mcp-trino.txn2.com | Installation | Library Docs

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Trino, enabling AI assistants to query and explore data warehouses with optional semantic context from metadata catalogs.

AI assistants excel at querying data but lack organizational context: which tables are trustworthy, what metrics mean, and which columns contain sensitive data. mcp-trino bridges this gap by connecting Trino to AI assistants through the MCP protocol, with an optional semantic layer that surfaces business metadata alongside query results.

MCP Data Platform Ecosystem

mcp-trino is part of a broader suite of open-source MCP servers designed to work together as a composable data platform. Each component can run standalone or be combined to give AI assistants unified access to storage, query engines, and metadata catalogs.

• txn2/mcp-data-platform
• txn2/mcp-datahub
• txn2/mcp-s3

Core Capabilities

Composable Architecture

• Import as a Go library to build custom MCP servers
• Add authentication, tenant isolation, audit logging without forking
• Middleware and interceptor patterns for enterprise requirements

Semantic Context

• Surface business descriptions, ownership, and data quality from metadata catalogs
• Mark sensitive columns and deprecation warnings for AI assistants
• Connect to DataHub, static files, or build custom metadata providers

Multi-Cluster Connectivity

• Query multiple Trino servers from a single MCP installation
• Unified interface across production, staging, and development environments

Secure Defaults

• Read-only mode prevents accidental data modification
• Query limits and timeouts prevent runaway operations
• SLSA Level 3 provenance for supply chain security

Features

• Execute SQL Queries: Run queries with configurable row limits and timeouts
• Analyze Execution Plans: Inspect logical, distributed, and I/O query plans
• Discover Schema: Browse catalogs, schemas, and tables across clusters
• Describe Tables: View column definitions with optional data samples
• Enrich with Context: Surface business metadata, ownership, and data quality
• Compose Custom Servers: Import as a Go library with middleware and interceptors

Installation

Homebrew (macOS)

brew install txn2/tap/mcp-trino

Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop is the GUI application for chatting with Claude. Install the mcp-trino extension to enable Trino queries in your conversations.

Option 1: One-Click Install (Recommended)

Download the .mcpb bundle for your Mac from the releases page and double-click to install:

Mac Type	Chip	Download
MacBook Air/Pro (2020+), Mac Mini (2020+), iMac (2021+), Mac Studio	Apple M1, M2, M3, M4 (arm64)	mcp-trino_*_darwin_arm64.mcpb
MacBook Air/Pro (pre-2020), Mac Mini (pre-2020), iMac (pre-2021)	Intel (amd64)	mcp-trino_*_darwin_amd64.mcpb

Tip: Not sure which chip you have? Click → "About This Mac". Look for "Chip" (Apple Silicon) or "Processor" (Intel).

Option 2: Manual Configuration

Add to your claude_desktop_config.json (find via Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "trino": {
      "command": "/opt/homebrew/bin/mcp-trino",
      "env": {
        "TRINO_HOST": "trino.example.com",
        "TRINO_USER": "your_user",
        "TRINO_PASSWORD": "your_password",
        "TRINO_CATALOG": "hive",
        "TRINO_SCHEMA": "default"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Code CLI

Claude Code is the terminal-based coding assistant. Add mcp-trino as an MCP server:

# Install via Homebrew first (see above), then:
claude mcp add trino \
  -e TRINO_HOST=trino.example.com \
  -e TRINO_USER=your_user \
  -e TRINO_PASSWORD=your_password \
  -e TRINO_CATALOG=hive \
  -- mcp-trino

Or download and install manually:

# Download the latest release for your architecture
curl -L https://github.com/txn2/mcp-trino/releases/latest/download/mcp-trino_$(uname -s)_$(uname -m).tar.gz | tar xz

# Add to Claude Code
claude mcp add trino \
  -e TRINO_HOST=trino.example.com \
  -e TRINO_USER=your_user \
  -e TRINO_PASSWORD=your_password \
  -e TRINO_CATALOG=hive \
  -- ./mcp-trino

Docker

docker run --rm -i \
  -e TRINO_HOST=trino.example.com \
  -e TRINO_USER=your_user \
  -e TRINO_PASSWORD=your_password \
  ghcr.io/txn2/mcp-trino:latest

Go Install

go install github.com/txn2/mcp-trino/cmd/mcp-trino@latest

Download Binary

Download pre-built binaries from the releases page. All releases are signed with Cosign and include SLSA provenance.

