Getting Started

Welcome to SQLsaber! This guide will walk you through setting up SQLsaber and running your first query.

Before you begin, make sure you have:

1. Installed SQLsaber
2. Access to a database (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, or DuckDB)
3. An API key from a supported AI provider (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, etc.)

Quick Setup

1. Launch the Onboarding Flow

Run SQLsaber with no arguments to start the guided setup:

saber

On your first run, SQLsaber walks you through two guided steps:

1. Database connection: Choose the database type and provide connection details.

2. Authentication: Sign in to your preferred AI provider and pick a model. We recommend Sonnet 4.5, 4 or GPT-5.

   sqlsaber will store your API key securely using your OS credential store.

When both steps succeed you’ll see a confirmation screen, and SQLsaber immediately opens an interactive session.

Tip

If you have a Claude Pro or Max subscription, you can use it with SQLsaber for a cost-effective setup.

Tip

If you already have a connection string handy, pass it via saber -d <connection-string> to skip the onboarding flow.

Note

Need a sample database?

Download the legislators SQLite file, then choose sqlite when the onboarding flow prompts for a database location (or add it with saber db add):

curl -L -o legislators.db https://github.com/SarthakJariwala/sqlsaber/raw/refs/heads/main/legislators.db

2. Ask Your First Question

Once onboarding completes, you’re already in interactive mode. Try asking a question:

> How many VPs have become presidents via election in 20th century?

SQLsaber will:

1. Analyze your database schema
2. Generate appropriate SQL
3. Execute the query
4. Present the results and analysis

Interactive Mode

In interactive mode, you have access to several helpful features:

• Slash Commands

  • /clear - Clear the conversation history
  • /exit or /quit - Exit SQLsaber

• Table Name Autocomplete

  • Type @ followed by a table name to get autocomplete suggestions:

Non-Interactive Mode

You can also run single queries without entering interactive mode:

# Direct query
saber "How many users are there?"

# Using a specific database
saber -d my-database "Show me the latest orders"

# Reading from stdin
echo "Count all products by category" | saber

# Send output to a file
saber "Show me the latest orders" > latest_orders.md

Next Steps

Now that you have SQLsaber running, explore these features:

• Set up memory - Add context about your database for better results
• Manage conversation threads - Resume your conversations
• Configure different models - Try different AI models
• Advanced database setup - Configure SSL, connection strings, and more

Getting Help

• Use saber --help to see all available commands
• Check the command reference for detailed documentation
• Visit our GitHub repository for issues and contributions

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

“No database connections configured”

saber db list  # Check configured databases
saber db add my-db  # Add a new database

“Authentication not configured”

saber auth status  # Check auth status
saber auth setup   # Set up authentication

“Database connection failed”

saber db test my-database  # Test the connection

For more troubleshooting help, see our installation guide.