Nile MCP Server: AI-Driven Tenant & Access Control

Nile MCP Server

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A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server implementation for Nile database platform. This server allows LLM applications to interact with Nile platform through a standardized interface.

Features

• Database Management : Create, list, get details, and delete databases
• Credential Management : Create and list database credentials
• Region Management : List available regions for database creation
• SQL Query Support : Execute SQL queries directly on Nile databases
• MCP Protocol Support : Full implementation of the Model Context Protocol
• Type Safety : Written in TypeScript with full type checking
• Error Handling : Comprehensive error handling and user-friendly error messages
• Test Coverage : Comprehensive test suite using Jest
• Environment Management : Automatic loading of environment variables from .env file
• Input Validation : Schema-based input validation using Zod

Installation

Install the stable version:

npm install @niledatabase/nile-mcp-server

For the latest alpha/preview version:

npm install @niledatabase/nile-mcp-server@alpha

This will install @niledatabase/nile-mcp-server in your node_modules folder. For example: node_modules/@niledatabase/nile-mcp-server/dist/

Manual Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/nile-mcp-server.git
cd nile-mcp-server

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the project
npm run build

Other mcp package managers

1. npx @michaellatman/mcp-get@latest install @niledatabase/nile-mcp-server

Starting the Server

There are several ways to start the server:

1. Direct Node Execution :

   node dist/index.js

2. Development Mode (with auto-rebuild):

   npm run dev

The server will start and listen for MCP protocol messages. You should see startup logs indicating:

• Environment variables loaded
• Server instance created
• Tools initialized
• Transport connection established

To stop the server, press Ctrl+C.

Verifying the Server is Running

When the server starts successfully, you should see logs similar to:

[info] Starting Nile MCP Server...
[info] Loading environment variables...
[info] Environment variables loaded successfully
[info] Creating server instance...
[info] Tools initialized successfully
[info] Setting up stdio transport...
[info] Server started successfully

If you see these logs, the server is ready to accept commands from Claude Desktop.

Configuration

Create a .env file in the root directory with your Nile credentials:

NILE_API_KEY=your_api_key_here
NILE_WORKSPACE_SLUG=your_workspace_slug

To create a Nile API key, log in to your Nile account, click Workspaces in the top-left, select your workspace, and navigate to the Security section in the left menu.

Using with Claude Desktop

Setup

1. Install Claude Desktop if you haven't already

2. Build the project:

   npm run build

3. Open Claude Desktop

4. Go to Settings > MCP Servers

5. Click "Add Server"

6. Add the following configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nile-database": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/path/to/your/nile-mcp-server/dist/index.js"
      ],
      "env": {
        "NILE_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here",
        "NILE_WORKSPACE_SLUG": "your_workspace_slug"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace:

• /path/to/your/nile-mcp-server with the absolute path to your project directory
• your_api_key_here with your Nile API key
• your_workspace_slug with your Nile workspace slug

Using with Cursor

Setup

1. Install Cursor if you haven't already

2. Build the project:

   npm run build

3. Open Cursor

4. Go to Settings (⌘,) > Features > MCP Servers

5. Click "Add New MCP Server"

6. Configure the server:
   * Name: nile-database (or any name you prefer)
   * Command:
   
   env NILE_API_KEY=your_key NILE_WORKSPACE_SLUG=your_workspace node /absolute/path/to/nile-mcp-server/dist/index.js

Replace:
* your_key with your Nile API key
* your_workspace with your Nile workspace slug
* /absolute/path/to with the actual path to your project
7. Click "Save"
8. You should see a green indicator showing that the MCP server is connected
9. Restart Cursor for the changes to take effect

Server Modes

The server supports two operational modes:

STDIO Mode (Default)

The default mode uses standard input/output for communication, making it compatible with Claude Desktop and Cursor integrations.

SSE Mode

Server-Sent Events (SSE) mode enables real-time, event-driven communication over HTTP.

