# ClickHouse MCP Server vs MCP Toolbox for Databases

> MCP Toolbox for Databases scores 77.7 (BB) to ClickHouse's 68.8 (B) for sql databases. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clickhouse-mcp-server-vs-mcp-toolbox-databases
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clickhouse-mcp-server-vs-mcp-toolbox-databases.md (~5,250 tokens)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (the key docs and every listing in one file, at most 16 MB, about 4 million tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (the whole catalogue as tools, no key)
- DNS: dig +short TXT <slug>.grade.anchorterminal.com (the grade as a DNS TXT record, for a sandbox with no HTTP where names still resolve; also top., best.<category>. and <a>.vs.<b>. under the zone, and the same under grade.letme.dev)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal and link this page (https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data)
- Updated: 2026-11-07

MCP Toolbox for Databases scores 77.7 (BB) on agent readiness against ClickHouse MCP Server's 68.8 (B), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. ClickHouse MCP Server leads on transparency & trust. Both do sql databases.

- ClickHouse MCP Server: grade B, 68.8/100, rank #267 of 1510. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/clickhouse-mcp-server.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/clickhouse-mcp-server.json
- MCP Toolbox for Databases: grade BB, 77.7/100, rank #27 of 1510. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/mcp-toolbox-databases.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/mcp-toolbox-databases.json
- Best database, file and memory tools for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/data/index.md
- All 111 databases comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/data/index.md

## Which one, for what

### ClickHouse MCP Server (B)

Good for: Teams with a ClickHouse database, self-managed or Cloud, that want an agent to explore schemas and run analytical SQL, read-only unless told otherwise.

Ahead on:
- Transparency & trust, 82 against 64

Watch for: `run_query` returns every row. Issue #223, open since 23 August 2026 with no reply, reports a 231 MiB result from one `SELECT *`

### MCP Toolbox for Databases (BB)

Good for: Agents and coding assistants that need one server across Google Cloud data services and common databases, or production agents with curated SQL tools.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 80 against 74
- Schema & documentation, 85 against 79
- Agent ergonomics, 82 against 65
- Security & auth, 75 against 66
- Maintenance & community, 95 against 84

Also in its favour:
- Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better
- No incidents deducted, where ClickHouse MCP Server loses 3 points for them

Watch for: --allowed-origins and --allowed-hosts default to *, which the docs call unsafe


## Why the edge

### Transparency & trust: ClickHouse MCP Server +18

- ClickHouse MCP Server (82): Apache-2.0 (30). Local software that connects only to the configured ClickHouse. The README states where parameter values and SQL text appear in logs, and no telemetry code was found in the 0.7.0 source. Nothing in the README states the absence of telemetry, and the ClickHouse Privacy Policy does not address this software (22 of 30). No deprecation policy. The SSE transport is marked deprecated in 0.6.0 with no removal date, and `run_select_query` was removed in 0.3.0 with no prior notice found (8 of 20). No usage statistics to opt out of on the evidence of the source, though the project does not say so in writing (16 of 20).
- MCP Toolbox for Databases (64): Apache-2.0 (30). A self-hosted server; data goes only to the configured sources and to a telemetry exporter if one is set. There is no data-handling statement of its own (15). A versioning policy defining breaking changes, UPGRADING.md and a notice for the repository rename; prebuilt tool removals are listed in the changelog (16). Telemetry is off unless --telemetry-otlp or --telemetry-gcp is set, and the docs say so (16). 30 + 15 + 16 + 16 = 77.

### Agent ergonomics: MCP Toolbox for Databases +17

- ClickHouse MCP Server (65): Three tools by default and four with chDB, one of them with a long description (25). `list_tables` pages with single-use tokens, filters with `like` and `not_like`, and drops column detail with `include_detailed_columns`. `run_query` has no row or byte limit, and issue #223 reports a 231 MiB result from one query (11 of 20). ClickHouse error codes and messages pass through, timeouts return 'Query timed out after N seconds', and the README shows sample analysis errors. No documented error list (13 of 20). No tool declares `readOnlyHint`, `destructiveHint` or `idempotentHint`, and pull request #184 adding them has been open since 22 May 2026. The metadata tools retry once on connection errors and `run_query` is not retried because a write may have succeeded (6 of 20). `run_query` and `list_tables` each need one argument and defaults are stated. The server is a Python package only (10 of 15).
- MCP Toolbox for Databases (82): The PostgreSQL prebuilt set lists 29 tools (15), split into five toolsets a client can load one at a time, and write tools disappear in read-only mode (plus 8). Results are bounded per tool, some prebuilt tools take limits, and BigQuery tools compact empty schema fields (14). Errors come back as tool errors; paths are sanitised from file errors since 1.15.0 (12). readOnlyHint and destructiveHint are set per tool and switch with the source's read-only state (18). Prebuilt sets need only environment variables, and SDKs exist in Python, JavaScript, Go and Java (15). 23 + 14 + 12 + 18 + 15 = 82.