As a Library

go get github.com/txn2/mcp-trino

Quick Start

Multiple Trino Servers

You can configure multiple Trino instances with different names:

# Production
claude mcp add trino-prod \
  -e TRINO_HOST=trino.prod.example.com \
  -e TRINO_USER=prod_user \
  -- mcp-trino

# Staging
claude mcp add trino-staging \
  -e TRINO_HOST=trino.staging.example.com \
  -e TRINO_USER=staging_user \
  -- mcp-trino

Standalone Server

export TRINO_HOST=trino.example.com
export TRINO_USER=your_user
export TRINO_PASSWORD=your_password
mcp-trino

Tools

Tool	Description
trino_query	Execute read-only SQL queries (SELECT, SHOW, DESCRIBE) with limit/timeout control
trino_execute	Execute any SQL including write operations (INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, CREATE, DROP)
trino_explain	Get execution plans (logical/distributed/io/validate)
trino_browse	Browse catalog hierarchy: list catalogs, schemas, or tables
trino_describe_table	Get columns, sample data, and semantic context (if configured)
trino_list_connections	List all configured server connections

Semantic Layer

AI agents operate more reliably when they understand organizational context: not just table structures, but which datasets are production-ready, what business terms mean, and which columns require careful handling.

mcp-trino's semantic layer integrates with metadata catalogs to surface this context alongside query results:

Metadata	Description
Descriptions	Business-friendly explanations of tables and columns
Ownership	Data stewards and technical owners
Tags & Domains	Classification labels and business domains
Glossary Terms	Links to formal business definitions
Data Quality	Freshness scores and quality metrics
Sensitivity	PII and sensitive data markers at column level
Deprecation	Warnings with replacement guidance
Lineage	Upstream and downstream data dependencies

Providers

Provider	Description
DataHub	Connect to DataHub's GraphQL API for enterprise metadata
Static Files	Load metadata from YAML or JSON files with hot-reload
Custom	Implement the semantic.Provider interface for any catalog

See the Semantic Layer Documentation for configuration, caching, and custom provider development.

Configuration

Environment Variable	Description	Default
TRINO_HOST	Trino server hostname	localhost
TRINO_PORT	Trino server port	443 (SSL) / 8080
TRINO_USER	Authentication username	(required)
TRINO_PASSWORD	Authentication password	(optional)
TRINO_CATALOG	Default catalog	memory
TRINO_SCHEMA	Default schema	default
TRINO_SSL	Enable HTTPS	true for remote hosts
TRINO_SSL_VERIFY	Verify SSL certificates	true
TRINO_TIMEOUT	Query timeout (seconds)	120
TRINO_SOURCE	Client identifier	mcp-trino
TRINO_ADDITIONAL_SERVERS	Additional servers (JSON)	(optional)

Multi-Server Configuration

Connect to multiple Trino servers from a single installation. Configure your primary server with the standard environment variables, then add additional servers via JSON:

export TRINO_HOST=prod.trino.example.com
export TRINO_USER=admin
export TRINO_PASSWORD=secret
export TRINO_ADDITIONAL_SERVERS='{
  "staging": {"host": "staging.trino.example.com"},
  "dev": {"host": "localhost", "port": 8080, "ssl": false}
}'

Additional servers inherit credentials and settings from the primary server unless overridden:

{
  "staging": {
    "host": "staging.trino.example.com",
    "user": "staging_user",
    "catalog": "iceberg"
  },
  "dev": {
    "host": "localhost",
    "port": 8080,
    "ssl": false,
    "user": "admin"
  }
}

Use the connection parameter in any tool to target a specific server:

"Query the staging server: SELECT * FROM users LIMIT 10"
→ trino_query(sql="...", connection="staging")

Use trino_list_connections to discover available connections.

File-Based Configuration

For production deployments using Kubernetes ConfigMaps, Vault, or other secret management systems, mcp-trino supports file-based configuration:

# config.yaml
trino:
  host: trino.example.com
  port: 443
  user: ${TRINO_USER}           # Supports env var expansion
  password: ${TRINO_PASSWORD}   # Secrets can come from env
  catalog: hive
  schema: default
  ssl: true
  timeout: 120s

toolkit:
  default_limit: 1000
  max_limit: 10000
  default_timeout: 120s
  max_timeout: 300s

extensions:
  logging: true
  readonly: true
  errors: true

Load configuration in your custom server:

import "github.com/txn2/mcp-trino/pkg/extensions"

// Load from file with env var overrides
cfg, err := extensions.LoadConfig("/etc/mcp-trino/config.yaml")

