# Oxbow

> Oxbow is a desktop database client with a built-in MCP server. You write queries, edit rows and review every change. AI agents connected over MCP get only what you share: writes run only on connections you allow, or wait for your review as pending edits.

Oxbow is in beta. It runs on macOS and works with PostgreSQL and MySQL. No account is needed.

## The MCP server

- Off until you share: the server and every connection start off. Each connection is shared on its own.
- Queries per connection: Off, Read Only (tables, keys and SELECT) or Read & Write (single INSERT, UPDATE or DELETE statements, committed at once). Never schema changes.
- Changes per connection: Off, or Review in Oxbow: an agent's proposed changes open as pending edits with Preview SQL and nothing runs until you Save.
- Hidden tables and columns: any statement that names them is blocked.
- Limits on every call: 100 rows by default, up to 1,000; 30 seconds per query, cancelled on the server; one query at a time per connection; 60 calls a minute.
- Reads run in a read-only transaction that is rolled back, on top of a statement filter. For a hard guarantee, connect agents with their own read-only database user.
- The activity list shows every call and its result, never row data or passwords.
- Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor and Windsurf are added in one click from Settings, and removed the same way; any other MCP client can be added by hand.
- To connect an agent: turn on the MCP server, click Add next to its app, and share a connection.
- Light and dark appearance, or follow the system.
- Report a problem from the app: it opens a GitHub issue with your version filled in.

## Editing data

- Each marked change is one statement; Save runs them all in one transaction.

## Schema diagram

- Open any schema as a diagram; tables stay where you leave them.
- Foreign keys draw the relations; selecting a table highlights its relations.
- Large schemas fold down to their primary and foreign keys.
- Type a table name to find it; double-click a card to open its table.
- Edit the schema there: create, rename and drop tables, columns, indexes and foreign keys, and set comments, in a panel beside the diagram. Drag from one column to another to add a foreign key.
- Changes wait as pending, in the same colors as row edits, with Undo, Discard and Preview SQL; nothing runs until you apply them. Where the database allows it, a batch is all or nothing; otherwise Oxbow says which changes were applied.
- Dropping a table or column asks first, and names the foreign keys that go with it.

## SQL editor

- Queries save themselves 600 ms after the last keystroke; tabs reopen when you reconnect.
- Scripts split cleanly: $$ bodies, BEGIN ATOMIC and DELIMITER are understood, with one result tab per statement.
- Completion reads aliases.
- A query runs once and up to 10,000 rows stay in memory for paging.
- Run the statement under the cursor, or all of them; Format SQL tidies the rest.

## More

- Structure: columns, keys, indexes, checks and triggers of a table on one page, with its DDL one click away.
- History: every statement you run, with its time and rows.
- Import: CSV, TSV, Excel and JSON files into an existing table or a new one, with a suggested type for each column. If a row fails, nothing is imported and the error names the row.
- Export: copy a result or save it as CSV, Excel, JSON, SQL INSERT, Markdown and more.
- Connections: test before saving, TLS when the server offers it, SSH when it sits behind one. Passwords are kept in the system keychain.

## Questions

- Do I need an account? No. Download it, add a connection and run your first query.
- Where are my passwords kept? In the system keychain, never in a plain file.
- Does Oxbow send my data anywhere? No. Connections, queries and results stay on your machine. Oxbow talks only to your databases, and to GitHub to check for updates unless you turn that off.
- Which servers can it reach? Any database your machine reaches: local, in Docker, on a server or through an SSH tunnel.
- Can my AI assistant use it? Yes. Turn on the MCP server, click Add next to your agent app, like Claude Code or Cursor, and share a connection. Agents are read only unless you allow more, and you can have every change wait for your review.
- Can an agent drop a table? No. Agents can only send single INSERT, UPDATE or DELETE statements, never schema changes, and only where you allow writes. With Review in Oxbow, those changes wait for you. For a hard guarantee, give agents their own database user.
- Can I change the schema without writing SQL? Yes. Edit tables, columns, indexes and foreign keys from the schema diagram. Changes wait until you apply them, and Preview SQL shows every statement first.
- Can I import a CSV or Excel file? Yes. CSV, TSV, Excel and JSON files go into an existing table or a new one. If a row fails, nothing is imported, and Oxbow tells you which row and why.
- How do I report a problem? From Oxbow: Settings, then Report a Problem. It opens a GitHub issue with your version already filled in.
- How do I get new versions? Oxbow tells you when one is out and installs it when you say so. Your connections, saved queries and history are kept.

## Links

- [Website](https://oxbowdb.app/)
- [Download the beta](https://github.com/oxbow-app/releases/releases/latest/download/Oxbow-macOS-arm64.dmg)
- [Release notes](https://github.com/oxbow-app/releases/releases)
- [Report an issue](https://github.com/oxbow-app/releases/issues)