MCP Reference

MCP Reference

dbward exposes 12 tools, 3 fixed resources, 3 resource templates, and 6 prompts via the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Start the MCP server with dbward mcp.

For setup instructions, see MCP Integration.

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Tools (12)

dbward_execute_query

Execute a SQL query through the approval workflow.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
sql	string	✓	SQL statement to execute
database	string		Target database name
environment	string		Environment (development/staging/production)
reason	string		Reason for execution (required by some workflows)

Returns: Query result (rows) or approval status. If approval is needed, uses elicitation to wait.

dbward_migrate_status

Show migration status (applied/pending).

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
database	string		Target database name
environment	string		Environment

dbward_migrate_up

Apply pending database migrations.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
count	integer		Max migrations to apply (default: all)
database	string		Target database name
environment	string		Environment

dbward_migrate_down

Rollback database migrations.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
count	integer		Migrations to rollback (default: 1)
database	string		Target database name
environment	string		Environment

dbward_migrate_create

Create a new migration file locally (no server needed).

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
name	string	✓	Migration name (e.g., create_users)

Returns: Path to created file with up/down template.

dbward_wait_request

Check request status or wait for completion.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
request_id	string	✓	Request ID
timeout	integer		Max wait seconds (default: 60)
include_result	boolean		If true (default), resume and return result. If false, status only.

dbward_list_pending

List requests pending approval. No parameters.

dbward_who_can_approve

Show who can approve a specific request.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
request_id	string	✓	Request ID

Returns: Roles, groups, and step information for approvers.

dbward_find_similar_requests

Find past requests similar to the given SQL or operation.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
sql	string		SQL to match against
operation	string		Operation type filter
limit	integer		Max results (default: 5)

dbward_preflight_sql

Analyze a SQL statement without creating a request. Returns classification, risk assessment, policy simulation, review findings, fix hints, and optionally EXPLAIN output.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
sql	string	✓	SQL statement to analyze
database	string		Target database name
environment	string		Environment
include_explain	boolean		Run EXPLAIN via agent (default: true)
explain_timeout_ms	integer		Max EXPLAIN wait in ms (default: 5000)

Returns: Full preflight analysis result including status (requestable/blocked/warning), risk, classification, review, risk_assessment, policy, impact, fix_hints, retryable, and next_actions.

dbward_explain_policy_failure

Explain why a request was blocked or requires approval.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
request_id	string		Existing request ID
operation	string		Operation type
environment	string		Environment
database	string		Database name

Provide either request_id (for an existing request) or operation + environment + database (for hypothetical check).

dbward_inspect_schema

Inspect database schema.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
table	string		Table name (omit to list all tables)
database	string		Target database name

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Resources (3 fixed)

URI	Name	Description
dbward://migrations/status	Migration Status	Applied and pending migrations
dbward://requests/pending	Pending Requests	Requests awaiting approval
dbward://audit/recent	Recent Audit Events	Last 10 audit events

Resource Templates (3)

URI Template	Name	Description
dbward://requests/{request_id}	Request Details	Details for a specific request
dbward://schema/{database}	Database Schema	Table list with row counts
dbward://schema/{database}/{table}	Table Schema	Column, constraint, and index details

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Prompts (6)

review_migration

Review a migration SQL file for safety issues (locking, data loss, backwards compatibility).

Argument	Required	Description
file_path	✓	Path to migration file

explain_request

Explain what a request will do and its impact.

Argument	Required	Description
request_id	✓	Request ID

draft_migration

Generate migration SQL from a natural language description.

Argument	Required	Description
description	✓	What the migration should do

draft_rollback

Generate rollback SQL for an existing migration.

Argument	Required	Description
migration_file	✓	Path to migration file to rollback

summarize_audit_trail

Summarize recent audit events.

Argument	Required	Description
since		Start date (ISO 8601)
database		Filter by database

prepare_approval_comment

Draft an approval comment for a request.

Argument	Required	Description
request_id	✓	Request ID to review

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Environment resolution

Tools that need environment resolve it in this order:

1. environment parameter in the tool call
2. DBWARD_ENV environment variable
3. default_environment in CLI config

If none is set, tools that require environment return an error.

See also

• MCP Integration Guide — IDE setup (stdio and remote), usage examples
• Executing Queries — the approval flow

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Transport

dbward MCP is available over two transports:

Transport	Endpoint	Tools	Prompts	Use case
stdio	dbward mcp (local process)	12	6	Individual requester, IDE-native
Remote HTTP	POST /mcp on the server	9	4	Team setup, no local binary needed

Remote HTTP excludes tools/prompts that require local filesystem access (migrate_up, migrate_down, migrate_create, review_migration, draft_rollback). Authentication uses the same token or OIDC as the REST API.

For IDE-specific setup instructions and configuration examples, see the MCP Integration Guide.