sabiql

A fast, driver-less TUI to browse, query, and edit PostgreSQL and SQLite databases — no drivers, no setup, just your database CLI (psql or sqlite3).

Concept

Vim-first · Safe by design · Oil-and-vinegar UI · Fast and lightweight

sabiql wraps your existing database CLI. For PostgreSQL it uses psql; for SQLite it uses sqlite3. No Rust database drivers, no connection pools, no extra dependencies. Point it at your database and get a full-featured TUI. Your psql config, .pgpass, and SSL setup all just work for PostgreSQL connections.

Inspired by oil.nvim's "oil and vinegar" philosophy: UI elements appear only when needed, never occupying your screen permanently. Vim-native keybindings (j/k, dd, /) let you navigate and edit without leaving your muscle memory.

Destructive operations are guarded. Inline edits and row deletions always show a preview modal before touching your data. Read-only mode (Ctrl+R) goes further — block all writes at the database client level with a single keystroke.

Built in Rust for minimal memory footprint and near-zero idle CPU. A full-featured alternative to GUI tools like DBeaver or DataGrip, without ever leaving the terminal.

Query Safety

sabiql treats the SQL modal as SQL-only input. CLI meta-commands such as psql backslash commands and sqlite3 dot commands are rejected instead of being passed to the underlying client.

Read-only mode combines app-level write blocking with the database client guard available for the active adapter. PostgreSQL uses a read-only session option. SQLite also runs every sqlite3 command in safe mode, preventing SQL from accessing files, extensions, or databases outside the selected database file.

PostgreSQL multi-statement SQL runs in one transaction. SQLite wraps transactional writes, including persistent PRAGMAs such as user_version, unless the input contains transaction control or a session-side-effect / transaction-incompatible statement such as PRAGMA journal_mode, PRAGMA foreign_keys, or PRAGMA synchronous. SQLite safe mode also rejects operations such as ATTACH and VACUUM that require capabilities unavailable in safe mode.

Features

Core

• Read-Only Mode (Ctrl+R) — Toggle safe-browse mode; writes are blocked at both app and DB session level
• SQL Modal (s) — Ad-hoc queries with auto-completion for tables, columns, and keywords; recall previous queries with Ctrl+O
• ER Diagram (e) — Generate relationship diagrams via Graphviz, opened instantly in your browser (PostgreSQL only)
• Inspector Pane (2) — Column details, types, constraints, and indexes for any table

Editing

• Inline Cell Editing (i in Result) — Edit cells in-place with a guarded UPDATE preview before committing
• Row Deletion (dd in Result) — DELETE with mandatory preview; risk level color-coded (yellow/orange/red)
• Yank (y) — Copy any cell value to clipboard
• CSV Export (Ctrl+E) — Export query results to a CSV file

Query Analysis

• EXPLAIN / EXPLAIN ANALYZE — PostgreSQL: run your query, then switch tabs to view its execution plan or compare two plans side-by-side.
• EXPLAIN QUERY PLAN — SQLite: view query plans for single SELECT statements in the Plan tab.

Navigation

• Fuzzy Search (/) — Incremental table filtering
• Focus Mode (f) — Expand any pane to full screen
• Settings (,) — Theme, keymap, and ER diagram preferences
• Command Palette (F1, :palette) — Searchable command list

Installation

# macOS / Linux
brew install riii111/sabiql/sabiql

# Cargo (crates.io)
cargo install sabiql

# Nix
nix profile install github:riii111/sabiql

# Run once with Nix, without installing
nix run github:riii111/sabiql

# Windows x86_64 (experimental)
# Download sabiql-x86_64-pc-windows-msvc.zip from GitHub Releases,
# extract sabiql.exe, and add its directory to PATH.

# Arch Linux (AUR)
paru -S sabiql  # or yay -S sabiql

# Void Linux (Unofficial Repo)
echo "repository=https://mirror.black-hole.dev/$(xbps-uhelper arch)/" | sudo tee /etc/xbps.d/20-repository-extra.conf
sudo xbps-install -S sabiql

# FreeBSD (ports)
cd /usr/ports/databases/sabiql/ && make install clean

# Install script
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/riii111/sabiql/main/install.sh | sh

Quick Start

sabiql

For SQLite, you can also pass a database file path or sqlite:// DSN directly:

sabiql /path/to/app.db
sabiql /path/to/History
sabiql sqlite:///path/to/app.db

On first run without a startup argument, enter your connection details. They are saved to your platform config directory:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/sabiql/connections.toml
• Linux: ~/.config/sabiql/connections.toml
• Windows: %APPDATA%\sabiql\connections.toml

Windows support is experimental.

For PostgreSQL, fill in host, port, database, and credentials. For SQLite, set Type to SQLite and enter the path to a database file (for example /path/to/app.db).

Press ? for help.

Open Settings with , to switch themes, keymap presets, and the ER diagram browser command.

Note: If you use sabiql inside an IDE terminal, some default keybindings may conflict with the IDE. Open Settings with , and switch the keymap preset to make sabiql work comfortably inside your IDE.

Requirements

Install the CLI for the database you want to open:

• PostgreSQL: psql (PostgreSQL client)
• SQLite: sqlite3 (SQLite shell), version 3.41.1 or later.

Optional:

• Graphviz (for ER diagrams on PostgreSQL): brew install graphviz

Android / Termux

Android/Termux support is build-only, not full platform support. cargo install sabiql should compile on Android, but clipboard yank is unavailable because the desktop clipboard backend is not supported there. Install psql for PostgreSQL and sqlite3 for SQLite.

SQLite Limitations

SQLite support covers browsing, editing, and ad-hoc SQL on regular database files. Compared with PostgreSQL:

• File paths only — Use a regular SQLite database file path or a sqlite:// DSN to that file. The sqlite:// form treats everything after the prefix as a raw path; it does not percent-decode URI escapes. In-memory databases (:memory:) and SQLite URI filenames (file:...) are not supported because sabiql starts sqlite3 per operation; use a temporary database file instead.
• No new database files — Opening a path that does not exist does not create a database.
• Main database only — Attached and temporary databases are not browsed as separate namespaces.
• Session state is per operation — sabiql starts a new sqlite3 process for each operation. Statements in one SQL modal submission share that process, but TEMP tables/views and connection-local PRAGMA settings do not carry over to the next SQL execution. Persistent changes to the main database remain available.
• Grid editing requires a declared primary key — Regular tables with a declared PRIMARY KEY support grid editing. Tables without a declared primary key, views, and virtual tables remain browsable but are read-only targets in the grid.
• Query plans — SQLite shows EXPLAIN QUERY PLAN in the Plan tab. Plan comparison and EXPLAIN ANALYZE are PostgreSQL-only.
• No ER diagrams — Graphviz export requires PostgreSQL metadata.
• No JSON tree view — Structured JSON editing is PostgreSQL-only.

Roadmap

• Connection management UI
• ER diagram generation
• Read-only mode (Ctrl+R)
• SQL modal with DML/DDL safety guardrails
• Query history persistence & fuzzy search
• CSV export & clipboard yank
• EXPLAIN workflow (plan tree view & comparison)
• JSON/JSONB support (tree view, editing, validation)
• Theme switching (Sabiql Dark / Light)
• SQLite support
• Neovim integration (sabiql.nvim)
• Zero-config connection (env vars, .pgpass, URI auto-detect)
• Google Cloud SQL / AlloyDB support
• MySQL support

Have a feature request? Open an issue feedback is welcome!

License

MIT — see LICENSE.