DATABASE DEVELOPMENT / MariaDB

MCP MariaDB Server

Python MCP server from the MariaDB organisation that lists databases and schemas, runs statements through a default read-only gate, and can register vector-store tools when an embedding provider is set.

See setup guidance ↓Original source ↗

“The MCP MariaDB Server provides a Model Context Protocol (MCP) interface for managing and querying MariaDB databases, supporting both standard SQL operations and advanced vector/embedding-based search.”
MariaDB · upstream description ↗Our analysis follows below.

01 / THE REASONING

Why this made the selection.

MariaDB publishes this server in MariaDB/mcp. At 64876fb1a4cb81bf51564c46eb60401097c067cc, pyproject.toml names the package mariadb-server version 0.2.6, requires Python >=3.11, and describes it as MariaDB MCP Server. The LICENSE file is the MIT License and its copyright line is Copyright (c) 2025 MariaDB.
The README lists list_databases, list_tables, get_table_schema, get_table_schema_with_relations, execute_sql, and create_database, plus optional vector-store tools. src/server.py defines methods with those names.

A good fit for

List MariaDB databases and table schemas, then run a statement whose normalised text starts with SELECT, SHOW, DESC, DESCRIBE, or USE.
Register the optional vector-store tools after EMBEDDING_PROVIDER is set to openai, gemini, or huggingface.

Weigh up before choosing

The default-branch commit read here, 64876fb1a4cb81bf51564c46eb60401097c067cc, is dated 2026-08-10.
The README run lines say uv run server.py. This tree has src/server.py and no server.py at the repository root. The Docker client example passes src/server.py.
MCP_READ_ONLY defaults to true in the README table and in src/config.py. create_database sends CREATE DATABASE IF NOT EXISTS, which is outside the prefix tuple SELECT, SHOW, DESC, DESCRIBE, USE, so the default read-only branch raises PermissionError. The README still lists create_database as a tool.
In that same read-only branch, LOAD_FILE() and SELECT INTO OUTFILE or DUMPFILE also raise PermissionError. MCP_BLOCK_SENSITIVE_SHOW defaults to true and is independent of the read-only flag.
DB_SSL defaults to false. DB_SSL_VERIFY_CERT defaults to true. DB_SSL_VERIFY_IDENTITY defaults to false. The README says http and sse have no default authentication method.
The stdio client example uses the placeholder paths path/to/mariadb-mcp-server/ and server.py, plus envFile path/to/mcp-server-mariadb-vector/.env. The Docker example sets --host 0.0.0.0, publishes port 9001, and also passes --transport stdio.
pip install uv is printed as a setup step and does not pin a server build. Vector tools are absent unless EMBEDDING_PROVIDER is set.

02 / THE REVIEW RECORD

What we actually inspected.

Source review has boundaries.
A clear record is more useful than a “safe” badge.

Material inspected

README.md at 64876fb1a4cb81bf51564c46eb60401097c067cc: opening sentence, tool list, environment table, run commands, stdio and Docker JSON.
LICENSE at the same revision: MIT License, Copyright (c) 2025 MariaDB.
pyproject.toml at the same revision: name mariadb-server, version 0.2.6, requires-python >=3.11. No project.scripts table.
src/config.py at the same revision: MCP_READ_ONLY and MCP_BLOCK_SENSITIVE_SHOW default to the string true.
src/server.py at the same revision: allowed statement prefixes, the read-only PermissionError, create_database SQL, and the stdio, sse, and http branches in run_async_server.

Our findings

The README bullet for execute_sql names SELECT, SHOW, and DESCRIBE. The code prefix tuple also includes DESC and USE, and rejects every other prefix while MCP_READ_ONLY is true.
create_database is registered and builds CREATE DATABASE IF NOT EXISTS. That statement does not pass the default prefix gate.
The stdio JSON and the root-level uv run server.py line do not match the path src/server.py that is in the tree. The Docker JSON does use src/server.py.
The HTTP client example sets type to streamable-http. The server run line for that mode passes --transport http.

Not established by this review

Not executed: it was not installed or run.
No MariaDB connection was opened and no embedding provider was called.

The review applies to the material and revision named here. A newer upstream release can change its behavior.

03 / PUT IT TO WORK

Connect a server deliberately.

Upstream setup instructions ↗

The README says to clone the repository, install uv, run uv lock and uv sync, create a .env file, and start the process. Those commands are in separate fenced blocks, so none is copied into install.command.
The printed stdio line is uv run server.py. The file in this tree is src/server.py.
Set DB_HOST, DB_USER, and DB_PASSWORD. Leave MCP_READ_ONLY unset to keep the default true.

Before you start

Python 3.11 and uv.
A MariaDB server and a database user.

Documented configuration example

Use the client and authentication context described in the setup guidance. Configuration formats vary between hosts.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "MariaDB_Server": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "--directory",
        "path/to/mariadb-mcp-server/",
        "run",
        "server.py"
      ],
      "envFile": "path/to/mcp-server-mariadb-vector/.env"
    }
  }
}

Compatibility

Python 3.11, as the README requirements and pyproject.toml state. · uv, as the README requires. · A MariaDB server, local or remote, as the README states. · Clients named in the README integration heading: Claude desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, and VSCode.

Implementation

Python

Transports

stdio · sse · http

MariaDB user and password

DB_HOST, DB_USER, and DB_PASSWORD are required environment variables. DB_PASSWORD is the database password.
With the default read-only gate, statement text is allowed only when it starts with SELECT, SHOW, DESC, DESCRIBE, or USE. Other prefixes raise PermissionError.
create_database issues CREATE DATABASE. Vector tools, when EMBEDDING_PROVIDER is set, create and delete tables and insert documents. Optional keys named in the README are OPENAI_API_KEY and GEMINI_API_KEY.
The README says the server does not provide a default authentication method for http or sse.

Cost model

MIT. The files read here do not state a fee for this server, for MariaDB, or for an embedding provider.

04 / FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE

The source trail.

Our notes are separate from the original resource.
Check upstream before adopting a new version.

MCP MariaDB Server README at 64876fb1 ↗Checked 2026-10-15
https://github.com/MariaDB/mcp/blob/64876fb1a4cb81bf51564c46eb60401097c067cc/README.md
Supports: upstreamDescription, install, configExample, transports, bestFor, limitations, access
MIT License at 64876fb1 ↗Checked 2026-10-15
https://github.com/MariaDB/mcp/blob/64876fb1a4cb81bf51564c46eb60401097c067cc/LICENSE
Supports: license
pyproject.toml at 64876fb1 ↗Checked 2026-10-15
https://github.com/MariaDB/mcp/blob/64876fb1a4cb81bf51564c46eb60401097c067cc/pyproject.toml
Supports: language, compatibility, whySelected
src/server.py at 64876fb1 ↗Checked 2026-10-15
https://github.com/MariaDB/mcp/blob/64876fb1a4cb81bf51564c46eb60401097c067cc/src/server.py
Supports: limitations, access, review.findings
src/config.py at 64876fb1 ↗Checked 2026-10-15
https://github.com/MariaDB/mcp/blob/64876fb1a4cb81bf51564c46eb60401097c067cc/src/config.py
Supports: limitations, access

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MCP MariaDB Server

Why this made the selection.

What we actually inspected.

Material inspected

Our findings

Not established by this review

Connect a server deliberately.

Before you start

Documented configuration example

The source trail.

Why this made the selection.

What we actually inspected.

Material inspected

Our findings

Not established by this review

Connect a server deliberately.

Before you start

Documented configuration example

The source trail.

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