db_mcpphoebe-ai.de/tools

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Setup · about 30 to 60 minutes

Can I do this myself?

Setup consists of five steps. Most of them are done quickly – the most demanding one is the read-only user on the database; with the administrator login the bridge creates it itself. The short self-check shows whether you have everything you need.

Self-check

Tick what applies

RequirementThere is a Windows computer that runs most of the time and can reach the database. Often the database server itself, or a server or PC in the same network. RequirementI have administrator rights on that computer. The bridge is installed as a Windows service – that needs administrator rights. I know where my database is – or where to look it up. Server name or address, possibly port or instance. For JTL it is shown in the Wawi login window; for hosted databases your provider has it. I have the administrator login of the database server – or someone creates the read-only user for me. On MS SQL usually “sa”: then the bridge creates the read-only user itself. Without it, your IT service provider or hosting provider does it. RequirementI have a paid Claude subscription. Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise. Installing programs and changing settings in a browser-based interface is familiar to me.

Nothing ticked yet.

Steps

The five steps

Create a read-only database user 10–20 min
A user of its own that may only read – that is the most important protection. If you have the database server's administrator login, the bridge does this at the push of a button: it lets you pick the database from a list, creates the user with read rights only and fills it in. Otherwise the manual contains the commands for your IT service provider or hosting provider.
Using the administrator (“sa” on MS SQL) directly is possible if you deliberately want that – for example on a server dedicated to your ERP. Then, however, it is no longer the database itself that prevents changes, only the bridge's checks.
Unpack and install the package 5 min
Unpack the ZIP completely and double-click install.cmd. Windows asks for administrator rights; afterwards the bridge's interface opens in your browser.
Not “install.ps1 → Run with PowerShell”: for downloaded files Windows often blocks that without any message.
Enter the database 5–15 min
In the interface, give it a name, pick the ODBC driver from the list (the default usually fits), enter server, port or instance, database and the read-only user – then “test connection”. If the test fails, it also tells you why.
Copy server and port from your ERP or your hosting provider's documents rather than typing them: a transposed digit can lead to someone else's server – the sign-in then fails although the password is right.
Paste the access code 1 min
Under “Verbindung” (connection), paste the access code you receive from us and connect – done. This step is always needed, even if you only use Claude Desktop: it is how the bridge gets activated.
Connect Claude 5–10 min
There are two ways – one is enough, both together work too.
Connector (recommended): add a connector with our address in claude.ai once, sign in and, the first time, scan a QR code with an authenticator app. The connector belongs to your Claude account and is then available in all Claude applications: in the browser, in Claude Desktop on any computer and in the Claude app on your phone. The queries travel through our server, which only passes them through.

Extension for Claude Desktop: install the included extension in Claude Desktop and enter the token from the interface. This runs through Claude Desktop on the bridge's computer – without a detour: the data flows directly between Claude Desktop and the bridge, not through our server (which only checks the activation regularly). For your phone and other computers the connector is the way (for the browser see “How the Claude apps behave” below).

Either way: Claude reaches your database only while the computer with the bridge is switched on and the “db_mcp Agent” service is running. If it is off, asleep or offline, Claude replies that the database bridge is not connected. So it is best installed on a computer that runs all the time anyway – such as the server of your ERP system.
Then just start asking.

Help

If something is unfamiliar

Let Claude guide you through the setup – with the skill in the next section, Claude knows every step and every message. The read-only user on the database can also be created by your IT service provider or hosting provider; the bridge shows the commands for that. And if you have questions, you can reach us by e-mail.

Claude helps

Let Claude guide you through the setup

You already have Claude – so Claude can help you set things up, too. The package contains the file db-mcp-einrichtung.zip: a skill for Claude that knows every step, message and pitfall. You describe where you are, add a screenshot if needed, and Claude tells you the next move.

Take db-mcp-einrichtung.zip from the unpacked package – or download it here (do not unpack it).
In claude.ai or the Claude app: Customize → Skills (depending on the version Settings → Capabilities) → upload skill → choose the ZIP file → turn it on.
Start a new chat: “Help me set up db_mcp.”

Fallback without uploading: attach the file to a chat message and write “Read the instructions in this ZIP file and help me set up db_mcp” – this works if Claude is allowed to open files.

Passwords, the access code and tokens never go into the chat, only into the bridge's interface – Claude pays attention to that as well. The skill itself is written in German, as is the bridge's interface; Claude answers in your language.

And if Claude operates the computer itself?

With the “Cowork” feature of the Claude app, Claude can see the screen and use mouse and keyboard – and largely carry out the setup itself; Windows confirmations and all passwords stay with you. This is a feature of Anthropic, not ours, and we do not generally recommend it: whether you want it is your decision. Important to know: Claude sees everything on the screen – including other windows, open documents, e-mails or notifications. Close whatever Claude should not see beforehand, and stay with it.

Frequent questions

FAQ

Which Claude subscription do I need?

