Tabularis
by
Provides a cross‑platform desktop workspace for managing, exploring, and querying a wide range of relational and NoSQL databases, with built‑in AI assistance, visual query building, and an extensible plugin system.
Tabularis Overview
What is Tabularis about?
Tabularis is a desktop SQL workspace that supports PostgreSQL, MySQL/MariaDB, SQLite and more than 15 additional databases via plugins. It includes a built‑in MCP server that lets AI agents such as Claude, Cursor and Devin read schemas and run queries directly from their chat interfaces.
How to use Tabularis?
- Install – Available via WinGet, Homebrew, Snap, Flatpak, AppImage, or the AUR.
- Launch – Open the app; create or import connection profiles (supports SSH tunneling and keychain password storage).
- Explore – Use the database explorer tree, ER diagram view, or visual query builder to understand schema.
- Query – Write SQL in the Monaco‑based editor, run single or multiple statements, view results in tabs or data grids, or create SQL notebooks with markdown and charts.
- AI Integration – Enable the MCP server with
tabularis --mcp; configure Claude, Cursor or Devin via Settings → MCP Server Integration for seamless schema‑aware assistance.
Key Features of Tabularis
- Multi‑database support: Native drivers for PostgreSQL, MySQL/MariaDB, SQLite; 15+ community plugins (DuckDB, ClickHouse, Redis, Firestore, etc.).
- SQL Notebooks: Combine SQL and Markdown cells, cross‑cell variables, auto‑generated charts, export to HTML/CSV/JSON.
- Visual Query Builder: Drag‑and‑drop tables, define joins, filters, aggregates, and see live SQL code.
- Visual EXPLAIN: Interactive execution‑plan graphs with optional AI analysis.
- Plugin System: JSON‑RPC over stdio; write drivers in any language and install without restarting.
- AI Assist: Optional Text‑to‑SQL and query explanation using OpenAI, Anthropic, Ollama, or any OpenAI‑compatible API.
- Data Grid: Inline editing, batch commits, JSON/JSONB rendering, export options.
- Cross‑platform UI: Built with React, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, and Tauri (Rust backend).
- Keyboard shortcuts & customizable keybindings.
Use Cases of Tabularis
- Data exploration for developers and analysts working with multiple databases.
- AI‑enhanced query generation where Claude or similar agents draft and execute queries in‑app.
- Reporting via SQL notebooks that combine code, documentation, and visual charts.
- Schema documentation using the ER diagram and visual EXPLAIN tools.
- Extending connectivity by creating custom plugins for niche data sources (e.g., Google Sheets, CSV folders, Redis).
FAQ from Tabularis
Q: Do I need an internet connection for AI features? A: Only if you use cloud providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.). Local models via Ollama work entirely offline.
Q: Can I run the MCP server on Windows?
A: Yes. Start the app with tabularis --mcp and configure the AI client as described in the Settings.
Q: How are plugins installed? A: From Settings → Available Plugins, or manually place an executable that follows the JSON‑RPC 2.0 spec.
Q: Is my data encrypted? A: Connection passwords can be stored securely in the system keychain. All other data (queries, notebooks) are saved locally in the user config folder.
Q: What databases are supported out of the box? A: PostgreSQL, MySQL/MariaDB and SQLite. Additional databases are added via the official plugin registry.
Tabularis's README
tabularis
Download
winget install Debba.Tabularis # Windows
brew tap TabularisDB/tabularis && brew install --cask tabularis # macOS
sudo snap install tabularis # Linux
Or grab an installer directly:
The app UI is available in English, Italian, Spanish, Chinese (Simplified), French, German, Japanese, Russian, Tagalog and Portuguese (Brazilian).
Discord: Join our Discord server to talk with the maintainers, share feedback, and get help from the community.
Table of Contents
- Why tabularis?
- Installation
- Updates
- Discord
- Changelog
- Features
- Configuration Storage
- Tech Stack
- Development
- Roadmap
- Contributing
- Sponsors
- Origin Story
- License
Why tabularis?
| tabularis | DBeaver CE | TablePlus | Beekeeper Studio | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| License | Apache 2.0, free | Apache 2.0, free (Pro is paid) | Commercial | GPLv3 (paid editions) |
| SQL notebooks (SQL + Markdown cells, cross-cell variables, charts) | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Built-in MCP server for AI agents | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Plugins in any language (JSON-RPC over stdio) | ✅ | Java/Eclipse plugins | JavaScript plugins | ❌ |
| AI text-to-SQL with local models (Ollama) | ✅ | Cloud-based AI assistant | ❌ | ❌ |
| Visual EXPLAIN with interactive plan graphs | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Databases out of the box | 3 built-in + 16 official plugins | 100+ | 20+ | ~10 |
Comparison as of June 2026; features in other tools may have changed since. If you need dozens of drivers, use DBeaver. Tabularis focuses on doing a few databases well.
Database support
PostgreSQL, MySQL/MariaDB and SQLite ship built in. Everything else is a plugin. Current coverage, mirroring the driver & plugin coverage on the website:
ClickHouse (shipped), Cloudflare D1 (shipped), DM / Dameng (shipped), DuckDB (shipped), DynamoDB (shipped), Elasticsearch (shipped), Firestore (shipped), IBM Db2 (shipped), IBM Informix (shipped), MongoDB (shipped), Redis (shipped, in Go and Rust), CSV Folder (shipped), Google Sheets (shipped), HackerNews (shipped), Google BigQuery (claimed), LibSQL / Turso (claimed), Meilisearch (claimed), Oracle (claimed), SQL Server (claimed), Amazon Redshift (scoped), CockroachDB (scoped), TiDB (scoped), Snowflake (coming soon), Cassandra (open), Etcd (open), Firebird (open), ScyllaDB (open), SQL Anywhere (open), SurrealDB (open), Trino / Presto (open).
Shipped drivers are installable from the plugin registry. Everything else is on the bounty board: claim one, sponsor one, or request a database. The SQL Server driver is in active development in its own repository, tabularis-sqlserver-plugin.
Installation
Windows
WinGet (Recommended)
winget install Debba.Tabularis
Direct Download
Download the installer from the Releases page and run it:
tabularis_x.x.x_x64-setup.exe
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.
macOS
Homebrew (Recommended)
To add our tap, run:
brew tap TabularisDB/tabularis
Then install:
brew install --cask tabularis
Direct Download
Builds from v0.13.1 onward are signed and notarized by Apple, so they open without any extra steps.
The notes below only apply to older releases (before v0.13.1) downloaded directly:
- You need to allow accessibility access (Privacy & Security) to the tabularis app. If you are upgrading and already have tabularis on the allowed list, remove it manually before accessibility access can be granted to the new version.
- You may need to run
xattr -c /Applications/tabularis.appafter copying the app to the Applications directory.
Linux (Snap)
sudo snap install tabularis
Linux (Flatpak)
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flatpark https://dl.flatpark.org/flatpark.flatpakrepo
flatpak install flatpark dev.tabularis.Tabularis
Linux (AppImage)
Download the .AppImage file from the Releases page, make it executable and run it:
chmod +x tabularis_x.x.x_amd64.AppImage
./tabularis_x.x.x_amd64.AppImage
Arch Linux (AUR)
yay -S tabularis-bin
Updates
Tabularis checks for updates automatically on startup and notifies you when a new version is available. You can also download the latest version directly from the Releases page.
Discord
Join our Discord server to talk with the maintainers, share feedback, suggest features, or get help from the community.
Changelog
Features
Connection Management
- Support for MySQL/MariaDB, PostgreSQL (with multi-schema support) and SQLite, with multi-database selection per connection.
- Save, manage, and clone connection profiles, with optional secure password storage in the system Keychain.
- SSH Tunneling with automatic readiness detection.
- Per-Connection Appearance: override the icon (Lucide, emoji, or custom image) and accent color of each saved connection.
Database Explorer
- Tree View: Browse tables, columns, keys, indexes, views, and stored routines, with inline editing from the sidebar.
- ER Diagram: Interactive Entity-Relationship visualization (pan, zoom, layout) with selective table diagram generation.
- Context Actions: Show data, count rows, modify schema, duplicate/delete tables.
- SQL Dump & Import: Export and restore databases with a single flow.
SQL Editor
- Monaco Editor with syntax highlighting and auto-completion, in a tabbed interface with isolated connections per tab and resizable split view.
- Multi-Statement Execution: Run All, Run Selected, or pick individual queries. Results appear in separate tabs with independent pagination.
- Smart Query Splitting: Correctly handles stored procedures, functions, and
$$-delimited blocks. - Saved Queries and an AI assist overlay directly in the editor.
SQL Notebooks
- Multi-Cell Workspace: Combine SQL and Markdown cells in a single document, with inline results and bar/line/pie charts.
- Cross-Cell Variables: Reference another cell's full result as a table with
{{cell_N}}(expanded to a CTE at run time), plus global@paramNameparameters. - Run All: Sequential execution with stop-on-error option and completion summary.
- Persistence & Export: Auto-saved as
.tabularis-notebookfiles; export as HTML, CSV, or JSON. - Outline panel, drag & drop cell reordering, and AI-generated cell names.
Keyboard Shortcuts
- Built-in shortcuts for navigation, editor, and data grid actions, platform-aware (
Cmdon macOS,Ctrlon Windows/Linux). - Fully customizable: Remap any non-locked shortcut from Settings → Keyboard Shortcuts; overrides persist to
keybindings.json. - Hold
Ctrl+Shiftin the sidebar to reveal numbered badges (1–9) for instant connection switching.
Visual Query Builder
- Drag-and-Drop: Build queries visually with ReactFlow.
- Visual JOINs: Connect tables to create relationships.
- Advanced Logic: WHERE/HAVING filters, aggregates (COUNT, SUM, AVG), sorting, and limits.
- Real-time SQL: Instant code generation.
Visual EXPLAIN
- Interactive Plan Graphs: Inspect execution plans as navigable node graphs instead of raw text.
- Table, Raw, and AI Views: Switch between exact node metrics, original database output, and optional AI-assisted analysis.