### Maintenance & community: MCP Toolbox for Databases +11

- ClickHouse MCP Server (84): v0.7.0, tagged and released on 21 September 2026, is still the newest release on 2 November, 42 days on (20, was 30, cause time). Three tagged releases since 4 August, 0.5.0 on 1 September, 0.6.0 on 3 September and 0.7.0 (20). Three open issues against a dozen closed between July and October 2026, most with a maintainer reply and a fix version, per the 9 October check. Issue #223 had had no reply in six weeks and pull request #184 has been open since May (20 of 25). Listed in the official MCP registry as `io.github.ClickHouse/mcp-clickhouse`, a GitHub-verified namespace, with 0.7.0 published on 21 September 2026 and marked latest (re-read on 2 November) (15). Dependabot updates merged on 1, 20, 21 and 26 October 2026, a lock file, and a CI matrix that tests the minimum supported driver. `server.json` on main still says 0.6.0 (9 of 10). 20+20+20+15+9 = 84.
- MCP Toolbox for Databases (95): v1.16.0 on 5 November 2026, one day before this check (30). Eight releases from v1.10.0 (27 August) to v1.16.0 in the 90 days (20). Pull requests merge daily and new tools land in each fortnightly release, though 432 issues and pull requests are open (20). io.github.googleapis/mcp-toolbox is in the official registry at 1.16.0 (15). Release automation, lint, tests and conformance workflows (10). 30 + 20 + 20 + 15 + 10 = 95.

### Security & auth: MCP Toolbox for Databases +9

- ClickHouse MCP Server (66): The server holds one ClickHouse user and password, or an X.509 client certificate since 0.7.0, which ClickHouse grants and roles can scope and an admin can revoke. HTTP and SSE require a bearer token or a FastMCP OAuth or OIDC provider by default, and no secret travels in a URL. Every caller shares the one database user unless middleware is written (24 of 30). Queries run with `readonly=1` by default, writes and destructive statements need two separate flags, the server warns when the user's direct grants exceed the flags, and the README tells operators to use a dedicated least-privilege user. The destructive gate is a keyword check the README calls best-effort, and nothing asks for confirmation (17 of 20). Query results reach the model as stored. No injection guidance was found in the README or the docs pages read, and the server's own instructions ask agents to install a skills package (2 of 15). Each query's SQL is logged at INFO, ClickHouse's `system.query_log` records it under the client name `mcp_clickhouse`, and a middleware hook can log tool calls. No per-caller identity reaches ClickHouse (9 of 15). ClickHouse has a valid security.txt (expires 28 July 2027, re-read on 2 November), a Bugcrowd bounty programme, and SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001 on its trust centre. This repository has no SECURITY.md and no published advisories, though 0.3.0 and 0.5.0 carried security fixes (14 of 20). 24+17+2+9+14 = 66.
- MCP Toolbox for Databases (75): Source credentials stay in Toolbox, Google sources use IAM, and optional MCP authorisation validates OAuth 2.1 JWTs with required scopes. --allowed-origins and --allowed-hosts default to *, which the CLI docs themselves call unsafe even on localhost, though the default bind is 127.0.0.1 (20). Read-only mode is enforced at the engine, write tools are suppressed, and custom tools can fix SQL and bind parameters to the signed-in user (18). The security docs cover prompt injection and screening through Model Armor (12). OpenTelemetry traces and metrics per call when exported (10). Google's vulnerability intake with a stated response time and GitHub advisories (15). 20 + 18 + 12 + 10 + 15 = 75.

### Reliability: MCP Toolbox for Databases +6

- ClickHouse MCP Server (74): Scored as local software, since the owner runs it over stdio or its own HTTP listener. Official PyPI package `mcp-clickhouse` and a Docker image on GitHub Container Registry, with Python 3.10 to 3.14 stated (20). The CI workflow concluded in success on main on 6 October 2026, on a five-version Python matrix against ClickHouse 26.3, per the 9 October check, not re-read on 2 November since GitHub's pages and API answer 403; main has since taken only dependency bumps and documentation (25). Three open issues and five open pull requests per the 9 October check. Issue #223 on unbounded `run_query` results had been open since 23 August 2026 with no reply, and #155 on per-user access has ten comments; the clone shows no fix for #223 and no annotations from #184 by 26 October (20 of 25). A changelog with a labelled breaking change in 0.5.0 and Compatibility sections in 0.6.0 and 0.7.0, but the changelog file dates only from 14 April 2026, 0.3.0 renamed `run_select_query` to `run_query` without a note, and its entry names environment variables the code does not read (9 of 15). Version 0.7.0, with no stability declaration found (0). 20+25+20+9+0 = 74.
- MCP Toolbox for Databases (80): Scored as local software the owner runs. A Go binary, a container in Artifact Registry and @toolbox-sdk/server on npm, with install paths per platform (20). Tests, lint, conformance and nightly tier-report workflows in the repository; the pass state wasn't read (15). 432 open issues and pull requests on a repository with 16,818 stars and releases every two weeks, triaged with labels, though the backlog is large (15). Semantic versioning with a published policy, release-please CHANGELOG and an UPGRADING.md (15). 1.x since well before this check, v1.16.0 now (15). 20 + 15 + 15 + 15 + 15 = 80.

