jawwadfirdousi/read-only-postgres

PostgreSQL Read-Only Query Skill

Execute safe, read-only queries against configured PostgreSQL databases.

Requirements

• Python 3.8+
• psycopg2-binary: pip install -r requirements.txt

Setup

Create connections.json in the skill directory or ~/.config/claude/read-only-postgres-connections.json.

Security: Set file permissions to 600 since it contains credentials:

chmod 600 connections.json

{
  "databases": [
    {
      "name": "app-db-dev",
      "description": "Primary app database (public schema: users, organizations, orders, order_items, events)",
      "host": "localhost",
      "port": 5432,
      "database": "app_dev",
      "user": "app_user",
      "password": "app_password",
      "sslmode": "disable"
    },
    {
      "name": "app-db-staging",
      "description": "Staging database (same schema as primary app)",
      "host": "localhost",
      "port": 5432,
      "database": "app_staging",
      "user": "app_user",
      "password": "app_password",
      "sslmode": "disable"
    }
  ]
}

Config Fields

| Field | Required | Description | |-------|----------|-------------| | name | Yes | Identifier for the database (case-insensitive) | | description | Yes | What data this database contains (used for auto-selection) | | host | Yes | Database hostname | | port | No | Port number (default: 5432) | | database | Yes | Database name | | user | Yes | Username | | password | Yes | Password | | sslmode | No | SSL mode: disable, allow, prefer (default), require, verify-ca, verify-full | | pii_masking | No | Object mapping table names to arrays of column names to mask |

PII Masking

Mask sensitive data in query results by adding a pii_masking field to any database config. Middle characters are replaced with *, keeping only the first and last characters visible.

{
  "name": "app-db-dev",
  "host": "localhost",
  "database": "app_dev",
  "user": "readonly",
  "password": "secret",
  "pii_masking": {
    "users": ["email", "phone", "first_name", "last_name"],
    "orders": ["shipping_address"]
  }
}

How it works:

• [email protected] → j************m
• 555-1234 → 5******4
• Jo → Jo (2 chars or fewer are not masked)

Masking is applied automatically when querying a matching table. A footer note indicates which columns were masked.

Usage

List configured databases

python3 scripts/query.py --list

Query a database

python3 scripts/query.py --db app-db-dev --query "SELECT id, email, created_at FROM users LIMIT 10"

List tables

python3 scripts/query.py --db app-db-dev --tables

Show schema

python3 scripts/query.py --db app-db-dev --schema

Limit results

python3 scripts/query.py --db app-db-dev --query "SELECT id, status, total_amount FROM orders" --limit 100

Database Selection

Match user intent to database description:

| User asks about | Look for description containing | |-----------------|--------------------------------| | users, accounts | users, accounts | | organizations, teams | organizations, teams | | orders, payments | orders, payments | | events, audit logs | events, audit, logs | | analytics or reporting | analytics, reporting | | background jobs or queues | jobs, queue, outbox |

If unclear, run --list and ask user which database.

Safety Features

• Read-only session: Connection uses PostgreSQL readonly=True mode (primary protection)
• Query validation: Only SELECT, SHOW, EXPLAIN, WITH queries allowed (comments/literals stripped; DDL/DML keywords, data-modifying CTEs, SELECT INTO, and sequence mutation functions blocked)
• Single statement: Multiple statements per query rejected
• SSL support: Configurable SSL mode for encrypted connections
• Query timeout: 30-second statement timeout enforced
• Memory protection: Max 10,000 rows per query to prevent OOM
• Column width cap: 100 char max per column for readable output
• Credential sanitization: Error messages don't leak passwords
• PII masking: Configurable per-table column masking to protect sensitive data in query output

Troubleshooting

| Error | Solution | |-------|----------| | Config not found | Create connections.json in skill directory | | Authentication failed | Check username/password in config | | Connection timeout | Verify host/port, check firewall/VPN | | SSL error | Try "sslmode": "disable" for local databases | | Permission warning | Run chmod 600 connections.json |

Exit Codes

• 0: Success
• 1: Error (config missing, auth failed, invalid query, database error)

Workflow

1. Run --list to show available databases
2. Match user intent to database description
3. Run --tables or --schema to explore structure
4. Execute query with appropriate LIMIT