Jan Integration Guide

March 17, 2026 · View on GitHub

This guide shows how to integrate Universal Database MCP Server with Jan, the open-source ChatGPT alternative.

Overview

Jan is an open-source, offline-first ChatGPT alternative that runs local LLMs. It supports MCP, allowing you to connect to databases and query them using natural language.

Key Benefits:

Open-source and privacy-focused
Runs completely offline
Native MCP support
Works with various local LLMs

Prerequisites

Jan installed (Download here)
Node.js 20.0.0 or later
Database instance accessible from your machine

Configuration

Step 1: Open Jan Settings

Launch Jan
Click the gear icon to open Settings
Navigate to "Extensions" or "MCP Servers"

Step 2: Add MCP Server

Add the following configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "database": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "universal-db-mcp",
        "--type", "mysql",
        "--host", "localhost",
        "--port", "3306",
        "--user", "root",
        "--password", "your_password",
        "--database", "your_database"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Configuration Examples

MySQL

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mysql-local": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "universal-db-mcp",
        "--type", "mysql",
        "--host", "localhost",
        "--port", "3306",
        "--user", "root",
        "--password", "password",
        "--database", "myapp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

PostgreSQL

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "postgres-local": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "universal-db-mcp",
        "--type", "postgres",
        "--host", "localhost",
        "--port", "5432",
        "--user", "postgres",
        "--password", "password",
        "--database", "myapp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

SQLite

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sqlite-local": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "universal-db-mcp",
        "--type", "sqlite",
        "--file", "/path/to/database.db"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Usage

Querying Your Database

Once configured, you can ask Jan about your database:

What tables are in the database?

Show me the schema of the users table

How many users signed up this week?

Find the top 10 products by sales

Common Workflows

Schema Exploration:

List all tables and their columns
What are the relationships between tables?
Show me the indexes on the products table

Data Analysis:

What's the total revenue this month?
How many active users do we have?
Show me orders from the last 7 days

Available MCP Tools

Tool	Description
`execute_query`	Execute SQL queries
`get_schema`	Get database schema information
`get_table_info`	Get detailed table information
`clear_cache`	Clear schema cache
`get_enum_values`	Get all unique values for a specified column
`get_sample_data`	Get sample data from a table (with automatic data masking)
`connect_database`	Dynamically connect to a database (supports all 17 types)
`disconnect_database`	Disconnect from the current database
`get_connection_status`	Get current database connection status