Getting Started

dadbod-grip.nvim adds editable database grids to Neovim. Connect to any supported database and edit rows like Vim buffers. Every change is staged, previewed, and applied in a single transaction.

Requirements

• Neovim 0.10+
• The CLI for each database you want to use: psql, mysql, sqlite3, or duckdb
• No other external dependencies

Installation

lazy.nvim (recommended)

-- always latest stable release
{ "joryeugene/dadbod-grip.nvim", version = "*" }

-- or pin to a specific version
{ "joryeugene/dadbod-grip.nvim", tag = "v1.0.0" }

packer.nvim

use { "joryeugene/dadbod-grip.nvim", tag = "v*" }

vim-plug

Plug 'joryeugene/dadbod-grip.nvim', { 'tag': 'v*' }

Connect to a database

Run :GripConnect and pick or paste a connection string. The schema sidebar and query pad open automatically.

Connection string formats

postgresql://user:pass@host:5432/dbname
mysql://user:pass@host:3306/dbname
sqlite:path/to/file.db
duckdb:path/to/file.duckdb

/path/to/file.csv          -- direct file (also .parquet .json .xlsx)
https://host/data.parquet  -- remote file via DuckDB httpfs

duckdb::memory:            -- in-memory scratch, tables reset per query

Connections persist automatically across sessions. See Connections for how the project and global connection files work, including sharing connections across projects.

Your first edit

1. Run :GripConnect and connect to a database
2. Navigate the schema sidebar with j/k and press <CR> to open a table
3. Move to any cell and press i or <CR> to edit it
4. Your change appears teal (staged). Press gl to toggle the live SQL float showing the DML.
5. Press a to apply all staged changes in one transaction

Try the built-in demo

Run :GripStart to open the Softrear Inc. demo database. Seventeen tables, realistic data, and something in the consumer incidents that does not add up. The walkthrough explains the full investigation.

Configuration

All options are optional. The plugin works with no configuration at all.

require('dadbod-grip').setup({
  limit = 200,              -- rows per page (default: 200)
  max_col_width = 60,       -- truncate long cell values in the grid
  timeout = 30000,          -- query timeout in milliseconds

  picker = 'builtin',       -- 'builtin' | 'telescope' | 'snacks'
  completion = true,        -- false to use blink.cmp or nvim-cmp instead
  connections_path = nil,   -- absolute path to shared connections.json

  pinned_max = nil,

  ai = {
    provider = 'anthropic', -- 'anthropic' | 'openai' | 'gemini' | 'ollama'
    model = 'claude-sonnet-4-6',
    api_key = nil,          -- nil reads from env var; or 'env:VAR', 'cmd:...', direct string
    base_url = nil,         -- override for Ollama or proxy endpoints
  },

  open_key = '<leader>db',  -- key to open the grip workspace
})

What opens automatically

When you connect, grip opens three surfaces:

• Schema sidebar on the left: tables, columns, PK/FK markers, DDL access
• Query pad in the center: a scratch SQL buffer that pipes results into grids
• Grid at the bottom: the editable table view

Press 1, 2, or 3 to jump between surfaces. Keys 4 through 9 open depth views: ER diagram (4), column stats (5), columns (6), foreign keys (7), indexes (8), and constraints (9).

Press <C-p> on any surface to open the command palette, a searchable list of every available action. Press ? for the full keymap reference.