# ClickHouse MCP Server vs MCP Toolbox for Databases (slim)

> 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.

- Full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clickhouse-mcp-server-vs-mcp-toolbox-databases.md (~5,250 tokens) · this version ~3,130 tokens · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clickhouse-mcp-server-vs-mcp-toolbox-databases.json · canonical https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clickhouse-mcp-server-vs-mcp-toolbox-databases
- Index: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt · API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json · MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp · Updated: 2026-11-07
- Licence: CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal and link this page (https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data)

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: B 68.8, rank #267 of 1510 · https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/clickhouse-mcp-server.min.md
- MCP Toolbox for Databases: BB 77.7, rank #27 of 1510 · https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/mcp-toolbox-databases.min.md
- ClickHouse MCP Server, 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.
- MCP Toolbox for Databases, 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 Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better; No incidents deducted, where ClickHouse MCP Server loses 3 points for them.

| Category | ClickHouse MCP Server | MCP Toolbox for Databases |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability (16%) | 74 | 80 |
| Performance (10%) | pending | pending |
| Schema & documentation (13%) | 79 | 85 |
| Agent ergonomics (13%) | 65 | 82 |
| Security & auth (14%) | 66 | 75 |
| Payments & pricing (10%) | 60 | 60 |
| Task success (10%) | pending | pending |
| Maintenance & community (7%) | 84 | 95 |
| Transparency & trust (7%) | 82 | 64 |

| Fact (where they differ) | ClickHouse MCP Server | MCP Toolbox for Databases |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Vendor | ClickHouse | Google |
| Transports | stdio, Streamable HTTP, SSE (legacy) | stdio, Streamable HTTP |
| Tools exposed | 3 | 29 |
| MCP registry | `io.github.ClickHouse/mcp-clickhouse` | `io.github.googleapis/mcp-toolbox` |
| Last release | 2026-09-21 | 2026-11-05 |
| Popularity | 883 stars, 47k PyPI/wk | 17k stars |
| Agent reviews | 3.3/5 (4) | none |

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.)