| name | redshift-grep-tables |
| description | Cross-schema table search — finds every table whose name or comment matches a keyword across all schemas via one cluster-wide MCP call. Use when user is looking for a table by topic but unsure which schema (e.g. "where is the orders fact table"), or auditing table-naming consistency. Do NOT use when schema is already known (use search_tables directly), for column-level search (use /redshift-grep-columns), or for general schema browsing (use /redshift-explore). Triggers: /redshift-grep-tables / find table / search tables / which schema has / 哪個 schema 有 / 跨 schema 找表 / テーブル横断検索 / テーブル名検索. |
Redshift Cross-Schema Table Grep
Find every table whose name or comment matches a keyword across all
schemas in the cluster via one cluster-wide MCP call.
When to use / NOT
- Use to find a table by topic when schema is unknown ("where is the
orders fact?").
- Use to audit table-naming consistency across schemas.
- NOT when schema is already known — use MCP
search_tables(kw, schema) directly.
- NOT for column-level search — use
/redshift-grep-columns.
- NOT for general schema browsing — use
/redshift-explore.
Inputs
| Form | Behavior |
|---|
<keyword> | grep across all schemas |
<keyword> --schema <s1>,<s2> | scope to listed schemas |
<kw1> <kw2> | space-separated keywords (OR logic on MCP side) |
--max-list N | results per page (default 50) |
Flow
Step 1 — cluster-wide search via MCP
The MCP server's search_tables accepts an optional schema_name;
omit it for cluster-wide table search in one call:
search_tables(keywords, schema_name=None)
This returns one row per matching table with schema_name included,
ordered by (schema_name, table_name). Paginate via has_more if
total > 50.
Procedure:
- If
--schema <s1>,<s2> given: one search_tables per listed schema
(cheap — typically a handful).
- Else: one
search_tables(keywords, schema_name=None) covers the
whole cluster.
Latency: ~0.2s for cluster-wide searches (clusters with < 10K tables).
Step 2 — render
Group by schema, count per schema in header line, comment-first body.
One blank line between groups:
Tables matching "fct" (8 hits in 4 schemas):
dbt_marts (3)
fct_orders BASE TABLE Central order facts.
fct_returns BASE TABLE Return events.
fct_payments BASE TABLE Payment events.
dbt_staging (2)
stg_fct_orders BASE TABLE Staging for fct_orders.
stg_fct_returns BASE TABLE Staging for fct_returns.
raw_events (2)
fct_event_log BASE TABLE Raw event ingest.
fct_session_log BASE TABLE Session tracking.
reporting (1)
v_fct_orders_daily VIEW Daily aggregation of fct_orders.
Cap at 50 results per page; show 1-50 of 87, reply 'more' when truncated.
Output
Rendered list IS the output. No JSON. Hand off to user to pick a target.
If the user wants to drill into a chosen table, suggest
/redshift-explore <schema>.<table>.
Anti-patterns
- NEVER iterate
search_tables per schema as a substitute for the cluster-wide call. Use search_tables(keywords, schema_name=None) for one-shot search.
- NEVER call
list_tables for every schema as a substitute for search_tables. The MCP search_tables already filters at the SQL layer; list_tables then client-side filter is wasteful round trips.
- NEVER omit the schema column in render — the whole point IS which schema has the table.
Errors
| Condition | Behavior |
|---|
| Empty keyword | refuse with usage hint |
| 0 hits across all schemas | "No tables match; broaden keyword?" |
--schema doesn't exist | fail with schema name + suggestion to check spelling |
See also
| Need | Use |
|---|
| Cross-table column search | /redshift-grep-columns |
| Search columns within a known table | use MCP search_columns(kw, schema, table) directly |
| Browse interactively from zero context | /redshift-explore |
