Boxtalk Data MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides SQL Server database operations with pagination, table structure inspection, and record counting capabilities.

Features

Get Table Data: Retrieve paginated data from any SQL Server table
Get Record Count: Get the total number of records in a table
Get Table Structure: View table schema including columns, data types, primary keys, and foreign keys
Configurable Connection: Easy database configuration via JSON file
Enforced Pagination: Prevents large data dumps with configurable page sizes (max 1000 records per page)

Prerequisites

Node.js (v16 or higher)
SQL Server database (local or remote)
Database credentials with read access

Installation

Clone or navigate to this directory
Install dependencies:

npm install

Create your configuration file:

cp config.example.json config.json

Edit config.json with your database credentials:

{
  "database": {
    "user": "your_username",
    "password": "your_password",
    "server": "localhost",
    "database": "your_database_name",
    "options": {
      "encrypt": true,
      "trustServerCertificate": false,
      "enableArithAbort": true
    },
    "pool": {
      "max": 10,
      "min": 0,
      "idleTimeoutMillis": 30000
    }
  }
}

Configuration Options

user: SQL Server username
password: SQL Server password
server: SQL Server hostname or IP address
database: Database name
options.encrypt: Enable encryption (recommended for production)
options.trustServerCertificate: Set to true for local development with self-signed certificates
pool.max: Maximum number of connections in the pool
pool.min: Minimum number of connections in the pool
pool.idleTimeoutMillis: Time before idle connections are closed

Alternative Configuration

You can also specify a custom configuration file path using the DB_CONFIG_PATH environment variable:

DB_CONFIG_PATH=/path/to/custom/config.json node index.js

Usage with Claude Desktop

To use this MCP server with Claude Desktop, add it to your Claude Desktop configuration file:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.jsonWindows: %APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "boxtalk-data": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/boxtalk-data-mcp/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "DB_CONFIG_PATH": "/path/to/boxtalk-data-mcp/config.json"
      }
    }
  }
}

After adding the configuration, restart Claude Desktop.

Available Tools

1. get_table_data

Retrieve paginated data from a SQL Server table.

Parameters:

table (required): Table name (e.g., "Users" or "dbo.Users")
page (optional): Page number, defaults to 1
pageSize (optional): Records per page (1-1000), defaults to 100
orderBy (optional): Column to order by, defaults to first column

Example:

Get the first 50 records from the Users table, ordered by UserId

2. get_table_count

Get the total count of records in a table.

Parameters:

table (required): Table name (e.g., "Users" or "dbo.Users")

Example:

How many records are in the Orders table?

3. get_table_structure

Get the structure/schema of a table including columns, data types, and constraints.

Parameters:

table (required): Table name (e.g., "Users" or "dbo.Users")

Example:

Show me the structure of the Products table

Testing

You can test the server using the MCP inspector:

npm install -g @modelcontextprotocol/inspector
mcp-inspector node index.js

Security Considerations

Never commit config.json to version control
Use strong database passwords
Grant only necessary permissions to the database user
Enable encryption for production environments
Consider using environment variables for sensitive credentials

Troubleshooting

Connection Errors

If you encounter connection errors:

Verify SQL Server is running and accessible
Check firewall settings allow connection on SQL Server port (default 1433)
Confirm credentials are correct
For local development with self-signed certificates, set trustServerCertificate: true

Authentication Issues

For Windows Authentication, modify config.json:

{
  "database": {
    "server": "localhost",
    "database": "your_database_name",
    "options": {
      "trustedConnection": true,
      "encrypt": true,
      "trustServerCertificate": true
    }
  }
}

Table Not Found

Ensure you specify the correct schema (e.g., "dbo.TableName" instead of just "TableName").

License

MIT

Boxtalk Data MCP Server