Frequently Asked Questions about the MariaDB/MySQL Database Access MCP Server

Q: What is an MCP Server? A: MCP (Model Context Protocol) server acts as a bridge, allowing AI models to access and interact with external data sources and tools. It standardizes how applications provide context to Large Language Models (LLMs) and AI Agents.

Q: What databases does this MCP Server support? A: This MCP Server is specifically designed to support MariaDB and MySQL databases.

Q: What security features are included? A: The server includes several security features, such as read-only access by default, query validation to prevent SQL injection, query timeouts to prevent long-running queries, and row limits to prevent excessive data retrieval.

Q: How do I install the MCP Server? A: You can install the server by either building it from source or using pre-built binaries. The installation process involves cloning the repository, installing dependencies, configuring environment variables, and adding the server to your MCP settings file.

Q: What environment variables do I need to configure? A: You need to configure the following environment variables: MARIADB_HOST, MARIADB_PORT, MARIADB_USER, MARIADB_PASSWORD, MARIADB_DATABASE (optional), MARIADB_ALLOW_INSERT, MARIADB_ALLOW_UPDATE, MARIADB_ALLOW_DELETE, MARIADB_TIMEOUT_MS, and MARIADB_ROW_LIMIT.

Q: What tools are available for interacting with the database? A: The server provides the following tools: list_databases, list_tables, describe_table, and execute_query.

Q: How do I execute a SQL query? A: You can use the execute_query tool and provide the SQL query as a parameter. Make sure the query is read-only.

Q: How do I troubleshoot issues with the MCP Server? A: Check the server logs for error messages, verify your database credentials, ensure your MariaDB user has appropriate permissions, and check that your query is read-only and properly formatted.

Q: Can I modify data in the database using this MCP Server? A: No, by default, the server provides read-only access to the database. This is a security measure to prevent accidental data modification.

Q: What is UBOS? A: UBOS is a full-stack AI Agent Development Platform focused on bringing AI Agents to every business department. Our platform helps you orchestrate AI Agents, connect them with your enterprise data, build custom AI Agents with your LLM model and Multi-Agent Systems.