SKILL.md
MSSQL Read-Only Query Skill
Execute safe, read-only queries against configured Microsoft SQL Server databases.
Requirements
- Python 3.8+
- pymssql:
pip install -r requirements.txt
Setup
Create connections.json in the skill directory or ~/.config/claude/mssql-connections.json.
Security: Set file permissions to 600 since it contains credentials:
chmod 600 connections.json
{
"databases": [
{
"name": "production",
"description": "Main app database - users, orders, transactions",
"host": "db.example.com",
"port": 1433,
"database": "app_prod",
"user": "readonly_user",
"password": "your-password",
"encrypt": true,
"tds_version": "7.3"
}
]
}
Config Fields
| Field |
Required |
Description |
| name |
Yes |
Identifier for the database (case-insensitive) |
| description |
Yes |
What data this database contains (used for auto-selection) |
| host |
Yes |
Database hostname |
| port |
No |
Port number (default: 1433) |
| database |
Yes |
Database name |
| user |
Yes |
Username |
| password |
Yes |
Password |
| encrypt |
No |
Enable TLS encryption (default: false) |
| tds_version |
No |
TDS protocol version: 7.0, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4 (default: auto) |
Usage
List configured databases
python3 scripts/query.py --list
Query a database
python3 scripts/query.py --db production --query "SELECT TOP 10 * FROM users"
List tables
python3 scripts/query.py --db production --tables
Show schema
python3 scripts/query.py --db production --schema
Limit results
python3 scripts/query.py --db production --query "SELECT * FROM orders" --limit 100
Note: MSSQL uses TOP N instead of LIMIT. The --limit flag automatically inserts TOP N after SELECT.
Database Selection
Match user intent to database description:
| User asks about |
Look for description containing |
| users, accounts |
users, accounts, customers |
| orders, sales |
orders, transactions, sales |
| analytics, metrics |
analytics, metrics, reports |
| logs, events |
logs, events, audit |
If unclear, run --list and ask user which database.
Safety Features
- Read-only enforcement: Query validation blocks write operations (use a
db_datareader role user for server-side protection)
- Query validation: Only SELECT, SHOW, EXPLAIN, WITH, SP_HELP queries allowed
- Single statement: Multiple statements per query rejected
- TLS support: Configurable encryption for secure connections
- Query timeout: 30-second timeout enforced via pymssql
- Connection timeout: 10-second login timeout
- Memory protection: Max 10,000 rows per query to prevent OOM
- Column width cap: 100 char max per column for readable output
- Credential sanitization: Error messages don't leak passwords
Troubleshooting
| Error |
Solution |
| Config not found |
Create connections.json in skill directory |
| Authentication failed |
Check username/password in config |
| Connection timeout |
Verify host/port, check firewall/VPN |
| TDS version error |
Try "tds_version": "7.3" or "7.4" |
| Encryption error |
Set "encrypt": true for Azure SQL |
| Permission warning |
Run chmod 600 connections.json |
Exit Codes
- 0: Success
- 1: Error (config missing, auth failed, invalid query, database error)
Workflow
- Run
--list to show available databases
- Match user intent to database description
- Run
--tables or --schema to explore structure
- Execute query with appropriate
--limit (auto-converts to TOP N)