PostgreSQL Performance (read-only)

Name: PostgreSQL Performance (read-only)
Author: gouranshul

by gouranshulversion 0.1.0i★ –iRuns on your computer

Registry nameio.github.gouranshul/pg-perf-mcp

Install

Overview

Description from the maker (original English)

Read-only PostgreSQL performance diagnostics: slow queries, EXPLAIN, index advice, locks, functions

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
UsageiVery new★ –

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: Streamable HTTP
Category: Databases & datasets
You need to fill in: PGPERF_DB_URL, PGPERF_DB_USER, PGPERF_DB_PASSWORD, MCP_API_KEY

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: PGPERF_DB_URL, PGPERF_DB_USER, PGPERF_DB_PASSWORD, MCP_API_KEY

Values marked secret are keys to your account. Never share them or paste them into a chat.

You need

DockerDocker installed

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": {
    "pg-perf": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "-e",
        "PGPERF_DB_URL",
        "-e",
        "PGPERF_DB_USER",
        "-e",
        "PGPERF_DB_PASSWORD",
        "-e",
        "MCP_API_KEY",
        "ghcr.io/gouranshul/pg-perf-mcp:0.1.0"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PGPERF_DB_URL": "your-value",
        "PGPERF_DB_USER": "your-value",
        "PGPERF_DB_PASSWORD": "your-value",
        "MCP_API_KEY": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Run this in your terminal

claude mcp add pg-perf --env PGPERF_DB_URL=your-value --env PGPERF_DB_USER=your-value --env PGPERF_DB_PASSWORD=your-value --env MCP_API_KEY=your-value -- docker run -i --rm -e PGPERF_DB_URL -e PGPERF_DB_USER -e PGPERF_DB_PASSWORD -e MCP_API_KEY ghcr.io/gouranshul/pg-perf-mcp:0.1.0

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": {
    "pg-perf": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "-e",
        "PGPERF_DB_URL",
        "-e",
        "PGPERF_DB_USER",
        "-e",
        "PGPERF_DB_PASSWORD",
        "-e",
        "MCP_API_KEY",
        "ghcr.io/gouranshul/pg-perf-mcp:0.1.0"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PGPERF_DB_URL": "your-value",
        "PGPERF_DB_USER": "your-value",
        "PGPERF_DB_PASSWORD": "your-value",
        "MCP_API_KEY": "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": {
    "pg-perf": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "-e",
        "PGPERF_DB_URL",
        "-e",
        "PGPERF_DB_USER",
        "-e",
        "PGPERF_DB_PASSWORD",
        "-e",
        "MCP_API_KEY",
        "ghcr.io/gouranshul/pg-perf-mcp:0.1.0"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PGPERF_DB_URL": "your-value",
        "PGPERF_DB_USER": "your-value",
        "PGPERF_DB_PASSWORD": "your-value",
        "MCP_API_KEY": "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

PGPERF_DB_URL required env
JDBC URL of the database to diagnose. From inside the container, use host.docker.internal for a database on your machine, e.g. jdbc:postgresql://host.docker.internal:5432/mydb
PGPERF_DB_USER required env
A read-only role with pg_read_all_stats and pg_monitor (see docker/init.sql)
PGPERF_DB_PASSWORD secret required env
Password of that role
MCP_API_KEY secret required env
Bearer token clients must send, at least 16 characters (32+ random recommended)

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 9, 2026

✓ Pass
Maker matches the repo
The registry name was verified with the GitHub account gouranshul, 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 1152 servers in this category
Published to the registry more recently than 62% of the other 1152 servers in this category
Basic checks equal to or better than 100% of the other 1152 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 PostgreSQL Performance (read-only) 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?

You need to fill in: PGPERF_DB_URL, PGPERF_DB_USER, PGPERF_DB_PASSWORD, MCP_API_KEY

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 (0.1.0) reached the registry 29 days ago.

Which apps can use it?

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

What can I use instead?

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

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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.

pg-perf-mcp

An MCP server that lets AI assistants diagnose PostgreSQL performance problems safely: slow queries, EXPLAIN plans, index suggestions, table health and lock contention. It is read-only by design.

*A real Claude Code session against the demo shop, sped up. First it finds which database functions are slow and why. Then it explains a slow catalog query and estimates the fix with a hypothetical index. Asked to create the index, it says it can't: every tool is read-only.*

Why

When a page is slow, developers paste a query into a chat and ask "why is this slow?". The assistant then guesses, because it cannot see the plan, the table sizes, the existing indexes or which queries actually dominate the load.

pg-perf-mcp gives the assistant real numbers from `pg_stat_statements`, `EXPLAIN` and the catalogs, through a narrow, audited, read-only interface. It cannot change data, cannot run DDL, and never creates the indexes it recommends.

Demo

A condensed, illustrative session against the demo shop (docker compose up, then ./demo/workload.sh). Exact numbers vary from run to run:

You:    The shop database feels slow. What's going on?

