{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "mcp-toolbox-databases", "name": "MCP Toolbox for Databases", "vendor": "Google", "vendorUrl": "https://mcp-toolbox.dev", "kind": "mcp", "category": "data", "summary": "MCP Toolbox for Databases is Google's open-source MCP server for more than 30 data sources, among them BigQuery, AlloyDB, Cloud SQL, Spanner and PostgreSQL. It runs as a binary or container with prebuilt or custom tools from tools.yaml.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/mcp-toolbox-databases", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/mcp-toolbox-databases.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/mcp-toolbox-databases.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/mcp-toolbox-databases.json", "dns": "mcp-toolbox-databases.grade.anchorterminal.com", "repo": "https://github.com/googleapis/mcp-toolbox", "license": "Apache-2.0", "transports": [ "stdio", "streamable-http" ], "packages": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "@toolbox-sdk/server" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "toolbox-core" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@toolbox-sdk/core" } ], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "Toolbox holds the source credentials (database users and passwords from environment variables, or Google Application Default Credentials and IAM for Google sources). Clients need nothing by default. Optional MCP authorisation makes Toolbox an OAuth 2.1 resource server that validates JWT bearer tokens against a configured authorisation server and required scopes, and publishes protected-resource metadata. authServices can also bind tool parameters to a signed-in user's claims. The HTTP server listens on 127.0.0.1 by default, but --allowed-origins and --allowed-hosts default to *.", "pricing": "free", "pricingNotes": "Free and Apache-2.0, run on your own machine or your own Cloud Run service. Google Cloud sources bill for their own usage (BigQuery queries, Cloud SQL instances); Toolbox itself has no price.", "priceSummary": "Free · OSS", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "Self-hosted MCP server with nothing to buy (checked 2026-11-06).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": 29, "popularity": { "githubStars": 16818, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-11-06" }, "docsUrl": "https://mcp-toolbox.dev/", "llmsTxt": "https://mcp-toolbox.dev/llms.txt", "registryName": "io.github.googleapis/mcp-toolbox", "capabilities": [ "db.sql", "db.document", "db.admin" ], "tags": [ "self-hosted", "free", "open-source", "mcp", "stdio", "http", "mcp-registry", "llms-txt", "google-cloud", "bigquery", "postgres", "toolsets", "read-only-mode", "opentelemetry", "go" ], "lastRelease": "2026-11-05", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 77.7, "grade": "BB", "agentReady": true, "rank": 27, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 1510, "categoryRank": 2, "methodology": "0.7", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 82, "maintenance": 95, "payments": 60, "reliability": 80, "schema": 85, "security": 75, "transparency": 64 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-11-06" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "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.", "bestFor": "Agents and coding assistants that need one server across Google Cloud data services and common databases, or production agents with curated SQL tools.", "strengths": [ "57 source types and 39 prebuilt configurations, from BigQuery and AlloyDB to PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB and Snowflake", "Read-only mode locks the database session, hides write tools and sets readOnlyHint", "Custom tools in tools.yaml fix SQL and bind parameters to the signed-in user's claims", "Optional MCP authorisation as an OAuth 2.1 resource server with protected-resource metadata", "v1.16.0 on 5 November 2026 after eight releases in 90 days, in the MCP registry" ], "weaknesses": [ "--allowed-origins and --allowed-hosts default to *, which the docs call unsafe", "Prebuilt PostgreSQL set lists 29 tools and AlloyDB 41 unless a toolset is chosen", "432 open issues and pull requests", "Some prebuilt descriptions are a single line with no guidance on when not to use the tool" ], "agentNotes": [ "Load one toolset (such as data) rather than the whole prebuilt set to keep context small", "Turn on the source's read-only mode for exploration; write tools then disappear from tools/list", "Start the HTTP server with --allowed-hosts and --allowed-origins set; the defaults accept any", "Prefer custom tools with fixed SQL over execute_sql for production agents" ], "metrics": { "kind": "local", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "BB", "methodology": "0.7", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 77.7 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 82, "maintenance": 95, "payments": 60, "reliability": 80, "schema": 85, "security": 75, "transparency": 77 }, "provenanceScore": 50, "checked": { "categories": { "ergonomics": "2026-11-06", "maintenance": "2026-11-06", "payments": "2026-11-06", "reliability": "2026-11-06", "schema": "2026-11-06", "security": "2026-11-06", "transparency": "2026-11-06" }, "last": "2026-11-06", "oldest": "2026-11-06", "stale": false, "staleAfterDays": 90 } }, "connect": { "install": "npx @toolbox-sdk/server --prebuilt postgres --stdio", "config": { "mcpServers": { "postgres": { "args": [ "-y", "@toolbox-sdk/server", "--prebuilt", "postgres", "--stdio" ], "command": "npx", "env": { "POSTGRES_DATABASE": "mydb", "POSTGRES_HOST": "localhost", "POSTGRES_PASSWORD": "password", "POSTGRES_USER": "user" } } } } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/db.sql", "tool": "https://letme.dev/mcp-toolbox-databases" }, "area": "developer", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Google LLC", "domain": "mcp-toolbox.dev", "domainRegistered": "", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "", "privacy": "", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://github.com/googleapis/mcp-toolbox/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-11-06", "notes": [ "Source files carry \"Copyright 2025 Google LLC\" under Apache-2.0, and the repository is in the googleapis organisation.", "SECURITY.md routes reports to g.co/vulnz with a five-working-day response and discloses through GitHub Security Advisories.", "mcp-toolbox.dev/robots.txt allows all crawlers and serves llms.txt. Its registration date wasn't found through RDAP.", "No terms or privacy policy specific to Toolbox, which sends nothing to Google unless GCP telemetry export or a Google source is configured." ], "score": 50 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/mcp-toolbox-databases.json", "live": { "slug": "mcp-toolbox-databases", "versions": [ { "registry": "github", "name": "googleapis/mcp-toolbox", "version": "v1.16.0", "released": "2026-11-05", "seenAt": "2026-11-06T23:43:21.921228545Z" }, { "registry": "mcp-registry", "name": "io.github.googleapis/mcp-toolbox", "version": "1.16.0", "seenAt": "2026-11-07T18:16:28.95801333Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@toolbox-sdk/core", "version": "1.2.0", "seenAt": "2026-11-06T23:43:21.731206096Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@toolbox-sdk/server", "version": "1.16.0", "seenAt": "2026-11-06T23:43:19.586944944Z" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "toolbox-core", "version": "1.4.0", "released": "2026-09-01", "seenAt": "2026-11-06T23:43:20.432816729Z" } ], "githubStars": 16819, "npmWeekly": 37825, "pypiWeekly": 81244, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://mcp-toolbox.dev/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "none", "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T15:59:31.533747335Z" }, "llmsTxt": { "url": "https://mcp-toolbox.dev/llms.txt", "ok": true, "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T15:32:57.733544718Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/googleapis/mcp-toolbox/main/CHANGELOG.md", "kind": "changelog", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:21:14.273833915Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "a1a131225627" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-11-07T18:16:28.95801333Z" } }, "answer": "MCP Toolbox for Databases scores 77.7 (BB) on agent readiness against Snowflake-managed MCP server's 52.7 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Snowflake-managed MCP server leads on transparency \u0026 trust.", "b": { "slug": "snowflake-managed", "name": "Snowflake-managed MCP server", "vendor": "Snowflake Inc.", "vendorUrl": "https://www.snowflake.com", "kind": "mcp", "category": "data", "summary": "Snowflake's managed MCP server is an object created in a Snowflake account that exposes Cortex Agents, Cortex Search, Cortex Analyst, SQL execution and custom functions, each as an MCP tool, over HTTP, with OAuth and role-based access control.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/snowflake-managed", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/snowflake-managed.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/snowflake-managed.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/snowflake-managed.json", "dns": "snowflake-managed.grade.anchorterminal.com", "license": "Proprietary service under Snowflake's terms of service", "transports": [ "streamable-http" ], "packages": [], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "OAuth 2.0 is the documented default. An administrator creates a Snowflake OAuth security integration (confidential, or public with PKCE) and gives its client ID and secret to the MCP client, because dynamic client registration is not supported. Since 22 July 2026 a schema, database or account can bind its MCP servers to an External OAuth integration such as Okta or Microsoft Entra ID. Scopes of the form `session:role:\u003crole_name\u003e` pick the session's primary role. Programmatic access tokens are also accepted, expire after 15 days by default and 365 at most, and Snowflake recommends OAuth over them. There is no self-serve key an agent can mint for itself.", "pricing": "usage", "pricingNotes": "No charge is listed for the MCP server itself. Tools bill at the rates of what they call. SQL and custom tools use warehouse compute in Platform Credits, from $2.00 a credit on demand for Standard edition in US regions. Cortex Agents and Cortex Search bill in AI Credits at $2.00 each with global routing. A 30-day trial needs only an email address, with Cortex tools disabled until a card is added (checked 2026-10-09).", "priceSummary": "$2 / credit", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the MCP server docs, the AI pricing page or the Service Consumption Table (checked 2026-10-09).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": null, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-09" }, "docsUrl": "https://docs.snowflake.com/en/user-guide/snowflake-cortex/cortex-agents-mcp", "llmsTxt": "https://docs.snowflake.com/llms.txt", "capabilities": [ "db.sql", "knowledge.search", "analytics.query" ], "tags": [ "official", "hosted", "mcp", "oauth", "read-only-mode", "database", "enterprise", "llms-txt", "status-page", "soc2", "usage-priced", "free-trial" ], "lastRelease": "2026-08-20", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 52.7, "grade": "D", "agentReady": false, "rank": 978, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 1510, "categoryRank": 14, "methodology": "0.7", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 46, "maintenance": 35, "payments": 35, "reliability": 50, "schema": 61, "security": 77, "transparency": 84 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-11-04" }, "negative": -3, "negativeNotes": [ "20 August 2026. `tools/call` responses changed from a single JSON body to an SSE stream as an unbundled behaviour change that accounts could not disable, outside the eight-week bundle process, and clients reading one JSON body broke. The only dated notice recorded is the behaviour change note dated 20 August, the day the change took effect, so it takes the same-day -3 (the 9 October check charged -2). Per the 9 October check, not re-read on 4 November (https://docs.snowflake.com/en/release-notes/bcr-bundles/un-bundled/bcr-2405)." ], "verdict": "Tools are governed by Snowflake roles, the SQL tool is read-only by default, and sign-in runs through Snowflake OAuth or a company identity provider. No rate limits or tool-call error codes were found in the reviewed documentation, and a person must create the account, the server object and the OAuth integration before an agent can connect.", "bestFor": "A company that already keeps its data in Snowflake and wants outside MCP clients to query it under existing roles, best through one Cortex Agent tool.", "strengths": [ "Each tool needs its own grant. `USAGE` on the MCP server does not give access to the agent, search service, semantic view, function or procedure behind a tool", "The SQL execution tool defaults to `read_only: true` and takes a `query_timeout` and a named warehouse", "OAuth with PKCE for public clients, role scopes, an allowed-roles list and, since 22 July 2026, binding to an external identity provider with RFC 9728 metadata", "Generally available since 4 November 2025, under a 99.9 per cent monthly availability SLA with service credits", "Per-credit prices by region and edition are public in the Service Consumption Table, and the docs publish llms.txt and Markdown copies of every page" ], "weaknesses": [ "No rate limits for the MCP endpoint and no JSON-RPC error codes were found in the reviewed documentation", "No dynamic client registration. An administrator creates a security integration and hands the client ID and secret to each MCP client", "On 20 August 2026 `tools/call` responses