seekdb-cli

name	seekdb-cli
description	Use seekdb-cli to interact with seekdb/OceanBase databases via shell commands. Use when: (1) querying databases with SQL, (2) exploring table schemas and structure, (3) profiling table data distributions, (4) inferring table relationships, (5) managing vector collections and semantic search, (6) adding/exporting collection data, (7) managing AI models , (8) checking database connection status, or (9) performing any database operation via command line.
license	MIT

seekdb-cli — AI-Agent Database CLI

A command-line client designed for AI Agents. All output is JSON-structured, stateless, with built-in safety guardrails.

Prerequisites

Check if seekdb-cli is installed (either command works—they share the same entry point):

seekdb --version
# or, aligned with PyPI package name / for `which`-style checks:
seekdb-cli --version

If not installed, choose the method that matches your environment:

Recommended — pipx (works globally without polluting system Python):

# Install pipx first if needed (Ubuntu/Debian)
sudo apt install pipx && pipx ensurepath
# Then install seekdb-cli
pipx install seekdb-cli

Alternative — pip (when inside a project venv or on systems without PEP 668):

pip install seekdb-cli

Note for Ubuntu 23.04+ / Debian 12+: Direct pip install at the system level is blocked by PEP 668. Use pipx instead — it creates an isolated environment while keeping seekdb and seekdb-cli on your PATH (same program).

Throughout this skill, examples use seekdb; you may substitute seekdb-cli everywhere.

Embedded vs remote: The default local store uses embedded mode (pyseekdb). That requires Linux (glibc ≥ 2.28) or macOS 15+; on other OSes, connect with a remote DSN: seekdb --dsn "seekdb://user:pass@host:port/db" ....

Connection

DSN resolution (highest priority wins):

1. --dsn on the CLI (must appear before the subcommand)
2. SEEKDB_DSN environment variable
3. .env in the current working directory (SEEKDB_DSN=... line)
4. ~/.seekdb/config.env
5. Default embedded:~/.seekdb/seekdb.db

With no config, the default embedded path applies — you can run commands directly. If the user gives a specific DSN, pass it with --dsn:

# Remote mode
seekdb --dsn "seekdb://user:pass@host:port/db" schema tables

# Remote with TLS (query string on the URL; encode special characters in user/password)
# tls=skip-verify — encrypted, no certificate verification (common for self-signed servers)
seekdb --dsn "seekdb://user:pass@host:2881/db?tls=skip-verify" status
# tls=required — encrypted with default OS CA verification
seekdb --dsn "seekdb://user:pass@host:2881/db?tls=required" sql "SELECT 1"

# Embedded mode (path is a data directory, created if missing; not a single SQLite file)
seekdb --dsn "embedded:./seekdb.db" status
seekdb --dsn "embedded:~/.seekdb/seekdb.db?database=mydb" sql "SELECT 1"

DSN formats:

• Remote: seekdb://user:pass@host:port/db
• Remote + TLS: append ?tls=skip-verify|required|verify-ca|verify-identity (or the same values via MySQL-style sslmode=, e.g. REQUIRED, VERIFY_CA). Optional query params: ssl_ca, ssl_cert, ssl_key, ssl_key_password.
• Embedded: embedded:<path>[?database=<db>] (default logical database name: test)

Self-Description for AI Agents

Run seekdb ai-guide to get a structured JSON guide of all commands, recommended workflow, safety features, and output format. Execute this once to learn the full CLI.

seekdb ai-guide

Recommended Workflow

SQL Database Exploration

1. seekdb schema tables              → list all tables (name, column count, row count)
2. seekdb schema describe <table>    → get column names, types, indexes, comments
3. seekdb table profile <table>      → get data statistics (null ratios, distinct, min/max, top values)
4. seekdb relations infer            → infer JOIN relationships between tables
5. seekdb sql "SELECT ... LIMIT N"   → execute SQL with explicit LIMIT

Vector Collection Workflow

1. seekdb collection list            → list all collections
2. seekdb collection info <name>     → get collection details and preview
3. seekdb query <collection> --text "..." → search (default: hybrid = semantic + fulltext)

Command Reference

seekdb sql

Execute SQL statements. Default is read-only mode.

