run docker compose up -d to start the ClickHouse cluster.

2. Add the following variables to a .env file in the root of the repository.

Note: The use of the default user in this context is intended solely for local development purposes.

CLICKHOUSE_HOST=localhost
CLICKHOUSE_PORT=8123
CLICKHOUSE_USER=default
CLICKHOUSE_PASSWORD=clickhouse

3. Run uv sync to install the dependencies. To install uv follow the instructions here. Then do source .venv/bin/activate.

4. For easy testing with the MCP Inspector, run fastmcp dev mcp_clickhouse/mcp_server.py to start the MCP server.

5. To test with HTTP transport and the health check endpoint:

   # Using default port 8000
   CLICKHOUSE_MCP_SERVER_TRANSPORT=http python -m mcp_clickhouse.main
   
   # Or with a custom port
   CLICKHOUSE_MCP_SERVER_TRANSPORT=http CLICKHOUSE_MCP_BIND_PORT=4200 python -m mcp_clickhouse.main
   
   # Then in another terminal:
   curl http://localhost:8000/health  # or http://localhost:4200/health for custom port
   

Environment Variables

The following environment variables are used to configure the ClickHouse and chDB connections:

ClickHouse Variables

Required Variables

• CLICKHOUSE_HOST: The hostname of your ClickHouse server
• CLICKHOUSE_USER: The username for authentication
• CLICKHOUSE_PASSWORD: The password for authentication

[!CAUTION] It is important to treat your MCP database user as you would any external client connecting to your database, granting only the minimum necessary privileges required for its operation. The use of default or administrative users should be strictly avoided at all times.

Optional Variables

• CLICKHOUSE_PORT: The port number of your ClickHouse server
  • Default: 8443 if HTTPS is enabled, 8123 if disabled
  • Usually doesn't need to be set unless using a non-standard port
• CLICKHOUSE_SECURE: Enable/disable HTTPS connection
  • Default: "true"
  • Set to "false" for non-secure connections
• CLICKHOUSE_VERIFY: Enable/disable SSL certificate verification
  • Default: "true"
  • Set to "false" to disable certificate verification (not recommended for production)
• CLICKHOUSE_CONNECT_TIMEOUT: Connection timeout in seconds
  • Default: "30"
  • Increase this value if you experience connection timeouts
• CLICKHOUSE_SEND_RECEIVE_TIMEOUT: Send/receive timeout in seconds
  • Default: "300"
  • Increase this value for long-running queries
• CLICKHOUSE_DATABASE: Default database to use
  • Default: None (uses server default)
  • Set this to automatically connect to a specific database
• CLICKHOUSE_MCP_SERVER_TRANSPORT: Sets the transport method for the MCP server.
  • Default: "stdio"
  • Valid options: "stdio", "http", "sse". This is useful for local development with tools like MCP Inspector.
• CLICKHOUSE_MCP_BIND_HOST: Host to bind the MCP server to when using HTTP or SSE transport
  • Default: "127.0.0.1"
  • Set to "0.0.0.0" to bind to all network interfaces (useful for Docker or remote access)
  • Only used when transport is "http" or "sse"
• CLICKHOUSE_MCP_BIND_PORT: Port to bind the MCP server to when using HTTP or SSE transport
  • Default: "8000"
  • Only used when transport is "http" or "sse"
• CLICKHOUSE_ENABLED: Enable/disable ClickHouse functionality
  • Default: "true"
  • Set to "false" to disable ClickHouse tools when using chDB only

chDB Variables

• CHDB_ENABLED: Enable/disable chDB functionality
  • Default: "false"
  • Set to "true" to enable chDB tools
• CHDB_DATA_PATH: The path to the chDB data directory
  • Default: ":memory:" (in-memory database)
  • Use :memory: for in-memory database
  • Use a file path for persistent storage (e.g., /path/to/chdb/data)

Example Configurations

For local development with Docker:

# Required variables
CLICKHOUSE_HOST=localhost
CLICKHOUSE_USER=default
CLICKHOUSE_PASSWORD=clickhouse

# Optional: Override defaults for local development
CLICKHOUSE_SECURE=false  # Uses port 8123 automatically
CLICKHOUSE_VERIFY=false

For ClickHouse Cloud:

# Required variables
CLICKHOUSE_HOST=your-instance.clickhouse.cloud
CLICKHOUSE_USER=default
CLICKHOUSE_PASSWORD=your-password

# Optional: These use secure defaults
# CLICKHOUSE_SECURE=true  # Uses port 8443 automatically
# CLICKHOUSE_DATABASE=your_database

For ClickHouse SQL Playground:

CLICKHOUSE_HOST=sql-clickhouse.clickhouse.com
CLICKHOUSE_USER=demo
CLICKHOUSE_PASSWORD=
# Uses secure defaults (HTTPS on port 8443)

For chDB only (in-memory):

# chDB configuration
CHDB_ENABLED=true
CLICKHOUSE_ENABLED=false
# CHDB_DATA_PATH defaults to :memory:

For chDB with persistent storage:

# chDB configuration
CHDB_ENABLED=true
CLICKHOUSE_ENABLED=false
CHDB_DATA_PATH=/path/to/chdb/data

For MCP Inspector or remote access with HTTP transport:

CLICKHOUSE_HOST=localhost
CLICKHOUSE_USER=default
CLICKHOUSE_PASSWORD=clickhouse
CLICKHOUSE_MCP_SERVER_TRANSPORT=http
CLICKHOUSE_MCP_BIND_HOST=0.0.0.0  # Bind to all interfaces
CLICKHOUSE_MCP_BIND_PORT=4200  # Custom port (default: 8000)

When using HTTP transport, the server will run on the configured port (default 8000). For example, with the above configuration:

• MCP endpoint: http://localhost:4200/mcp
• Health check: http://localhost:4200/health

You can set these variables in your environment, in a .env file, or in the Claude Desktop configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-clickhouse": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--with",
        "mcp-clickhouse",
        "--python",
        "3.10",
        "mcp-clickhouse"
      ],
      "env": {
        "CLICKHOUSE_HOST": "<clickhouse-host>",
        "CLICKHOUSE_USER": "<clickhouse-user>",
        "CLICKHOUSE_PASSWORD": "<clickhouse-password>",
        "CLICKHOUSE_DATABASE": "<optional-database>",
        "CLICKHOUSE_MCP_SERVER_TRANSPORT": "stdio",
        "CLICKHOUSE_MCP_BIND_HOST": "127.0.0.1",
        "CLICKHOUSE_MCP_BIND_PORT": "8000"
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: The bind host and port settings are only used when transport is set to "http" or "sse".

Running tests

uv sync --all-extras --dev # install dev dependencies
uv run ruff check . # run linting

docker compose up -d test_services # start ClickHouse
uv run pytest -v tests
uv run pytest -v tests/test_tool.py # ClickHouse only
uv run pytest -v tests/test_chdb_tool.py # chDB only

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