sqltui

sqltui

A lightweight terminal UI for viewing and querying tabular data — data files and live databases — with SQL, fuzzy search, plotting and theming built in. Written in Go on top of Bubble Tea v2.

Highlights

• Open anything tabular — csv, tsv, dsv, json, jsonl, parquet, excel, sqlite, fwf, logfmt, markdown, html; stdin (-) and http(s) URLs too
• SQL everywhere — an embedded in-memory SQL engine over loaded files, or live statements against MySQL / PostgreSQL / SQLite / Redis
• Tabs + frame stack — every table is a tab; every operation (filter, sort, query, search, cast) layers a new frame you can pop off with q
• Fuzzy & exact search with live preview as you type — and every picker (schema browser, columns, themes, redis keys) is type-to-filter
• Command palette with fuzzy matching and inline shortcuts (:f price > 3)
• Context-aware SQL completion — tables after FROM, columns after WHERE, alias. resolution, functions, case-following
• Histogram & scatter plots rendered right in the terminal
• Export to csv, tsv, json, jsonl, parquet, markdown
• Copy & paste — y/Y copy cell/row over OSC52 (works through SSH), bracketed paste into any input, terminal text selection stays untouched
• 40+ built-in themes with live preview (default: sorbet, a warm pastel scheme), on a transparent background that blends with your terminal, plus $EDITOR round-trip editing

Screenshots

Table view — stripes, gutter, status tags	Command palette (:)
SQL editor with autocompletion	Theme selector with live preview
Histogram (:histogram)	Scatter plot grouped by column

Install

go build -o sqltui .

Try it right away with the bundled sample data:

./sqltui examples/employees.csv examples/demo.db

Usage

File mode

sqltui data.csv                     # open one file
sqltui a.csv b.parquet c.xlsx       # multiple files -> multiple tabs
sqltui database.db                  # every sqlite table becomes a tab
cat data.csv | sqltui -             # stdin
sqltui https://example.com/x.csv    # remote file
sqltui data.txt -f csv              # override format detection
sqltui --multiparts p1.csv p2.csv   # concatenate parts vertically

Parsing flags: --separator, --quote-char, --no-header, --ignore-errors, --infer-schema no|fast|safe, --infer-types, --truncate-ragged-lines, --widths, --separator-length, --no-flexible-width, --sqlite-key.

Database mode

Database mode is for server databases that need connection credentials. SQLite databases are just files — open them directly in file mode (sqltui app.db), no subcommand needed.

A connection form opens first (prefilled from the config file): enter connects, tab/arrows move between fields, ctrl+s saves, esc quits. After connecting, the schema browser opens with the connected database expanded and the others collapsed (lazy-loaded on enter); type to filter tables. enter loads a table into a tab, and :query runs statements against the live connection.

Database mode is organized as a stack of full-screen pages — connection form, schema browser, table — and esc always goes back one page: from a table it first pops applied frames, then returns to the schema browser; from the browser it returns to the connection form; from the form it exits. q in the browser jumps straight back to the open table instead.

In Redis mode a key browser (grouped by type) replaces the schema browser — including in the esc chain above — and the query prompt executes raw commands with inline argument hints and completion for 230+ commands.

Keybindings

In the sheet view: j/k (or shift+j/shift+k) scroll, c copies the row, q/esc return to the table.

Commands

Open the palette with : and type. Short aliases take the rest of the line as an argument (:f age > 30 filters immediately).

SQL

In file mode every loaded table is queryable by its tab name and the current frame is always available as _:

select department, count(*) as headcount, cast(avg(salary) as int) as avg_pay
from employees group by department order by avg_pay desc

Full query results open in a new tab; inline select/filter/order results stack onto the current tab (pop with q).

Configuration

~/.config/sqltui/config.yaml stores connection settings per engine plus UI preferences:

mysql:
  userName: root
  password: "123456"
  host: 127.0.0.1
  port: "3306"
  dbName: test_db
ui:
  theme: aurora
  showBorders: true
  showRowNumbers: true

A config.json left over from an older version is migrated to config.yaml automatically on first start (the JSON file is kept, but no longer used).

Logs go to ~/.config/sqltui/sqltui.log.

Tips

• The column cursor (h/l) works in both column modes: the header highlights it, the status bar col: tag tracks it, y copies the cell under it, and wide mode scrolls to keep it visible.
• Every filter, sort, query or search layers a frame onto the tab's stack; the breadcrumb in the status bar shows the chain. q pops one layer, esc steps back too, and :reset jumps straight to the base table.
• In SQL, _ always means the current frame; :register gives a frame a real name so you can join it against other tables.
• y/Y and the sheet view's c copy via OSC52, so the clipboard works over SSH. Bracketed paste works in every input, and the mouse is never captured — plain terminal text selection keeps working.
• Type to filter in every picker: schema browser, theme selector, column pickers, tab switcher, redis keys.
• 1-9 opens the go-to-row prompt with that digit prefilled, and R jumps to a random row.
• The theme selector previews live as you move the highlight — enter keeps it, esc reverts to the previous theme.