// Convert to individual configs
clientCfg := cfg.ClientConfig()
toolsCfg := cfg.ToolsConfig()
extCfg := cfg.ExtConfig()

Using as a Library

mcp-trino is designed to be composable. You can import its tools into your own MCP server:

package main

import (
    "context"
    "log"

    "github.com/modelcontextprotocol/go-sdk/mcp"
    "github.com/txn2/mcp-trino/pkg/client"
    "github.com/txn2/mcp-trino/pkg/tools"
)

func main() {
    // Create your MCP server
    server := mcp.NewServer(&mcp.Implementation{
        Name:    "my-data-server",
        Version: "1.0.0",
    }, nil)

    // Create Trino client
    trinoClient, err := client.New(client.Config{
        Host:    "trino.example.com",
        Port:    443,
        User:    "service_user",
        SSL:     true,
        Catalog: "hive",
        Schema:  "analytics",
    })
    if err != nil {
        log.Fatal(err)
    }
    defer trinoClient.Close()

    // Add Trino tools to your server
    toolkit := tools.NewToolkit(trinoClient, tools.Config{
        DefaultLimit: 1000,
        MaxLimit:     10000,
    })
    toolkit.RegisterAll(server)

    // Add your own custom tools here...
    // mcp.AddTool(server, &mcp.Tool{...}, handler)

    // Run the server
    if err := server.Run(context.Background(), &mcp.StdioTransport{}); err != nil {
        log.Fatal(err)
    }
}

Extensions

The standalone server includes optional extensions that can be enabled via environment variables:

Environment Variable	Default	Description
MCP_TRINO_EXT_LOGGING	false	Structured JSON logging of tool calls
MCP_TRINO_EXT_METRICS	false	In-memory metrics collection
MCP_TRINO_EXT_READONLY	true	Block modification statements (INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, etc.)
MCP_TRINO_EXT_QUERYLOG	false	Log all SQL queries for audit
MCP_TRINO_EXT_METADATA	false	Add execution metadata footer to results
MCP_TRINO_EXT_ERRORS	true	Add helpful hints to error messages

Using Extensions in Custom Servers

import (
    "github.com/txn2/mcp-trino/pkg/extensions"
    "github.com/txn2/mcp-trino/pkg/tools"
)

// Load extension config from environment
extCfg := extensions.FromEnv()

// Or configure programmatically
extCfg := extensions.Config{
    EnableLogging:   true,
    EnableReadOnly:  true,
    EnableErrorHelp: true,
}

// Build toolkit options from extensions
toolkitOpts := extensions.BuildToolkitOptions(extCfg)

// Create toolkit with extensions
toolkit := tools.NewToolkit(trinoClient, toolsCfg, toolkitOpts...)

Custom Middleware and Interceptors

You can create custom middleware, interceptors, and transformers:

// Custom middleware for authentication
authMiddleware := tools.MiddlewareFunc{
    BeforeFn: func(ctx context.Context, tc *tools.ToolContext) (context.Context, error) {
        // Validate user permissions
        return ctx, nil
    },
}

// Custom interceptor for tenant isolation
tenantInterceptor := tools.QueryInterceptorFunc(
    func(ctx context.Context, sql string, toolName tools.ToolName) (string, error) {
        // Add WHERE tenant_id = ? clause
        return sql, nil
    },
)

// Apply to toolkit
toolkit := tools.NewToolkit(client, cfg,
    tools.WithMiddleware(authMiddleware),
    tools.WithQueryInterceptor(tenantInterceptor),
)

Security Considerations

• Credentials: Store passwords in environment variables or secret managers
• Query Limits: Default 1000 rows, max 10000 to prevent data exfiltration
• Timeouts: Default 120s timeout prevents runaway queries
• Read-Only: ReadOnly interceptor enabled by default blocks modification statements
• Access Control: Configure Trino roles and catalog access for defense in depth

Development

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/txn2/mcp-trino.git
cd mcp-trino

# Build
make build

# Run tests
make test

# Run linter
make lint

# Run all checks
make verify

# Run with a local Trino (e.g., via Docker)
make docker-trino
export TRINO_HOST=localhost
export TRINO_PORT=8080
export TRINO_USER=admin
export TRINO_SSL=false
./mcp-trino

Contributing

We welcome contributions for bug fixes, tests, and documentation. See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

License

Apache License 2.0

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Open source by Craig Johnston, sponsored by Deasil Works, Inc.