Tools

The MCP server provides these tools for querying and exploring Trino.

Tool Summary

Tool	Description
trino_query	Execute SQL queries
trino_explain	Analyze execution plans
trino_list_catalogs	List available catalogs
trino_list_schemas	List schemas in a catalog
trino_list_tables	List tables in a schema
trino_describe_table	Get columns, sample data, and semantic context
trino_list_connections	List configured server connections

---

trino_query

Execute SQL queries against Trino.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
sql	string	Yes	-	SQL query to execute
limit	integer	No	1000	Max rows (1-10000)
format	string	No	json	Output: json, csv, markdown
timeout_seconds	integer	No	120	Timeout (1-300)
connection	string	No	default	Server connection

Examples

"Show me the first 10 customers"

SELECT * FROM customers LIMIT 10

"Count orders by status"

SELECT status, COUNT(*) as count
FROM orders
GROUP BY status

"Export users as CSV"

Uses format: "csv" parameter.

---

trino_explain

Analyze query execution plans without running the query.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
sql	string	Yes	-	SQL query to explain
type	string	No	LOGICAL	Plan type
connection	string	No	default	Server connection

Explain Types

Type	Use Case
LOGICAL	Understand query structure
DISTRIBUTED	See execution stages across nodes
IO	Estimate data scanned
VALIDATE	Check syntax without planning

Examples

"Why is this query slow?"

Uses type: "DISTRIBUTED" to see where time is spent.

"How much data will this read?"

Uses type: "IO" to see estimated bytes scanned.

---

trino_list_catalogs

List all available data catalogs.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
connection	string	No	default	Server connection

Example

"What databases are available?"

Response:

{
  "catalogs": ["hive", "iceberg", "memory", "system"]
}

---

trino_list_schemas

List schemas within a catalog.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
catalog	string	Yes	-	Catalog name
connection	string	No	default	Server connection

Example

"Show me the schemas in hive"

Response:

{
  "schemas": ["default", "sales", "marketing", "analytics"]
}

---

trino_list_tables

List tables in a schema with optional pattern filtering.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
catalog	string	Yes	-	Catalog name
schema	string	Yes	-	Schema name
pattern	string	No	-	LIKE pattern
connection	string	No	default	Server connection

Pattern Syntax

Pattern	Matches
order%	Tables starting with "order"
%log	Tables ending with "log"
%event%	Tables containing "event"

Example

"Show me tables related to orders"

Uses pattern: "%order%":

{
  "tables": ["orders", "order_items", "order_history"]
}

---

trino_describe_table

Get detailed information about a table including columns, sample data, and semantic context from metadata catalogs.

Semantic Context

When a semantic provider is configured, this tool enriches the output with:

• Description: Business-friendly explanation of the table and columns
• Ownership: Data stewards and technical owners
• Tags & Domain: Classification labels and business domain
• Sensitivity: Columns marked as containing PII or sensitive data
• Deprecation: Warnings if the table is deprecated

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
catalog	string	Yes	-	Catalog name
schema	string	Yes	-	Schema name
table	string	Yes	-	Table name
include_sample	boolean	No	true	Include sample rows
connection	string	No	default	Server connection

Example

"Describe the customers table"

Response:

{
  "table": "hive.sales.customers",
  "columns": [
    {"name": "id", "type": "bigint", "nullable": false},
    {"name": "name", "type": "varchar(255)", "nullable": true},
    {"name": "email", "type": "varchar(255)", "nullable": true}
  ],
  "sample": [
    [1, "Alice Smith", "[email protected]"],
    [2, "Bob Jones", "[email protected]"]
  ]
}

---

trino_list_connections

List all configured Trino server connections.

Parameters

None.

Example

"What Trino servers are configured?"

Response:

{
  "connections": [
    {"name": "default", "host": "prod.trino.example.com", "catalog": "hive"},
    {"name": "staging", "host": "staging.trino.example.com", "catalog": "hive"},
    {"name": "dev", "host": "localhost", "port": 8080, "ssl": false}
  ],
  "default": "default"
}

---

Common Workflows

Data Exploration

1. trino_list_catalogs - See available databases
2. trino_list_schemas - Browse catalog
3. trino_list_tables - Find relevant tables
4. trino_describe_table - Understand structure
5. trino_query - Query the data

Query Optimization

1. Write initial query
2. trino_explain with IO - Check data scanned
3. Add filters to reduce data
4. trino_explain with DISTRIBUTED - Check stages
5. trino_query - Run optimized query

Next Steps

• Multi-Server - Query multiple clusters
• Tools API Reference - Complete parameter details