To enable SSE mode:

1. Set MCP_SERVER_MODE=sse in your .env file
2. The server will start an HTTP server (default port 3000)
3. Connect to the SSE endpoint: http://localhost:3000/sse
4. Send commands to: http://localhost:3000/messages

Example SSE usage with curl:

# In terminal 1 - Listen for events
curl -N http://localhost:3000/sse

# In terminal 2 - Send commands
curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/messages \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "type": "function",
    "name": "list-databases",
    "parameters": {}
  }'

Example Prompts

After setting up the MCP server in Cursor, you can use natural language to interact with Nile databases. Here are some example prompts:

Database Management

Create a new database named "my_app" in AWS_US_WEST_2 region

List all my databases

Get details for database "my_app"

Delete database "test_db"

Creating Tables

Create a users table in my_app database with columns:
- tenant_id (UUID, references tenants)
- id (INTEGER)
- email (VARCHAR, unique per tenant)
- name (VARCHAR)
- created_at (TIMESTAMP)

Create a products table in my_app database with columns:
- tenant_id (UUID, references tenants)
- id (INTEGER)
- name (VARCHAR)
- price (DECIMAL)
- description (TEXT)
- created_at (TIMESTAMP)

Querying Data

Execute this query on my_app database:
SELECT * FROM users WHERE tenant_id = 'your-tenant-id' LIMIT 5

Run this query on my_app:
INSERT INTO users (tenant_id, id, email, name) 
VALUES ('tenant-id', 1, '[[email protected]](/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection)', 'John Doe')

Show me all products in my_app database with price > 100

Schema Management

Show me the schema for the users table in my_app database

Add a new column 'status' to the users table in my_app database

Create an index on the email column of the users table in my_app

Available Tools

The server provides the following tools for interacting with Nile databases:

Database Management

1. create-database

* Creates a new Nile database
* Parameters: 
  * `name` (string): Name of the database
  * `region` (string): Either `AWS_US_WEST_2` (Oregon) or `AWS_EU_CENTRAL_1` (Frankfurt)
* Returns: Database details including ID, name, region, and status
* Example: "Create a database named 'my-app' in AWS_US_WEST_2"

2. list-databases

* Lists all databases in your workspace
* No parameters required
* Returns: List of databases with their IDs, names, regions, and status
* Example: "List all my databases"

3. get-database

* Gets detailed information about a specific database
* Parameters: 
  * `name` (string): Name of the database
* Returns: Detailed database information including API host and DB host
* Example: "Get details for database 'my-app'"

4. delete-database

* Deletes a database
* Parameters: 
  * `name` (string): Name of the database to delete
* Returns: Confirmation message
* Example: "Delete database 'my-app'"

Credential Management

1. list-credentials

* Lists all credentials for a database
* Parameters: 
  * `databaseName` (string): Name of the database
* Returns: List of credentials with IDs, usernames, and creation dates
* Example: "List credentials for database 'my-app'"

2. create-credential

* Creates new credentials for a database
* Parameters: 
  * `databaseName` (string): Name of the database
* Returns: New credential details including username and one-time password
* Example: "Create new credentials for database 'my-app'"
* Note: Save the password when it's displayed, as it won't be shown again

Region Management

1. list-regions
   * Lists all available regions for creating databases
   * No parameters required
   * Returns: List of available AWS regions
   * Example: "What regions are available for creating databases?"

SQL Query Execution

1. execute-sql
   * Executes SQL queries on a Nile database
   * Parameters:
   • databaseName (string): Name of the database to query
   • query (string): SQL query to execute
   • connectionString (string, optional): Pre-existing connection string to use for the query
     • Returns: Query results formatted as a markdown table with column headers and row count
     • Features:
   • Automatic credential management (creates new if not specified)
   • Secure SSL connection to database
   • Results formatted as markdown tables
   • Detailed error messages with hints
   • Support for using existing connection strings
     • Example: "Execute SELECT * FROM users LIMIT 5 on database 'my-app'"

Resource Management

1. read-resource

* Reads schema information for database resources (tables, views, etc.)
* Parameters: 
  * `databaseName` (string): Name of the database
  * `resourceName` (string): Name of the resource (table/view)
* Returns: Detailed schema information including: 
  * Column names and types
  * Primary keys and indexes
  * Foreign key relationships
  * Column descriptions and constraints
* Example: "Show me the schema for the users table in my-app"

2. list-resources

* Lists all resources (tables, views) in a database
* Parameters: 
  * `databaseName` (string): Name of the database
* Returns: List of all resources with their types
* Example: "List all tables in my-app database"

Tenant Management

1. list-tenants

* Lists all tenants in a database
* Parameters: 
  * `databaseName` (string): Name of the database
* Returns: List of tenants with their IDs and metadata
* Example: "Show all tenants in my-app database"

