🧠 MCP Quickstart: Claude + SQLite + Docker

TL;DR: Build a secure local Claude brain using Docker, SQLite, and uvx.

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🛡️ Step 1: Build & Run the Docker SQLite Server

docker-compose build
docker-compose up

Your server will be live at http://localhost:8080, ready to accept MCP-style queries.

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🧠 Step 2: Install Astral (uv / uvx)

Astral is the MCP-compatible package manager.

curl -Ls https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

Verify it:

uvx mcp-server-sqlite --help

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🔧 Step 3: Make uvx Available to Claude Desktop

Claude launched via Spotlight/Dock doesn’t see your shell config. So we have to tell macOS:

launchctl setenv PATH "$HOME/.local/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin"

You can also verify this:

launchctl getenv PATH

🔗 Add Symlink for uv (required by uvx)

Claude expects uv at /usr/local/bin/uv, but Astral installs it in ~/.local/bin/uv. Fix that with:

sudo ln -s $HOME/.local/bin/uv /usr/local/bin/uv

Verify:

uvx mcp-server-sqlite --help

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⚙️ Step 4: Configure Claude to Use Your SQLite DB

Create or edit:

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Insert:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sqlite": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-server-sqlite",
        "--db-path",
        "/Users/YOUR_USERNAME/Desktop/mcp_quickstart/data/test.db"
      ]
    }
  }
}

✅ Make sure to replace YOUR_USERNAME with your actual username.

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🧪 Step 5: Test It Manually

Try this from the terminal:

echo '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":"debug","method":"query","params":{"sql":"SELECT * FROM products LIMIT 1"}}' \\
  | uvx mcp-server-sqlite --db-path /Users/YOUR_USERNAME/Desktop/mcp_quickstart/data/test.db

You should get back:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": "debug",
  "result": {
    "columns": ["id", "name", "price"],
    "rows": [[1, "Widget", 19.99]]
  }
}

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🧰 Troubleshooting

🧹 Check if the DB is accessible

docker exec -it $(docker ps --filter "name=mcp-server" -q) sqlite3 /data/test.db

Then run:

SELECT * FROM products LIMIT 1;

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🔄 Rebuild the Docker container

docker-compose down -v && docker-compose build && docker-compose up

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💬 Bonus: Simulate Claude Queries with a Test JSON

echo '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":"test123","method":"query","params":{"sql":"SELECT * FROM products"}}' > test-mcp.json

cat test-mcp.json | uvx mcp-server-sqlite --db-path /Users/YOUR_USERNAME/Desktop/mcp_quickstart/data/test.db

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📚 Resources

• Claude MCP Docs → https://www.claudemcp.com/docs/quickstart
• Model Context Protocol → https://modelcontextprotocol.io

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✅ You now have:

• 🐻 Dockerized SQLite server
• 🧪 Secure query interface via FastAPI + Uvicorn
• 📡 Claude MCP bridge using uvx + mcp-server-sqlite
• 🧠 A local Claude brain that talks SQL