Claude: [top_slow_queries orderBy=total_time] The top statement by total time is SELECT id, status, total, created_at FROM shop.orders WHERE customer_id = $1 ORDER BY created_at DESC (thousands of calls, the largest share of total execution time).

[explain_query sql="... WHERE customer_id = 42 ORDER BY created_at DESC"] HIGH SEQ_SCAN_ON_LARGE_TABLE Seq Scan on shop.orders reads all ~1.0M rows of shop.orders to apply filter (customer_id = 42); only a handful match.

[suggest_indexes] CREATE INDEX CONCURRENTLY idx_orders_customer_id ON shop.orders (customer_id); hypopg: the planner would use it; estimated cost drops by well over 90%. Not executed. Review it and run it yourself, ideally off-peak.

[table_health table=shop.orders] Autovacuum is disabled on shop.orders and ~20% of rows are dead. Re-enable autovacuum and VACUUM.

Prioritized actions: 1) add the index above (orders.customer_id is a foreign key with no index),

re-enable autovacuum on shop.orders, 3) ...

Architecture

flowchart LR

A["AI assistant (Claude Code, Claude Desktop, ...)"] -- "MCP over streamable HTTP Authorization: Bearer key" --> F["API key filter (constant-time)"] F --> M["MCP tools / resources / prompt Spring AI 2.0 annotations"] M --> R["ToolRunner audit log · metrics · safe errors"] R --> G["SqlGuard PG lexer + JSqlParser"] G --> E["ReadOnlyExecutor READ ONLY tx · always rollback statement/lock timeout · row cap"] R --> AN["analysis PlanAnalyzer · IndexAdvisor (pure functions)"] E --> P[("PostgreSQL 18 role mcp_readonly pg_stat_statements · hypopg")]

Tools

Tool	What it does	Safety notes
`top_slow_queries`	Most expensive statements from `pg_stat_statements`: normalized text, calls, total/mean/max ms, rows, cache hit ratio, share of total time. Order by `total_time`, `mean_time`, `calls` or `rows`.	Fixed SQL; sort column chosen from an enum. Excludes the server's own statements.
`explain_query`	Summarized plan: 5 costliest nodes, seq scans on large tables, 10x row misestimates, disk sorts/hash spills, nested loops with many iterations. `analyze=true` adds real timings. `$1` placeholders get a generic plan.	SQL guard first. ANALYZE runs in a read-only transaction that is rolled back and cancelled after the timeout.
`suggest_indexes`	`CREATE INDEX CONCURRENTLY` candidates from filtered seq scans, join keys and `ORDER BY ... LIMIT`, each with a reason; validated with hypothetical indexes when `hypopg` is installed.	Never executed. Hypothetical indexes are reset in a savepoint so they cannot leak to other calls.
`unused_indexes`	Indexes with `idx_scan = 0`, largest first, excluding primary key, unique and constraint indexes; includes size, definition and a `DROP INDEX CONCURRENTLY` to review.	Nothing is dropped. Reports when stats were last reset.
`table_health`	Live/dead tuples, dead ratio, last (auto)vacuum/analyze, rows changed since analyze, seq vs index scans, sizes, with plain-language warnings.	Catalog reads only.
`blocking_sessions`	Blocked/blocking pairs via `pg_blocking_pids`, truncated query texts, wait time, lock type/mode/table, blocker state, root blockers.	Never cancels or terminates anything.
`slow_functions`	User-defined functions (PL/pgSQL, SQL, ...) ranked by total, self or mean time or calls, from `pg_stat_user_functions`, with language and volatility.	Catalog reads only. Needs `track_functions`.
`explain_function`	Looks inside the functions a query calls: time per function, every statement executed inside them with calls, time and its own analyzed plan, and findings such as a seq scan inside a function, a function called once per row, or a read-only function left `VOLATILE`. Includes the function source.	SQL guard first; runs in the same rolled-back read-only transaction as `explain_query`, so functions that write fail. `auto_explain` is switched on for that transaction only, with generic plans so no data values appear.

Resources: pg://schema/overview (tables, row estimates, sizes, indexes) and pg://schema/{table} (columns, indexes with scan counts, foreign keys flagged when unindexed). Prompt: diagnose_slow_database, a guided workflow: slow queries, then explain, suggest indexes, table health, functions, then a prioritized summary.

