Tiger MCP Changed How I Think About Databases 🚀
Last week, I discovered Tiger's MCP (Model Context Protocol) while exploring their Agentic Postgres challenge.
What absolutely amazed me:
⚡ Zero-copy forks – Create a complete database copy instantly. No waiting. No storage costs. Just boom, done.
🤖 AI that actually understands – Not just generating SQL, but understanding your entire database context. Ask it to optimize, and it KNOWS what needs fixing.
⏱️ 10x productivity boost – What used to take hours (creating test environments, writing migrations, testing changes) now takes minutes.
The time savings are insane. Instead of spending 2 hours setting up a test database, you fork in 2 seconds. Instead of manually writing migrations, AI generates them perfectly. Instead of guessing impact, you test on real data instantly.
Tiger MCP is the future of database development. No question.
But Something Was Missing... 🤔
After using Tiger MCP for a few days, I noticed a gap. Not with Tiger's tool – it's brilliant. But with the ecosystem around it.
I needed to visualize my schemas. So I looked at the options:
DrawSQL challenges:
- 💸 $59/month for teams (that's $708/year!)
- 🔒 Closed source, your schemas locked in their servers
- 🚫 No AI integration despite the high price
- 📊 Limited to 100 tables on growth plan
ChartDB challenges:
- 🛠️ Self-hosting complexity (Docker, PostgreSQL, Redis...)
- 🔧 Maintenance overhead for a simple visualization
- 🤖 No AI features
- 👥 Collaboration requires more infrastructure
The real issue: These tools were built for the old world. Before AI. Before instant forks. Before Tiger MCP showed us what's possible.
Why I'm Building a Visual Layer for the AI Era 🎨
Live Demo: sql-schema.vercel.app
GitHub: github.com/jacksonkasi1/supabase-schema
I realized we need something new. Not just another schema tool, but "Figma for database diagrams" that works WITH tools like Tiger MCP.
The Vision: Visual Collaboration for Database Teams
Think about it:
- ✅ Designers have Figma for visual collaboration
- ✅ Developers have GitHub for code collaboration
- ❌ Database teams have... expensive closed tools?
In large teams, you can't just let AI modify production schemas instantly. You need:
- Discussion before changes
- Visual understanding of impact
- Team consensus on migrations
- Version control for schemas
That's what I'm building.
How This Complements Tiger MCP 🤝
Tiger MCP handles the engine:
- Instant database forks
- AI-powered modifications
- Zero-copy efficiency
- Semantic understanding
My tool adds the dashboard:
- Visual representation
- Team collaboration
- GitHub version control
- Change visualization
The Future Workflow I'm Building:
1. Tiger MCP creates a fork for experimentation
2. AI suggests optimizations
3. My tool visualizes the changes
4. Team discusses visually (like Figma comments)
5. Approved changes get applied
6. GitHub stores the visual history
It's not about replacing Tiger MCP. It's about making it accessible to entire teams, not just CLI experts.
What's Working Today ✨
While I couldn't fully complete my Tiger Cloud integration in time for the hackathon, here's what I've built so far:
🎯 Core Features (Live Now):
- Import any PostgreSQL schema
- Visual diagram with relationships
- AI assistants (Gemini + OpenAI) for modifications
- Export to SQL
- Share via links
- GitHub storage (your repo = your data)
🚧 Tiger Integration (In Progress):
- Direct connection to Tiger Cloud instances
- Visualize differences between forks
- Import AI-generated changes
- Visual migration previews
🔮 Coming Soon:
- Real-time collaboration (PartyKit)
- Figma-style commenting
- Visual PR reviews
- Schema history timeline
Why This Matters for Teams 👥
Large projects aren't solo endeavors. When you have 10+ developers:
- Can't just run AI commands – Need discussion first
- Can't trust text diffs – Need visual understanding
- Can't work in isolation – Need real-time collaboration
- Can't skip reviews – Need approval workflows
Tiger MCP gives us the power. My tool gives us the visibility. Together, they make database development as collaborative as frontend development.
Try It Yourself 🚀
Even without the full Tiger integration, you can experience the vision:
- Visit sql-schema.vercel.app
- Import your schema (paste DDL or connect)
- Ask AI to modify it: "Add authentication tables"
- See changes visually
- Share with your team
Imagine this connected to Tiger's instant forks. That's where we're heading.
Hackathon Participation Note 📝
While I couldn't complete the full Tiger Cloud integration within the hackathon timeframe, I wanted to share what I've built as participation.
The inspiration from Tiger MCP was too strong to ignore. Even this partial implementation shows the potential of combining:
- Tiger's powerful backend capabilities
- Visual collaboration for teams
- AI-assisted development
- Open source accessibility
Sometimes the best ideas come from hackathons, even if you can't finish everything in time.
The Ask: Help Shape the Future 💡
For Tiger Cloud users:
- Would visual fork comparisons help your workflow?
- How does your team currently review schema changes?
- What would make Tiger MCP more accessible to non-CLI users?
For anyone tired of expensive tools:
- Star the repo if you believe in open source: github.com/jacksonkasi1/supabase-schema
- Share what features would make you switch
- Help build the future of visual database collaboration
Final Thoughts 🌟
Tiger MCP showed us the future: AI-powered, instantly forkable databases.
But the future needs visual tools too. Tools that bring entire teams along, not just CLI experts. Tools that make database changes as collaborative as design changes in Figma.
That's what I'm building. Open source. Free forever. For everyone.
The hackathon may be ending, but this project is just beginning.
Built with inspiration from Tiger MCP. Sharing as my contribution to the Agentic Postgres Challenge. Sometimes the best participation is building what you wish existed.
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