Are both servers official?

The TiDB server is official — it ships with PingCAP's pytidb project. The CockroachDB server is a community project (vendor amineelkouhen), not published by Cockroach Labs, so weigh that provenance difference when judging support and long-term maintenance.

Which SQL dialect does each speak?

TiDB is MySQL-wire-compatible, so the agent uses MySQL-flavored SQL. CockroachDB implements the PostgreSQL wire protocol and most Postgres syntax, so the server connects over a postgresql:// DSN and the agent writes Postgres-style SQL.

TiDB vs CockroachDB

TiDB MCP and CockroachDB MCP both connect an agent to a distributed SQL database, but they come from different places and lean on different wire dialects. The TiDB server is PingCAP's official offering: launched with uvx from the pytidb package, it lets an agent show databases, switch databases, list tables, run SQL queries, execute statements, and even manage database users against TiDB, the MySQL-compatible distributed SQL engine. The CockroachDB server is a community project (vendor amineelkouhen, not Cockroach Labs) that speaks to a CockroachDB cluster over a postgresql:// URL; beyond querying data and managing schema it leans hard into cluster operations — reading cluster status, running queries, replication status, slow queries, contention events, transaction insights, and index recommendations. Both target horizontally scalable, fault-tolerant SQL, but TiDB is MySQL-wire-compatible while CockroachDB speaks the PostgreSQL wire protocol. Here is a balanced look at how the two servers differ for agent work.

How they compare

Dimension	TiDB	CockroachDB
Official status	Official PingCAP server, published as part of the pytidb project, so support and provenance come from the database vendor itself.	Community server (vendor amineelkouhen), not published by Cockroach Labs — factor that third-party provenance into trust and support expectations.
SQL dialect and compatibility	TiDB is MySQL-wire-compatible, so the agent's SQL and tooling speak the MySQL dialect against a distributed backend.	CockroachDB speaks the PostgreSQL wire protocol and most Postgres syntax, so the agent connects over a postgresql:// DSN.
Tool focus	Schema-and-query focused: show_databases, switch_database, show_tables, db_query, db_execute, plus user management with db_create_user and db_remove_user.	Operations-heavy: alongside querying it surfaces cluster status, replication status, slow queries, contention events, transaction insights, and index recommendations.
Connection and launch	Runs over stdio via uvx from the pytidb[mcp] package; you point it at your TiDB instance.	Runs over stdio via uvx from a GitHub source, connecting with a postgresql:// URL (defaulting to a local root connection).
Best-fit task	Letting an agent explore and query a TiDB database, and manage users, when your stack already speaks MySQL and you want a vendor-official server.	Giving an agent deep visibility into CockroachDB cluster health — replication, contention, slow queries, and index advice — as well as data and schema work.

Verdict

Both servers put a distributed, fault-tolerant SQL database behind an agent, so choose by wire compatibility, provenance, and how much cluster operations you want exposed. Pick the TiDB server when your applications already speak MySQL, you want a vendor-official server from PingCAP, and you mainly need explore-query-execute plus user management. Pick the CockroachDB server when you are on CockroachDB (PostgreSQL wire), you accept a community server, and you want an agent that can also reason about cluster health: replication status, contention events, slow queries, transaction insights, and index recommendations. In short: TiDB for an official, MySQL-compatible explore-and-query server; CockroachDB for Postgres-wire querying plus rich cluster diagnostics from a community project.

FAQ

Are both servers official?: The TiDB server is official — it ships with PingCAP's pytidb project. The CockroachDB server is a community project (vendor amineelkouhen), not published by Cockroach Labs, so weigh that provenance difference when judging support and long-term maintenance.
Which SQL dialect does each speak?: TiDB is MySQL-wire-compatible, so the agent uses MySQL-flavored SQL. CockroachDB implements the PostgreSQL wire protocol and most Postgres syntax, so the server connects over a postgresql:// DSN and the agent writes Postgres-style SQL.