sqltui

A lightweight terminal UI for viewing and querying tabular data — data files and live databases — with SQL, fuzzy search, plotting and theming built in. Written in Go on top of Bubble Tea v2.

Highlights

• Open anything tabular — csv, tsv, dsv, json, jsonl, parquet, excel, sqlite, fwf, logfmt, markdown, html; stdin (-) and http(s) URLs too
• SQL everywhere — an embedded in-memory SQL engine over loaded files, or live statements against MySQL / PostgreSQL / SQLite / Redis
• Tabs + frame stack — every table is a tab; every operation (filter, sort, query, search, cast) layers a new frame you can pop off with q
• Fuzzy & exact search with live preview as you type — and every picker (schema browser, columns, themes, redis keys) is type-to-filter
• Command palette with fuzzy matching and inline shortcuts (:f price > 3)
• Context-aware SQL completion — tables after FROM, columns after WHERE, alias. resolution, functions, case-following
• Histogram & scatter plots rendered right in the terminal
• Export to csv, tsv, json, jsonl, parquet, markdown
• Copy & paste — y/Y copy cell/row over OSC52 (works through SSH), bracketed paste into any input, terminal text selection stays untouched
• 40+ built-in themes with live preview (default: sorbet, a warm pastel scheme), on a transparent background that blends with your terminal, plus $EDITOR round-trip editing

Screenshots

Table view — stripes, gutter, status tags	Command palette (:)
SQL editor with autocompletion	Theme selector with live preview
Histogram (:histogram)	Scatter plot grouped by column

Install

go build -o sqltui .

Try it right away with the bundled sample data:

./sqltui examples/employees.csv examples/demo.db

Usage

File mode

sqltui data.csv                     # open one file
sqltui a.csv b.parquet c.xlsx       # multiple files -> multiple tabs
sqltui database.db                  # every sqlite table becomes a tab
cat data.csv | sqltui -             # stdin
sqltui https://example.com/x.csv    # remote file
sqltui data.txt -f csv              # override format detection
sqltui --multiparts p1.csv p2.csv   # concatenate parts vertically

Parsing flags: --separator, --quote-char, --no-header, --ignore-errors, --infer-schema no|fast|safe, --infer-types, --truncate-ragged-lines, --widths, --separator-length, --no-flexible-width, --sqlite-key.

Database mode

Database mode is for server databases that need connection credentials. SQLite databases are just files — open them directly in file mode (sqltui app.db), no subcommand needed.

Database	Command	Driver
MySQL	sqltui mysql	go-sql-driver/mysql
PostgreSQL	sqltui postgres	jackc/pgx
Redis	sqltui redis	redis/go-redis

A connection form opens first (prefilled from the config file): enter connects, tab/arrows move between fields, ctrl+s saves, esc quits. After connecting, the schema browser opens with the connected database expanded and the others collapsed (lazy-loaded on enter); type to filter tables. enter loads a table into a tab, and :query runs statements against the live connection.

Database mode is organized as a stack of full-screen pages — connection form, schema browser, table — and esc always goes back one page: from a table it first pops applied frames, then returns to the schema browser; from the browser it returns to the connection form; from the form it exits. q in the browser jumps straight back to the open table instead.

In Redis mode a key browser (grouped by type) replaces the schema browser — including in the esc chain above — and the query prompt executes raw commands with inline argument hints and completion for 230+ commands.

Keybindings

Key	Action
k/↑, j/↓	move up / down
h/←, l/→	move column cursor (both column modes)
g/home, G/end	first / last row
ctrl+u / ctrl+d	half page up / down
pgup/ctrl+b, pgdown/ctrl+f	page up / down
_ / $	first / last column
enter	open row detail sheet
w	toggle fit / wide column mode (auto-picked per table)
y / Y	copy current cell / current row
i	table info
R	random row
1-9	go to row
/ , s	fuzzy / exact search
:	command palette
t	tab switcher
H/shift+←, L/shift+→	previous / next tab
q	pop frame / close tab / back
esc	back one level (never closes a tab or quits)
Q	quit
F1 / ?	help

In the sheet view: j/k (or shift+j/shift+k) scroll, c copies the row, q/esc return to the table.

Commands

Open the palette with : and type. Short aliases take the rest of the line as an argument (:f age > 30 filters immediately).

Command	Alias	Effect
query	q	full SQL editor with autocompletion
select	s	inline column selection
filter	f	inline WHERE clause
order	o, sort	inline ORDER BY
search / fuzzysearch		exact / fuzzy search
schema		browse open tabs and live tables
info		table schema and stats
export / import		file export / import wizards
cast		change a column's type
register		name the current frame for SQL
histogram / scatterplot		terminal plots
edit		edit the table in $EDITOR
theme		theme selector with live preview
toggleborders / togglerownumbers		view toggles
reset		back to the base frame
reloadconfig		reload the config file

SQL

In file mode every loaded table is queryable by its tab name and the current frame is always available as _:

select department, count(*) as headcount, cast(avg(salary) as int) as avg_pay
from employees group by department order by avg_pay desc

Full query results open in a new tab; inline select/filter/order results stack onto the current tab (pop with q).

Configuration

~/.config/sqltui/config.yaml stores connection settings per engine plus UI preferences:

mysql:
  userName: root
  password: "123456"
  host: 127.0.0.1
  port: "3306"
  dbName: test_db
ui:
  theme: aurora
  showBorders: true
  showRowNumbers: true

A config.json left over from an older version is migrated to config.yaml automatically on first start (the JSON file is kept, but no longer used).

Logs go to ~/.config/sqltui/sqltui.log.

Tips

• The column cursor (h/l) works in both column modes: the header highlights it, the status bar col: tag tracks it, y copies the cell under it, and wide mode scrolls to keep it visible.
• Every filter, sort, query or search layers a frame onto the tab's stack; the breadcrumb in the status bar shows the chain. q pops one layer, esc steps back too, and :reset jumps straight to the base table.
• In SQL, _ always means the current frame; :register gives a frame a real name so you can join it against other tables.
• y/Y and the sheet view's c copy via OSC52, so the clipboard works over SSH. Bracketed paste works in every input, and the mouse is never captured — plain terminal text selection keeps working.
• Type to filter in every picker: schema browser, theme selector, column pickers, tab switcher, redis keys.
• 1-9 opens the go-to-row prompt with that digit prefilled, and R jumps to a random row.
• The theme selector previews live as you move the highlight — enter keeps it, esc reverts to the previous theme.