> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://isthmus.dev/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Your database, understood by AI

> Isthmus is a local MCP server that connects any AI to your PostgreSQL database. Schema discovery, query execution, and table analysis — all running on your machine.

## What is Isthmus?

Isthmus is an open-source [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io) (MCP) server that gives AI models direct access to your PostgreSQL database. It runs locally as a single binary, supports both stdio and [HTTP transports](/docs/features/http-transport), and requires no cloud services.

Point your AI client at Isthmus, and it can discover your schema, understand table relationships, analyze data distributions, and execute read-only SQL queries — all with built-in safety guardrails.

## Tools

Isthmus exposes three MCP tools that let AI models explore and query your database:

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="discover" icon="database" href="/docs/tools/discover">
    Full database landscape: all schemas with their tables, sizes, row counts, and column counts in a single call.
  </Card>

  <Card title="describe_table" icon="magnifying-glass" href="/docs/tools/describe-table">
    Complete table analysis: columns, types, foreign keys, indexes, column statistics, sample rows, and index usage.
  </Card>

  <Card title="query" icon="terminal" href="/docs/tools/query">
    Execute read-only SQL queries with optional EXPLAIN plans.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Supported clients

Isthmus works with any MCP client. Most clients use the default stdio transport; clients that require HTTP can use the [HTTP transport](/docs/features/http-transport).

* [Claude Desktop](/docs/clients/claude-desktop) — stdio
* [Cursor](/docs/clients/cursor) — stdio
* [Windsurf](/docs/clients/windsurf) — stdio
* [Gemini CLI](/docs/clients/gemini-cli) — stdio
* [VS Code (Cline & Continue)](/docs/clients/vscode) — stdio
* **ChatGPT Desktop** — HTTP (`--transport http`)

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Quickstart" icon="rocket" href="/docs/quickstart">
    Zero to working in 5 minutes.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Installation" icon="download" href="/docs/installation">
    All install methods.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Tools Reference" icon="wrench" href="/docs/tools/overview">
    Full tool documentation.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>