Add the TiDB MCP server to Claude Desktop

Config last verified Jun 1, 2026

The exact config to run TiDB in Claude Desktop — paste it in, restart, and the tools load.

Prerequisites

Claude Desktop installed.
TIDB_HOST — Hostname of your TiDB server or TiDB Cloud cluster.
TIDB_PORT — Port of the TiDB server, typically 4000.
TIDB_USERNAME — TiDB username used to authenticate.
TIDB_PASSWORD — Password for the TiDB user.
TIDB_DATABASE — Default database to connect to.

Setup

1. Open `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`

On Windows the file lives at %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json.

2. Add this configuration

Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tidb": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "--from",
        "pytidb[mcp]",
        "tidb-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "TIDB_HOST": "<TIDB_HOST>",
        "TIDB_PORT": "<TIDB_PORT>",
        "TIDB_USERNAME": "<TIDB_USERNAME>",
        "TIDB_PASSWORD": "<TIDB_PASSWORD>",
        "TIDB_DATABASE": "<TIDB_DATABASE>"
      }
    }
  }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop and confirm the TiDB tools load.

Gotchas

Claude Desktop reads MCP servers from an "mcpServers" object, but the config file is stdio-only: it cannot dial a remote URL directly. To reach a remote server you bridge it locally by running "npx mcp-remote <url>" as the command. Native remote Connectors exist on paid plans, but not through this config file, so the bridge is the portable path.

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