How to Connect BigQuery to VS Code
Query your BigQuery data directly from VS Code using Sequel’s MCP server. Ask questions in plain English, with no SQL, no dashboards, and no context switching.
Short answer
Connect BigQuery to Sequel, then add Sequel's MCP server to VS Code using the config on this page. VS Code can then query your live BigQuery data in plain English, with no connector code and no CSV exports. Both steps take a few minutes.
Everything you can ask VS Code about your BigQuery data.
Ask in plain English — Sequel translates it into a BigQuery query, runs it, and VS Code hands back the answer. No SQL, no dashboards, no CSV exports.
- What are the top 10 events by count this week?
- Show me daily revenue for the past 30 days as a line chart
- Which users had the highest session count last month?
- What's the p95 query latency by dataset over the past 7 days?
- List all tables in my analytics dataset with row counts
How it works
Three steps to get started
Connect BigQuery to Sequel
In your Sequel dashboard, go to Connections and add BigQuery. Sequel handles authentication and schema discovery automatically.
Add Sequel to the agent
Copy the Sequel MCP configuration into VS Code's settings file (shown below). Swap in your API key from Settings → API Keys.
Ask VS Code about your data
Restart VS Code and start asking questions. "What are the top 10 events by count this week?" — and get a real answer backed by live BigQuery data.
Why VS Code
What VS Code does with your BigQuery data
Database access in Copilot Chat
Once configured, GitHub Copilot Chat can call Sequel tools to answer questions about your data. Ask about your schema, query examples, or check metrics — right in the Chat panel.
Team-wide setup with one commit
Commit .vscode/mcp.json to your repo and every developer on the team gets Sequel MCP configured automatically. Each team member provides their own API key.
Schema-aware code generation
Copilot can pull your actual database schema through Sequel and use it to generate more accurate SQL queries, migration files, and ORM models — based on what's really in your database.
Configuration
Add Sequel to VS Code
Place this in .vscode/mcp.json and replace sql_your_api_key with a key from Settings → API Keys.
.vscode/mcp.json
{
"servers": {
"sequel": {
"url": "https://api.sequel.sh/mcp",
"type": "http",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Bearer sql_your_api_key"
}
}
}
}Install
Install BigQuery MCP in VS Code
Pick your app and Sequel installs itself: a one-click link where the client supports it, that client’s own few steps where it doesn’t. Every route signs in with your Sequel account over OAuth, so there is no API key to copy and nothing to keep in sync.
Already have an MCP client?
https://api.sequel.sh/mcp
Add it as a remote (streamable HTTP) server and sign in when prompted. Skills come with it; nothing else to install. Manual setup per client
Add Sequel to VS Code
One click: the button above opens VS Code with Sequel pre-filled, and VS Code signs you in with your Sequel account. There is no key to paste.
Other AI agents
Connect BigQuery MCP to any agent
Claude
Use Claude to query your databases, explore schemas, and build analyses — all from one conversation.
Cursor
Query your databases and explore schemas without leaving your code editor.
ChatGPT
Connect ChatGPT to your databases and get data-backed answers in every conversation.
VS Code
Get database access inside VS Code Copilot without leaving your editor.
Windsurf
Give Windsurf's Cascade AI access to your databases — query data without leaving your editor.
Zed
Connect Zed's AI assistant to your databases for real-time data access while you code.
Gemini
Connect Google Gemini to your databases for grounded, data-backed answers.
Claude Code
Query your databases directly from the Claude Code CLI — without leaving your terminal.
Codex
Give OpenAI Codex CLI real-time database access for data-grounded coding sessions.
OpenClaw
Turn your self-hosted OpenClaw agent into a data analyst that queries every source you've connected.
Hermes
Give Nous Research's Hermes agent read access to every database and marketing tool you've connected.
Grok Bot
Tell your Grok bot to add Sequel and it can query every database and marketing tool you've connected.
Muse
Give Meta's Muse one message and it builds its own connector to every source you've put in Sequel.
dots
Add Sequel once in ChatGPT and your dot can answer data questions on its own, day and night.
Other data sources
Connect other sources to VS Code
PostgreSQL
Query your PostgreSQL database in plain English. No SQL required.
MySQL
Instant insights from your MySQL database. Ask in plain English.
