Dbatools MCP Server

Name: Dbatools MCP Server
Author: dataplat

by dataplatversion 0.5.0i★ –iRuns on your computer

Registry nameio.github.dataplat/dbatools-mcp-server

Install

Overview

Description from the maker (original English)

MCP server for dbatools — exposes SQL Server management commands as MCP tools

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

These three are never merged into one score: opinions, measurements and popularity are different things.

User voiceiNo reviews yetReviews open together with accounts in a later step
Our basic checksi1 of 1 passedChecked from public information; code not scanned yet
UsageiNot measured yet★ –

What you can do with it

We have not written a plain-language summary for this one yet. Below are the facts we read from the registry.

Connection: Runs on your computer
Transport: stdio
Category: Databases & datasets

Install

Pick the AI app you use, then copy the settings.

Before you install

Basic checks: 1 of 1 passed
Runs on your computer with your user’s permissions (files, network, apps).
You fill in yourself: DBATOOLS_SAFE_MODE, MAX_OUTPUT_ROWS, COMMAND_TIMEOUT_SECONDS, PWSH_EXE

You need

npmNode.js installed (for the npx command)

Which app do you use?

ClaudeClaude CodeCursorVS CodeChatGPT

Pick your app above. We remember it, so next time the button says “Install in …”.

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config, and paste this into claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dbatools": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "dbatools-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "DBATOOLS_SAFE_MODE": "your-value",
        "MAX_OUTPUT_ROWS": "your-value",
        "COMMAND_TIMEOUT_SECONDS": "your-value",
        "PWSH_EXE": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Run this in your terminal

claude mcp add dbatools --env DBATOOLS_SAFE_MODE=your-value --env MAX_OUTPUT_ROWS=your-value --env COMMAND_TIMEOUT_SECONDS=your-value --env PWSH_EXE=your-value -- npx -y dbatools-mcp-server

Fill in the empty values before running it.

Open in Cursor

Or copy the settings yourself

Paste into .cursor/mcp.json in your project, or ~/.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dbatools": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "dbatools-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "DBATOOLS_SAFE_MODE": "your-value",
        "MAX_OUTPUT_ROWS": "your-value",
        "COMMAND_TIMEOUT_SECONDS": "your-value",
        "PWSH_EXE": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Your browser asks to open the app, then the app shows the settings and asks you to confirm. Key values are left empty for you to fill in.

Open in VS Code

Or copy the settings yourself

Paste into .vscode/mcp.json in your project

{
  "servers": {
    "dbatools": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "dbatools-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "DBATOOLS_SAFE_MODE": "your-value",
        "MAX_OUTPUT_ROWS": "your-value",
        "COMMAND_TIMEOUT_SECONDS": "your-value",
        "PWSH_EXE": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Your browser asks to open the app, then the app shows the settings and asks you to confirm. Key values are left empty for you to fill in.

This one runs on your computer, and ChatGPT can only connect to servers on the internet. Pick another app.

Your choice stays on this device in a cookie; no account needed.

Values you fill in

DBATOOLS_SAFE_MODE env
Set to 'false' to allow write/destructive dbatools operations. Defaults to true (read-only safe mode).
MAX_OUTPUT_ROWS env
Maximum number of rows returned per command. Defaults to 100. Allowed range: 1–10000.
COMMAND_TIMEOUT_SECONDS env
Timeout in seconds for each dbatools command. Defaults to 60. Allowed range: 5–3600.
PWSH_EXE env
Path to the PowerShell executable. Defaults to 'pwsh'.

These settings are generated from the maker’s registry entry. If the README says otherwise, follow the README.

What it can do

Runs on your computer; the tool list appears in your AI app after you install it.

Basic checksi

We check information anyone can see; we have not read the code. Checks that do not apply are left out of the count. · Checked Nov 6, 2026

✓ Pass
Maker matches the repo
The registry name was verified with the GitHub account dataplat, which owns the repo
… Not checked yet
Still maintained
We have not read this repo from GitHub yet
… Not checked yet
Has a licence
We have not read this repo from GitHub yet
– Not applicable
Endpoint responds
This one runs on your computer; there is no internet endpoint
– Not applicable
Sign-in with OAuth
Runs on your computer and uses local settings instead
… Not checked yet
No hidden instructions in tool descriptions
Runs on your computer; we can only read tool lists from internet endpoints

Compared with others in Databases & datasetsi

More stars than 0% of the other 953 servers in this category
Published to the registry more recently than 10% of the other 953 servers in this category
Basic checks equal to or better than 100% of the other 953 servers in this category

Compared with every active server in this category in the registry. Stars count only when the publisher owns the repo.

