dbcli

name

dbcli

description

Universal database CLI supporting 30+ databases (SQLite, PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server, Oracle, MongoDB, ClickHouse, DuckDB and more). Execute SELECT/DDL/DML, list tables, export schema, backup/restore tables, and run parameterized SQL. Use when the user asks to query, inspect, or modify a database, run SQL, list tables/columns, export data, or compare query results. Sub-skills: dbcli-query, dbcli-tables, dbcli-exec, dbcli-db-ddl, dbcli-export, dbcli-export-schema, dbcli-compare, dbcli-view, dbcli-index, dbcli-procedure, dbcli-interactive.

dbcli — Database CLI for AI Agents

DbCli is a self-contained binary installed at ~/.local/bin/dbcli (already on PATH). It speaks JSON/table/CSV output and follows the Agent Skills Specification.

Quick connection (env vars — never pass -c with passwords)

export DBCLI_CONNECTION="Host=...;Port=5432;Database=...;Username=...;Password=...;SSL Mode=Require;Trust Server Certificate=true"
export DBCLI_DBTYPE="postgresql"   # sqlite | mysql | sqlserver | postgresql | oracle | mongodb | clickhouse | duckdb | ...

Core commands

Command	Alias	Use
dbcli tables	ls	List tables
dbcli columns <table>	cols	Show table structure
dbcli query "<sql>"	q	SELECT (read-only)
dbcli exec "<sql>"	e	INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE (backup first for UPDATE/DELETE)
dbcli ddl "<sql>"	—	CREATE/ALTER/DROP (critical — backup first)
dbcli export <table>	—	Export table data as INSERT SQL
dbcli export-schema <type>	schema	Export procedures/functions/triggers/views/indexes
dbcli backup <table>	—	Backup table (auto-selects fastest method)
dbcli restore <table> --from <backup>	—	Restore table
dbcli compare	—	Compare results of two SQL queries
dbcli interactive	i	REPL

Output formats

-f json (default for scripts), -f table (human), -f csv.

Parameterized SQL

dbcli query "SELECT * FROM invoice WHERE customer_id IN (@Ids)" -p '{"Ids":[1,2,3]}'

Sub-skills

Each sub-skill lives in skills/<name>/SKILL.md under this directory:

• dbcli-query — safe read-only SELECT
• dbcli-tables — list tables / view structure (read-only)
• dbcli-exec — INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE (backup required for UPDATE/DELETE)
• dbcli-db-ddl — CREATE/ALTER/DROP (critical, mandatory backup)
• dbcli-export — export table data as SQL (backup)
• dbcli-export-schema — export schema objects
• dbcli-compare — compare two query result sets (read-only)
• dbcli-view — manage views (moderate)
• dbcli-index — manage indexes (moderate)
• dbcli-procedure — manage stored procedures/functions/triggers (critical)
• dbcli-interactive — interactive SQL REPL

See skills/README.md, skills/INTEGRATION.md, and skills/CONNECTION_STRINGS.md for full details.

Safety

• Always back up (dbcli backup <table> or dbcli export-schema) before DDL or destructive DML.
• Use env vars for connection strings, never -c (keeps passwords out of logs/history).