MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery) vs XiYan MCP Server

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

	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	XiYan MCP Server Natural-language queries to MySQL/PostgreSQL via XiYanSQL text-to-SQL Unverified stdio (local) API key Python
Category	Databases	Databases
Language	Go	Python
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	OAuth	API key
GitHub stars	16k	236
Last commit	2 months ago	5 months ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`brew install mcp-toolbox && toolbox --prebuilt bigquery --stdio`	`pip install xiyan-mcp-server`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery) if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you need the broadest set of tools.

Pick XiYan MCP Server if you prefer its approach (natural-language queries to mysql/postgresql via xiyansql text-to-sql).

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>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add XiYan MCP Server

Install / run

pip install xiyan-mcp-server

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "xiyan-mcp-server": {
      "command": "/xxx/python",
      "args": [
        "-m",
        "xiyan_mcp_server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "YML": "PATH/TO/YML"
      }
    }
  }
}

FAQ

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

Pick MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery) if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you need the broadest set of tools. Pick XiYan MCP Server if you prefer its approach (natural-language queries to mysql/postgresql via xiyansql text-to-sql).

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

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

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

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