- Cross-Database Support: Works with PostgreSQL, MySQL/MariaDB, and SQLite using the best available
EXPLAINformat per driver. - Faster Optimization Loops: Spot expensive scans, estimate gaps, join behavior, and optimizer choices without leaving the editor.
Data Grid
- Inline & Batch Editing: Modify cells and commit multiple changes at once; create, delete, and multi-select rows.
- Export: Save results as CSV or JSON, or copy selected rows straight to the clipboard.
- JSON & JSONB Cells: Syntax-highlighted in the grid, with a dedicated editor window (Tree / Monaco / Raw modes).
- Spatial Data: Initial GEOMETRY support for MySQL.
Plugin System
Tabularis is hackable with an external plugin system. Plugins are standalone executables that communicate with the app over JSON-RPC 2.0 via stdin/stdout, and can be written in any language.
- Install Plugins: Browse and install community drivers from Settings → Available Plugins, no restart required.
- Manage Drivers: View all registered drivers (built-in and plugins) in Settings → Installed Drivers and uninstall plugins with one click.
- Any Database: Add support for DuckDB, MongoDB, or any other database by writing or installing a plugin.
- Plugin Registry: Official plugins are listed in
plugins/registry.json. - Developer Guide: See
plugins/PLUGIN_GUIDE.mdto build your own driver in any language.
Logging
- Real-time log viewer in Settings, with level filtering and export to
.logfiles. - Automatically expand and inspect SQL queries in logs.
- CLI Debug Mode: Start with
tabularis --debugfor verbose logging from launch.
Configuration Storage
Configuration is stored in ~/.config/tabularis/ (Linux), ~/Library/Application Support/tabularis/ (macOS), or %APPDATA%\tabularis\ (Windows): connection profiles, saved queries, app settings (config.json), custom themes, and per-connection editor preferences. Tabs and queries are restored when you reopen a connection. The wiki covers the full file layout and every config.json option, including custom AI model overrides.
AI Features (Optional)
Optional Text-to-SQL and query explanation powered by OpenAI, Anthropic, MiniMax, OpenRouter, Ollama (local models, no API key, full privacy), and any OpenAI-compatible API (Groq, Perplexity, Azure OpenAI, LocalAI, ...). Model lists are fetched from your provider and cached locally; custom models can be configured per provider.
MCP Server: AI Agent Integration
Tabularis includes a built-in MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that lets AI agents read your database schema and execute queries directly from their chat interface.
tabularis --mcp
One-click setup for Claude Desktop, Cursor, and Windsurf: open Settings → MCP Server Integration, click Install Config next to your client, and restart it. Manual configuration is covered in the wiki.
Available tools
Once connected, your AI agent can:
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
list_connections |
List all saved database connections |
list_databases |
List all databases available for a connection |
list_tables |
List tables in a connection (with optional schema filter) |
describe_table |
Get full schema: columns, indexes, foreign keys |
run_query |
Execute any SQL query and return results |
Example prompts
"Show me all tables in my production database and describe the
orderstable"
"Write and run a query to find the top 10 customers by total order value this month"
"Check if there are any missing indexes on the
userstable"
Tech Stack
- Frontend: React 19, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS v4.
- Backend: Rust, Tauri v2, SQLx.
Development
Setup
pnpm install
pnpm tauri dev
Build
pnpm tauri build
Roadmap
- [Feat]: Allow loading of multiple Databases per connection
- JSON/JSONB Editor & Viewer
- Visual Explain Analyze
- Plugin System
- Query History
- Plugin registry platform: OAuth publishing, release sync, download analytics
- UI design system & visual identity: call for contributors
- SQL Server driver plugin, in development in its own repository
- Feature: Remote Control
- Command Palette
- SQL Formatting / Prettier
- Data Compare / Diff Tool
- Team Collaboration
- Better SQLite Support
- Better PostgreSQL Support
Contributing
Contributions are welcome, see CONTRIBUTING.md. Good places to start:
- SQL Server driver plugin: test the driver and claim open issues
- UI design system & visual identity: call for contributors
- Write a driver plugin in any language with the Plugin Guide
Sponsors
- turboSMTP — Professional SMTP relay — your emails delivered straight to the inbox, never to spam
- Kilo Code — Open source AI coding agent — build, ship, and iterate faster with 500+ models
- DigitalOcean — Simple, predictable cloud infrastructure for developers and growing teams.
- Vercel — The platform for the modern web — ship, preview, and scale frontend apps with zero config.
- Usero — Feedback becomes code. Automatically.
- DevGlobe — Connect your IDE, show up on the globe, and showcase your projects to a community of builders.
- Tolgee — Open-source localization platform — translate your app in context, without the spreadsheet chaos.
- 1Password — The password and secrets manager developers trust — free for open-source projects.
- JetBrains — Professional developer tools — IntelliJ IDEA, WebStorm, DataGrip and the rest of the All Products Pack.
- SignPath — Code signing for open source — signed Windows releases without the certificate bill.
Origin Story
Tabularis started as an experiment: how far could AI-assisted development get in building a working tool from scratch? Further than expected: it's now an actively maintained project with regular releases and a plugin ecosystem.
License
Apache License 2.0
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