Expose a SQLite database

Use case: You have a SQLite database on your machine and want AI clients (Cursor, Claude, Codex) or API consumers to query it remotely — without hosting the file in the cloud or opening inbound ports.

Why MCPZERO fits

Challenge	MCPZERO approach
Local `.db` file must stay local	Tunnel bridges stdio MCP server; file never uploaded
Remote HTTPS access	Gateway URL + API key
Governed access	Tool permissions and audit ledger
Optional read-only publishing	Point tunnel at a copy or read-only file

Architecture

Cursor / curl ──HTTPS──▶ gw.mcpzero.io/v1/ep_abc123 ──WS──▶ mcpzero tunnel ──stdio──▶ mcp-server-sqlite ──▶ demo.db

The SQLite MCP server (mcp-server-sqlite) exposes list_tables, describe_table, read_query, write_query, and create_table.

Steps

1. Create or reuse a database

cd examples/sqlite   # in the mcpzero repo
sqlite3 demo.db < seed.sql

Or use any existing .sqlite / .db file with an absolute path.

2. Start the tunnel

mcpzero tunnel start -d \
  --endpoint ep_abc123 \
  --mcp-config ./mcp-config.json

Example mcp-config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sqlite": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["mcp-server-sqlite", "--db-path", "/absolute/path/to/demo.db"]
    }
  }
}

3. Create an API key

Generate a key in Dashboard → API Keys (mz_live_…).

4. Test with curl

List tools (direct server URL):

curl -s https://gw.mcpzero.io/v1/ep_abc123/sqlite \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer mz_live_api_key" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/list","params":{}}'

Run a query:

curl -s https://gw.mcpzero.io/v1/ep_abc123/sqlite \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer mz_live_api_key" \
  -d '{
        "jsonrpc":"2.0","id":2,"method":"tools/call",
        "params":{
          "name":"read_query",
          "arguments":{"query":"SELECT name, email FROM customers LIMIT 5"}
        }
      }'

5. Connect Cursor

Use the endpoint root for progressive discovery or /sqlite for direct tool access:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "my-sqlite": {
      "url": "https://gw.mcpzero.io/v1/ep_abc123",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer mz_live_your_key" }
    }
  }
}

Safety notes

mcp-server-sqlite allows writes. For read-only publishing, use a copy: cp demo.db ro.db && chmod 0444 ro.db.
Database path and credentials stay on the tunnel host.
Calls appear in Dashboard → Activity.

Full walkthrough

See the runnable example in the repo: examples/sqlite/README.md.