dbt Semantic Layer MCP Server: Centralize & Activate Insights

dbt Semantic Layer MCP Server: Mirror, centralize, and activate data insights seamlessly—powering unified analytics at scale for smarter, faster decisions.

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About dbt Semantic Layer MCP Server

What is dbt Semantic Layer MCP Server: Centralize & Activate Insights?

dbt Semantic Layer MCP Server acts as a bridge between AI assistants (like Claude) and the dbt Semantic Layer. It enables seamless natural language querying of your centralized metrics repository, ensuring everyone from analysts to executives can access consistent data insights without writing complex SQL. This server transforms fragmented data workflows into a unified experience where metrics are the single source of truth.

How to use dbt Semantic Layer MCP Server: Centralize & Activate Insights?

Getting started is straightforward with these steps:

Install via Smithery CLI using npx -y @smithery/cli install @TommyBez/dbt-semantic-layer-mcp --client claude
Configure API access to your dbt Cloud instance
Launch Claude Desktop and start asking questions like:

"Show me quarterly sales growth compared to last year"
"What's the top-performing product category this month?"

dbt Semantic Layer MCP Server Features

Key Features of dbt Semantic Layer MCP Server: Centralize & Activate Insights?

Unlock these core capabilities:

Instant Metric Access: Get real-time answers to business questions without query writing
Smart Analysis: Automatically apply dimensional filtering and grouping (e.g., "group by region and time period")
Visual Intelligence: Receive results in easy-to-interpret charts and tables directly in your AI interface
Consistency Engine: Ensures every query uses the exact metric definitions validated in dbt

Use cases of dbt Semantic Layer MCP Server: Centralize & Activate Insights?

Common scenarios include:

Marketing teams comparing campaign performance across regions
Finance departments validating revenue forecasts against actuals
Product managers tracking feature adoption trends
Executives getting instant "state of the business" summaries

dbt Semantic Layer MCP Server FAQ

FAQ & Troubleshooting

Q: "I'm getting API permission errors"
A: Ensure your dbt Cloud API key has "Read" access to metrics and the workspace matches your target environment

Q: "Queries return outdated data"
A: Check if your dbt models have been refreshed recently - the server uses the latest compiled metrics

Q: "Can I customize response formats?"
A: Yes - configure visualization preferences through the Smithery dashboard or use raw data exports

Content

dbt Semantic Layer MCP Server

A Model-Connector-Presenter (MCP) server for seamlessly querying the dbt Semantic Layer through Claude Desktop and other compatible AI assistants.

What is the dbt Semantic Layer?

The dbt Semantic Layer is a powerful feature that allows you to define metrics once in your dbt project and reuse them consistently across your entire data stack. It provides:

A single source of truth for business metrics
Consistent metric definitions across all data tools
Simplified access to complex metrics for all team members

About This Project

This MCP server acts as a bridge between AI assistants (like Claude) and the dbt Semantic Layer, enabling you to:

Query metrics directly through natural language conversations
Explore available metrics and their definitions
Analyze data with dimensional breakdowns and filters
Visualize results within your AI assistant interface

Features

🔍 Metric Discovery : Browse and search available metrics in your dbt Semantic Layer
📊 Query Creation : Generate and execute semantic queries through natural language
🧮 Data Analysis : Filter, group, and order metrics for deeper insights
📈 Result Visualization : Display query results in an easy-to-understand format

Prerequisites

A dbt Cloud account with Semantic Layer enabled
API access to your dbt Cloud instance
Node.js (v14 or later)

Installation

Via Smithery (Recommended)

The easiest way to install is via Smithery:

npx -y @smithery/cli install @TommyBez/dbt-semantic-layer-mcp --client claude

Usage

Once installed and configured, you can interact with the dbt Semantic Layer directly from Claude Desktop:

Ask about available metrics: "What metrics are available in my dbt Semantic Layer?"
Query specific metrics: "Show me monthly revenue for the last quarter grouped by product category"
Analyze trends: "What's the week-over-week growth in user signups?"

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues:

Verify your API credentials are correct
Ensure your dbt Cloud project has Semantic Layer enabled
Check that your metrics are properly defined in your dbt project

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

dbt Labs for creating the dbt Semantic Layer
Smithery for the MCP deployment platform
LiteMCP for the MCP development package