Common questions

Is Dbatools MCP Server safe?

It passed 1 of 1 applicable basic checks. We have not read the code. Before adding a key or token, see what access the server asks for and use a key with only the permissions you need.

What keys or codes does it need?

The registry does not list a required key, though some servers ask you to sign in on first use.

Does it run on my computer or in the cloud?

It runs on your computer. Your AI app starts it when needed, and data does not pass through the maker’s servers (unless it calls an online service itself).

Is it still maintained?

The GitHub repo last changed –, and the latest version (0.5.0) reached the registry 7 months ago.

Which apps can use it?

Apps that support MCP, such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor and VS Code. You also need Node.js on your computer.

What can I use instead?

In the same category: Supabase, MongoDB MCP Server, Elasticsearch MCP Server

Alternatives

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Reading a card:★ GitHub starsiThree pillars: reviews · checks · usageiUpdated = latest version published to the registryi

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README from the maker

Open the README

Copied from the maker’s repo as written. PopNx MCP has not reviewed or endorsed it. HTML, images and scripts are removed. Links lead off this site.

dbatools-mcp-server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for the dbatools PowerShell module.

Exposes dbatools commands as MCP tools so AI assistants (GitHub Copilot, Claude, etc.) can discover, explain, and execute dbatools commands directly — with all metadata sourced from dbatools' own comment-based help.

Features

`list_dbatools_commands` — search commands by verb, noun, keyword, or risk level
`get_dbatools_command_help` — full normalized help (synopsis, parameters, examples) from Get-Help -Full
`invoke_dbatools_command` — execute any dbatools command with safe parameter validation, risk gating, and structured JSON output
`check_dbatools_environment` — verify PowerShell + dbatools installation, index freshness, and version alignment
Tool annotations — each tool declares readOnlyHint / destructiveHint / idempotentHint / openWorldHint so MCP clients (e.g. VS Code) can surface risk in the UI before a tool is even called
Resources — browse dbatools://command/{name} to read any command's full normalized help as structured JSON, independent of the chat-oriented tool responses
Persistent PowerShell session — invoke_dbatools_command reuses one long-lived pwsh process with dbatools pre-imported instead of spawning (and re-importing dbatools into) a fresh process on every call
Version mismatch detection — warns when installed dbatools version differs from the indexed version
Safe mode — non-readonly commands require explicit confirm: true to execute
SQL Authentication support — pass SqlCredential: { username, password } for SQL auth instances

Prerequisites

Node.js 20+
PowerShell 7+ (pwsh)
dbatools PowerShell module

Install-Module dbatools -Scope CurrentUser

Quick Start

# 1. Clone the repo

git clone https://github.com/Dataplat/dbatools-mcp-server.git cd dbatools-mcp-server

2. Install Node dependencies

npm install

3. Generate the help index from your local dbatools installation

npm run refresh-help

4. Build

npm run build

Then open the folder in VS Code — the .vscode/mcp.json file automatically registers the MCP server.

Connecting to VS Code

The included .vscode/mcp.json registers the server as a local STDIO MCP server. Open this folder in VS Code and the server will appear in the GitHub Copilot MCP panel.

"servers": { "dbatools": { "type": "stdio", "command": "node", "args": ["${workspaceFolder}/dist/server.js"], "env": { "DBATOOLS_SAFE_MODE": "true", "MAX_OUTPUT_ROWS": "100", "COMMAND_TIMEOUT_SECONDS": "60" } } } }

Configuration

All settings are controlled via environment variables (set in .vscode/mcp.json or your shell):

Variable	Default	Description
`PWSH_EXE`	`pwsh`	Path to PowerShell executable
`DBATOOLS_SAFE_MODE`	`true`	When `true`, non-readonly commands require `confirm: true`
`MAX_OUTPUT_ROWS`	`100`	Maximum rows returned per command execution
`COMMAND_TIMEOUT_SECONDS`	`60`	Seconds before PowerShell process is killed
`DBATOOLS_PERSISTENT_SESSION`	`true`	When `true`, `invoke_dbatools_command` reuses one long-lived PowerShell process (dbatools pre-imported) instead of spawning a new process per call. Set to `false` to force a fresh process per call.

