How to use the SQLite MCP server

Identify the SQLite database you want your AI to access. Common locations include application data directories, project folders, and exported data files. SQLite databases typically have .db, .sqlite, or .sqlite3 file extensions. If you do not have one yet, the server can create a new database at the path you specify.

1Common SQLite database locations:
2- iOS apps: ~/Library/Developer/CoreSimulator/.../Documents/*.db
3- Android apps: data/data/<package>/databases/*.db
4- Browser data: ~/.config/chromium/Default/History
5- Project data: ./data/app.db
6- New database: any path you choose, e.g., ~/Projects/my-data.db

Open your MCP host's configuration file and add a sqlite entry. The database file path is passed as the last argument in the args array. Use the @modelcontextprotocol/server-sqlite package with npx -y for automatic installation.

1{
2  "mcpServers": {
3    "sqlite": {
4      "command": "npx",
5      "args": [
6        "-y",
7        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-sqlite",
8        "/Users/me/Projects/my-data.db"
9      ]
10    }
11  }
12}

Fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop, Cursor, or VS Code. The SQLite server will open (or create) the database file at the specified path. Its tools should appear in the available tools list. In Claude Desktop, the hammer icon indicates the tools are ready.

Start by asking the AI to list tables and describe the schema. This is the safest first step and helps you understand what data is available before running queries.

1Example prompts:
2
3"What tables are in this database and what columns does each have?"
4
5"Describe the schema of the users table including data types"
6
7"How many rows are in each table?"

Ask questions about your data in plain English. The AI translates your questions into SQL queries, executes them against the SQLite database, and presents the results. Unlike the PostgreSQL MCP server, the SQLite server typically allows both read and write operations since SQLite databases are local files.

1Example prompts:
2
3"Show me the 10 most recent entries in the activity_log table"
4
5"How many users signed up each month? Show a breakdown"
6
7"Find all records where the status column is 'pending' and the amount is over 100"

Since SQLite databases are local files, the server allows write operations. You can ask the AI to create tables, insert data, update records, and even design schemas from scratch. This makes the SQLite MCP server ideal for prototyping database designs.

1Example prompts:
2
3"Create a table called 'bookmarks' with columns for id, url, title, tags, and created_at"
4
5"Insert 5 sample bookmark records with realistic data"
6
7"Add an 'archived' boolean column to the bookmarks table with a default of false"