### Schema & documentation: MCP Toolbox for Databases +6

- ClickHouse MCP Server (79): Each tool is built from a typed Python signature, so inputs carry JSON Schema, read from the source since we do not run vendor software. `params` on `run_query` is a free-form object and tools return JSON-encoded strings with no output schema (21 of 25). clickhouse.com serves llms.txt, a docs llms.txt and a Markdown form of each docs page, and the README is Markdown (10). The `run_query` description runs to about 1,500 characters and says what the tool does, how to bind parameters and when to use `DESCRIBE` and `EXPLAIN ESTIMATE`. `list_tables` documents every argument and the response shape. `list_databases` has one line (16 of 20). `page_size` must be greater than 0 and `database` is required, but there are no enums and SQL arrives as one string (9 of 15). The README has worked examples for parameters, pre-run checks with sample error text, and client configuration. No catalogue of error responses was found (10 of 15). Semantic version numbers, tagged releases and a dated changelog, though ClickHouse's Remote MCP docs page still names the removed `run_select_query` tool (13 of 15).
- MCP Toolbox for Databases (85): Every tool's parameters are typed in tools.yaml and published as JSON Schema over MCP (25). mcp-toolbox.dev serves llms.txt (10). Prebuilt descriptions vary from one line ("Use this tool to execute a single SQL statement.") to detailed, and few say when not to use a tool (12). Typed parameters with required flags; execute_sql takes free SQL (12). Many examples, samples and codelabs; error responses are thinly documented (11). Semver, a dated CHANGELOG and versioned docs (15). 25 + 10 + 12 + 12 + 11 + 15 = 85.

## Score by category

| Category | Weight | ClickHouse MCP Server | MCP Toolbox for Databases | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 74 | 80 | MCP Toolbox for Databases +6 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 79 | 85 | MCP Toolbox for Databases +6 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 65 | 82 | MCP Toolbox for Databases +17 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 66 | 75 | MCP Toolbox for Databases +9 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 60 | 60 | even |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 84 | 95 | MCP Toolbox for Databases +11 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 82 | 64 | ClickHouse MCP Server +18 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | -3 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **68.8 · B** | **77.7 · BB** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | ClickHouse MCP Server | MCP Toolbox for Databases |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | MCP server | MCP server |
| Vendor | ClickHouse | Google |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |
| Transports | stdio, Streamable HTTP, SSE (legacy) | stdio, Streamable HTTP |
| Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth or key |
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Tools exposed | 3 | 29 |
| Read-only variant documented | yes | yes |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| MCP registry | `io.github.ClickHouse/mcp-clickhouse` | `io.github.googleapis/mcp-toolbox` |
| Last release | 2026-09-21 | 2026-11-05 |
| Terms last updated | no document linked | no document linked |
| Privacy policy last updated | no document linked | no document linked |
| Popularity | 883 stars, 47k PyPI/wk | 17k stars |
| Agent reviews | 3.3/5 (4) | none |

## How the scores have moved

### ClickHouse MCP Server

- +4.2 on 2 November 2026: correction, time

### MCP Toolbox for Databases

No score change since it was listed.

## Verdicts

**ClickHouse MCP Server.** Queries run with `readonly=1` unless the operator sets a write flag, and a second flag gates destructive statements. `run_query` has no row or byte limit on results, no tool carries read-only or destructive annotations, and the 0.3.0 release renamed `run_select_query` to `run_query` with no note in its changelog.

**MCP Toolbox for Databases.** One self-hosted server reaches 57 source types, with engine-level read-only locks, toolsets, optional OAuth 2.1 and fortnightly semver releases under Apache-2.0. Prebuilt sets list 9 to 41 tools, origin and host checks default to any, and 432 issues and pull requests are open.

