dbatools-mcp-server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for the dbatools PowerShell module.

Exposes dbatools commands as MCP tools so AI assistants (GitHub Copilot, Claude, etc.) can discover, explain, and execute dbatools commands directly — with all metadata sourced from dbatools' own comment-based help.

Features

list_dbatools_commands — search commands by verb, noun, keyword, or risk level
get_dbatools_command_help — full normalized help (synopsis, parameters, examples) from Get-Help -Full
invoke_dbatools_command — execute any dbatools command with safe parameter validation, risk gating, and structured JSON output
check_dbatools_environment — verify PowerShell + dbatools installation, index freshness, and version alignment
Version mismatch detection — warns when installed dbatools version differs from the indexed version
Safe mode — non-readonly commands require explicit confirm: true to execute
SQL Authentication support — pass SqlCredential: { username, password } for SQL auth instances

Prerequisites

Node.js 20+
PowerShell 7+ (pwsh)
dbatools PowerShell module

Install-Module dbatools -Scope CurrentUser

Quick Start

# 1. Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/Dataplat/dbatools-mcp-server.git
cd dbatools-mcp-server

# 2. Install Node dependencies
npm install

# 3. Generate the help index from your local dbatools installation
npm run refresh-help

# 4. Build
npm run build

Then open the folder in VS Code — the .vscode/mcp.json file automatically registers the MCP server.

Connecting to VS Code

The included .vscode/mcp.json registers the server as a local STDIO MCP server. Open this folder in VS Code and the server will appear in the GitHub Copilot MCP panel.

{
  "servers": {
    "dbatools": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["${workspaceFolder}/dist/server.js"],
      "env": {
        "DBATOOLS_SAFE_MODE": "true",
        "MAX_OUTPUT_ROWS": "100",
        "COMMAND_TIMEOUT_SECONDS": "60"
      }
    }
  }
}

Configuration

All settings are controlled via environment variables (set in .vscode/mcp.json or your shell):

| Variable | Default | Description | |---|---|---| | PWSH_EXE | pwsh | Path to PowerShell executable | | DBATOOLS_SAFE_MODE | true | When true, non-readonly commands require confirm: true | | MAX_OUTPUT_ROWS | 100 | Maximum rows returned per command execution | | COMMAND_TIMEOUT_SECONDS | 60 | Seconds before PowerShell process is killed |

Refreshing the Help Index

The help index (generated/dbatools-help.json) is generated from your locally installed dbatools module. Re-run whenever dbatools is updated:

Update-Module dbatools -Scope CurrentUser
npm run refresh-help

The server detects version mismatches at runtime and warns you when the index is stale.

Risk Levels

Commands are automatically classified by verb:

| Risk Level | Verbs | Behavior | |---|---|---| | readonly | Get, Test, Find, Compare, … | Always allowed | | change | Set, New, Add, Copy, Enable, … | Requires confirm: true in safe mode | | destructive | Remove, Drop, Disable, Reset, … | Requires confirm: true in safe mode |

SQL Authentication

For SQL-auth-only instances (e.g. Docker), pass credentials via the SqlCredential parameter:

{
  "SqlInstance": "localhost,1433",
  "SqlCredential": { "username": "<SqlLogin>", "password": "YourPassword" }
}

Project Structure

dbatools-mcp-server/
├── src/
│   ├── server.ts          # MCP server entry point, tool definitions
│   ├── powershell.ts      # PowerShell process runner, health checks, version detection
│   ├── help-indexer.ts    # Help manifest loader and command search
│   ├── tool-registry.ts   # Risk classification, safe argument builder
│   └── types.ts           # Shared TypeScript interfaces
├── scripts/
│   └── refresh-help.ps1   # Generates generated/dbatools-help.json
├── generated/             # Help index (gitignored, generated locally)
├── .vscode/
│   └── mcp.json           # VS Code MCP local server registration
└── dist/                  # Compiled output (gitignored)

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please open an issue first for significant changes.

This project follows the same community spirit as dbatools.

MCP Servers