changed from one JSON body to an SSE stream, outside a behaviour change bundle, with no way to disable it and no earlier dated notice found", "Resources, prompts, roots, notifications, sampling, version negotiation and lifecycle phases are unsupported, and SQL and custom tool responses are cut at 250 KB", "status.snowflake.com shows two incidents marked critical (25 and 27 September 2026) and one marked major (6 October) in the 15 days its front page lists", "Cortex tools stay disabled on a trial account until a credit card is added" ], "agentNotes": [ "Send `Accept: application/json, text/event-stream` and read `tools/call` results as an SSE stream that ends with `data: [DONE]`", "Write the account hostname with hyphens, not underscores, or some clients fail to connect", "Check the user's `DEFAULT_ROLE` and `DEFAULT_WAREHOUSE` first. Clients that request `session:role:all` get the default role, and a missing warehouse stops the session starting", "Keep SQL results narrow. Responses over 250 KB are truncated with no paging, and agent tool responses can pass 200 KB", "Treat `invalid_client` from `/oauth/token-request` as a possible network policy block as well as a wrong credential" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "D", "methodology": "0.7", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 52.7 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 46, "maintenance": 35, "payments": 35, "reliability": 50, "schema": 61, "security": 77, "transparency": 68 }, "provenanceScore": 99, "checked": { "categories": { "ergonomics": "2026-11-04", "maintenance": "2026-11-04", "payments": "2026-11-04", "reliability": "2026-11-04", "schema": "2026-11-04", "security": "2026-11-04", "transparency": "2026-11-04" }, "last": "2026-11-04", "lastMoved": "2026-11-04", "oldest": "2026-11-04", "stale": false, "staleAfterDays": 90 } }, "connect": { "config": { "mcpServers": { "snowflake": { "auth": { "CLIENT_ID": "${env:MCP_CLIENT_ID}", "CLIENT_SECRET": "${env:MCP_CLIENT_SECRET}" }, "url": "https://\u003caccount_url\u003e/api/v2/databases/\u003cdatabase\u003e/schemas/\u003cschema\u003e/mcp-servers/\u003cname\u003e" } } } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/db.sql", "tool": "https://letme.dev/snowflake-managed" }, "area": "developer", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Platform Credit, Standard edition, on demand", "unit": "credit", "usd": 2, "note": "AWS US East. $3.00 on Enterprise. Higher in other regions. Used by SQL and custom tools through a warehouse" }, { "item": "AI Credit, global routing", "unit": "credit", "usd": 2, "note": "$2.20 with regional routing. Used by Cortex Agents and Cortex Search" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Snowflake Inc.", "domain": "snowflake.com", "domainRegistered": "1995-07-08", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://www.snowflake.com/en/legal/terms-of-service/self-service-on-demand-terms-of-service/", "privacy": "https://www.snowflake.com/en/legal/privacy/privacy-policy/", "statusPage": "https://status.snowflake.com", "changelog": "https://docs.snowflake.com/en/release-notes/new-features", "securityTxt": "valid", "checked": "2026-10-09", "notes": [ "The Privacy Notice (updated 1 July 2026) names Snowflake Inc., Suite 3A, 106 East Babcock Street, Bozeman, Montana 59715, and says it does not apply to Customer Data, which the customer agreement and the DPA govern.", "The terms link is the Self-Service On Demand Terms of Service (updated 16 April 2026), which a self-serve account accepts. Contract customers sign the Master Terms at https://www.snowflake.com/en/legal/terms-of-service/.", "Each MCP server answers on the customer's account URL, which the docs give as https://\u003corgname\u003e-\u003caccount_name\u003e.snowflakecomputing.com, a second Snowflake domain.", "security.txt at www.snowflake.com/.well-known/security.txt names security@snowflake.com and a HackerOne policy, and expires on 17 August 2027.", "RDAP for snowflake.com gives a registration date of 1995-07-08." ], "score": 99 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/snowflake-managed.json", "live": { "slug": "snowflake-managed", "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://status.snowflake.com", "indicator": "minor", "summary": "Partially Degraded Service", "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T22:57:45.715242518Z" }, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://snowflake.com/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "valid", "expires": "2027-08-17T19:00:00.000Z", "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T16:00:39.831604087Z" }, "llmsTxt": { "url": "https://docs.snowflake.com/llms.txt", "ok": true, "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T15:33:58.213669404Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "snowflake.com", "registered": "1995-07-08", "source": "https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/domain/snowflake.com", "checkedAt": "2026-11-01T14:11:27.42351034Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://docs.snowflake.com/en/release-notes/new-features", "kind": "changelog", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:08:04.843173451Z", "changedAt": "2026-11-07T14:08:04.843173451Z", "fingerprint": "91d64a1e3041" }, { "url": "https://www.snowflake.com/en/legal/privacy/privacy-policy/", "kind": "privacy", "status": 304, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:34:55.792924408Z", "changedAt": "2026-11-06T13:55:24.956430204Z", "fingerprint": "36988bbe7385" }, { "url": "https://www.snowflake.com/en/legal/terms-of-service/self-service-on-demand-terms-of-service/", "kind": "terms", "status": 304, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:34:57.839669214Z", "changedAt": "2026-11-06T13:55:27.763689662Z", "fingerprint": "42d8071a6e9d" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-11-07T22:57:45.715242518Z" } }, "edges": [ { "by": 60, "category": "maintenance", "leads": "mcp-toolbox-databases", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "reasons": { "a": "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.", "b": "Per the 9 October check, not re-read on 4 November (snowflake.com's site terms bar robots). The last dated change to the MCP server is the SSE note of 20 August 2026, 76 days before 4 November, and platform release notes ran to 9 October (20). Of the three dated MCP entries recorded (22 July, 7 August and 20 August 2026), two fall in the 90 days from 6 August, and newer entries couldn't be looked for (0, cause time). A public changelog and a support route through cases and the community, whose answers were not sampled (10). The managed server is not in the official MCP registry, which lists only the separate open-source `io.github.Snowflake-Labs/mcp` (0). Nothing to install. The REST API specification repository was last updated on 10 September 2026 (5). 