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Run the StackQL MCP Server Anywhere Your Agent Does

· 5 min read
Jeffrey Aven
Technologist and Cloud Consultant

The StackQL MCP server is now available through every runtime an agent is likely to live in: prebuilt Claude Desktop bundles, npm, PyPI, Docker, a GitHub Action, and the Official MCP Registry. It is the same server in each case - one binary, pulled and launched the way your environment prefers.

What the StackQL MCP server is​

StackQL exposes cloud and SaaS providers - AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, GitHub, Kubernetes, Snowflake, Databricks and more - as a single SQL surface. The MCP server puts that surface in front of an AI agent: the agent discovers providers, services, resources and methods, then runs SELECT queries to read state and (when you allow it) INSERT / UPDATE / DELETE to change it. Reads and writes are gated by a server mode and recorded to an audit log, so "what the agent did" is always answerable.

For background on the protocol itself, see the original StackQL MCP Server Now Available post and the MCP command reference.

One server, every runtime​

Every channel runs the same stackql binary. Pick the one that matches your client:

ChannelGet itBest for
Claude Desktop bundlestackql-mcp-<platform>.mcpb from the release pageOne-click install, no separate StackQL on PATH
npmnpx -y @stackql/mcp-serverNode environments, no global install
PyPIuvx stackql-mcp-server or pip install stackql-mcp-serverPython environments
Dockerdocker run -i --rm stackql/stackql-mcpContainerised / isolated runtimes (amd64 + arm64)
GitHub Actionstackql/setup-stackql-mcp@v1CI and agentic workflows
MCP Registryio.github.stackql/stackql-mcpDirectory-driven discovery and install

A typical stdio client config is three lines. For npx:

{ "mcpServers": { "stackql": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@stackql/mcp-server"] } } }

Swap npx for uvx stackql-mcp-server or docker run -i --rm stackql/stackql-mcp and you have the Python or Docker form. The npm and PyPI launchers download the signed stackql binary on first run, verify its checksum, and share a single cache. The full matrix - including the manual claude_desktop_config.json form for an existing binary - is in Installing the MCP server.

The approvable MCP server​

Letting an agent touch your cloud is a trust decision, so the supply chain is built to be checkable:

  • The embedded stackql binary is Authenticode-signed (Windows) and Apple-notarised (macOS).
  • Every .mcpb bundle ships with a published SHA-256 checksum on the release page.
  • The npm and PyPI launchers verify the downloaded binary's SHA-256 before first use.
  • The MCP Registry entry attests the per-platform hashes, so a directory or marketplace can confirm what it is shipping.

On top of the supply chain, the server defaults to mode: safe - reads run freely, mutations and lifecycle operations need approval through the MCP elicitation flow. Pin read_only for inventory agents that should never write, or full_access for trusted automation. See Server modes.

A worked example: cloud audit in CI​

The GitHub Action is where the multi-vector story pays off. stackql/setup-stackql-mcp@v1 installs the binary and writes an MCP config (defaulting to read_only), and anthropics/claude-code-action consumes it through claude_args. The result is an agent that audits your AWS account on every run and files an issue with the SQL it used as evidence:

- id: stackql
  uses: stackql/setup-stackql-mcp@v1
  env:
    AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID: ${{ secrets.AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID }}
    AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY: ${{ secrets.AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY }}
  with:
    mode: read_only

- uses: anthropics/claude-code-action@v1
  with:
    anthropic_api_key: ${{ secrets.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY }}
    prompt: |
      Using the stackql tools, audit our AWS account for: S3 buckets without
      encryption or with public access, security groups open to 0.0.0.0/0 on
      sensitive ports, and IAM users without MFA. Open a GitHub issue
      "Cloud audit <date>" summarising findings WITH the SQL you ran as
      evidence. If nothing is found, do not open an issue.
    claude_args: |
      --mcp-config ${{ steps.stackql.outputs.mcp-config-file }}
      --allowedTools 'mcp__stackql__*'

Because the config is pinned to read_only, the audit can read everything and change nothing - the safety contract is enforced by the server, not by trust in the prompt. The action README has more recipes, including cost estimates on a pull request and a credential-free GitHub inventory.

What the agent actually sees​

Under the hood the agent works the StackQL hierarchy with the same tools whatever the runtime. Pulling the GitHub provider and listing its services looks like this:

> pull_provider {"provider": "github"}
github provider, version 'v26.05.00393' successfully installed

> list_services {"provider": "github"}
actions, activity, apps, billing, checks, code_scanning, codespaces,
copilot, dependabot, gists, git, issues, orgs, packages, projects,
pulls, repos, search, secret_scanning, teams, users, ...

From there the agent can call list_resources and list_methods to discover the required WHERE parameters, then run_select_query to answer a question like "how many public repositories does the stackql org have?" - all without anyone hand-writing SQL.

Get started​

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