gotermsql

A full-featured terminal SQL IDE written in Go. Single binary, zero config, multi-database.

Why gotermsql?

	gotermsql	pgcli/mycli	usql	lazysql	Harlequin
Single binary, zero deps	Yes	No (Python)	Yes (Go)	Yes (Go)	No (Python)
Multi-database	4 databases	1 each	Many (CLI only)	3	10+ (plugins)
Schema browser	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes
Autocomplete	Context-aware	Yes	No	No	Yes
Streaming large results	Yes	No	No	No	Yes (Arrow)
Vim keybindings	Full modal	Partial	No	No	Limited
Syntax highlighting	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes
Multi-tab editing	Yes	No	No	No	Yes
Instant startup	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No

• Single binary, zero dependencies — no Python, no Node, no Docker. Download and run.
• Instant startup — compiled Go, not an interpreted runtime.
• Multi-database with one tool — PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, DuckDB.
• Streaming results — query billion-row tables without running out of memory.
• Real vim mode — full Normal/Insert/Visual modal editing, not just hjkl remaps.
• Batch schema introspection — PostgreSQL and MySQL load schemas in 3 queries, not N+1 per table.

Features

• Multi-database support - PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, DuckDB (optional build tag)
• Schema browser - Hierarchical tree view with databases, schemas, tables, columns
• SQL editor - Syntax highlighting, line numbers, multi-tab editing
• Autocomplete - Context-aware completions for tables, columns, keywords, functions
• Results viewer - Tabular display with row count, query timing, and export support
• Streaming results - SELECT queries stream via paginated iterator, keeping memory constant even for millions of rows
• Vim keybindings - Toggleable vim/standard mode (F2)
• Connection manager - Save, edit, and manage database connections
• Query history - SQLite-backed local history with search (Ctrl+H)
• Audit log - Opt-in JSON Lines audit trail for compliance (query, adapter, duration, row count, sanitized DSN)
• Export - CSV and JSON export of query results (Ctrl+E)
• Resizable panes - Adjust sidebar width and editor/results split with Ctrl+Arrow keys
• Single binary - Pure Go, zero CGo by default, cross-platform

Install

Homebrew (macOS/Linux)

brew install sadopc/tap/gotermsql

From source

go install github.com/sadopc/gotermsql/cmd/gotermsql@latest

Pre-built binaries

Download from GitHub Releases for Linux, macOS, and Windows.

Build from repo

git clone https://github.com/sadopc/gotermsql.git
cd gotermsql
make build
# Binary is at bin/gotermsql

With DuckDB support (requires CGo)

make build-full

Usage

# Launch with connection manager
gotermsql

# Connect via DSN
gotermsql postgres://user:pass@localhost:5432/mydb

# SQLite file
gotermsql --adapter sqlite --file ./data.db

# MySQL with flags
gotermsql --adapter mysql -H localhost -u root -d mydb

# PostgreSQL with individual flags
gotermsql --adapter postgres -H localhost -p 5432 -u admin -d production

Keybindings

Navigation

Key	Action
Tab	Cycle focus: Editor -> Results -> Sidebar
Shift+Tab / Ctrl+J	Cycle focus backwards
Alt+1/2/3	Jump to Sidebar/Editor/Results
Ctrl+Arrow	Resize panes

Editor

Key	Action
Ctrl+Enter / F5 / Ctrl+G	Execute query
Ctrl+C	Cancel running query
Ctrl+Space	Force autocomplete
Esc	Dismiss autocomplete

Tabs

Key	Action
Ctrl+T	New tab
Ctrl+W	Close tab
Ctrl+]	Next tab
Ctrl+[	Previous tab

Application

Key	Action
Ctrl+Q	Quit
Ctrl+B	Toggle sidebar
Ctrl+R	Refresh schema
Ctrl+O	Connection manager
Ctrl+H	Query history
Ctrl+E	Export results
F1	Help
F2	Toggle vim/standard mode

Configuration

Config file is stored at ~/.config/gotermsql/config.yaml:

theme: default
keymode: standard  # "vim" or "standard"
editor:
  tab_size: 4
  show_line_numbers: true
results:
  page_size: 1000
  max_column_width: 50
audit:
  enabled: false     # set to true to enable audit logging
  path: ""           # defaults to ~/.config/gotermsql/audit.jsonl
  max_size_mb: 50    # rotate at 50 MB (0 = no rotation)
connections:
  - name: local-pg
    adapter: postgres
    dsn: postgres://user:pass@localhost:5432/mydb

Audit Log

When enabled, gotermsql writes a JSON Lines audit trail of every query execution. Each line contains the timestamp, full query text, adapter, database name, duration, row count, error status, and sanitized DSN (credentials stripped). This is suitable for shipping to SIEM or log aggregators.

{"timestamp":"2026-02-13T18:23:24Z","query":"SELECT * FROM users","adapter":"postgres","database_name":"mydb","duration_ms":42,"row_count":5,"is_error":false,"dsn":"postgres://%2A%2A%2A@host:5432/mydb"}

The log file rotates automatically when it exceeds max_size_mb, keeping one backup (.1 suffix).

Supported Databases

Database	Driver	CGo Required
PostgreSQL	pgx	No
MySQL	go-sql-driver/mysql	No
SQLite	modernc.org/sqlite	No
DuckDB	go-duckdb	Yes (build tag: -tags duckdb)

Default builds are 100% pure Go with zero CGo dependencies.

Architecture

gotermsql/
├── cmd/gotermsql/          # CLI entry point (cobra)
├── internal/
│   ├── adapter/            # Database adapter interface + implementations
│   │   ├── postgres/       # PostgreSQL (pgx)
│   │   ├── mysql/          # MySQL (go-sql-driver)
│   │   ├── sqlite/         # SQLite (modernc.org)
│   │   └── duckdb/         # DuckDB (optional, build tag)
│   ├── app/                # Root Bubble Tea model, keymaps, messages
│   ├── ui/                 # UI components
│   │   ├── sidebar/        # Schema tree browser
│   │   ├── editor/         # SQL editor + syntax highlighting
│   │   ├── results/        # Results table + exporter
│   │   ├── tabs/           # Tab bar
│   │   ├── statusbar/      # Status bar
│   │   ├── autocomplete/   # Autocomplete dropdown
│   │   ├── connmgr/        # Connection manager modal
│   │   └── dialog/         # Reusable dialog component
│   ├── completion/         # SQL completion engine
│   ├── schema/             # Unified schema types
│   ├── config/             # YAML config management
│   ├── history/            # Query history (SQLite-backed)
│   ├── audit/              # JSON Lines audit log
│   └── theme/              # Theme definitions (Lip Gloss)
├── Makefile
└── .goreleaser.yaml

Built with Bubble Tea, Lip Gloss, and Bubbles.

Neovim Integration

Use gotermsql.nvim to launch gotermsql in a floating terminal window inside Neovim:

-- lazy.nvim
{
  "sadopc/gotermsql.nvim",
  keys = {
    { "<leader>db", "<cmd>Gotermsql<cr>", desc = "Toggle gotermsql" },
  },
  opts = {},
}

Development

# Run tests
make test

# Run with race detector
make test-race

# Build and run
make run ARGS="--adapter sqlite --file demo.db"

# Format code
make fmt

# Vet
make vet

License

MIT