Configure the Liquibase MCP Server in VS Code

The MCP Server is currently in early access, and we're actively seeking customer feedback to help shape its development.

Writing Liquibase XML changesets manually can be tedious and error-prone, requiring precise syntax and deep knowledge of Liquibase's schema. The Liquibase Changelog MCP Server solves this by letting you describe database changes in natural language and automatically converting them into valid, tested Liquibase XML. This Model Context Protocol (MCP) server runs locally and integrates seamlessly with Claude Desktop, turning conversational requests like "add an email column to the users table" into production-ready changesets.

Powered by Liquibase's native Java APIs, the server offers nineteen specialized tools that handle everything from basic table operations to complex procedures and sequences. Each generated changeset is automatically validated against an H2 database to catch errors before they reach your production environment, with configurable validation and rollback options to match your workflow. As a standalone executable with 322 comprehensive tests, you can generate validated changesets immediately with no external Liquibase CLI installation required.

Before you begin

  • Download the JAR file.

  • VS Code 1.102 or later must be installed.

  • Java 17 or higher is installed and available in the PATH.

  • An AI agent that can interact with an MCP Server, such as GitHub CoPilot or Claude Code must be installed.

  • Claude Desktop must be installed.

Procedure

1

Open VS Code and ensure that CoPilot is enabled.

2

Open the Command Palette.

Use one of these commands depending on your OS:

  • Windows/Linux: Ctrl+Shift+P

  • Mac: Cmd+Shift+P

3

Configure the MCP Server via the Command Palette.

Type in: MCP: Add Server

5.0 Set up the Liquibase MCP Server in VS Code - 3 Add MCP Server
4

Type in STDIO for the Server Type.

STDIO stands for Standard Input/Output. This is the most common and reliable server transport method.

5

Enter this command in the command palette to run the server jar file.

Enter java -jar /full/path/to/liquibase-mcp-changelog-server-0.1.0.jar to run the server.

Note: Ensure you replace /full/path/to/ your local path to the jar file downloaded earlier.

6

Give the server a unique name that indicates it's for Liquibase changelogs.

5.0 Configure the Liquibase Changelog MCP Server in VS Code - 6 - image

In this example, we use liquibase-changelog-mcp-server.

7

Choose your configuration scope.

Select Global to use the MCP server across all projects.

Select Workspace to use the MCP server only in the current project.

8

Verify the server is installed successfully.

Once complete, the mcp.json file will open to display your server data. Ensure that the server displayed says it is running.

5.0 Configure the Liquibase Changelog MCP Server in VS Code - 8 image

OR: Open the Command Palette and type in MCP: List Servers Confirm that the liquibase-changelog-mcp-server appears and says Running in the list.

Screenshot (255)

Next steps

The server is set up successfully and you are ready to Use the Liquibase Secure MCP Server in VS Code