nile-mcp

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server implementation for Nile database platform. This server allows LLM applications to interact with Nile platform through a standardized interface.

Features

• Database Management: Create, list, get details, and delete databases

• Credential Management: Create and list database credentials

• Region Management: List available regions for database creation

• SQL Query Support: Execute SQL queries directly on Nile databases

• MCP Protocol Support: Full implementation of the Model Context Protocol

• Type Safety: Written in TypeScript with full type checking

• Error Handling: Comprehensive error handling and user-friendly error messages

• Test Coverage: Comprehensive test suite using Jest

• Environment Management: Automatic loading of environment variables from .env file

• Input Validation: Schema-based input validation using Zod

Related MCP server: MCP LLMS-TXT Documentation Server

Installation

Install the stable version:

For the latest alpha/preview version:

This will install @niledatabase/nile-mcp-server in your node_modules folder. For example: node_modules/@niledatabase/nile-mcp-server/dist/

Manual Installation

Other mcp package managers

1. npx @michaellatman/mcp-get@latest install @niledatabase/nile-mcp-server

Starting the Server

There are several ways to start the server:

1. Direct Node Execution:

   node dist/index.js

2. Development Mode (with auto-rebuild):

   npm run dev

The server will start and listen for MCP protocol messages. You should see startup logs indicating:

• Environment variables loaded

• Server instance created

• Tools initialized

• Transport connection established

To stop the server, press Ctrl+C.

Verifying the Server is Running

When the server starts successfully, you should see logs similar to:

If you see these logs, the server is ready to accept commands from Claude Desktop.

Configuration

Create a .env file in the root directory with your Nile credentials:

To create a Nile API key, log in to your Nile account, click Workspaces in the top-left, select your workspace, and navigate to the Security section in the left menu.

Using with Claude Desktop

Setup

1. Install Claude Desktop if you haven't already

2. Build the project:

   npm run build

3. Open Claude Desktop

4. Go to Settings > MCP Servers

5. Click "Add Server"

6. Add the following configuration:

Replace:

• /path/to/your/nile-mcp-server with the absolute path to your project directory

• your_api_key_here with your Nile API key

• your_workspace_slug with your Nile workspace slug

Using with Cursor

Setup

1. Install Cursor if you haven't already

2. Build the project:

   npm run build

3. Open Cursor

4. Go to Settings (⌘,) > Features > MCP Servers

5. Click "Add New MCP Server"

6. Configure the server:

   • Name: nile-database (or any name you prefer)

   • Command:

     env NILE_API_KEY=your_key NILE_WORKSPACE_SLUG=your_workspace node /absolute/path/to/nile-mcp-server/dist/index.js

     Replace:

     • your_key with your Nile API key

     • your_workspace with your Nile workspace slug

     • /absolute/path/to with the actual path to your project

7. Click "Save"

8. You should see a green indicator showing that the MCP server is connected

9. Restart Cursor for the changes to take effect

Server Modes

The server supports two operational modes:

STDIO Mode (Default)

The default mode uses standard input/output for communication, making it compatible with Claude Desktop and Cursor integrations.

SSE Mode

Server-Sent Events (SSE) mode enables real-time, event-driven communication over HTTP.

To enable SSE mode:

1. Set MCP_SERVER_MODE=sse in your .env file

2. The server will start an HTTP server (default port 3000)

3. Connect to the SSE endpoint: http://localhost:3000/sse

4. Send commands to: http://localhost:3000/messages

Example SSE usage with curl:

Example Prompts

After setting up the MCP server in Cursor, you can use natural language to interact with Nile databases. Here are some example prompts:

Database Management

Creating Tables

Querying Data

Schema Management

Available Tools

The server provides the following tools for interacting with Nile databases:

Database Management

1. create-database

   • Creates a new Nile database

   • Parameters:

     • name (string): Name of the database

     • region (string): Either AWS_US_WEST_2 (Oregon) or AWS_EU_CENTRAL_1 (Frankfurt)

   • Returns: Database details including ID, name, region, and status

   • Example: "Create a database named 'my-app' in AWS_US_WEST_2"

2. list-databases

   • Lists all databases in your workspace

   • No parameters required

   • Returns: List of databases with their IDs, names, regions, and status

   • Example: "List all my databases"

3. get-database

   • Gets detailed information about a specific database

   • Parameters:

     • name (string): Name of the database

   • Returns: Detailed database information including API host and DB host

   • Example: "Get details for database 'my-app'"

4. delete-database

   • Deletes a database

   • Parameters:

     • name (string): Name of the database to delete

   • Returns: Confirmation message

   • Example: "Delete database 'my-app'"

Credential Management

1. list-credentials

   • Lists all credentials for a database

   • Parameters:

     • databaseName (string): Name of the database

   • Returns: List of credentials with IDs, usernames, and creation dates

   • Example: "List credentials for database 'my-app'"

2. create-credential

   • Creates new credentials for a database

   • Parameters:

     • databaseName (string): Name of the database

   • Returns: New credential details including username and one-time password

   • Example: "Create new credentials for database 'my-app'"

   • Note: Save the password when it's displayed, as it won't be shown again

Region Management

1. list-regions

   • Lists all available regions for creating databases

   • No parameters required

   • Returns: List of available AWS regions

   • Example: "What regions are available for creating databases?"

