How do I install MCP Server Motherduck?

Copy the stdio config for Cursor, Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or VS Code on this page. It uses the publisher's install, not a PlugMCP proxy.

Does MCP Server Motherduck need an API key?

The publisher lists these environment variables: motherduck_token, MOTHERDUCK_TOKEN, HOME, AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID, AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY, AWS_SESSION_TOKEN, AWS_DEFAULT_REGION, AWS_ENDPOINT.

What transport does MCP Server Motherduck use?

MCP Server Motherduck runs locally over stdio.

When was MCP Server Motherduck last checked?

Last checked 2026-11-09. SQL analytics and data engineering for AI Assistants and IDEs

MCP Server Motherduck MCP server

Power your agent

Add this server

The publisher's own command. Not a PlugMCP endpoint.

Add to Cursor Add to VS Code Run on PlugMCP

Host a copy with our keys and logs.

Local command

uvx mcp-server-motherduck==1.1.0

Credentials from the publisher

motherduck_token — Access token for MotherDuck connections (alternative to --motherduck-token)
MOTHERDUCK_TOKEN — Access token for MotherDuck connections (alternative to --motherduck-token)
HOME — Used by DuckDB for extensions and config. Override with --home-dir if not set.
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID — AWS access key for S3 database connections
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY — AWS secret access key for S3 database connections
AWS_SESSION_TOKEN — AWS session token for temporary credentials
AWS_DEFAULT_REGION — AWS region for S3 database connections
AWS_ENDPOINT — AWS endpoint for S3 database connections

Claude Code has no install link for a local command. Copy the command below and run it in a terminal.

shClaude Code

1motherduck_token=<secret> MOTHERDUCK_TOKEN=<secret> HOME=<value> AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=<secret> AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=<secret> AWS_SESSION_TOKEN=<secret> AWS_DEFAULT_REGION=<value> AWS_ENDPOINT=<value> claude mcp add io.github.motherduckdb-mcp-server-motherduck -- uvx mcp-server-motherduck==1.1.0

Run in a terminal.

jsonClaude Desktop

1{2  "mcpServers": {3    "io.github.motherduckdb-mcp-server-motherduck": {4      "command": "uvx",5      "args": [6        "mcp-server-motherduck==1.1.0"7      ],8      "env": {9        "motherduck_token": "<secret>",10        "MOTHERDUCK_TOKEN": "<secret>",11        "HOME": "<value>",12        "AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID": "<secret>",13        "AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY": "<secret>",14        "AWS_SESSION_TOKEN": "<secret>",15        "AWS_DEFAULT_REGION": "<value>",16        "AWS_ENDPOINT": "<value>"17      }18    }19  }20}

claude_desktop_config.json

Local · pypiPublisher installStep-by-step: add this in Claude

Remote URL or a command on your machine? How the two installs differ

Run on PlugMCP

Host a copy with our keys and logs.

A new server you create. It is not this listing's official endpoint. Use the publisher install when you want their URL and their credentials.

Launch

Server facts

Local

Transport: stdio
Version

Tools

No tool list yet. Remote servers get one after the first health check.

FAQ

Questions

Connect AI assistants to your data using DuckDB's powerful analytical SQL engine. Supports connecting to local DuckDB files, in-memory databases, S3-hosted databases, and MotherDuck. Allows executing SQL read- and write-queries, browsing database catalogs, and switching between different database connections on-the-fly.

Looking for a fully-managed remote MCP server for MotherDuck? → Go to the MotherDuck Remote MCP docs

Remote vs Local MCP

	Remote MCP	Local MCP (this repo)
Hosting	Hosted by MotherDuck	Runs locally/self-hosted
Setup	Zero-setup	Requires local installation
Access	Read-write supported	Read-write supported
Local filesystem	-	Query across local and remote databases, ingest data from / export data to local filesystem

Quick Start

Prerequisites: Install uv via pip install uv or brew install uv

Connecting to In-Memory DuckDB (Dev Mode)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "DuckDB (in-memory, r/w)": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["mcp-server-motherduck", "--db-path", ":memory:", "--read-write", "--allow-switch-databases"]
    }
  }
}

Full flexibility with no guardrails — read-write access and the ability to switch to any database (local files, S3, or MotherDuck) at runtime.

