Connect a cloud-hosted MySQL database to Sequel and query it in plain English — from the Sequel app or any AI tool wired up to the MCP server. This works with managed MySQL anywhere: PlanetScale, Amazon RDS/Aurora MySQL, Google Cloud SQL, Azure Database for MySQL, and similar (MySQL 5.7+, including 8.x, and MariaDB 10.3+).
What you'll need
- A cloud-hosted MySQL database reachable over the internet.
- A database connection string (host, port, database, user, and password).
- A user with read access to the schemas you want to query.
Use a read-only user
Create a dedicated read-only user for Sequel. It's the simplest way to guarantee queries can't modify your data, and it scopes access to just the tables you intend to expose.
Connect it
Open a new connection
In the Sequel dashboard, go to Connections → New connection and choose MySQL.
Enter your connection string
Paste your connection string. It usually looks like this:
Connection string
mysql://USER:PASSWORD@HOST:3306/DATABASEMost managed providers require SSL — append the SSL parameters your provider documents (some need a CA certificate) if the connection is rejected without them.
Allow Sequel through your firewall
Sequel connects to your database from a fixed set of IP addresses. If your database (or its provider's firewall/security group) restricts inbound traffic, add Sequel's egress IPs to the allowlist so the connection test can reach it.
The exact IPs to allowlist are shown on the connection screen — copy them from there into your provider's networking settings (e.g. RDS security groups, Cloud SQL authorized networks, PlanetScale/Azure IP allow).
Test and save
Sequel verifies the credentials and reads your schema. A green check means it's live.
Try it
Once connected, ask things like:
- "Show me total sales by product category last quarter"
- "Which customers haven't placed an order in 90 days?"
- "Show me the top 20 users by total spend"
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely fix |
|---|---|
| Connection test times out | Database isn't reachable from the internet, or a firewall is blocking Sequel — add Sequel's egress IPs (shown on the connection screen) to your allowlist. |
| SSL/TLS connection error | Provider requires an encrypted connection — add the SSL parameters (and CA certificate, if needed) from your provider's docs. |
| Access denied for user | The user lacks a SELECT grant on the target database, or the credentials are wrong. |