20+0+10+0+5 = 35." }, "scores": { "a": 95, "b": 35 } }, { "by": 36, "category": "ergonomics", "leads": "mcp-toolbox-databases", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "reasons": { "a": "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.", "b": "The tool list is whatever the operator declares, up to 50 a server, and Snowflake recommends one Cortex Agent tool per server with further servers for other uses (18). The search tool takes `columns` and `limit`. SQL and custom tool responses are cut at 250 KB with no paging, and agent tool responses carry every intermediate step and can pass 200 KB (8). Errors are documented as a symptom table, and `invalid_client` covers both wrong credentials and a network policy block (6). The SQL tool is read-only by default. No `readOnlyHint` or `destructiveHint` annotations and no idempotency support are documented (6). Few required arguments and standard MCP clients work with no SDK, but each client needs a hand-made OAuth integration and some clients can't choose a role (8). Per the 9 October check, not re-read on 4 November." }, "scores": { "a": 82, "b": 46 } }, { "by": 30, "category": "reliability", "leads": "mcp-toolbox-databases", "name": "Reliability", "reasons": { "a": "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.", "b": "Graded as a hosted service. Snowflake's site terms (14 April 2025) bar robots, spiders and scrapers on snowflake.com, so the docs, the status page and www.snowflake.com were not re-read on 4 November and the 9 October readings stand. Statuspage at status.snowflake.com with components by cloud region, and no component for Cortex or the MCP server was recorded (15, the value for a vendor status page with no component for the product). Only the front page's 15 days to 9 October were read, with two incidents marked critical (one region for 68 minutes on 25 September 2026, other regions for 35 minutes on 27 September), one marked major (Snowsight connectivity, 6 October) and one minor (8 October). The rest of the window from 6 August is unread and gets no credit, so the incident line is held at the recorded 10. No rate limit for the MCP endpoint found (0). The REST API's OpenAPI files describe 429 and retry with backoff, but the MCP page gives no retry or idempotency guidance (5, partial value held). 99.9 per cent monthly SLA with service credits (10). Generally available since 4 November 2025 (10). 15+10+0+5+10+10 = 50." }, "scores": { "a": 80, "b": 50 } }, { "by": 25, "category": "payments", "leads": "mcp-toolbox-databases", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "reasons": { "a": "Free, self-hosted, nothing to buy, so 20 + 20 + 20. No payment protocol (0).", "b": "No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Per-credit prices by region and edition and per-unit AI rates are public in the Service Consumption Table of 2 October 2026, though the MCP server has no line of its own (20). A 30-day trial needs only an email address, and Cortex tools stay off until a card is added (15). A person signs up in a browser and an administrator creates the server and the OAuth integration (0). Per the 9 October check, not re-read on 4 November." }, "scores": { "a": 60, "b": 35 } }, { "by": 24, "category": "schema", "leads": "mcp-toolbox-databases", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "reasons": { "a": "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.", "b": "No OpenAPI or published schema covers the MCP endpoint, and the snowflake-rest-api-specs repository has no MCP server file. Custom tools carry a JSON Schema the operator writes in `input_schema`, and built-in tools take fixed arguments shown only as examples. The schemas `tools/list` returns were not read (15). llms.txt and a Markdown copy of every docs page (10). Tool names and descriptions are written by the operator, and Snowflake's own examples are one line each, such as \"cortex search service for all products\" (8). Typed inputs for custom tools, with free-text SQL and a single `message` string for the analyst and agent tools (8). Request and response examples for two tool types, a troubleshooting table and OAuth failure modes, with no JSON-RPC error codes and an empty object as the search response example (8). Dated release notes, behaviour change notes and a stated protocol revision of 2025-11-25 (12). Per the 9 October check, not re-read on 4 November." }, "scores": { "a": 85, "b": 61 } }, { "by": 20, "category": "transparency", "leads": "snowflake-managed", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "reasons": { "a": "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.", "b": "Closed service with clear published terms, an acceptable use policy and a consumption table (15). A DPA and Security Addendum of 11 January 2026 with 72-hour incident notice and customer-chosen regions. The DPA says leftover data is deleted promptly after termination without a day count, and the Privacy Notice excludes Customer Data (22). A written behaviour change policy with an eight-week bundle period and dated notes, though the August 2026 MCP change shipped outside it (15). Four sub-processors and 28 affiliates listed with locations and 28 days' notice of additions. AI model providers are not named on the list (16). Per the 9 October check, not re-read on 4 November." }, "scores": { "a": 64, "b": 84 } } ], "facts": [ { "a": "MCP server", "b": "MCP server", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "Google", "b": "Snowflake Inc.", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "no (local only)", "b": "no (local only)", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "stdio, Streamable HTTP", "b": "Streamable HTTP", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "OAuth or key", "b": "OAuth or key", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Free", "b": "Pay per use", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "Apache-2.0", "b": "Proprietary service under Snowflake's terms of service", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "29", "b": "none", "name": "Tools exposed" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "yes", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "yes", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "io.github.googleapis/mcp-toolbox", "b": "not listed", "name": "MCP registry" }, { "a": "2026-11-05", "b": "2026-08-20", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "no document linked", "b": "2026-04-16", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "no document linked", "b": "2026-07-01", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "not read yet", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "not read yet", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "not read yet", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "not read yet", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "not read yet", "b": "yes", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "17k stars", "b": "none", "name": "Popularity" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "MCP Toolbox for Databases scores 77.7 (BB) on agent readiness against Snowflake-managed MCP server's 52.7 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Snowflake-managed MCP server leads on transparency \u0026 trust.