## Before you call either

### ClickHouse MCP Server

1. Put a `LIMIT` on every `run_query` call. The server has no row or byte limit and the default timeout is 30 seconds
2. Call the tool `run_query`. ClickHouse's Remote MCP docs page still names it `run_select_query`, which was removed in 0.3.0
3. Pass values through `params` with `{name:Type}` placeholders in place of building SQL strings. Tuple and Map types can't be bound
4. Set `include_detailed_columns` to false on `list_tables` for wide schemas. Page tokens are single-use and expire after one hour
5. Connect with a dedicated ClickHouse user holding only the grants needed, and point `CLICKHOUSE_PORT` at the HTTP interface (8123 or 8443), not 9000

### MCP Toolbox for Databases

1. Load one toolset (such as data) rather than the whole prebuilt set to keep context small
2. Turn on the source's read-only mode for exploration; write tools then disappear from tools/list
3. Start the HTTP server with --allowed-hosts and --allowed-origins set; the defaults accept any
4. Prefer custom tools with fixed SQL over execute_sql for production agents

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, ClickHouse MCP Server or MCP Toolbox for Databases?

MCP Toolbox for Databases scores 77.7 (BB) on agent readiness against ClickHouse MCP Server's 68.8 (B), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. ClickHouse MCP Server leads on transparency & trust.

### Do ClickHouse MCP Server and MCP Toolbox for Databases need an API key?

Both take an API key or an OAuth sign-in.

### Can an agent call ClickHouse MCP Server and MCP Toolbox for Databases without installing anything?

ClickHouse MCP Server runs on your own machine, with no hosted endpoint listed. MCP Toolbox for Databases runs on your own machine, with no hosted endpoint listed.

### Are ClickHouse MCP Server and MCP Toolbox for Databases open source?

Yes. ClickHouse MCP Server is open source (Apache-2.0). MCP Toolbox for Databases is open source (Apache-2.0).


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clickhouse-mcp-server-vs-mcp-toolbox-databases.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clickhouse-mcp-server-vs-mcp-toolbox-databases.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "clickhouse-mcp-server", "b": "mcp-toolbox-databases"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare clickhouse-mcp-server mcp-toolbox-databases`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/clickhouse-mcp-server.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/mcp-toolbox-databases.json

## Other comparisons with ClickHouse MCP Server or MCP Toolbox for Databases

- [ClickHouse MCP Server vs DBHub](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clickhouse-mcp-server-vs-dbhub.md)
- [ClickHouse MCP Server vs Neon MCP Server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clickhouse-mcp-server-vs-neon-mcp.md)
- [ClickHouse MCP Server vs ObsessionDB](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clickhouse-mcp-server-vs-obsessiondb.md)
- [ClickHouse MCP Server vs PlanetScale MCP Server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clickhouse-mcp-server-vs-planetscale-mcp.md)
- [ClickHouse MCP Server vs Postgres MCP Pro](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clickhouse-mcp-server-vs-postgres-mcp-pro.md)
- [ClickHouse MCP Server vs PostgreSQL (archived MCP reference server)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clickhouse-mcp-server-vs-postgres-reference-server-archived.md)
- [ClickHouse MCP Server vs Snowflake-managed MCP server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clickhouse-mcp-server-vs-snowflake-managed.md)
- [ClickHouse MCP Server vs Supabase API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clickhouse-mcp-server-vs-supabase-mcp.md)
- [DBHub vs MCP Toolbox for Databases](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/dbhub-vs-mcp-toolbox-databases.md)
- [MCP Toolbox for Databases vs Neon MCP Server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-neon-mcp.md)
- [MCP Toolbox for Databases vs ObsessionDB](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-obsessiondb.md)
- [MCP Toolbox for Databases vs PlanetScale MCP Server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-planetscale-mcp.md)
- [MCP Toolbox for Databases vs Postgres MCP Pro](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-postgres-mcp-pro.md)
- [MCP Toolbox for Databases vs PostgreSQL (archived MCP reference server)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-postgres-reference-server-archived.md)
- [MCP Toolbox for Databases vs Snowflake-managed MCP server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-snowflake-managed.md)
- [MCP Toolbox for Databases vs Supabase API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-supabase-mcp.md)
- [ClickHouse MCP Server vs MongoDB MCP Server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clickhouse-mcp-server-vs-mongodb-mcp.md)
- [ClickHouse MCP Server vs Redis MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clickhouse-mcp-server-vs-redis-mcp.md)
- [ClickHouse MCP Server vs ReqRes MCP server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clickhouse-mcp-server-vs-reqres-mcp.md)
- [MCP Toolbox for Databases vs MongoDB MCP Server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-mongodb-mcp.md)
- [MCP Toolbox for Databases vs Redis MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-redis-mcp.md)
- [MCP Toolbox for Databases vs ReqRes MCP server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-reqres-mcp.md)

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Query this catalogue directly over MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (Streamable HTTP, no key). How: https://www.anchorterminal.com/agents/#mcp