# Read query
seekdb sql "SELECT id, name FROM users LIMIT 10"

# Read from file
seekdb sql --file query.sql

# Pipe or redirect (stdin read automatically when not a TTY; --stdin is optional)
echo "SELECT 1" | seekdb sql
# Explicit stdin (e.g. redirect into the command)
seekdb sql --stdin < query.sql

# Include table schema in output
seekdb sql "SELECT * FROM orders LIMIT 5" --with-schema

# Disable large-field truncation
seekdb sql "SELECT content FROM articles LIMIT 1" --no-truncate

# Write operation (requires --write flag)
seekdb sql --write "INSERT INTO users (name) VALUES ('Alice')"
seekdb sql --write "UPDATE users SET name = 'Bob' WHERE id = 1"
seekdb sql --write "DELETE FROM users WHERE id = 3"

Output format:

{"ok": true, "columns": ["id", "name"], "rows": [{"id": 1, "name": "Alice"}], "affected": 0, "time_ms": 12}

seekdb schema tables

seekdb schema tables

{"ok": true, "data": [{"name": "users", "columns": 5, "rows": 1200}, {"name": "orders", "columns": 8, "rows": 50000}]}

seekdb schema describe

seekdb schema describe orders

{"ok": true, "data": {"table": "orders", "comment": "Order table", "columns": [{"name": "id", "type": "int", "comment": "Order ID"}, {"name": "status", "type": "varchar(20)", "comment": "0=pending, 1=paid"}], "indexes": ["PRIMARY(id)", "idx_status(status)"]}}

seekdb schema dump

seekdb schema dump

Returns all CREATE TABLE DDL statements.

seekdb table profile

Generate statistical summary of a table without returning raw data. Helps understand data distribution before writing SQL.

seekdb table profile <table>

{"ok": true, "data": {
  "table": "orders",
  "row_count": 50000,
  "columns": [
    {"name": "id", "type": "int", "null_ratio": 0, "distinct": 50000, "min": 1, "max": 50000},
    {"name": "user_id", "type": "int", "null_ratio": 0, "distinct": 1200, "min": 1, "max": 1500},
    {"name": "amount", "type": "decimal(10,2)", "null_ratio": 0.02, "min": 0.5, "max": 9999.99},
    {"name": "status", "type": "varchar(20)", "null_ratio": 0, "distinct": 4, "top_values": ["paid", "pending", "refunded", "cancelled"]},
    {"name": "created_at", "type": "datetime", "null_ratio": 0, "min": "2024-01-01", "max": "2026-03-10"}
  ],
  "candidate_join_keys": ["user_id"],
  "candidate_time_columns": ["created_at"]
}}

seekdb relations infer

Infer JOIN relationships between tables by analyzing column name patterns (e.g., user_id → users.id) and type compatibility.

# Infer all table relationships
seekdb relations infer

# Infer for a specific table only
seekdb relations infer --table orders

{"ok": true, "data": [
  {"from": "orders.user_id", "to": "users.id", "confidence": "high"},
  {"from": "orders.product_id", "to": "products.id", "confidence": "high"},
  {"from": "order_items.order_id", "to": "orders.id", "confidence": "high"}
]}

seekdb collection list

seekdb collection list

{"ok": true, "data": [{"name": "docs", "count": 1500}, {"name": "faq", "count": 200}]}

seekdb collection create

seekdb collection create my_docs --dimension 384 --distance cosine
seekdb collection create my_docs -d 768 --distance l2

Options: --dimension / -d (default: 384), --distance cosine | l2 | ip (default: cosine).

seekdb collection delete

seekdb collection delete my_docs

seekdb collection info

seekdb collection info my_docs

{"ok": true, "data": {"name": "my_docs", "count": 1500, "dimension": 384, "distance": "cosine", "preview": {"ids": ["doc1", "doc2"], "documents": ["Hello world", "Test doc"], "metadatas": [{"category": "test"}, {}]}}}

dimension and distance are included when available from the collection metadata.

seekdb query

Search a collection using hybrid (default), semantic (vector), or fulltext mode.