SQL Query Execution

1. execute-sql

   • Executes SQL queries on a Nile database

   • Parameters:

     • databaseName (string): Name of the database to query

     • query (string): SQL query to execute

     • connectionString (string, optional): Pre-existing connection string to use for the query

   • Returns: Query results formatted as a markdown table with column headers and row count

   • Features:

     • Automatic credential management (creates new if not specified)

     • Secure SSL connection to database

     • Results formatted as markdown tables

     • Detailed error messages with hints

     • Support for using existing connection strings

   • Example: "Execute SELECT * FROM users LIMIT 5 on database 'my-app'"

Resource Management

1. read-resource

   • Reads schema information for database resources (tables, views, etc.)

   • Parameters:

     • databaseName (string): Name of the database

     • resourceName (string): Name of the resource (table/view)

   • Returns: Detailed schema information including:

     • Column names and types

     • Primary keys and indexes

     • Foreign key relationships

     • Column descriptions and constraints

   • Example: "Show me the schema for the users table in my-app"

2. list-resources

   • Lists all resources (tables, views) in a database

   • Parameters:

     • databaseName (string): Name of the database

   • Returns: List of all resources with their types

   • Example: "List all tables in my-app database"

Tenant Management

1. list-tenants

   • Lists all tenants in a database

   • Parameters:

     • databaseName (string): Name of the database

   • Returns: List of tenants with their IDs and metadata

   • Example: "Show all tenants in my-app database"

2. create-tenant

   • Creates a new tenant in a database

   • Parameters:

     • databaseName (string): Name of the database

     • tenantName (string): Name for the new tenant

   • Returns: New tenant details including ID

   • Example: "Create a tenant named 'acme-corp' in my-app"

3. delete-tenant

   • Deletes tenants in the database

   • Parameters:

     • databaseName (string): Name of the database

     • tenantName (string): Name for the tenant

   • Returns: Success if the tenant is deleted

   • Example: "Delete tenant named 'acme-corp' in my-app"

Example Usage

Here are some example commands you can use in Claude Desktop:

Response Format

All tools return responses in a standardized format:

• Success responses include relevant data and confirmation messages

• Error responses include detailed error messages and HTTP status codes

• SQL query results are formatted as markdown tables

• All responses are formatted for easy reading in Claude Desktop

Error Handling

The server handles various error scenarios:

• Invalid API credentials

• Network connectivity issues

• Invalid database names or regions

• Missing required parameters

• Database operation failures

• SQL syntax errors with helpful hints

• Rate limiting and API restrictions

Troubleshooting

1. If Claude says it can't access the tools:

   • Check that the server path in the configuration is correct

   • Ensure the project is built (npm run build)

   • Verify your API key and workspace slug are correct

   • Restart Claude Desktop

2. If database creation fails:

   • Check your API key permissions

   • Ensure the database name is unique in your workspace

   • Verify the region is one of the supported options

3. If credential operations fail:

   • Verify the database exists and is in the READY state

   • Check that your API key has the necessary permissions

Development

Project Structure

Key Files

• server.ts: Main server implementation with tool registration and transport handling

• tools.ts: Implementation of all database operations and SQL query execution

• types.ts: TypeScript interfaces for database operations and responses

• logger.ts: Structured logging with daily rotation and debug support

• index.ts: Server startup and environment configuration

• server.test.ts: Comprehensive test suite for all functionality

Development

Development Scripts

The following npm scripts are available:

• npm run build: Compiles TypeScript to JavaScript

• npm start: Starts the server in production mode

• npm run dev: Starts the server in development mode with auto-rebuild

• npm test: Runs the test suite

• npm run lint: Runs ESLint for code quality checking

• npm run clean: Removes build artifacts

Testing

The project includes a comprehensive test suite that covers:

• Tool registration and schema validation

• Database management operations

• Connection string generation

• SQL query execution and error handling

• Response formatting and error cases

Run the tests with:

Logging

The server uses structured logging with the following features:

• Daily rotating log files

• Separate debug logs

• JSON formatted logs with timestamps

• Console output for development

• Log categories: info, error, debug, api, sql, startup

License

MIT License - See LICENSE for details.

Related Links

• Model Context Protocol

• Nile Database

• Claude Desktop

• Cursor