cloudant_get_tablesLABSCO SUMMARY
Read-only by construction.
Three tools and no write path is the whole design: the model discovers tables, reads columns and runs SELECTs, so a badly framed question produces a wrong answer rather than a changed record. Two things decide whether it fits. The CData JDBC driver is a separate licensed product, with a trial key to start on. And the assistant can query every table the connection can see — the Tables field in the connection profile does not narrow that, so limit the connection or the account it signs in with.
What it is
A read-only MCP server built on CData's JDBC Driver for Cloudant. The driver exposes Cloudant as relational tables; the server puts three tools over it, so a client can discover what tables exist, read a table's columns, and run a SELECT — without anyone writing SQL by hand.
What you get
- The tables the driver exposes for Cloudant, returned as CSV with a header row —
cloudant_get_tables - The columns of one of those tables, also as CSV, so a query can be composed against real field names —
cloudant_get_columns - A SQL SELECT executed against live Cloudant data —
cloudant_run_query - Tool names that carry the prefix you set in the connection profile — the sample uses
Prefix=cloudant— so several CData servers can run side by side without colliding - A
Tablessetting that only picks which tables also get a ready-made description (blank means none); it does not limit what the tools can list or query, so limit the connection or the account it signs in with
Requirements
Java and Maven to build — mvn clean install produces CDataMCP-jar-with-dependencies.jar. The CData JDBC Driver for Cloudant is a separate download and needs licensing: run java -jar cdata.jdbc.cloudant.jar --license and enter a name, an email and either TRIAL or a licence key. Connection settings go in a .prp file carrying Prefix, ServerName (the sample uses CDataCloudant), ServerVersion, DriverPath, DriverClass (cdata.jdbc.cloudant.CloudantDriver), the JdbcUrl produced by the driver's connection-string utility, and the optional Tables list. The client then launches java -jar CDataMCP-jar-with-dependencies.jar <YOUR_PRP_FILE>.prp. Transport is stdio, so the server has to run on the same machine as the client. If the data source authenticates over OAuth, you approve it in a browser while building the connection string.
Setup effort
Build from source — clone the repository, then point your client at the binary
USE CASES
01
Querying documents without writing a view
The driver models Cloudant as relational tables, so a question can be answered with a SELECT rather than a map/reduce view.
02
Understanding what a database actually holds
Enumerate tables and their columns to map the document structure before building anything on top of it.
03
Giving an assistant read-only access to a document store
The server runs SELECTs only, so a badly framed question produces a wrong answer rather than a changed document.
3 tools
Listed in project docs. Your client may show a different list.
cloudant_get_columnscloudant_run_queryBEFORE YOU INSTALL
What to know first
Tools you get
3 tools named in the project's documentation. Tool names take the Prefix in the .prp file, so the example config's names become cloudant_get_tables, cloudant_get_columns and cloudant_run_query. All three are read-only (run_query accepts only SELECT), despite a line promising writes.
Where it runs
The documented client runs the server on your machine.
INSTALLATION
Connect your client
Clone the repository, then point your client at the binary. This one is built from source rather than installed with a single command.
Server setup
TERMINAL
git clone https://github.com/cdatasoftware/cloudant-mcp-server-by-cdata.git
cd cloudant-mcp-server-by-cdata
mvn clean installDownload and install the CData JDBC Driver for Cloudant from https://www.cdata.com/drivers/cloudant/download/jdbc
License the driver: in the driver's lib folder run java -jar cdata.jdbc.cloudant.jar --license, then enter name, email and "TRIAL" (or your license key)
Run java -jar cdata.jdbc.cloudant.jar to open the Connection String utility, test the connection and copy the connection string
Create a .prp file with Prefix / ServerName / ServerVersion / DriverPath / DriverClass=cdata.jdbc.cloudant.CloudantDriver / JdbcUrl / Tables
Tables only picks which tables also get a ready-made description for your assistant, and empty means none; the server can still list and query every table your connection string reaches, so to keep data out of reach, limit that connection or the account it signs in with.
Add the mcpServers entry below to claude_desktop_config.json and restart the client
MCP Clients
Claude Desktop — macOS / Linux
CLAUDE DESKTOP — MACOS / LINUX · JSON
{
"mcpServers": {
"cloudant": {
"command": "<YOUR_PATH_TO_JAVA>",
"args": [
"-jar",
"<YOUR_PATH_TO_CDATA_MCP_JAR_WITH>",
"<YOUR_PATH_TO_CLOUDANT>"
]
}
}
}