Refreshing the Help Index

The help index (generated/dbatools-help.json) is generated from your locally installed dbatools module. Re-run whenever dbatools is updated:

Update-Module dbatools -Scope CurrentUser

npm run refresh-help

The server detects version mismatches at runtime and warns you when the index is stale.

Risk Levels

Commands are automatically classified by verb:

Risk Level	Verbs	Behavior
`readonly`	Get, Test, Find, Compare, …	Always allowed
`change`	Set, New, Add, Copy, Enable, …	Requires `confirm: true` in safe mode
`destructive`	Remove, Drop, Disable, Reset, …	Requires `confirm: true` in safe mode

Each risk tier maps to standard MCP tool annotations (readOnlyHint, destructiveHint, idempotentHint, openWorldHint), so compatible clients can surface risk in their UI before a tool is even invoked. invoke_dbatools_command is a generic dispatcher that can run any command, so its annotation conservatively reflects the worst case (destructiveHint: true) — the actual per-command risk is still enforced at runtime by the safe-mode gate.

Resources

Besides the four tools, the server exposes every indexed command as an MCP resource at dbatools://command/{name} (e.g. dbatools://command/Get-DbaDatabase), returning the same normalized help record as structured JSON — useful for clients that browse/ground on resources rather than calling a tool. The browsable resource list excludes PowerShell aliases (e.g. Attach-DbaDatabase, an alias for Mount-DbaDatabase) since they just forward to another command's help.

Persistent PowerShell Session

By default, invoke_dbatools_command reuses a single long-lived pwsh process with dbatools pre-imported, instead of spawning a fresh process (and re-importing dbatools) on every call. This removes the ~1-2s+ process-startup and module-import cost from every invocation after the first.

A couple of things to be aware of:

Crash/timeout recovery: if a command times out or the session process crashes, it is killed and discarded; the next call transparently starts a fresh session (paying the import cost once more). The call that triggered the failure is not automatically retried.
Cross-call state: dbatools caches some state (e.g. SMO connections via Connect-DbaInstance) within a PowerShell session. With a persistent session, that caching is now visible across tool calls within one MCP server run, where previously every call was fully isolated. Each individual script still runs in its own scope, so plain variables never leak between calls — only dbatools' own internal caching behavior is affected.

Set DBATOOLS_PERSISTENT_SESSION=false to disable this and go back to one fresh process per call.

SQL Authentication

For SQL-auth-only instances (e.g. Docker), pass credentials via the SqlCredential parameter:

"SqlInstance": "localhost,1433", "SqlCredential": { "username": " ", "password": "YourPassword" } }

Project Structure

dbatools-mcp-server/

├── src/ │ ├── server.ts # MCP server entry point, tool/resource definitions │ ├── powershell.ts # One-shot PowerShell process runner, health checks, version detection │ ├── powershell-session.ts # Persistent PowerShell session (long-lived process, dbatools pre-imported) │ ├── help-indexer.ts # Help manifest loader and command search │ ├── tool-registry.ts # Risk classification, tool annotations, safe argument builder │ └── types.ts # Shared TypeScript interfaces ├── scripts/ │ └── refresh-help.ps1 # Generates generated/dbatools-help.json ├── generated/ # Help index (gitignored, generated locally) ├── .vscode/ │ └── mcp.json # VS Code MCP local server registration └── dist/ # Compiled output (gitignored)

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please open an issue first for significant changes.

This project follows the same community spirit as dbatools.

Dbatools MCP Server

Overview

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

What you can do with it

Install

Before you install

Values you fill in

What it can do

Basic checksi

Maker matches the repo

Still maintained

Has a licence

Endpoint responds

Sign-in with OAuth

No hidden instructions in tool descriptions

Compared with others in Databases & datasetsi

Common questions

Alternatives

Supabase

MongoDB MCP Server

Elasticsearch MCP Server

README from the maker

dbatools-mcp-server

Features

Prerequisites

Quick Start

2. Install Node dependencies

3. Generate the help index from your local dbatools installation

4. Build

Connecting to VS Code

Configuration

Refreshing the Help Index

Risk Levels

Resources

Persistent PowerShell Session

SQL Authentication

Project Structure

Contributing

License