# Hybrid search (default: semantic + fulltext, RRF ranking)
seekdb query my_docs --text "how to deploy seekdb"

# Semantic (vector) only
seekdb query my_docs --text "how to deploy seekdb" --mode semantic

# Fulltext search
seekdb query my_docs --text "deployment guide" --mode fulltext

# With metadata filter
seekdb query my_docs --text "performance tuning" --where '{"category": "tech"}'

# Limit results (--limit or -n, default: 10)
seekdb query my_docs --text "seekdb" -n 5

{"ok": true, "data": {"results": [
  {"id": "doc1", "score": 0.92, "document": "How to deploy seekdb...", "metadata": {"category": "tech"}},
  {"id": "doc2", "score": 0.85, "document": "seekdb performance tuning...", "metadata": {"category": "tech"}}
], "count": 2}, "time_ms": 35}

seekdb get

Retrieve documents from a collection by IDs or metadata filter.

# Get by IDs
seekdb get my_docs --ids "doc1,doc2"

# Get by metadata filter (--limit or -n, default: 10)
seekdb get my_docs --where '{"category": "tech"}' -n 20

seekdb add

Add data to a collection. Exactly one source is required: --file, --stdin, or --data. The collection is auto-created if it does not exist.

# From file (JSON array, JSONL, or CSV)
seekdb add my_docs --file data.jsonl
seekdb add my_docs --file articles.csv --vectorize-column content

# Inline: single object or array
seekdb add my_docs --data '{"id":"1","document":"Hello world","metadata":{"source":"cli"}}'
seekdb add my_docs --data '[{"id":"a","document":"Doc A"},{"id":"b","document":"Doc B"}]'

# From stdin (JSON array or JSONL; use with pipes)
echo '{"id":"1","document":"from pipe"}' | seekdb add my_docs --stdin
some_script | seekdb add my_docs --stdin

Record format: Each record may have id (optional), document/text/content (text to vectorize), and any other fields become metadata. If embedding is present, it is used directly.

seekdb export

Export collection data to a file.

seekdb export my_docs --output backup.json
seekdb export my_docs --output backup.jsonl -n 5000

Options: --output (required), --limit / -n (default: 10000).

seekdb ai model list

List AI models registered in the database (from DBA_OB_AI_MODELS / DBMS_AI_SERVICE). Works in both remote and embedded mode.

seekdb ai model list

{"ok": true, "data": [{"name": "my_llm", "type": "completion", "model_name": "THUDM/GLM-4-9B-0414", "model_id": 1}]}

seekdb ai model create

Register an AI model via DBMS_AI_SERVICE.CREATE_AI_MODEL. Create an endpoint separately to use it for completion.

seekdb ai model create my_llm --type completion --model "THUDM/GLM-4-9B-0414"
seekdb ai model create my_embed --type dense_embedding --model "BAAI/bge-m3"
seekdb ai model create my_rerank --type rerank --model "<rerank_model>"

Types: completion, dense_embedding, rerank.

seekdb ai model delete

Drop an AI model. Drop any endpoints that use it first.

seekdb ai model delete my_llm

seekdb ai model endpoint create / delete

Create or drop an endpoint that binds an AI model to a URL and API key (so the database can call the model).

seekdb ai model endpoint create my_ep my_llm \
  --url "https://api.siliconflow.cn/v1/chat/completions" \
  --access-key "<YOUR_API_KEY>" \
  --provider siliconflow

seekdb ai model endpoint delete my_ep

Supported --provider values:

Provider	Vendor
siliconflow	SiliconFlow (OpenAI-compatible)
openAI	OpenAI
deepseek	DeepSeek (OpenAI-compatible)
aliyun-openAI	Alibaba Cloud (OpenAI-compatible)
aliyun-dashscope	Alibaba Cloud DashScope
hunyuan-openAI	Tencent Hunyuan (OpenAI-compatible)

