Dblore v0.4.0

Docs

Short guides to everything in Dblore.

Install

  • Download the signed and notarized DMG from Releases, drag Dblore to Applications.
  • Needs macOS 14+ on Apple Silicon.
  • Updates itself: Dblore > Check for Updates…
  • Opens .sqlite, .sqlite3 and .db files from Finder, and .duckdb files once the DuckDB plugin is installed.

Connect

  • PostgreSQL: host, port, user, database. SSL modes from disable to verify-full, timeouts, retry on failure, read-only mode.
  • SSH tunnel: password or ed25519/ECDSA private key (RSA is not supported). A key passphrase is never stored. The first connection asks you to trust the host key; a changed host key blocks the connection.
  • Client certificate: authenticate with a certificate, keep its passphrase in the Keychain and pick a custom certificate authority.
  • Statement, lock and idle-in-transaction timeouts: global in Settings > Results, overridable per connection.
  • Passwords are stored in the Keychain.
  • SQLite (beta): pick a file in the connect modal. Features the engine cannot support are hidden.
  • DuckDB: needs the plugin.
  • Import Connections… (welcome screen or File menu) reads .pgpass, a PostgreSQL URI, DBeaver (with saved passwords), TablePlus and DataGrip. Preview and pick before importing; duplicates are flagged.
  • The welcome screen lists saved and recent connections (up to 50). Hover a card to remove it.
  • The footer shows the connection name, the Safe Mode cues and a No SSL badge when the connection is not encrypted.

Workspaces & tabs

  • A workspace (.sqlws) holds your tabs: notebooks, .sql files, Markdown notes and table data viewers.
  • Several tabs and windows. Drag to reorder, middle-click to close.
  • Drag a tab outside the window to open it in a new window (same as Open in New Window; pinned and unsaved tabs stay).
  • Switch with Cmd+1 to Cmd+9. Reopen a closed tab with Cmd+Shift+T.
  • Optional native macOS window tabs: enable Settings > General > Open new windows as tabs. Cmd+Shift+N or the + button opens a new window tab, Ctrl+Tab switches, Cmd+T opens a new tab.
  • Drag a window tab out of the tab bar (or use Window > Move Tab to New Window) to split it into its own window.
  • Tabs and window state are restored on relaunch. Settings > General chooses between the welcome screen and the last session at startup.
  • Command palette: Cmd+K finds and runs commands.

Notebooks

  • Notebooks are .dblore files made of SQL cells, with inline results under each cell.
  • Run the cell with Ctrl+Enter, run and move on with Shift+Enter, run and insert below with Option+Enter, run all with Cmd+Shift+Enter.
  • Cancel a running query. Each result shows row count and execution time.
  • New cell Cmd+Option+N, duplicate Cmd+D, delete Cmd+Delete.
  • Named parameters: write :name in a cell and fill the values in the inline form under it. You choose whether the values are saved in the file.
  • Old .sqlnb files: rename them to .dblore, the content is unchanged.

SQL editor

  • Open a .sql file in a tab (Cmd+Shift+J for a new one).
  • For quick notes, Cmd+Shift+M opens a Markdown note in the workspace. It is written to a .md file only when you press Cmd+S; the eye button in the header switches between the source and an editable preview.
  • Run the query with Cmd+R or Cmd+Enter.
  • Named parameters (:name) are bound from the right sidebar.
  • Table- and column-aware autocomplete: Up / Down to choose, Enter or Tab to accept.
  • Toggle comment with Cmd+/. Format SQL, word wrap and syntax highlight toggles sit in the editor toolbar.
  • Explain with Cmd+E, Explain Analyze with Cmd+Shift+E (runs the statement, so it asks first).

Results grid

  • Sort, resize (double-click a divider to auto-fit), search and paginate.
  • Edit values inline. Changes are staged and committed as one batch, or applied directly depending on Safe Mode. Undo staged changes from the Edit menu.
  • Foreign keys: look up the referenced row while editing, or jump to it.
  • Pin result, re-run, then Compare: added, removed and changed rows are highlighted. Two EXPLAIN plans compare node by node. A notebook cell's pin is saved with its results.
  • Column header filter, plus a filter sidebar that builds WHERE conditions. Filters can be saved.
  • Highlight matching cells or rows from the sidebar.
  • Open a cell in the detail panel, with a JSON viewer and string beautifier.
  • View Query shows the exact SQL sent, including the row limit.

Charts

  • Switch any result between grid and chart with the toggle beside the result actions.
  • Chart types: bar, line, area, point.

Export

  • Formats: Excel, CSV, TSV, JSON, Markdown, PDF and SQL INSERT.
  • Copy results as SQL INSERT or an IN list.
  • Per-format options with reset, redaction, wrapping and a size check.

Import data

  • Import Data… from the File menu or a table's context menu: CSV, TSV, JSON and newline-delimited JSON.
  • Preview rows and NULL values, map columns, override inferred types, review the SQL, then import into an existing or a new table. A running import can be cancelled.

Safe Mode

  • Five protection levels.
  • Confirmation before DROP, TRUNCATE, ALTER and CREATE. Warning on DELETE or UPDATE without WHERE.
  • Pending transactions show a Commit / Rollback banner. Touch ID, or your Safe Mode password, unlocks changes.
  • Commit style (footer or Settings > Security): Immediate, Confirm, Review or Password, for dialogs, unlocks and inline edits.
  • Read-only connections block writes.
  • Large reads inside transactions are capped with a server-side cursor (PostgreSQL).

AI assistant

  • Toggle the chat panel with Cmd+L. It writes SQL from plain-language questions and explains or fixes queries.
  • Bubble mode: the detach button in the panel header turns it into a floating circle at the bottom of the window. Click the circle to expand or collapse the chat, drag it left or right to move it, hover it and click the small x to hide it, and press Esc to collapse it. Choose the default in Settings > AI > Panel (Right sidebar or Bubble).
  • Providers: Anthropic, OpenAI, OpenRouter, ChatGPT sign-in, Ollama, LM Studio, mlx_lm.server, any custom OpenAI-compatible endpoint, or on-device MLX models.
  • Bring your own API key. Claude Pro/Max subscriptions are not supported.
  • Sent automatically: table and column names, types and keys.
  • Sent only after you review and press Send: query text and error messages.
  • Row data is never sent on its own. Generated SQL never runs automatically.
  • For fully local use, point it at Ollama, LM Studio or mlx_lm.server.

Plugins

  • Optional engines, installed from Settings > Plugins. Dblore downloads a signed, notarized library and checks its SHA-256 before every load. Remove deletes it.
  • DuckDB: open a .duckdb file (read-only by default), create one or use an in-memory database. Query Parquet/CSV File… in the command palette queries a file directly.
  • Safe Mode guards DuckDB writes such as INSTALL, ATTACH, COPY … TO and CREATE TABLE. Row edits, data import and foreign-key lookup are not available.

Settings & data

  • Open with Cmd+,. View keyboard shortcuts in Settings > Shortcuts.
  • Search sections from the sidebar of the settings modal.
  • Light or dark theme (also the toggle in the header) and an accent color.
  • Long-query notifications (Settings > General, off by default): a macOS notification when a query runs longer than a threshold. It never shows the SQL or data; clicking it opens the tab.
  • Editor font size, word wrap, side-by-side layout and a configurable result row cap.
  • Safe Mode levels. AI keys are stored in the Keychain.
  • Updates: toggle background checks.
  • Data tab: export, import or clear local data as a .dblorebackup package. Secrets are never included. Saved SSH passwords, keys and trusted host keys can be deleted here.