Install whodb-cli with Homebrew

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository
• Upstream docs
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• whodb-cli

Project history

Clidey launched WhoDB in 2024 as an open-source database management tool focused on lightweight deployment and a modern user experience. The launch materials described it as an alternative to older database admin experiences, initially emphasizing PostgreSQL with broader SQL and NoSQL support planned.

The clidey/whodb repository was created on June 11, 2024. The main README now describes WhoDB as a lightweight next-generation data explorer, while the CLI README describes an interactive, production-ready command-line interface with a Bubble Tea terminal UI.

The CLI expanded WhoDB from a web/database explorer into a terminal-native tool. Its documented feature set includes multi-database support, table browsing, a WHERE builder, SQL editing with schema-aware autocomplete, optional AI chat, and an MCP server mode.

Adoption history

WhoDB's adoption is tied to a modern developer preference for local, lightweight database tools that sit between raw database shells and full desktop GUI clients. GitHub API metadata showed more than 4,900 stars and more than 200 forks on July 2, 2026.

The CLI's MCP mode also connects WhoDB to the 2025-2026 wave of AI-agent tooling. The official CLI announcement explains that `whodb-cli mcp serve` turns the local database client into a toolset for assistants such as Claude or Cursor.

How it is used

Typical usage is to run `whodb-cli` for an interactive TUI, connect to a database, browse schemas and tables, build filters, and issue SQL or database-specific queries without leaving the terminal.

For AI-assisted workflows, the documented pattern is to run `whodb-cli mcp serve` so an MCP-compatible assistant can call database tools through the local WhoDB process. That gives package-manager users a single installed binary for both human TUI use and agent-facing database access.

Why package nerds care

WhoDB CLI is significant because database tooling has historically split into heavyweight GUIs, vendor-specific shells, and ad hoc SQL clients. WhoDB CLI packages a multi-database explorer as a modern TUI with optional AI/MCP features.

For terminal users, it follows the same cultural path as tools like k9s and lazygit: make an operational domain visual and keyboard-driven while staying installable and script-adjacent.

Timeline

• 2024-06-11: The clidey/whodb GitHub repository was created.
• 2024: Clidey launch materials introduced WhoDB as an open-source, lightweight database management tool.
• 2026: The CLI documentation described TUI database browsing, optional AI chat, and MCP server mode.
• 2026-07-02: GitHub API metadata showed the repository above 4,900 stars.

Related projects

• WhoDB's CLI is part of the larger WhoDB data explorer project.
• Bubble Tea and Lip Gloss are the Go TUI ecosystem named by the CLI's community posts and documentation.
• MCP-compatible assistants such as Claude and Cursor are target consumers of the CLI's server mode.

Sources

• Clidey WhoDB release post: https://blog.clidey.com/whodb-release/
• WhoDB CLI README: https://github.com/clidey/whodb/blob/main/cli/README.md
• WhoDB CLI Show HN discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46697475
• WhoDB CLI announcement: https://blog.clidey.com/whodb-cli-now-live/
• WhoDB GitHub API metadata: https://api.github.com/repos/clidey/whodb
• WhoDB repository and README: https://github.com/clidey/whodb