A paid one: Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise. db_mcp uses your own subscription – we do not sell access to Claude and we do not see your conversations.

Can Claude change or delete data?

No – unless you explicitly enable it. The bridge only lets read queries through, and the database user may only read anyway. If you want Claude to make changes, you enable that per database and need a separate write user; Claude then shows every change first and waits for your approval.

Where does my data end up?

Your database stays where it is. The results of the queries Claude runs go to Claude and therefore to Anthropic – like everything you type into Claude. With the connector, our server only passes requests through and stores no content; with the extension for Claude Desktop it is not involved at all. What Claude should not see (passwords, bank details, HR data) you lock in the interface; Claude also recognises suspicious columns itself and suggests locking them.

Do I need to open a port or change the firewall?

No. The bridge opens its connection outwards by itself (encrypted, port 443 like a website). Antivirus software that inspects HTTPS does not interfere.

My database is hosted / in the cloud. Does that work?

Yes, as long as the computer running the bridge can reach the database – the same way your ERP reaches it. Take server and port from your hosting provider's documents. For hosted databases the provider often creates the read-only user for you.

Can I connect several databases?

Yes, as many as you like – also of different kinds, e.g. ERP and document management. Claude can query them one by one and compare them with each other.

Can I open a database to certain chats only?

Yes, in two steps you can combine. Access by way: a database can be reached on all ways, only on this computer (Claude Desktop, Claude Code) or only through claude.ai – on the other way Claude does not see it at all. Key required: then every single Claude session needs your approval. Claude asks and gives you a name for the request in the chat, often matching the topic; you find it in the bridge's interface under “Schlüssel” (keys) and approve it. Claude keeps the key in its own working directory – other chats and colleagues on the same subscription do not have it. You can revoke it at any time.

The key protects against sessions that are not meant to have access, not against the session that holds it. Lock columns with passwords or bank details in addition.

Do I need Claude Desktop or claude.ai?

What matters is the way, not the application. The connector is set up once in claude.ai and then applies to your whole Claude account – including Claude Desktop (on any computer) and the Claude app on your phone, with sign-in and second factor; the queries travel through our server. The extension for Claude Desktop is the purely local way without signing in with us: the data stays between Claude Desktop and the bridge, but it runs through Claude Desktop on the bridge's computer. You can use both – for example the extension at your desk and the connector on the road.

Does it work with Claude Code?

Yes, both ways. Claude Code picks up the connector from claude.ai automatically when it is signed in with the same account; type /mcp once and sign in. Locally on the bridge's computer, in a terminal of its own:

claude mcp add --scope user --transport http db_mcp_lokal http://127.0.0.1:8781/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer <token>"

The token is shown in the bridge's interface. Do not forget --scope user – otherwise the entry only applies in one directory – and do not run the command inside the Claude Code chat, so the token does not end up in the conversation. Good to know: the connector is available in every Claude Code session of your account; if you do not want that, switch it off there under /mcp. Details in the manual.

Does the computer with the bridge have to be running all the time?

Yes, as long as you want Claude to access the database – on every way, including the connector from your phone. The data is on your side; our server only passes requests through and has no access of its own. The bridge starts automatically with Windows as a service, nobody needs to be logged in. Sleep and power saving should be switched off on that computer, though. Ideal is a computer that runs all the time anyway, such as the server of your ERP system.

What do I need to watch out for with an update?

Unpack the new package and run install.cmd – settings, locks and notes are kept. Afterwards, start a new chat in Claude: a chat that is already running often keeps the tool descriptions from its start and sees new rules and capabilities only partly; disconnecting and reconnecting the connector usually helps. Tip: ask the old chat for a summary of where you are and paste it into the new one. In Claude Desktop switch the extension off and on, or restart the app completely. See also “How the Claude apps behave”.

How the Claude apps behave (observed, as of October 2026)

How the Claude apps cache and pass on tools is up to Anthropic and can change at any time. Observed so far:

After an update of the bridge, a running chat often still shows the old tool descriptions. Disconnecting and reconnecting the connector usually helps; a new chat is the safe way.
The extension in Claude Desktop usually picks up changes only after switching it off and on again under Settings → Extensions, or after quitting Claude Desktop completely and restarting it.
While Claude Desktop is running, the extension may also show up in the browser chat on claude.ai.

What does not change: the data comes only from the bridge on your computer, with its locks, and only while that computer is running.

Does the bridge run on several computers?

One access covers one installation. Several workstations with their own bridge (e.g. for Claude Desktop on several PCs) we set up on request. If you move to a new computer, just let us know – the old installation is then released.

Is there a Linux version?

The package is for Windows. In principle the bridge also runs on Linux – talk to us if you need that.

What happens if the internet connection drops?

The bridge reconnects by itself as soon as the internet is back. The direct route via Claude Desktop needs an activation that renews continuously while connected and is valid for 30 days – so short or even longer interruptions are no problem.

Is everything available in English?

This website is. The bridge's interface and the manual are currently in German; Claude itself of course answers in whatever language you ask.