5-Minute Quick Start (Open WebUI)

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🎯 Goal: Get a working MCP server connected to Open WebUI in 5 minutes

✅ Prerequisites (2 minutes)

Before starting, ensure you have:

1. Teradata Database Access

   • Host URL, username, password
   • Get a free sandbox if needed

2. Required Software

   • Docker and Docker Compose installed
   • Git for cloning the repository
   • Python 3.11+

🚀 Step 1: Get the Server (1 minute)

Clone and prepare the MCP server:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/Teradata/teradata-mcp-server.git
cd teradata-mcp-server

🔧 Step 2: Start REST Server (1 minute)

You can use mcpo to expose the MCP server as a RESTful OpenAPI:

Start the server and expose as OpenAPI REST server for Open WebUI:

# Set your database connection
export DATABASE_URI="teradata://username:password@host:1025/database"
export MCPO_API_KEY=top-secret

# Start the REST interface
uvx mcpo --port 8002 --api-key "top-secret" -- uvx teradata-mcp-server

Alternatively, you can use Docker instead of uv:

# Start the REST interface
docker compose --profile rest up

You should see:

INFO: Started server process
Server running at http://localhost:8002
OpenAPI docs available at http://localhost:8002/docs#

Keep this terminal open - the server is now running!

🌐 Step 3: Install Open WebUI (1 minute)

In a new terminal, install and start Open WebUI:

# Create virtual environment
python -m venv ./env
source ./env/bin/activate  # On Windows: .\env\Scripts\activate

# Install Open WebUI
pip install open-webui   

# Start Open WebUI
open-webui serve

Open WebUI will start at http://localhost:8080

✨ Step 4: Connect to MCP Server (30 seconds)

Configure Open WebUI to use your Teradata MCP server:

1. Access Open WebUI: Navigate to http://localhost:8080
2. Go to Settings: Click on Settings in the interface
3. Add Tools Connection:
   • Navigate to Settings > Tools > Add Connection
   • Enter connection details:
     • Host: localhost:8002
     • API Key: top-secret
4. Verify Connection: You should see the Teradata tools appear in the Tools section

🧪 Step 5: Test It Works (30 seconds)

Test your Teradata MCP connection in Open WebUI:

1. Start a New Chat: Create a new conversation
2. Enable Tools: In the Chat Control Valves section (right panel), ensure Teradata tools are enabled
3. Test with a Query: Try asking:

What tables are available in my database?

🎉 Success! What's Next?

You now have Teradata MCP Server connected to Open WebUI!

For Quick Exploration

• Try different models: Open WebUI supports various LLM runners so you can integrate your local model deployments or use cloud-based services.
• Explore tools: Check the Chat Control Valves to see all available Teradata tools
• Custom queries: Ask complex questions about your data schema and content

For Production Setup

• Security: Configure proper authentication for team deployments
• Custom Tools: Add business-specific tools for your domain
• Model Configuration: Set up your preferred LLM models in Open WebUI

For Development

• API Explorer: Use http://localhost:8002/docs to explore and test REST endpoints
• Custom Integration: REST API guide for building custom applications

🆘 Troubleshooting

Cannot use the MCP tools Not all models work well with MCP tools and resources, start with state-of-the art models such as OpenAI's or Anthropic's to validate that your setup is working and explore different models.

REST server not starting?

• Check your DATABASE_URI format: teradata://user:pass@host:1025/database
• Verify port 8002 isn't in use: lsof -i :8002
• Ensure Docker is running and you're in the correct directory

Open WebUI can't connect to tools?

• Verify the REST server is running at http://localhost:8002/docs
• Check the API key matches: MCPO_API_KEY=top-secret
• Restart both services if needed

Tools not appearing in Open WebUI?

• Check the connection settings in Settings > Tools
• Verify the host and API key are correct
• Look for connection errors in the Open WebUI logs

Database connection fails?

• Verify DATABASE_URI environment variable: echo $DATABASE_URI
• Ensure credentials are correct

Want more help?

• 📹 Video tutorials
• 📖 Detailed installation guide
• 🔧 Configuration options
• 🌐 Open WebUI Documentation

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This quick start gets you running with Open WebUI. For other clients, see Claude Quick Start or VS Code Quick Start.