> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://dbhub.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Claude Code Plugin

> Install DBHub in Claude Code as a plugin — read-only MCP server plus setup and schema-exploration skills

The Claude Code plugin is the native install path for [Claude Code](https://code.claude.com): one install command registers the DBHub MCP server and adds two skills that teach Claude how to connect and how to explore schemas token-efficiently. Like the [MCP Bundle](/mcpb), it is **read-only by design**.

The plugin lives in the [`plugin/`](https://github.com/bytebase/dbhub/tree/main/plugin) directory of the DBHub repository and includes:

* **MCP server** — runs `npx @bytebase/dbhub` (pinned to the plugin version) over stdio against a bundled read-only configuration.
* **`/dbhub:setup`** — helps you build the connection string, troubleshoot connection failures, and graduate to a multi-database TOML config when you outgrow the plugin.
* **`/dbhub:explore`** — teaches Claude the progressive-disclosure workflow for [`search_objects`](/tools/search-objects) (`names` → `summary` → `full`), keeping schema exploration cheap on large databases.

## Install

Inside Claude Code, add the DBHub marketplace (defined in this repository) and install:

```
/plugin marketplace add bytebase/dbhub
/plugin install dbhub@dbhub
```

For development on the plugin itself, load it directly from a checkout instead: `claude --plugin-dir ./dbhub/plugin`.

Claude Code prompts for your database connection string (DSN) on install and stores it in secure storage — it never lives in a config file. Example: `postgres://user:password@localhost:5432/dbname` (run `/dbhub:setup` for help building one). To change it later, open `/plugin` → **dbhub** → configuration.

<Note>
  Requires Node.js >= 22.5.0 on the machine running Claude Code — `npx` fetches the `@bytebase/dbhub` package on first launch. The machine connects **directly** to the database, so the database must be reachable from it (VPN or network allow-list).
</Note>

## Read-only by design

The bundled configuration sets `readonly = true` and `max_rows = 1000` on `execute_sql`: mutating statements are rejected, and the database session is additionally set to read-only at the engine level. Still, connect with a least-privilege, read-only database account — defense in depth beats configuration alone.

## When to use the plugin vs. `claude mcp add`

The plugin covers the common case: one database, read-only, zero config files. For write access, multiple databases, SSH tunnels, or [custom tools](/tools/custom-tools), register DBHub directly with your own [TOML configuration](/config/toml):

```bash theme={null}
claude mcp add dbhub -- npx -y @bytebase/dbhub@latest --transport stdio --config /path/to/dbhub.toml
```

Disable the plugin's MCP server afterwards (`/plugin` → **dbhub**) to avoid two overlapping DBHub instances. See the [Installation guide](/installation#claude-code) for all Claude Code registration options, including HTTP transport and project-scoped `.mcp.json`.