Official agent skill

Attach DB

Attach a DuckDB database file for use with /duckdb-skills:query.

OfficialMITAuto-check: notesDatabases

Install Attach DB

skills CLI

$ npx skills add duckdb/duckdb-skills --skill attach-db -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install duckdb/duckdb-skills attach-db --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/duckdb/duckdb-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/attach-db .claude/skills/attach-db && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Paste into Claude Code

Install the "attach-db" agent skill from https://github.com/duckdb/duckdb-skills/tree/main/skills/attach-db into .claude/skills/attach-db/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "attach-db", then confirm the skill loads.

Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

$skill-installer

$skill-installer install https://github.com/duckdb/duckdb-skills/tree/main/skills/attach-db

Type this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add duckdb/duckdb-skills --skill attach-db -a codex

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install duckdb/duckdb-skills attach-db --agent codex

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/duckdb/duckdb-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/attach-db .agents/skills/attach-db && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.

Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/

Paste into Codex

Install the "attach-db" agent skill from https://github.com/duckdb/duckdb-skills/tree/main/skills/attach-db into .agents/skills/attach-db/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "attach-db", then confirm the skill loads.

Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add duckdb/duckdb-skills --skill attach-db -a cursor

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install duckdb/duckdb-skills attach-db --agent cursor

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/duckdb/duckdb-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/attach-db .cursor/skills/attach-db && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.

Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/

Paste into Cursor

Install the "attach-db" agent skill from https://github.com/duckdb/duckdb-skills/tree/main/skills/attach-db into .cursor/skills/attach-db/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "attach-db", then confirm the skill loads.

Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

gemini skills install

$ gemini skills install https://github.com/duckdb/duckdb-skills.git --path skills/attach-db

--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add duckdb/duckdb-skills --skill attach-db -a gemini-cli

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install duckdb/duckdb-skills attach-db --agent gemini-cli

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/duckdb/duckdb-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/attach-db .gemini/skills/attach-db && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.

Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into Gemini CLI

Install the "attach-db" agent skill from https://github.com/duckdb/duckdb-skills/tree/main/skills/attach-db into .gemini/skills/attach-db/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "attach-db", then confirm the skill loads.

Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install duckdb/duckdb-skills attach-db

Installs for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

skills CLI

$ npx skills add duckdb/duckdb-skills --skill attach-db -a github-copilot

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/duckdb/duckdb-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/attach-db .github/skills/attach-db && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.

GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into GitHub Copilot

Install the "attach-db" agent skill from https://github.com/duckdb/duckdb-skills/tree/main/skills/attach-db into .github/skills/attach-db/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "attach-db", then confirm the skill loads.

GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add duckdb/duckdb-skills --skill attach-db -a opencode

OpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install duckdb/duckdb-skills attach-db --agent opencode

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/duckdb/duckdb-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/attach-db .opencode/skills/attach-db && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.

OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into OpenCode

Install the "attach-db" agent skill from https://github.com/duckdb/duckdb-skills/tree/main/skills/attach-db into .opencode/skills/attach-db/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "attach-db", then confirm the skill loads.

OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

Facts

Skill name: attach-db
GitHub stars: 599
Used in: 1 other repo
Token cost: ~1.2k tokens
SKILL.md length: 454 words
Files: 1
Skills in repo: 8
Repo updated: Apr 23, 2026
First seen: Oct 7, 2026
Licence: MIT

At a glance

Attach a DuckDB database file for use with /duckdb-skills:query.

Works in 8 steps: Resolve the database path → Check DuckDB is installed → Validate the database → …
Tasks that involve SQL
SKILL.md covers Step 1 — Resolve the database…, Step 2 — Check DuckDB is…, Step 3 — Validate the database and Step 4 — Explore the schema, plus 4 more sections
Calls duckdb and git

What it does

Attach DB is an agent skill from duckdb/duckdb-skills, published by the product's own GitHub organization. Attach a DuckDB database file for use with /duckdb-skills:query. Explores the schema (tables, columns, row counts) and writes a SQL state file so subsequent queries can restore this session automatically via duckdb -init.

Its SKILL.md is about 1.2k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.

It sits in Databases, covering SQL. It works with DuckDB and SQL. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

Tasks that involve SQL

Example prompts

“/attach-db”

Requirements

Pre-approved tools (allowed-tools): Bash

Workflow steps

8 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.

Resolve the database path
Check DuckDB is installed
Validate the database
Explore the schema
Resolve the state directory
Append to the state file
Verify the state file works
Report

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 7feda8e. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

Tool permissions
Pre-approves these tools, so the agent can use them without asking each time:
- Bash
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
Shell commands in SKILL.md call:
- duckdb
- git
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md. Its commands use git, which can reach the network depending on how they are called.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Attach DB loads about 1.2k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 58 tokens; SKILL.md has 454 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it: ~58
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches: ~1.2k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check: notes

The automated check noted patterns worth knowing about, such as sudo or a known installer.