2. create-tenant

* Creates a new tenant in a database
* Parameters: 
  * `databaseName` (string): Name of the database
  * `tenantName` (string): Name for the new tenant
* Returns: New tenant details including ID
* Example: "Create a tenant named 'acme-corp' in my-app"

3. delete-tenant

* Deletes tenants in the database
* Parameters: 
  * `databaseName` (string): Name of the database
  * `tenantName` (string): Name for the tenant
* Returns: Success if the tenant is deleted
* Example: "Delete tenant named 'acme-corp' in my-app"

Example Usage

Here are some example commands you can use in Claude Desktop:

# Database Management
Please create a new database named "my-app" in the AWS_US_WEST_2 region.
Can you list all my databases?
Get the details for database "my-app".
Delete the database named "test-db".

# Connection String Management
Get a connection string for database "my-app".
# Connection string format: postgres://<user>:<password>@<region>.db.thenile.dev:5432/<database>
# Example: postgres://cred-123:[[email protected]](/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection):5432/my-app

# SQL Queries
Execute SELECT * FROM users LIMIT 5 on database "my-app"
Run this query on my-app database: SELECT COUNT(*) FROM orders WHERE status = 'completed'
Using connection string "postgres://user:pass@host:5432/db", execute this query on my-app: SELECT * FROM products WHERE price > 100

Response Format

All tools return responses in a standardized format:

• Success responses include relevant data and confirmation messages
• Error responses include detailed error messages and HTTP status codes
• SQL query results are formatted as markdown tables
• All responses are formatted for easy reading in Claude Desktop

Error Handling

The server handles various error scenarios:

• Invalid API credentials
• Network connectivity issues
• Invalid database names or regions
• Missing required parameters
• Database operation failures
• SQL syntax errors with helpful hints
• Rate limiting and API restrictions

Troubleshooting

1. If Claude says it can't access the tools:

* Check that the server path in the configuration is correct
* Ensure the project is built (`npm run build`)
* Verify your API key and workspace slug are correct
* Restart Claude Desktop

2. If database creation fails:

* Check your API key permissions
* Ensure the database name is unique in your workspace
* Verify the region is one of the supported options

3. If credential operations fail:

* Verify the database exists and is in the READY state
* Check that your API key has the necessary permissions

Development

Project Structure

nile-mcp-server/
├── src/
│   ├── server.ts      # MCP server implementation
│   ├── tools.ts       # Tool implementations
│   ├── types.ts       # Type definitions
│   ├── logger.ts      # Logging utilities
│   ├── index.ts       # Entry point
│   └── __tests__/     # Test files
│       └── server.test.ts
├── dist/             # Compiled JavaScript
├── logs/            # Log files directory
├── .env             # Environment configuration
├── .gitignore       # Git ignore file
├── package.json     # Project dependencies
└── tsconfig.json    # TypeScript configuration

Key Files

• server.ts: Main server implementation with tool registration and transport handling
• tools.ts: Implementation of all database operations and SQL query execution
• types.ts: TypeScript interfaces for database operations and responses
• logger.ts: Structured logging with daily rotation and debug support
• index.ts: Server startup and environment configuration
• server.test.ts: Comprehensive test suite for all functionality

Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the project
npm run build

# Start the server in production mode
node dist/index.js

# Start the server using npm script
npm start

# Start in development mode with auto-rebuild
npm run dev

# Run tests
npm test

Development Scripts

The following npm scripts are available:

• npm run build: Compiles TypeScript to JavaScript
• npm start: Starts the server in production mode
• npm run dev: Starts the server in development mode with auto-rebuild
• npm test: Runs the test suite
• npm run lint: Runs ESLint for code quality checking
• npm run clean: Removes build artifacts

Testing

The project includes a comprehensive test suite that covers:

• Tool registration and schema validation
• Database management operations
• Connection string generation
• SQL query execution and error handling
• Response formatting and error cases

Run the tests with:

npm test

Logging

The server uses structured logging with the following features:

• Daily rotating log files
• Separate debug logs
• JSON formatted logs with timestamps
• Console output for development
• Log categories: info, error, debug, api, sql, startup

License

MIT License - See LICENSE for details.

Related Links

• Model Context Protocol
• Nile Database
• Claude Desktop
• Cursor