A native macOS SQL terminal built with SwiftUI. Connect to SQLite or PostgreSQL databases and run queries with a clean, minimal interface.
SQLTerminal brings a nostalgic terminal feel to database management. Write SQL in the bottom pane, hit ⌘E to execute, and see results in the top pane. Use command-arrows (⌘↑↓) for history replay.
| Version | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1.1.4 | June 14, 2026 | SQL syntax highlighting; persistent searchable query history + snippets; sortable result columns + cell detail (JSON); in-app Help (⌘?); transparent About logo |
| 1.1.3 | June 14, 2026 | Off-main query execution + cancel; SSL/TLS modes with status-bar lock & connection details; read-only mode; destructive-statement confirmation; run-selection / statement-at-cursor; transaction controls; schema sidebar; SQLCore test suite |
| 0.1.2 | June 14, 2026 | Auto-updates (Sparkle); detailed PostgreSQL connection errors & connection UX; selectable output |
| 0.1.1 | March 23, 2026 | Initial version - SQLite, Postgres |
- SQLite — Connect to existing databases or create new ones
- PostgreSQL — Connect with automatic authentication method detection (SCRAM-SHA-256, MD5, plaintext, trust). Failed connections report the server's real reason — including the exact
pg_hba.confline to add for "no entry" rejections - SSL/TLS for PostgreSQL — choose Off, Prefer, or Require; a green lock in the status bar shows when the connection is actually encrypted (works with managed Postgres: RDS, Supabase, Neon, …)
- Recent connections and saved/named profiles for one-click reconnect
- Optional Keychain password storage, with a show/hide toggle
- Click the status-bar connection (or its lock) for connection details — engine, host, database, user, encryption
- Split-pane layout with draggable divider
- Responsive while querying — execution runs off the main thread, so a slow or network query never freezes the UI, and an unreachable host won't hang the app
- Cancel a running query with ⌘. (or the toolbar button)
- Run the whole editor (⌘E), just the selection, or the statement under the cursor (⌘↩)
- Command history with ⌘↑ / ⌘↓
- Multi-statement execution (
$$-aware splitter handles PL/pgSQL bodies) - SQL syntax highlighting — keywords, strings, comments, and numbers
- Dot-commands for common operations (
.tables,.schema,.help) - Syntax-safe input (smart quotes auto-corrected to straight quotes)
- Collapsible sidebar listing the connection's tables (public schema for Postgres), each expandable to its columns
- Click a table to drop a
SELECTinto the editor; right-click to preview rows or copy the name
- Persistent, searchable history — every query you run is remembered across launches and shared across windows; open the toolbar panel, search, and click to reload one into the editor
- Snippets — save the current query as a named, reusable snippet and insert it later
- Read-only mode — a per-window toggle that blocks writes and DDL before they reach the database
- Destructive-statement confirmation — prompts before
DROP,TRUNCATE, or aDELETE/UPDATEwithout aWHERE
- Begin / Commit / Rollback from the toolbar, with an in-transaction indicator in the status bar
- Tabular output with alternating row shading
- Sortable columns — click a header to sort (click again to reverse); numeric-aware
- Cell detail view — right-click a cell → View value… to expand long text, with JSON pretty-printing
- Select any text in the output pane, or right-click any row or cell to copy
- Export full results as TSV or CSV (paste directly into Excel/Numbers)
- Horizontal and vertical scrolling for wide/tall result sets
- ⌘N opens a new window with an independent database connection
- Each window maintains its own session, history, and connection
- Mix SQLite and PostgreSQL sessions side by side
- Window title shows engine, database name, and user
- Built-in Sparkle updater — new versions install in place
- SQLTerminal ▸ Check for Updates…, plus automatic background checks
- Updates are EdDSA-signed and shipped as notarized, Developer ID–signed builds
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
.tables |
List all tables |
.views |
List all views |
.indexes [table] |
List indexes |
.schema [table] |
Show CREATE statements / column definitions |
.columns <table> |
Show column details |
.count <table> |
Count rows |
.first <table> |
Show first 10 rows |
.last <table> |
Show last 10 rows |
.fk <table> |
Show foreign keys |
.dbinfo |
Show database properties |
.size |
Show database size |
.encoding |
Show encoding |
.connect <database> |
Switch PostgreSQL database, keeping credentials (alias: .use) |
.databases |
List all PostgreSQL databases |
.schemas |
List all PostgreSQL schemas |
.clear |
Clear the terminal output |
.help |
Show all available commands |
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| ⌘E | Execute the whole editor |
| ⌘↩ | Run selection, or the statement under the cursor |
| ⌘. | Cancel the running query |
| ⌘↑ | Previous command from history |
| ⌘↓ | Next command from history |
| ⌘N | New window / session |
| ⌘W | Close window |
| ⌘? | SQLTerminal Help |
Download the latest signed, notarized .dmg from the Releases page, open it, and drag SQLTerminal into your Applications folder. From then on the app updates itself via Sparkle — you'll be offered new versions automatically, or trigger a check with SQLTerminal ▸ Check for Updates….
Requirements: Xcode 26+, macOS 26.2+
git clone https://github.com/arcanii/SQLTerminal.git
cd SQLTerminal
open SQLTerminal.xcodeprojThen build and run with ⌘R. To produce a signed, notarized release build, see docs/RELEASING.md.
The pure SQL logic — the $$-aware statement splitter, the read/write/destructive classifier, and the pg_hba.conf formatting — lives in a SQLCore Swift package (SQLTerminal/Core) and is covered by unit tests:
swift testSQLTerminal is licensed under the GNU GPL-3.0. See LICENSE.