Why a separate tool for database functions

EXPLAIN shows a function call as one opaque expression, and charges its time to whichever plan node evaluates it. On the demo catalog page (20 products, each calling shop.product_rating), explain_query blames the index scan on products (184 ms self time) and finds nothing else serious. explain_function on the same query, against the full demo data:

shop.product_rating          plpgsql  20 calls  99% of execution time

SELECT avg(rating) FROM shop.reviews WHERE product_id = p_product_id 20 calls 175 ms 96% of execution time HIGH FUNCTION_DOMINATES_QUERY shop.product_rating takes 99% of the query's execution time HIGH FUNCTION_CALLED_PER_ROW ran 20 times for one query (9.0 ms per call) HIGH SEQ_SCAN_ON_LARGE_TABLE inside shop.product_rating: Seq Scan on shop.reviews reads all ~250k rows to apply filter (reviews.product_id = $1)

How it works (ADR 0006): the query runs once with auto_explain enabled for that transaction only, so the plan of each nested statement comes back as a notice; per-function time comes from pg_stat_xact_user_functions and per-statement calls from pg_stat_statements, both as before/after differences.

Security model

Five independent layers stand between the assistant and a write (details in ADR 0001):

SQL guard: exactly one plain SELECT. It is checked by a PostgreSQL-faithful lexer *and* JSqlParser, and both must agree. Blocks DML/DDL, multiple statements, data-modifying CTEs, SELECT INTO, FOR UPDATE/SHARE, COPY, DO, and dangerous functions (pg_sleep*, *_file, lo_*, dblink*, set_config, pg_terminate_backend, query_to_xml, ...). It fails closed.
Read-only role: mcp_readonly has SELECT plus pg_read_all_stats/pg_monitor, with default_transaction_read_only = on and statement_timeout = 5s set on the role.
Read-only connections: Hikari readOnly=true and a read-only session default.
One rolled-back read-only transaction per call: statement_timeout/lock_timeout set locally, standard_conforming_strings forced on, always rolled back.
Row cap: every result is capped (default 200 rows).

Around those layers: a bearer API key (constant-time comparison; only /actuator/health is open), a JSON audit line per call (SQL stored as a SHA-256 hash plus an 80-character preview), error messages with no stack traces or connection details, and metrics mcp.tool.duration and mcp.guard.rejections.

Quickstart

Requirements: Docker. There are two ways to start:

[Use it on your database](#use-it-on-your-database): pull the published image. No clone or build.
[Try the demo shop](#try-the-demo-shop): clone the repo and get a seeded database with realistic problems to diagnose.

Either way, finish with connecting your AI client.

Use it on your database

1. Pull the image (public on GHCR, built for amd64 and arm64):

docker pull ghcr.io/gouranshul/pg-perf-mcp:0.1.0

2. Prepare the database (once). Create a read-only role like mcp_readonly (see docker/init.sql) and make sure pg_stat_statements is in shared_preload_libraries. Prefer a replica or staging database: analyze=true and explain_function execute the query. For the function tools, also enable function tracking.

3. Run it. Put the settings in a file so secrets stay out of your shell history:

cat > pg-perf.env <<'EOF'

PGPERF_DB_URL=jdbc:postgresql://host.docker.internal:5432/mydb PGPERF_DB_USER=mcp_readonly PGPERF_DB_PASSWORD= MCP_API_KEY=<32+ random characters> EOF

docker run --rm --env-file pg-perf.env -p 127.0.0.1:8080:8080 ghcr.io/gouranshul/pg-perf-mcp:0.1.0

host.docker.internal reaches a database on your machine (Docker Desktop; on Linux add --add-host=host.docker.internal:host-gateway). The MCP endpoint is now http://localhost:8080/mcp.

4. Connect your AI client: see below.

Try the demo shop

To build and test from source you also need Java 25.

git clone https://github.com/gouranshul/pg-perf-mcp && cd pg-perf-mcp

cp .env.example .env # then replace the placeholder secrets docker compose up --build # Postgres 18 + seeded demo shop (~4.5M rows) + the MCP server on :8080

Generate some slow-query statistics (optional, but makes top_slow_queries interesting):

./demo/workload.sh          # 60s of deliberately bad queries via pgbench

./demo/lock-scenario.sh # holds a row lock for 2 minutes so blocking_sessions has something to show ./demo/smoke-test.sh # curl-based end-to-end check of health, auth and two tool calls

Connect from Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http pg-perf http://localhost:8080/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer $MCP_API_KEY"

In PowerShell, set the key first, or the header goes out empty and the server answers 401:

$env:MCP_API_KEY = "<your MCP_API_KEY>"

claude mcp add --transport http pg-perf http://localhost:8080/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer $env:MCP_API_KEY"

Or install it as a Claude Code plugin. Claude Code asks for the endpoint (default http://localhost:8080/mcp) and your MCP_API_KEY, which it keeps in secure storage:

/plugin install pg-perf --marketplace gouranshul/pg-perf-mcp

On Claude Code versions before 2.1.275, add the marketplace first: `/plu

Only the beginning is shown; read the rest in the repo

PostgreSQL Performance (read-only)

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

pg-perf-mcp

Why

Demo

Architecture

Tools

Why a separate tool for database functions

Security model

Quickstart

Use it on your database

Try the demo shop

Connect from Claude Code