Fasttransfer MCP

FastTransfer MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that exposes FastTransfer functionality for efficient data transfer between various database systems.

Overview

FastTransfer is a high-performance CLI tool for transferring data between databases. This MCP server wraps FastTransfer functionality and provides:

• Safety-first approach: Preview commands before execution with user confirmation required
• Password masking: Credentials and connection strings are never displayed in logs or output
• Intelligent validation: Parameter validation with database-specific compatibility checks
• Smart suggestions: Automatic parallelism method recommendations
• Version detection: Automatic binary version detection with capability registry
• Comprehensive logging: Full execution logs with timestamps and results

MCP Tools

1. preview_transfer_command

Build and preview a FastTransfer command WITHOUT executing it. Shows the exact command with passwords masked. Always use this first.

2. execute_transfer

Execute a previously previewed command. Requires confirmation: true as a safety mechanism.

3. validate_connection

Validate database connection parameters (parameter check only, does not test actual connectivity).

4. list_supported_combinations

List all supported source-to-target database combinations.

5. suggest_parallelism_method

Recommend the optimal parallelism method based on source database type and table characteristics.

6. get_version

Report the detected FastTransfer binary version, supported types, and feature flags.

Installation

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10 or higher
• FastTransfer binary v0.16+ (obtain from Arpe.io)
• Claude Code or another MCP client

Setup

1. Clone or download this repository:

   cd /path/to/fasttransfer-mcp

1. Install Python dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

1. Configure environment:

   cp .env.example .env

Edit .env with your FastTransfer path

1. Add to Claude Code configuration (~/.claude.json):

   {

"mcpServers": { "fasttransfer": { "type": "stdio", "command": "python", "args": ["/absolute/path/to/fasttransfer-mcp/src/server.py"], "env": { "FASTTRANSFER_PATH": "/absolute/path/to/fasttransfer/FastTransfer" } } } }

1. Restart Claude Code to load the MCP server.

1. Verify installation:

   # In Claude Code, run:

/mcp

You should see "fasttransfer: connected"

Configuration

Environment Variables

Edit .env to configure:

# Path to FastTransfer binary (required)

FASTTRANSFER_PATH=./fasttransfer/FastTransfer

Execution timeout in seconds (default: 1800 = 30 minutes)

FASTTRANSFER_TIMEOUT=1800

Log directory (default: ./logs)

FASTTRANSFER_LOG_DIR=./logs

Log level (default: INFO)

LOG_LEVEL=INFO

Connection Options

The server supports multiple ways to authenticate and connect:

Transfer Options

Usage Examples

PostgreSQL to SQL Server Transfer

User: "Copy the 'orders' table from PostgreSQL (localhost:5432, database: sales_db,

schema: public) to SQL Server (localhost:1433, database: warehouse, schema: dbo). Use parallel transfer and truncate the target first."

Claude Code will:

1. Call suggest_parallelism_method to recommend Ctid for PostgreSQL
2. Call preview_transfer_command with your parameters
3. Show the command with masked passwords
4. Explain what will happen
5. Ask for confirmation
6. Execute with execute_transfer when you approve

File Import via DuckDB Stream

User: "Import /data/export.parquet into the SQL Server 'staging' table

using DuckDB stream."

Claude Code will use duckdbstream source type with file_input parameter.

Check Version and Capabilities

User: "What version of FastTransfer is installed?"

Claude Code will call get_version and display the detected version, supported source/target types, and available features.

Two-Step Safety Process

This server implements a mandatory two-step process:

1. Preview - Always use preview_transfer_command first
2. Execute - Use execute_transfer with confirmation: true

You cannot execute without previewing first and confirming.

Security

• Passwords and connection strings are masked in all output and logs
• Sensitive flags masked: --sourcepassword, --targetpassword, --sourceconnectstring, --targetconnectstring, -x, -X, -g, -G
• Use environment variables for sensitive configuration
• Review commands carefully before executing
• Use minimum required database permissions

Testing

Run the test suite:

# Run all tests

python -m pytest tests/ -v

Run with coverage

python -m pytest tests/ --cov=src --cov-report=html

Project Structure

fasttransfer-mcp/

src/ init.py server.py # MCP server (tool definitions, handlers) fasttransfer.py # Command builder, executor, suggestions validators.py # Pydantic models, enums, validation version.py # Version detection and capabilities registry tests/ init.py test_command_builder.py test_validators.py test_version.py .env.example requirements.txt CHANGELOG.md README.md

License

This MCP server wrapper is provided as-is. FastTransfer itself is a separate product from Arpe.io.

Related Links

• FastTransfer Documentation
• Model Context Protocol