ClickHouse
Real-time analytics on ClickHouse at any scale, in plain English.
Google Sheets
Query, write, and manage Google Sheets with AI.
Google Analytics 4
Ask your GA4 data anything. No SQL, no dashboards.
Google Search Console
Unlock your SEO data with natural language. No exports, no pivot tables.
MCP Server
Connect any MCP-compatible server and query it with AI in seconds.
Stripe
Ask your Stripe data anything. MRR, churn, refunds — answered in plain English.
Polar
Ask your Polar revenue, subscriptions, and usage data anything — in plain English.
Dodo Payments
Ask questions about payments, subscriptions, refunds and payouts in plain English.
PostHog
Ask your PostHog product data anything — with HogQL under the hood.
Mixpanel
Conversational analytics on your Mixpanel events, funnels, and retention.
Amplitude
Query your Amplitude taxonomy, funnels, and dashboards in plain English.
HubSpot
Your AI analyst for HubSpot contacts, deals, tickets, and pipelines.
Ahrefs
Ask your Ahrefs SEO data anything: backlinks, keywords, and traffic.
Apollo.io
Ask your Apollo.io prospects, contacts, and accounts anything, in plain English.
Cloudflare D1
Ask your Cloudflare D1 database questions in plain English.
Instagram organic analytics — post engagement, reach, and audience insights in plain English.
Frequently asked questions
How do I connect BigQuery to VS Code?
You need two things: (1) connect BigQuery to Sequel in your Sequel dashboard under Connections, and (2) add the Sequel MCP config to VS Code using the setup shown above. Once both are done, VS Code can query your BigQuery data directly.
What BigQuery data can VS Code access?
VS Code can access any data available through your BigQuery connection in Sequel. Use Sequel's search tool to discover available metrics and dimensions, then execute queries to pull the data you need.
Is my BigQuery data sent to VS Code's servers?
Query results are returned to VS Code as context within your conversation. Only the data you explicitly ask about is retrieved. Sequel never stores your query results permanently — they exist only for the duration of the tool call.
Do I need a Sequel account?
Yes. You need a Sequel account to connect BigQuery and generate an API key. Sign up free at sequel.sh — no credit card required. Then create a connection to BigQuery and generate an API key from Settings → API Keys.
Can I connect multiple BigQuery accounts?
Yes. Sequel supports multiple connections of the same type. If you have multiple BigQuery accounts or properties, add each as a separate connection in Sequel. VS Code will be able to query all of them.
Does this work with GitHub Copilot in VS Code?
Yes. VS Code's MCP support is available in GitHub Copilot Chat (VS Code 1.99+). Create .vscode/mcp.json in your project root with the config above, and Sequel tools will appear in Copilot Chat.
Do I need the GitHub Copilot subscription?
VS Code MCP requires GitHub Copilot Chat (Individual, Business, or Enterprise plan). The MCP configuration itself is free; you only need a Sequel API key and a Copilot subscription.
Can I configure this globally instead of per-project?
Yes. Add the server configuration to your VS Code user settings.json under the `mcp.servers` key for global access across all projects.
Is the .vscode/mcp.json file safe to commit?
The config file is safe to commit — but never commit your actual API key in it. Use an environment variable reference or instruct team members to replace the placeholder with their own key.
Do I need a service account key to connect BigQuery?
No. Sequel uses Google OAuth 2.0, so you authorize with your Google account directly — no JSON key files required. Sequel requests read-only access (bigquery.readonly scope) so it can only run SELECT queries.
What is a GCP Project ID and where do I find it?
The GCP Project ID is the unique identifier for your Google Cloud project (e.g. my-company-analytics-123). You can find it in the Google Cloud Console at the top of the dashboard, or by running `gcloud config get-value project` in your terminal.
Does Sequel support BigQuery legacy SQL?
No. Sequel generates standard SQL (GoogleSQL) only. Legacy SQL is deprecated by Google and is not supported.
Will Sequel see all my BigQuery datasets and tables?
Sequel will list all datasets your Google account has access to within the connected project. You can restrict schema introspection to specific datasets from the connection settings after connecting.
Connect BigQuery to VS Code today
Sign up free, connect your data sources, and start querying in minutes.