ClickHouse MCP Server vs MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery)

A side-by-side comparison of two Databases servers — tools, transport, auth, maintenance, and copy-paste config for each.

	ClickHouse MCP Server Official ClickHouse server: read-only SQL queries plus database/table exploration and chDB support. Verified stdio (local) API key Python	MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery) Google's official MCP server with prebuilt BigQuery tools, querying datasets via Application Default Credentials. Verified stdio (local) OAuth Go
Category	Databases	Databases
Language	Python	Go
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	API key	OAuth
GitHub stars	1.0k	16k
Last commit	1 month ago	13 days ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`uvx mcp-clickhouse`	`brew install mcp-toolbox && toolbox --prebuilt bigquery --stdio`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick ClickHouse MCP Server if you prefer its approach (official clickhouse server: read-only sql queries plus database/table exploration and chdb support).

Pick MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery) if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you need the broadest set of tools.

Add ClickHouse MCP Server

Install / run

uvx mcp-clickhouse

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "clickhouse-mcp-server": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-clickhouse"
      ],
      "env": {
        "CLICKHOUSE_HOST": "<clickhouse-host>",
        "CLICKHOUSE_PORT": "8443",
        "CLICKHOUSE_USER": "<clickhouse-user>",
        "CLICKHOUSE_SECURE": "true",
        "CLICKHOUSE_PASSWORD": "<clickhouse-password>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Requires `uv` (the Python package runner). Install it from https://docs.astral.sh/uv/ if `uvx` is not found.

Add MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery)

Install / run

brew install mcp-toolbox && toolbox --prebuilt bigquery --stdio

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-toolbox-for-databases-bigquery": {
      "command": "/absolute/path/to/toolbox",
      "args": [
        "--prebuilt",
        "bigquery",
        "--stdio"
      ],
      "env": {
        "BIGQUERY_PROJECT": "<your-gcp-project-id>"
      }
    }
  }
}

FAQ

ClickHouse MCP Server or MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery) — which is better?

Pick ClickHouse MCP Server if you prefer its approach (official clickhouse server: read-only sql queries plus database/table exploration and chdb support). Pick MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery) if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you need the broadest set of tools.

Can I use both ClickHouse MCP Server and MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery)?

Yes — MCP clients let you enable multiple servers at once. Add both configs to your client's mcpServers and use whichever tool fits the task.

Do ClickHouse MCP Server and MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery) work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

Both do. Copy the per-client config below into Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf.

View ClickHouse MCP Server →View MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery) →More comparisons →