mcp_snowflake 0.2.0
MCP server for performing read-only operations against Snowflake
License: MIT
Requires Python: >=3.12
Keywords: claude, database, mcp, snowflake, sql

# MCP Server for Snowflake

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for performing read-only operations against Snowflake databases. This tool enables Claude to securely query Snowflake data without modifying any information.

## Features

- Flexible authentication to Snowflake using either:
  - Service account authentication with private key
  - External browser authentication for interactive sessions
- Connection pooling with automatic background refresh to maintain persistent connections
- Support for querying multiple views and databases in a single session
- Support for multiple SQL statement types (SELECT, SHOW, DESCRIBE, EXPLAIN, WITH)
- MCP-compatible handlers for querying Snowflake data
- Read-only operations with security checks to prevent data modification
- Support for Python 3.12+
- Stdio-based MCP server for easy integration with Claude Desktop

## Available Tools

The server provides the following tools for querying Snowflake:

- **list_databases**: List all accessible Snowflake databases
- **list_views**: List all views in a specified database and schema
- **describe_view**: Get detailed information about a specific view including columns and SQL definition
- **query_view**: Query data from a view with an optional row limit
- **execute_query**: Execute custom read-only SQL queries (SELECT, SHOW, DESCRIBE, EXPLAIN, WITH) with results formatted as markdown tables

## Installation

### Prerequisites

- Python 3.12 or higher
- A Snowflake account with either:
  - A configured service account (username + private key), or
  - A regular user account for browser-based authentication
- [uv](https://github.com/astral-sh/uv) package manager (recommended)

### Steps

1. Clone this repository:
   ```
   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/mcp-server-snowflake.git
   cd mcp-server-snowflake
   ```

2. Install the package:
   ```
   uv pip install -e .
   ```

3. Create a `.env` file with your Snowflake credentials:

   Choose one of the provided example files based on your preferred authentication method:

   **For private key authentication**:
   ```
   cp .env.private_key.example .env
   ```
   Then edit the `.env` file to set your Snowflake account details and path to your private key.

   **For external browser authentication**:
   ```
   cp .env.browser.example .env
   ```
   Then edit the `.env` file to set your Snowflake account details.

## Usage

### Running with uv

After installing the package, you can run the server directly with:

```
uv run snowflake-mcp
```

This will start the stdio-based MCP server, which can be connected to Claude Desktop or any MCP client that supports stdio communication.

When using external browser authentication, a browser window will automatically open prompting you to log in to your Snowflake account.

### Claude Desktop Integration

1. In Claude Desktop, go to Settings → MCP Servers
2. Add a new server with the full path to your uv executable:
   ```yaml
   "snowflake-mcp-server": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
         "--directory",
         "/<path-to-code>/mcp-server-snowflake",
         "run",
         "snowflake-mcp"
      ]
   }
   ```
3. You can find your uv path by running `which uv` in your terminal
4. Save the server configuration

### Example Queries

When using with Claude, you can ask questions like:

- "Can you list all the databases in my Snowflake account?"
- "List all views in the MARKETING database"
- "Describe the structure of the CUSTOMER_ANALYTICS view in the SALES database"
- "Show me sample data from the REVENUE_BY_REGION view in the FINANCE database"
- "Run this SQL query: SELECT customer_id, SUM(order_total) as total_spend FROM SALES.ORDERS GROUP BY customer_id ORDER BY total_spend DESC LIMIT 10"
- "Query the MARKETING database to find the top 5 performing campaigns by conversion rate"
- "Compare data from views in different databases by querying SALES.CUSTOMER_METRICS and MARKETING.CAMPAIGN_RESULTS"

### Configuration

Connection pooling behavior can be configured through environment variables:

- `SNOWFLAKE_CONN_REFRESH_HOURS`: Time interval in hours between connection refreshes (default: 8)

Example `.env` configuration:
```
# Set connection to refresh every 4 hours
SNOWFLAKE_CONN_REFRESH_HOURS=4
```

## Authentication Methods

### Private Key Authentication

This method uses a service account and private key for non-interactive authentication, ideal for automated processes.

1. Create a key pair for your Snowflake user following [Snowflake documentation](https://docs.snowflake.com/en/user-guide/key-pair-auth)
2. Set `SNOWFLAKE_AUTH_TYPE=private_key` in your `.env` file
3. Provide the path to your private key in `SNOWFLAKE_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH`

### External Browser Authentication

This method opens a browser window for interactive authentication.

1. Set `SNOWFLAKE_AUTH_TYPE=external_browser` in your `.env` file
2. When you start the server, a browser window will open asking you to log in
3. After authentication, the session will remain active for the duration specified by your Snowflake account settings

## Security Considerations

This server:
- Enforces read-only operations (only SELECT, SHOW, DESCRIBE, EXPLAIN, and WITH statements are allowed)
- Automatically adds LIMIT clauses to prevent large result sets
- Uses secure authentication methods for connections to Snowflake
- Validates inputs to prevent SQL injection

⚠️ **Important**: Keep your `.env` file secure and never commit it to version control. The `.gitignore` file is configured to exclude it.

## Development

### Static Type Checking

```
mypy mcp_server_snowflake/
```

### Linting

```
ruff check .
```

### Formatting

```
ruff format .
```

### Running Tests

```
pytest
```

## Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

## Technical Details

This project uses:
- [Snowflake Connector Python](https://docs.snowflake.com/en/developer-guide/python-connector/python-connector) for connecting to Snowflake
- [MCP (Model Context Protocol)](https://github.com/anthropics/anthropic-cookbook/tree/main/mcp) for interacting with Claude
- [Pydantic](https://docs.pydantic.dev/) for data validation
- [python-dotenv](https://github.com/theskumar/python-dotenv) for environment variable management