How to Connect ClickHouse to Codex

Query your ClickHouse data directly from Codex using Sequel’s MCP server. Ask questions in plain English, with no SQL, no dashboards, and no context switching.

Short answer

Connect ClickHouse to Sequel, then add Sequel's MCP server to Codex using the config on this page. Codex can then query your live ClickHouse data in plain English, with no connector code and no CSV exports. Both steps take a few minutes.

Example prompts

Everything you can ask Codex about your ClickHouse data.

Ask in plain English — Sequel translates it into a ClickHouse query, runs it, and Codex hands back the answer. No SQL, no dashboards, no CSV exports.

What you can ask Codex
  • How many events did we receive per hour yesterday?
  • What's the funnel conversion rate from signup to first purchase?
  • Show me the top 10 users by event count this week
  • Which event types have increased most in the last 7 days?
  • What's the day-1 retention rate for users who signed up last month?

How it works

Three steps to get started

1

Connect ClickHouse to Sequel

In your Sequel dashboard, go to Connections and add ClickHouse. Sequel handles authentication and schema discovery automatically.

2

Add Sequel to the agent

Copy the Sequel MCP configuration into Codex's settings file (shown below). Swap in your API key from Settings → API Keys.

3

Ask Codex about your data

Restart Codex and start asking questions. "How many events did we receive per hour yesterday?" — and get a real answer backed by live ClickHouse data.

Why Codex

What Codex does with your ClickHouse data

Grounded answers from real data

Codex with Sequel queries your actual databases before generating code or explanations. Every schema reference, column name, and data shape is verified against what's really there.

Terminal-native data access

No context switching — Codex can pull database data mid-session to inform code generation, write migrations based on actual schemas, and validate assumptions without leaving the terminal.

Agentic data workflows

Codex's multi-step agent can chain Sequel tool calls together: discover schema, sample data, run analysis, then generate code — all in one automated flow.

Configuration

Add Sequel to Codex

Place this in ~/.codex/config.yaml and replace sql_your_api_key with a key from Settings → API Keys.

~/.codex/config.yaml

mcp_servers:
  sequel:
    type: http
    url: https://api.sequel.sh/mcp
    headers:
      Authorization: "Bearer sql_your_api_key"

Install

Install ClickHouse MCP in Codex

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 Codex

Terminal

codex mcp add sequel --url https://api.sequel.sh/mcp
  1. 1Run the command in your terminal. It writes the server to ~/.codex/config.toml.
  2. 2Run codex mcp login sequel and sign in in the browser.
  3. 3Start Codex and ask a question.

Frequently asked questions

How do I connect ClickHouse to Codex?

You need two things: (1) connect ClickHouse to Sequel in your Sequel dashboard under Connections, and (2) add the Sequel MCP config to Codex using the setup shown above. Once both are done, Codex can query your ClickHouse data directly.

What ClickHouse data can Codex access?

Codex can access any data available through your ClickHouse 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 ClickHouse data sent to Codex's servers?

Query results are returned to Codex 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 ClickHouse and generate an API key. Sign up free at sequel.sh — no credit card required. Then create a connection to ClickHouse and generate an API key from Settings → API Keys.

Can I connect multiple ClickHouse accounts?

Yes. Sequel supports multiple connections of the same type. If you have multiple ClickHouse accounts or properties, add each as a separate connection in Sequel. Codex will be able to query all of them.

How do I configure Sequel for Codex CLI?

Add the Sequel MCP server to ~/.codex/config.yaml as shown above. Create the file if it doesn't exist. Replace `sql_your_api_key` with a real key from Settings → API Keys, then restart Codex.

Does Codex CLI support HTTP MCP servers?

Yes. Codex CLI supports MCP over HTTP (Streamable HTTP transport). The `type: http` field in the config tells Codex to use this transport when connecting to Sequel.

Can I limit which databases Codex can access?

Sequel MCP is scoped to your organization's connected data sources. You can create separate API keys for different environments and revoke them at any time from Settings → API Keys.

Is this the same as the original OpenAI Codex model?

No — Codex CLI is OpenAI's agentic terminal coding tool, separate from the original Codex language model. It uses the latest OpenAI models (GPT-4o and o-series) with MCP tool support.

How do I connect ClickHouse?

Click 'New Connection', select ClickHouse, and enter your host, port, database, username, and password. Sequel supports both HTTP and native interfaces.

Which ClickHouse versions are supported?

Sequel supports ClickHouse 21.x and above, including ClickHouse Cloud.

Can Sequel handle large ClickHouse tables?

Yes. Sequel adds LIMIT clauses by default and warns you before running queries that may trigger full table scans on large datasets. ClickHouse's columnar storage makes even large queries fast.

Does Sequel use ClickHouse-specific SQL features?

Yes. Sequel generates ClickHouse-compatible SQL including toStartOfHour, toDate, arrayJoin, and other ClickHouse functions when appropriate.

Connect ClickHouse to Codex today

Sign up free, connect your data sources, and start querying in minutes.