Common --url values (use the specific interface URL, not the base URL):

Vendor	completion	embedding	rerank
SiliconFlow	https://api.siliconflow.cn/v1/chat/completions	https://api.siliconflow.cn/v1/embeddings	https://api.siliconflow.cn/v1/rerank
DeepSeek	https://api.deepseek.com/chat/completions	—	—
Alibaba (OpenAI)	https://dashscope.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1/chat/completions	https://dashscope.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1/embeddings	—
Tencent Hunyuan	https://api.hunyuan.cloud.tencent.com/v1/chat/completions	https://api.hunyuan.cloud.tencent.com/v1/embeddings	—

Full parameter spec: CREATE_AI_MODEL_ENDPOINT

seekdb ai complete

Run text completion using the database AI_COMPLETE function. Requires a registered completion model and an endpoint. Supported in both remote and embedded mode.

seekdb ai complete "Summarize this table structure" --model my_llm

{"ok": true, "data": {"model": "my_llm", "response": "The table has..."}, "time_ms": 1200}

seekdb ai-guide

Output a structured JSON guide for AI Agents containing all commands, parameters, workflow, and safety rules. Execute once to learn the full CLI.

seekdb ai-guide

seekdb status

seekdb status

Returns CLI version, server version, database name, and connectivity.

Safety Features

Row Protection

Queries without LIMIT are automatically probed. If result exceeds 100 rows, execution is blocked:

{"ok": false, "error": {"code": "LIMIT_REQUIRED", "message": "Query returns more than 100 rows. Please add LIMIT to your SQL."}}

Action: Add an explicit LIMIT clause and retry.

Write Protection

Write operations (INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE) are blocked by default:

{"ok": false, "error": {"code": "WRITE_NOT_ALLOWED", "message": "Write operations require --write flag."}}

Action: Add --write flag to enable write operations.

Even with --write, DELETE / UPDATE without a WHERE clause are blocked.

Error Auto-Correction

On SQL errors, the CLI automatically attaches schema hints:

Column not found → returns the table's column list and indexes:

{"ok": false, "error": {"code": "SQL_ERROR", "message": "Unknown column 'username'"}, "schema": {"table": "users", "columns": ["id", "name", "email"], "indexes": ["PRIMARY(id)"]}}

Table not found → returns available table names:

{"ok": false, "error": {"code": "SQL_ERROR", "message": "Table 'user' does not exist"}, "schema": {"tables": ["users", "orders", "products"]}}

Action: Use the schema info to correct the SQL and retry.

Large Field Truncation

TEXT/BLOB fields are truncated to 200 characters by default, with original length noted:

{"content": "First 200 characters of content...(truncated, 8520 chars)"}

Use --no-truncate to get full content when needed.

Sensitive Field Masking

Columns matching sensitive patterns are automatically masked:

Pattern	Example Output
phone/mobile/tel	138****5678
email	z***@gmail.com
password/secret/api_key	******
id_card / national_id / similar	110***********1234

Output Formats

Default is JSON. Switch with --format (global option; must appear before the subcommand):

seekdb --format table sql "SELECT id, name FROM users LIMIT 5"
seekdb --format csv sql "SELECT id, name FROM users LIMIT 5"
seekdb --format jsonl sql "SELECT id, name FROM users LIMIT 5"

All formats now work with non-row data (e.g., schema tables, collection list). CSV and JSONL will auto-detect list-of-dict data in the data field.

Exit Codes

Code	Meaning
0	Success
1	Business error (SQL error, connection error, etc.)
2	Usage error (missing arguments, invalid options)

Operation Logging

All commands are logged to ~/.seekdb/sql-history.jsonl for audit (SQL invocations include a redacted sql field when applicable):

{"ts": "2026-03-12T14:23:01", "command": "sql", "sql": "SELECT id FROM users LIMIT 10", "ok": true, "rows": 10, "time_ms": 12}