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, MCP Toolbox for Databases or Snowflake-managed MCP server?" }, { "answer": "Both take an API key or an OAuth sign-in.", "question": "Do MCP Toolbox for Databases and Snowflake-managed MCP server need an API key?" }, { "answer": "MCP Toolbox for Databases runs on your own machine, with no hosted endpoint listed. No hosted endpoint is listed for Snowflake-managed MCP server.", "question": "Can an agent call MCP Toolbox for Databases and Snowflake-managed MCP server without installing anything?" }, { "answer": "MCP Toolbox for Databases is open source (Apache-2.0). No open-source release is listed for Snowflake-managed MCP server.", "question": "Are MCP Toolbox for Databases and Snowflake-managed MCP server open source?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 80 against 50", "Schema \u0026 documentation, 85 against 61", "Agent ergonomics, 82 against 46", "Payments \u0026 pricing, 60 against 35", "Maintenance \u0026 community, 95 against 35" ], "also": [ "Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better", "Runs on your own machine", "Open source", "No incidents deducted, where Snowflake-managed MCP server loses 3 points for them" ], "goodFor": "Agents and coding assistants that need one server across Google Cloud data services and common databases, or production agents with curated SQL tools.", "slug": "mcp-toolbox-databases", "watchFor": "--allowed-origins and --allowed-hosts default to *, which the docs call unsafe" }, { "aheadOn": [ "Transparency \u0026 trust, 84 against 64" ], "also": null, "goodFor": "A company that already keeps its data in Snowflake and wants outside MCP clients to query it under existing roles, best through one Cortex Agent tool.", "slug": "snowflake-managed", "watchFor": "No rate limits for the MCP endpoint and no JSON-RPC error codes were found in the reviewed documentation" } ], "history": { "mcp-toolbox-databases": null, "snowflake-managed": [ { "causes": [ "correction", "time" ], "date": "2026-11-04", "delta": -3.7, "from": 56.4, "fromGrade": "C", "to": 52.7, "toGrade": "D" } ] }, "job": { "capability": "db.sql", "name": "SQL databases" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clickhouse-mcp-server-vs-mcp-toolbox-databases.json", "title": "ClickHouse MCP Server vs MCP Toolbox for Databases", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clickhouse-mcp-server-vs-mcp-toolbox-databases" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clickhouse-mcp-server-vs-snowflake-managed.json", "title": "ClickHouse MCP Server vs Snowflake-managed MCP server", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clickhouse-mcp-server-vs-snowflake-managed" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/dbhub-vs-mcp-toolbox-databases.json", "title": "DBHub vs MCP Toolbox for Databases", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/dbhub-vs-mcp-toolbox-databases" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/dbhub-vs-snowflake-managed.json", "title": "DBHub vs Snowflake-managed MCP server", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/dbhub-vs-snowflake-managed" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-neon-mcp.json", "title": "MCP Toolbox for Databases vs Neon MCP Server", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-neon-mcp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-obsessiondb.json", "title": "MCP Toolbox for Databases vs ObsessionDB", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-obsessiondb" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-planetscale-mcp.json", "title": "MCP Toolbox for Databases vs PlanetScale MCP Server", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-planetscale-mcp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-postgres-mcp-pro.json", "title": "MCP Toolbox for Databases vs Postgres MCP Pro", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-postgres-mcp-pro" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-postgres-reference-server-archived.json", "title": "MCP Toolbox for Databases vs PostgreSQL (archived MCP reference server)", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-postgres-reference-server-archived" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-supabase-mcp.json", "title": "MCP Toolbox for Databases vs Supabase API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-supabase-mcp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/neon-mcp-vs-snowflake-managed.json", "title": "Neon MCP Server vs Snowflake-managed MCP server", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/neon-mcp-vs-snowflake-managed" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/obsessiondb-vs-snowflake-managed.json", "title": "ObsessionDB vs Snowflake-managed MCP server", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/obsessiondb-vs-snowflake-managed" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/planetscale-mcp-vs-snowflake-managed.json", "title": "PlanetScale MCP Server vs Snowflake-managed MCP server", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/planetscale-mcp-vs-snowflake-managed" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/postgres-mcp-pro-vs-snowflake-managed.json", "title": "Postgres MCP Pro vs Snowflake-managed MCP server", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/postgres-mcp-pro-vs-snowflake-managed" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/postgres-reference-server-archived-vs-snowflake-managed.json", "title": "PostgreSQL (archived MCP reference server) vs Snowflake-managed MCP server", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/postgres-reference-server-archived-vs-snowflake-managed" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/snowflake-managed-vs-supabase-mcp.json", "title": "Snowflake-managed MCP server vs Supabase API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/snowflake-managed-vs-supabase-mcp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mongodb-mcp-vs-snowflake-managed.json", "title": "MongoDB MCP Server vs Snowflake-managed MCP server", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mongodb-mcp-vs-snowflake-managed" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/redis-mcp-vs-snowflake-managed.json", "title": "Redis MCP vs Snowflake-managed MCP server", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/redis-mcp-vs-snowflake-managed" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/reqres-mcp-vs-snowflake-managed.json", "title": "ReqRes MCP server vs Snowflake-managed MCP server", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/reqres-mcp-vs-snowflake-managed" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-mongodb-mcp.json", "title": "MCP