sabiql

Fast, safe-by-design, Vim-first DB TUI with ER diagrams.

Concept

Vim-first · Safe by design · Oil-and-vinegar UI · Fast and lightweight

sabiql brings database browsing, querying, and editing into the terminal while using the native CLI for each database. PostgreSQL connections can reuse existing libpq connection settings such as .pgpass, pg_service.conf, and SSL settings.

Like oil.nvim, sabiql keeps its interface out of your way. Following oil.nvim's "oil and vinegar" philosophy, UI elements appear only when needed. Vim-native keybindings such as j/k, dd, and / keep navigation and editing familiar.

Safety follows a plan-before-apply flow familiar from Terraform: inline edits and row deletions show the SQL and its risk level before you confirm the change. Read-only mode (Ctrl+R) also blocks writes at the database client level.

Features

• Browse and inspect — Find tables with fuzzy search, inspect columns, constraints, indexes, foreign keys, triggers, and DDL
• Run SQL — Write ad-hoc queries with completion for tables, columns, and keywords, then recall them from query history
• Edit with previews — Update cells or delete rows only after reviewing the SQL and its risk level
• Browse in read-only mode (Ctrl+R) — Block writes while investigating data
• Analyze queries — View and compare PostgreSQL or MySQL execution plans, or inspect SQLite query plans
• Work with data — Copy cell values, export CSV, and inspect or edit PostgreSQL and MySQL JSON documents
• Visualize relationships — Generate PostgreSQL and MySQL ER diagrams with Graphviz and open them in your browser

Press ? inside sabiql to see all commands and keybindings.

Installation

# macOS / Linux
brew install sabiql

# Cargo (crates.io)
cargo install sabiql

# Nix
nix profile install github:riii111/sabiql

# Run once with Nix, without installing
nix run github:riii111/sabiql

# Windows x86_64 (experimental)
# Download sabiql-x86_64-pc-windows-msvc.zip from GitHub Releases,
# extract sabiql.exe, and add its directory to PATH.

# Arch Linux (AUR)
paru -S sabiql  # or yay -S sabiql

# Void Linux (Unofficial Repo)
echo "repository=https://mirror.black-hole.dev/$(xbps-uhelper arch)/" | sudo tee /etc/xbps.d/20-repository-extra.conf
sudo xbps-install -S sabiql

# FreeBSD (ports)
cd /usr/ports/databases/sabiql/ && make install clean

# Install script
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/riii111/sabiql/main/install.sh | sh

Database Setup

sabiql uses the CLI for the database you want to open:

• To use PostgreSQL: install psql
• To use MySQL: install the Oracle MySQL mysql CLI 8.4.x. Oracle MySQL servers 5.7, 8.0, and 8.4 can be connected to; 8.4 is the continuously validated server version and older or newer Oracle server versions are not fully guaranteed.
• To use SQLite: macOS includes sqlite3 by default. Check that it is version 3.41.1 or later; additional installation is usually unnecessary. On Linux and other platforms, install sqlite3 version 3.41.1 or later.

Graphviz is required only for PostgreSQL and MySQL ER diagrams. SQLite does not support ER diagrams.

Windows support is experimental.

See MySQL support and limitations and SQLite support and limitations for supported versions and database-specific limitations.

Quick Start

Launch sabiql and enter your connection details:

sabiql

You can also open an existing SQLite database directly:

sabiql /path/to/app.db

Use Ctrl+R before browsing data when you want to block writes. Press ? for help, or open Settings with , to change the theme and keymap.

Roadmap

• Connection management UI
• ER diagram generation
• Read-only mode (Ctrl+R)
• SQL modal with DML/DDL safety guardrails
• Query history persistence & fuzzy search
• CSV export & clipboard yank
• EXPLAIN workflow (plan tree view & comparison)
• JSON/JSONB support (tree view, editing, validation)
• Theme switching (Sabiql Dark / Light)
• SQLite support
• MySQL support
• Neovim integration (sabiql.nvim)
• Connection auto-detection (environment variables, URI)
• Google Cloud SQL / AlloyDB support

Have a feature request? Open an issue. Feedback is welcome!

License

MIT — see LICENSE.