A fully-featured SQL database client that lives in your terminal. Fast, keyboard-driven, and designed to replace heavyweight GUI clients.
Why tuiql?
Most terminal database tools are either too basic or painful to use. tuiql gives you the power of a native database client — table browsing, filtering, sorting, pagination, JSON viewing, theming — without ever leaving the terminal.
No mouse required. No Electron. No waiting.
Supported Databases
- PostgreSQL
- MySQL
- MariaDB
- SQLite
Install
cargo install tuiql
Quick Start
Connect directly:
tuiql connect --type postgres --url "postgres://user:pass@localhost:5432/mydb"Save a connection for later:
tuiql add --type postgres --name mydb --host localhost --port 5432 --user admin --pass secret --database mydb
Then open it by name:
tuiql open mydb
List saved connections:
tuiql ls
Keybindings
Navigation
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| j | Down | Ctrl-n | Move down |
| k | Up | Ctrl-p | Move up |
| Ctrl-d | Scroll 10 rows down |
| Ctrl-u | Scroll 10 rows up |
| g | Go to top |
| G | Go to bottom |
| n | Next page |
| p | Previous page |
| Tab | Switch between panes |
Table
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| w | Add a WHERE clause |
| o | Add an ORDER BY clause |
| r | Refresh query result |
| y | Copy highlighted row to clipboard |
Command Mode
Press : to enter command mode.
| Command | Shorthand | Action |
|---|---|---|
| help | h | Open the help view |
| quit | q | Quit the application |
| count | c | Count fetched rows |
| total-count | tc | Count total rows in the selected table regardless of filters |
| goto page 5 | g p | Jump to a specific page |
| goto table_name | g | Jump to a table by name |
| limit 1000|1k | l | Set rows per page |
| refresh | r | Re-fetch data with current filters |
| order-by col desc | ob | Add ORDER BY (no args to reset) |
| where col = 'val' | w | Add WHERE clause (no args to reset) |
| set key value | Change a setting at runtime |
Features
- Built with Rust for instant startup and minimal resource usage
- Vim-style navigation throughout the entire interface
- Inline WHERE and ORDER BY filtering without writing full queries
- Paginated table browsing with configurable page sizes
- JSON cell viewer for inspecting complex data
- Customizable themes
Configuration
Run tuiql --config-path to see where your config files are stored.
Settings
| Setting | Options | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| transparent_background | true, false |
false |
Use terminal background instead of theme color |
| default_limit | number | 200 |
Sets the default query limit on every table |
| default_sort | "asc", "desc" | "asc" | Sets the default sorting direction on table load |
License
This project is licensed under the MIT license - see the LICENSE file for details.
Testing
Testing this app is done with the following free sample databases: