MCP Directory

How to add BigQuery MCP server to Claude Desktop

Inspect BigQuery schemas and run SQL queries from your LLM client. Paste the config into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json and restart Claude Desktop.

Last updated June 14, 2026 · 127★ · stdio · no auth

Claude Desktop config for BigQuery MCP server

npx -y @smithery/cli install mcp-server-bigquery --client claude
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bigquery-mcp-server": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-server-bigquery"
      ],
      "env": {
        "BIGQUERY_PROJECT": "{{GCP_PROJECT_ID}}",
        "BIGQUERY_LOCATION": "{{GCP_LOCATION}}"
      }
    }
  }
}

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

Setup steps

  1. 1Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config (this opens ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json).
  2. 2Paste the BigQuery MCP server config below under the top-level "mcpServers" key.
  3. 3Fill in any placeholder secrets (API keys, paths) in the snippet.
  4. 4Save the file, then fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop.
  5. 5Open a chat and confirm BigQuery MCP server's tools appear under the 🔌 tools menu.

Before you start

  • A Google Cloud project with BigQuery enabled
  • GCP credentials: a service account key file or default application credentials
  • uvx (uv) available to run the server, or Smithery CLI to install

What BigQuery MCP server can do in Claude Desktop

execute-query

Executes a SQL query using the BigQuery dialect.

list-tables

Lists all tables in the BigQuery database.

describe-table

Describes the schema of a specific table.

Security

Authenticates to BigQuery using a service account key file (--key-file / BIGQUERY_KEY_FILE) or the environment's default GCP credentials. Use --dataset / BIGQUERY_DATASETS to restrict which datasets are exposed to the LLM.

BigQuery MCP server + Claude Desktop FAQ

Where is the Claude Desktop config file?

Claude Desktop reads MCP servers from ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. Paste the BigQuery MCP server config there under the "mcpServers" key and restart the client.

Is BigQuery MCP server safe to use with Claude Desktop?

Authenticates to BigQuery using a service account key file (--key-file / BIGQUERY_KEY_FILE) or the environment's default GCP credentials. Use --dataset / BIGQUERY_DATASETS to restrict which datasets are exposed to the LLM.

How do I authenticate to BigQuery?

Provide a service account key file via the --key-file argument or BIGQUERY_KEY_FILE environment variable. If not provided, the server uses the environment's default GCP credentials.

Can I limit which datasets the server can access?

Yes. Use the --dataset argument (repeatable) or the BIGQUERY_DATASETS environment variable (comma-separated) to restrict the server to specific datasets. If omitted, all datasets in the project are considered.

Which configuration values are required?

The GCP project ID (--project / BIGQUERY_PROJECT) and the GCP location (--location / BIGQUERY_LOCATION) are required. Dataset filtering, key file, and timeout are optional.

View repo Full BigQuery MCP server page