Connecting to a Local DuckDB File in Read-Only Mode

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "DuckDB (read-only)": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["mcp-server-motherduck", "--db-path", "/absolute/path/to/your.duckdb"]
    }
  }
}

Connects to a specific DuckDB file in read-only mode. Won't hold on to the file lock, so convenient to use alongside a write connection to the same DuckDB file. You can also connect to remote DuckDB files on S3 using s3://bucket/path.duckdb — see Environment Variables for S3 authentication. If you're considering third-party access to the MCP, see Securing for Production.

Connecting to MotherDuck in Read-Write Mode

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "MotherDuck (local, r/w)": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["mcp-server-motherduck", "--db-path", "md:", "--read-write"],
      "env": {
        "motherduck_token": "<YOUR_MOTHERDUCK_TOKEN>"
      }
    }
  }
}

See Command Line Parameters for more options, Securing for Production for deployment guidance, and Troubleshooting if you encounter issues.

Client Setup

Client	Config Location	One-Click Install
Claude Desktop	Settings → Developer → Edit Config	.mcpb (MCP Bundle)
Claude Code	Use CLI commands below	-
Codex CLI	Use CLI commands below or `~/.codex/config.toml`	-
Gemini CLI	Use CLI commands below or `~/.gemini/settings.json`	-
Cursor	Settings → MCP → Add new global MCP server
VS Code	`Ctrl+Shift+P` → "Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON)"
Kiro	`~/.kiro/settings/mcp.json` (global) or `.kiro/settings/mcp.json` (project)

Any MCP-compatible client can use this server. Add the JSON configuration from Quick Start to your client's MCP config file. Consult your client's documentation for the config file location.

In-Memory DuckDB (Dev Mode):

claude mcp add --scope user duckdb --transport stdio -- uvx mcp-server-motherduck --db-path :memory: --read-write --allow-switch-databases

Local DuckDB (Read-Only):

claude mcp add --scope user duckdb --transport stdio -- uvx mcp-server-motherduck --db-path /absolute/path/to/db.duckdb

MotherDuck (Read-Write):

claude mcp add --scope user motherduck --transport stdio --env motherduck_token=YOUR_TOKEN -- uvx mcp-server-motherduck --db-path md: --read-write

In-Memory DuckDB (Dev Mode):

codex mcp add duckdb -- uvx mcp-server-motherduck --db-path :memory: --read-write --allow-switch-databases

Local DuckDB (Read-Only):

codex mcp add duckdb -- uvx mcp-server-motherduck --db-path /absolute/path/to/db.duckdb

MotherDuck (Read-Write):

codex mcp add motherduck --env motherduck_token=YOUR_TOKEN -- uvx mcp-server-motherduck --db-path md: --read-write

In-Memory DuckDB (Dev Mode):

gemini mcp add -s user duckdb uvx mcp-server-motherduck --db-path :memory: --read-write --allow-switch-databases

Local DuckDB (Read-Only):

gemini mcp add -s user duckdb uvx mcp-server-motherduck --db-path /absolute/path/to/db.duckdb

MotherDuck (Read-Write):

gemini mcp add -s user -e motherduck_token=YOUR_TOKEN motherduck uvx mcp-server-motherduck --db-path md: --read-write

Add the following to your Kiro MCP config file (~/.kiro/settings/mcp.json for global, or .kiro/settings/mcp.json for project-scoped). See the Kiro MCP documentation for more details.

In-Memory DuckDB (Dev Mode):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "DuckDB (in-memory, r/w)": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["mcp-server-motherduck", "--db-path", ":memory:", "--read-write", "--allow-switch-databases"]
    }
  }
}

MotherDuck (Read-Write):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "MotherDuck (local, r/w)": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["mcp-server-motherduck", "--db-path", "md:", "--read-write"],
      "env": {
        "motherduck_token": "<YOUR_MOTHERDUCK_TOKEN>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Tools

Tool	Description	Required Inputs	Optional Inputs
`execute_query`	Execute SQL query (DuckDB dialect)	`sql`	-
`list_databases`	List all databases (useful for MotherDuck or multiple attached DBs)	-	-
`list_tables`	List tables and views	-	`database`, `schema`
`list_columns`	List columns of a table/view	`table`	`database`, `schema`
`switch_database_connection`*	Switch to different database	`path`	`create_if_not_exists`

*Requires --allow-switch-databases flag

All tools return JSON. Results are limited to 1024 rows / 50,000 chars by default (configurable via --max-rows, --max-chars).

Securing for Production

When giving third parties access to a self-hosted MCP server, read-only mode alone is not sufficient — it still allows access to the local filesystem, changing DuckDB settings, and other potentially sensitive operations.

For production deployments with third-party access, we recommend MotherDuck Remote MCP — zero-setup, read-write capable, and hosted by MotherDuck.

Self-hosting MotherDuck MCP: Fork this repo and customize as needed. Use a service account with read-scaling tokens and enable SaaS mode to restrict local file access.

Self-hosting DuckDB MCP: Use --init-sql to apply security settings. See the Securing DuckDB guide for available options.

Docker

Build and run the server with Streamable HTTP on port 8000 (defaults to an in-memory DuckDB):

docker build -t mcp-server-motherduck .
docker run --rm -p 8000:8000 mcp-server-motherduck

Connect to MotherDuck by passing a token and overriding the command:

docker run --rm -p 8000:8000 \
  -e motherduck_token="$MOTHERDUCK_TOKEN" \
  mcp-server-motherduck --transport http --db-path md:

The MCP endpoint is available at http://localhost:8000/mcp. CLI flags and env vars from below still apply.

Command Line Parameters

Parameter	Default	Description
`--db-path`	`:memory:`	Database path: local file (absolute), `md:` (MotherDuck), or `s3://` URL
`--motherduck-token`	`motherduck_token` env var	MotherDuck access token
`--read-write`	`False`	Enable write access
`--motherduck-saas-mode`	`False`	MotherDuck SaaS mode (restricts local access)
`--allow-switch-databases`	`False`	Enable `switch_database_connection` tool
`--max-rows`	`1024`	Max rows returned
`--max-chars`	`50000`	Max characters returned
`--query-timeout`	`-1`	Query timeout in seconds (-1 = disabled)
`--init-sql`	`None`	SQL to execute on startup
`--motherduck-connection-parameters`	`session_hint=mcp&dbinstance_inactivity_ttl=0s`	Additional MotherDuck connection string parameters (`key=value` pairs separated by `&`)
`--ephemeral-connections`	`True`	Use temporary connections for read-only local files
`--transport`	`stdio`	Transport type: `stdio` or `http`
`--stateless-http`	`False`	For protocol compatibility only (e.g. with AWS Bedrock AgentCore Runtime). Server still maintains global state via the shared DatabaseClient.

Environment Variables

Variable	Description
`motherduck_token` or `MOTHERDUCK_TOKEN`	MotherDuck access token (alternative to `--motherduck-token`)
`HOME`	Used by DuckDB for extensions and config. Override with `--home-dir` if not set.
`AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID`	AWS access key for S3 database connections
`AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY`	AWS secret key for S3 database connections
`AWS_SESSION_TOKEN`	AWS session token for temporary credentials (IAM roles, SSO, EC2 instance profiles)
`AWS_DEFAULT_REGION`	AWS region for S3 connections
`AWS_ENDPOINT`	AWS endpoint for S3 connections

Troubleshooting

spawn uvx ENOENT: Specify full path to uvx (run which uvx to find it)
File locked: Make sure --ephemeral-connections is turned on (default: true) and that you're not connected in read-write mode

Resources

Development

To run from source:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "Local DuckDB (Dev)": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["--directory", "/path/to/mcp-server-motherduck", "run", "mcp-server-motherduck", "--db-path", "md:"],
      "env": {
        "motherduck_token": "<YOUR_MOTHERDUCK_TOKEN>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Release Process

Run the Release New Version GitHub Action
Enter version in MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH format
The workflow bumps version, publishes to PyPI/MCP registry, and creates the GitHub release with MCPB package

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file.

mcp-name: io.github.motherduckdb/mcp-server-motherduck

Add this server

Host a copy with our keys and logs.

Server facts

Tools

Questions

How do I install MCP Server Motherduck?

Does MCP Server Motherduck need an API key?

What transport does MCP Server Motherduck use?

When was MCP Server Motherduck last checked?

Documentation

Remote vs Local MCP

Quick Start

Connecting to In-Memory DuckDB (Dev Mode)

Connecting to a Local DuckDB File in Read-Only Mode

Connecting to MotherDuck in Read-Write Mode

Client Setup

Tools

Securing for Production

Docker

Command Line Parameters

Environment Variables

Troubleshooting

Resources

Development

Release Process

License