Toolbox for Databases vs MongoDB MCP Server", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-mongodb-mcp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-redis-mcp.json", "title": "MCP Toolbox for Databases vs Redis MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-redis-mcp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-reqres-mcp.json", "title": "MCP Toolbox for Databases vs ReqRes MCP server", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-reqres-mcp" } ], "panel": null, "scores": [ { "by": 30, "edge": "mcp-toolbox-databases", "key": "reliability", "mcp-toolbox-databases": 80, "name": "Reliability", "snowflake-managed": 50, "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 24, "edge": "mcp-toolbox-databases", "key": "schema", "mcp-toolbox-databases": 85, "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "snowflake-managed": 61, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 36, "edge": "mcp-toolbox-databases", "key": "ergonomics", "mcp-toolbox-databases": 82, "name": "Agent ergonomics", "snowflake-managed": 46, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 2, "edge": "snowflake-managed", "key": "security", "mcp-toolbox-databases": 75, "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "snowflake-managed": 77, "weight": 14 }, { "by": 25, "edge": "mcp-toolbox-databases", "key": "payments", "mcp-toolbox-databases": 60, "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "snowflake-managed": 35, "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 60, "edge": "mcp-toolbox-databases", "key": "maintenance", "mcp-toolbox-databases": 95, "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "snowflake-managed": 35, "weight": 7 }, { "by": 20, "edge": "snowflake-managed", "key": "transparency", "mcp-toolbox-databases": 64, "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "snowflake-managed": 84, "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "MCP Toolbox for Databases scores 77.7 (BB) on agent readiness against Snowflake-managed MCP server's 52.7 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Snowflake-managed MCP server leads on transparency \u0026 trust. Both do sql databases.", "tasks": null, "tutorials": [], "verdicts": { "mcp-toolbox-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.", "snowflake-managed": "Tools are governed by Snowflake roles, the SQL tool is read-only by default, and sign-in runs through Snowflake OAuth or a company identity provider. No rate limits or tool-call error codes were found in the reviewed documentation, and a person must create the account, the server object and the OAuth integration before an agent can connect." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-snowflake-managed", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-snowflake-managed.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-snowflake-managed.md", "mcp": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-snowflake-managed.min.md" }, "markdown": "MCP Toolbox for Databases scores 77.7 (BB) on agent readiness against Snowflake-managed MCP server's 52.7 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Snowflake-managed MCP server leads on transparency \u0026 trust. Both do sql databases.\n\n- 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\n- Snowflake-managed MCP server: grade D, 52.7/100, rank #978 of 1510. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/snowflake-managed.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/snowflake-managed.json\n- Best database, file and memory tools for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/data/index.md\n- All 111 databases comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/data/index.md\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### MCP Toolbox for Databases (BB)\n\nGood for: Agents and coding assistants that need one server across Google Cloud data services and common databases, or production agents with curated SQL tools.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 80 against 50\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 85 against 61\n- Agent ergonomics, 82 against 46\n- Payments \u0026 pricing, 60 against 35\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 95 against 35\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better\n- Runs on your own machine\n- Open source\n- No incidents deducted, where Snowflake-managed MCP server loses 3 points for them\n\nWatch for: --allowed-origins and --allowed-hosts default to *, which the docs call unsafe\n\n### Snowflake-managed MCP server (D)\n\nGood for: A company that already keeps its data in Snowflake and wants outside MCP clients to query it under existing roles, best through one Cortex Agent tool.\n\nAhead on:\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 84 against 64\n\nWatch for: No rate limits for the MCP endpoint and no JSON-RPC error codes were found in the reviewed documentation\n\n\n## Why the edge\n\n### Maintenance \u0026 community: MCP Toolbox for Databases +60\n\n- 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.\n- Snowflake-managed MCP server (35): Per the 9 October check, not re-read on 4 November (snowflake.com's site terms bar robots). The last dated change to the MCP server is the SSE note of 20 August 2026, 76 days before 4 November, and platform release notes ran to 9 October (20). Of the three dated MCP entries recorded (22 July, 7 August and 20 August 2026), two fall in the 90 days from 6 August, and newer entries couldn't be looked for (0, cause time). A public changelog and a support route through cases and the community, whose answers were not sampled (10). The managed server is not in the official MCP registry, which lists only the separate open-source `io.github.Snowflake-Labs/mcp` (0). Nothing to install. The REST API specification repository was last updated on 10 September 2026 (5). 20+0+10+0+5 = 35.\n\n### Agent ergonomics: MCP Toolbox for Databases +36\n\n- 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.\n- Snowflake-managed MCP server (46): The tool list is whatever the operator declares, up to 50 a server, and Snowflake recommends one Cortex Agent tool per server with further servers for other uses (18). The search tool takes `columns` and `limit`. SQL and custom tool responses are cut at 250 KB with no paging, and agent tool responses carry every intermediate step and can pass 200 KB (8). Errors are documented as a symptom table, and `invalid_client` covers both wrong credentials and a network policy block (6). The SQL tool is read-only by default. No `readOnlyHint` or `destructiveHint` annotations and no idempotency support are documented (6). Few required arguments and standard MCP clients work with no SDK, but each client needs a hand-made OAuth integration and some clients can't choose a role (8). Per the 9 October check, not re-read on 4 November.