Documentation
Plasma docs.
Plasma is a free, open-source desktop client for Postgres, MySQL and MariaDB, SQLite, ClickHouse, DuckDB, Redis and OpenSearch. It stops dangerous changes before they run. These pages describe what the app does today, and what each safety feature does and does not cover.
Start here
- InstallmacOS, Windows and Linux, and the first-launch warnings.
- First connectionConnect, then find your way around the workbench.
- AI assistantProviders, approval cards and exactly what is sent.
- MCP serverUse your databases from Claude Code, Cursor or Codex.
- ShortcutsEvery key, in macOS and Windows/Linux form.
All sections
Getting started
- Install and updateDownload Plasma for macOS (Apple Silicon), Windows or Linux, get past the first-launch warnings, and keep it up to date with one click.
- First connection and the workbenchConnect to your first database, then learn where everything is: the sidebar, the tabs, the editor, the grid and the panels on the right.
- Command line and linksThe plasma command opens connections, files and folders in the running app, imports a file into a table, and bridges AI tools. plasma:// links do the same from a web page or a README.
Working with data
- SQL editorWrite and run SQL on any of the five SQL engines: run a statement, a selection or a whole script, watch and cancel it, then keep what you wrote as files, snippets, history or notebooks.
- Results and editing dataThe result grid, filters and sorting, the value viewer, editing cells with a reviewable commit, conflict detection, foreign-key navigation, export, charts, Result Compare and presentation mode.
- Schema toolsChange structure with a reviewable plan, draw the schema, diff two versions, check a migration for unsafe locks, manage roles, generate code and mock data, import files, back up, and search every table for a value.
Engine guides
- PostgreSQLPostgreSQL gets the full workbench. This page covers what is specific to it: the connection model, the Health advisor, live LISTEN/NOTIFY, row-level security, session roles, pgvector and PostGIS.
- MySQL and MariaDBThe SQL workbench for MySQL and MariaDB: connecting, what runs where, cancelling a query, read-only enforcement and the differences from PostgreSQL.
- SQLiteOpen any SQLite file, create a new one, query it, diagram it and copy it safely. No server, login or tunnel.
- ClickHouseQuery ClickHouse over HTTP(S) with a read-only grid, mutation warnings and a plan view.
- DuckDB and data filesQuery CSV, TSV, Parquet, JSON, NDJSON and Excel files, or a .duckdb database, with SQL. Join them with a live PostgreSQL database if you like.
- RedisBrowse keys by namespace, read and edit typed values, set TTLs, run commands in a guarded CLI, analyse memory, read the slow log and watch pub/sub and keyspace events.
- OpenSearchBrowse indices and cluster state, search documents with a query string or the query DSL, run SQL through the SQL plugin, use a Dev Tools-style console, and manage mappings, aliases, templates and lifecycle policies.
AI
- AI assistantAn optional assistant that works on your workbench through approval cards. It uses your own OpenRouter key, a model on your machine, or your Codex or Claude Code plan, and this page says exactly what is sent, and when.
- MCP serverLet Claude Code, Cursor, Codex or Claude Desktop use your databases through Plasma, with per-connection access levels, masked results, read-only queries, and changes that only run after you approve them in Plasma.
Safety and reliability
- Safety and privacyThe guards between you and a bad statement, what the audit log records, how secrets are stored, and an exact list of what leaves your machine and when.
- Reliability and supportWhat happens when Plasma crashes or the network drops, how it reconnects without repeating a write, and how to make a support bundle you can read before you send it.
Reference
- Keyboard shortcuts and the paletteEvery key Plasma listens for, in macOS and Windows/Linux form, and how the command palette finds tables, tabs, queries and commands.
- Settings referenceEvery section of the Settings screen, with each setting by its label in the app, what it does and its default where the code gives one.
- Troubleshooting and FAQFixes for the problems people hit most: first launch, updates, connections, editing, backups, MCP and AI.