Couchbase MCP Server vs MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery)

A side-by-side comparison of two Databases servers — tools, transport, auth, maintenance, and copy-paste config for each.

	Couchbase MCP Server Let LLMs query Couchbase clusters, run SQL++, manage documents, and analyze query performance. Unverified stdio (local) API key Python	MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery) Google's official MCP server with prebuilt BigQuery tools, querying datasets via Application Default Credentials. Verified stdio (local) OAuth Go
Category	Databases	Databases
Language	Python	Go
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	API key	OAuth
GitHub stars	32	16k
Last commit	1 day ago	23 days ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`uvx couchbase-mcp-server`	`brew install mcp-toolbox && toolbox --prebuilt bigquery --stdio`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Couchbase MCP Server if you need the broadest set of tools.

Pick MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery) if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Add Couchbase MCP Server

Install / run

uvx couchbase-mcp-server

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "couchbase-mcp-server": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "couchbase-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "CB_CONNECTION_STRING": "couchbases://connection-string",
        "CB_USERNAME": "username",
        "CB_PASSWORD": "password"
      }
    }
  }
}

Requires `uv` (the Python package runner). Install it from https://docs.astral.sh/uv/ if `uvx` is not found.

Add MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery)

Install / run

brew install mcp-toolbox && toolbox --prebuilt bigquery --stdio

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-toolbox-for-databases-bigquery": {
      "command": "/absolute/path/to/toolbox",
      "args": [
        "--prebuilt",
        "bigquery",
        "--stdio"
      ],
      "env": {
        "BIGQUERY_PROJECT": "<your-gcp-project-id>"
      }
    }
  }
}

FAQ

Couchbase MCP Server or MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery) — which is better?

Pick Couchbase MCP Server if you need the broadest set of tools. Pick MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery) if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Can I use both Couchbase MCP Server and MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery)?

Yes — MCP clients let you enable multiple servers at once. Add both configs to your client's mcpServers and use whichever tool fits the task.

Do Couchbase MCP Server and MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery) work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

Both do. Copy the per-client config below into Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf.

View Couchbase MCP Server →View MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery) →More comparisons →