\n\n### Reliability: MCP Toolbox for Databases +30\n\n- 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.\n- Snowflake-managed MCP server (50): Graded as a hosted service. Snowflake's site terms (14 April 2025) bar robots, spiders and scrapers on snowflake.com, so the docs, the status page and www.snowflake.com were not re-read on 4 November and the 9 October readings stand. Statuspage at status.snowflake.com with components by cloud region, and no component for Cortex or the MCP server was recorded (15, the value for a vendor status page with no component for the product). Only the front page's 15 days to 9 October were read, with two incidents marked critical (one region for 68 minutes on 25 September 2026, other regions for 35 minutes on 27 September), one marked major (Snowsight connectivity, 6 October) and one minor (8 October). The rest of the window from 6 August is unread and gets no credit, so the incident line is held at the recorded 10. No rate limit for the MCP endpoint found (0). The REST API's OpenAPI files describe 429 and retry with backoff, but the MCP page gives no retry or idempotency guidance (5, partial value held). 99.9 per cent monthly SLA with service credits (10). Generally available since 4 November 2025 (10). 15+10+0+5+10+10 = 50.\n\n### Payments \u0026 pricing: MCP Toolbox for Databases +25\n\n- MCP Toolbox for Databases (60): Free, self-hosted, nothing to buy, so 20 + 20 + 20. No payment protocol (0).\n- Snowflake-managed MCP server (35): No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Per-credit prices by region and edition and per-unit AI rates are public in the Service Consumption Table of 2 October 2026, though the MCP server has no line of its own (20). A 30-day trial needs only an email address, and Cortex tools stay off until a card is added (15). A person signs up in a browser and an administrator creates the server and the OAuth integration (0). Per the 9 October check, not re-read on 4 November.\n\n### Schema \u0026 documentation: MCP Toolbox for Databases +24\n\n- 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.\n- Snowflake-managed MCP server (61): No OpenAPI or published schema covers the MCP endpoint, and the snowflake-rest-api-specs repository has no MCP server file. Custom tools carry a JSON Schema the operator writes in `input_schema`, and built-in tools take fixed arguments shown only as examples. The schemas `tools/list` returns were not read (15). llms.txt and a Markdown copy of every docs page (10). Tool names and descriptions are written by the operator, and Snowflake's own examples are one line each, such as \"cortex search service for all products\" (8). Typed inputs for custom tools, with free-text SQL and a single `message` string for the analyst and agent tools (8). Request and response examples for two tool types, a troubleshooting table and OAuth failure modes, with no JSON-RPC error codes and an empty object as the search response example (8). Dated release notes, behaviour change notes and a stated protocol revision of 2025-11-25 (12). Per the 9 October check, not re-read on 4 November.\n\n### Transparency \u0026 trust: Snowflake-managed MCP server +20\n\n- 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.\n- Snowflake-managed MCP server (84): Closed service with clear published terms, an acceptable use policy and a consumption table (15). A DPA and Security Addendum of 11 January 2026 with 72-hour incident notice and customer-chosen regions. The DPA says leftover data is deleted promptly after termination without a day count, and the Privacy Notice excludes Customer Data (22). A written behaviour change policy with an eight-week bundle period and dated notes, though the August 2026 MCP change shipped outside it (15). Four sub-processors and 28 affiliates listed with locations and 28 days' notice of additions. AI model providers are not named on the list (16). Per the 9 October check, not re-read on 4 November.\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | MCP Toolbox for Databases | Snowflake-managed MCP server | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 80 | 50 | MCP Toolbox for Databases +30 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 85 | 61 | MCP Toolbox for Databases +24 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 82 | 46 | MCP Toolbox for Databases +36 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 75 | 77 | Snowflake-managed MCP server +2 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 60 | 35 | MCP Toolbox for Databases +25 |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 95 | 35 | MCP Toolbox for Databases +60 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 64 | 84 | Snowflake-managed MCP server +20 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | -3 | |\n| **Total** | | **77.7 · BB** | **52.7 · D** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | MCP Toolbox for Databases | Snowflake-managed MCP server |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | MCP server | MCP server |\n| Vendor | Google | Snowflake Inc. |\n| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |\n| Transports | stdio, Streamable HTTP | Streamable HTTP |\n| Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth or key |\n| Pricing | Free | Pay per use |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | Apache-2.0 | Proprietary service under Snowflake's terms of service |\n| Tools exposed | 29 | none |\n| Read-only variant documented | yes | yes |\n| llms.txt | yes | yes |\n| MCP registry | `io.github.googleapis/mcp-toolbox` | not listed |\n| Last release | 2026-11-05 | 2026-08-20 |\n| Terms last updated | no document linked | 2026-04-16 |\n| Privacy policy last updated | no document linked | 2026-07-01 |\n| Customer content may train models | not read yet | not found in the text |\n| Terms restrict automated access | not read yet | not found in the text |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | not read yet | not found in the text |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | not read yet | not found in the text |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not read yet | yes |\n| Popularity | 17k stars | none |\n\n## How the scores have moved\n\n### MCP Toolbox for Databases\n\nNo score change since it was listed.\n\n### Snowflake-managed MCP server\n\n- -3.7 on 4 November 2026 (C to D): correction, time\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**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.\n\n**Snowflake-managed MCP server.** Tools are governed by Snowflake roles, the SQL tool is read-only by default, and sign-in runs through Snowflake OAuth or a company identity provider. No rate limits or tool-call error codes were found in the reviewed documentation, and a person must create the account, the server object and the OAuth integration before an agent can connect.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### MCP Toolbox for Databases\n\n1. Load one toolset (such as data) rather than the whole prebuilt set to keep context small\n2. Turn on the source's read-only mode for exploration; write tools then disappear from tools/list\n3. Start the HTTP server with --allowed-hosts and --allowed-origins set; the defaults accept any\n4. Prefer custom tools with fixed SQL over execute_sql for production agents\n\n### Snowflake-managed MCP server\n\n1. Send `Accept: application/json, text/event-stream` and read `tools/call` results as an SSE stream that ends with `data: [DONE]`\n2. Write the account hostname with hyphens, not underscores, or some clients fail to connect\n3. Check the user's `DEFAULT_ROLE` and `DEFAULT_WAREHOUSE` first. Clients that request `session:role:all` get the default role, and a missing warehouse stops the session starting\n4. Keep SQL results narrow. Responses over 250 KB are truncated with no paging, and agent tool responses can pass 200 KB\n5. Treat `invalid_client` from `/oauth/token-request` as a possible network policy block as well as a wrong credential\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, MCP Toolbox for Databases or Snowflake-managed MCP server?\n\nMCP Toolbox for Databases scores 77.7 (BB) on agent readiness against Snowflake-managed MCP server's 52.7 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Snowflake-managed MCP server leads on transparency \u0026 trust.\n\n### Do MCP Toolbox for Databases and Snowflake-managed MCP server need an API key?\n\nBoth take an API key or an OAuth sign-in.\n\n### Can an agent call MCP Toolbox for Databases and Snowflake-managed MCP server without installing anything?\n\nMCP Toolbox for Databases runs on your own machine, with no hosted endpoint listed. No hosted endpoint is listed for Snowflake-managed MCP server.\n\n### Are MCP Toolbox for Databases and Snowflake-managed MCP server open source?\n\nMCP Toolbox for Databases is open source (Apache-2.0). No open-source release is listed for Snowflake-managed MCP server.\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-snowflake-managed.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-snowflake-managed.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"mcp-toolbox-databases\", \"b\": \"snowflake-managed\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare mcp-toolbox-databases snowflake-managed`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/mcp-toolbox-databases.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/snowflake-managed.json\n\n## Other comparisons with MCP Toolbox for Databases or Snowflake-managed MCP server\n\n- [ClickHouse MCP Server vs MCP Toolbox for Databases](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clickhouse-mcp-server-vs-mcp-toolbox-databases.md)\n- [ClickHouse MCP Server vs Snowflake-managed MCP server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clickhouse-mcp-server-vs-snowflake-managed.md)\n- [DBHub vs MCP Toolbox for Databases](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/dbhub-vs-mcp-toolbox-databases.md)\n- [DBHub vs Snowflake-managed MCP server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/dbhub-vs-snowflake-managed.md)\n- [MCP Toolbox for Databases vs Neon MCP Server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-neon-mcp.md)\n- [MCP Toolbox for Databases vs ObsessionDB](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-obsessiondb.md)\n- [MCP Toolbox for Databases vs PlanetScale MCP Server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-planetscale-mcp.md)\n- [MCP Toolbox for Databases vs Postgres MCP Pro](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-postgres-mcp-pro.md)\n- [MCP Toolbox for Databases vs PostgreSQL (archived MCP reference server)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-postgres-reference-server-archived.md)\n- [MCP Toolbox for Databases vs Supabase API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-supabase-mcp.md)\n- [Neon MCP Server vs Snowflake-managed MCP server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/neon-mcp-vs-snowflake-managed.md)\n- [ObsessionDB vs Snowflake-managed MCP server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/obsessiondb-vs-snowflake-managed.md)\n- [PlanetScale MCP Server vs Snowflake-managed MCP server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/planetscale-mcp-vs-snowflake-managed.md)\n- [Postgres MCP Pro vs Snowflake-managed MCP server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/postgres-mcp-pro-vs-snowflake-managed.md)\n- [PostgreSQL (archived MCP reference server) vs Snowflake-managed MCP server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/postgres-reference-server-archived-vs-snowflake-managed.md)\n- [Snowflake-managed MCP server vs Supabase API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/snowflake-managed-vs-supabase-mcp.md)\n- [MongoDB MCP Server vs Snowflake-managed MCP server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mongodb-mcp-vs-snowflake-managed.md)\n- [Redis MCP vs Snowflake-managed MCP server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/redis-mcp-vs-snowflake-managed.md)\n- [ReqRes MCP server vs Snowflake-managed MCP server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/reqres-mcp-vs-snowflake-managed.md)\n- [MCP Toolbox for Databases vs MongoDB MCP Server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-mongodb-mcp.md)\n- [MCP Toolbox for Databases vs Redis MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-redis-mcp.md)\n- [MCP Toolbox for Databases vs ReqRes MCP server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-reqres-mcp.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "attributionRequired": true, "credit": "CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal and link the page or API address you took it from (https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-11-07", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.7", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "terms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "MCP Toolbox for Databases vs Snowflake-managed MCP server", "url": "" } ], "description": "MCP Toolbox for Databases scores 77.7 (BB) to Snowflake-managed's 52.7 (D) for sql databases. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "MCP Toolbox for Databases BB 77.7", "Snowflake-managed MCP server D 52.7", "scores" ], "h1": "MCP Toolbox for Databases vs Snowflake-managed MCP server", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/default.png", "path": "/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-snowflake-managed", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "MCP Toolbox for Databases vs Snowflake-managed for AI agents (2026)", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-11-07", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mcp-toolbox-databases-vs-snowflake-managed" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 4900, "slim": 2830 }, "version": 1 }