NotePre-approves every shell command (allowed-tools: Bash)SKILL.md
```
allowed-tools: Bash
```

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from duckdb/duckdb-skills at commit 7feda8e, republished under its MIT licence (© duckdb). 454 words, ~1,195 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/attach-db/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).

name: attach-db
description: Attach a DuckDB database file for use with /duckdb-skills:query. Explores the schema (tables, columns, row counts) and writes a SQL state file so subsequent queries can restore this session automatically via duckdb -init.
allowed-tools: Bash
argument-hint: <path-to-database.duckdb>

You are helping the user attach a DuckDB database file for interactive querying.

Database path given: $0

Follow these steps in order, stopping and reporting clearly if any step fails.

State file convention: see the "Resolve state directory" section below. All skills share a single state.sql file per project. Once resolved, any skill can use it with duckdb -init "$STATE_DIR/state.sql" -c "<QUERY>".

Step 1 — Resolve the database path

If $0 is a relative path, resolve it against $PWD to get an absolute path (RESOLVED_PATH).

bash

RESOLVED_PATH="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")" 2>/dev/null && pwd)/$(basename "$0")"

Check the file exists:

bash

test -f "$RESOLVED_PATH"

File exists -> continue to Step 2.
File not found -> ask the user if they want to create a new empty database (DuckDB creates the file on first write). If yes, continue. If no, stop.

Step 2 — Check DuckDB is installed

bash

command -v duckdb

If not found, delegate to /duckdb-skills:install-duckdb and then continue.

Step 3 — Validate the database

bash

duckdb "$RESOLVED_PATH" -c "PRAGMA version;"

Success -> continue.
Failure -> report the error clearly (e.g. corrupt file, not a DuckDB database) and stop.

Step 4 — Explore the schema

First, list all tables:

bash

duckdb "$RESOLVED_PATH" -csv -c "
SELECT table_name, estimated_size
FROM duckdb_tables()
ORDER BY table_name;
"

If the database has no tables, note that it is empty and skip to Step 5.

For each table discovered (up to 20), run:

bash

duckdb "$RESOLVED_PATH" -csv -c "
DESCRIBE <table_name>;
SELECT count() AS row_count FROM <table_name>;
"

Collect the column definitions and row counts for the summary.

Step 5 — Resolve the state directory

Check if a state file already exists in either location:

bash

# Option 1: in the project directory
test -f .duckdb-skills/state.sql && STATE_DIR=".duckdb-skills"

# Option 2: in the home directory, scoped by project root path
PROJECT_ROOT="$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || echo "$PWD")"
PROJECT_ID="$(echo "$PROJECT_ROOT" | tr '/' '-')"
test -f "$HOME/.duckdb-skills/$PROJECT_ID/state.sql" && STATE_DIR="$HOME/.duckdb-skills/$PROJECT_ID"

If neither exists, ask the user:

Where would you like to store the DuckDB session state for this project?

In the project directory (.duckdb-skills/state.sql) — colocated with the project, easy to find. You can choose to gitignore it.

In your home directory (~/.duckdb-skills/<project-id>/state.sql) — keeps the project directory clean.

Based on their choice:

Option 1:

bash

STATE_DIR=".duckdb-skills"
mkdir -p "$STATE_DIR"

Then ask: "Would you like to gitignore .duckdb-skills/?" If yes:

bash

echo '.duckdb-skills/' >> .gitignore

Option 2:

bash

PROJECT_ROOT="$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || echo "$PWD")"
PROJECT_ID="$(echo "$PROJECT_ROOT" | tr '/' '-')"
STATE_DIR="$HOME/.duckdb-skills/$PROJECT_ID"
mkdir -p "$STATE_DIR"

Show full SKILL.md (170 more words)Show less

Step 6 — Append to the state file

state.sql is a shared, accumulative init file used by all duckdb-skills. It may already contain macros, LOAD statements, secrets, or other ATTACH statements written by other skills. Never overwrite it — always check for duplicates and append.

Derive the database alias from the filename without extension (e.g. my_data.duckdb → my_data). Check if this ATTACH already exists:

bash

grep -q "ATTACH.*RESOLVED_PATH" "$STATE_DIR/state.sql" 2>/dev/null

If not already present, append:

bash

cat >> "$STATE_DIR/state.sql" <<'STATESQL'
ATTACH IF NOT EXISTS 'RESOLVED_PATH' AS my_data;
USE my_data;
STATESQL

Replace RESOLVED_PATH and my_data with the actual values. If the alias would conflict with an existing one in the file, ask the user for a name.

Step 7 — Verify the state file works

bash

duckdb -init "$STATE_DIR/state.sql" -c "SHOW TABLES;"

If this fails, fix the state file and retry.

Step 8 — Report

Summarize for the user:

Database path: the resolved absolute path
Alias: the database alias used in the state file
State file: the resolved STATE_DIR/state.sql path
Tables: name, column count, row count for each table (or note the DB is empty)
Confirm the database is now active for /duckdb-skills:query

If the database is empty, suggest creating tables or importing data.

Files

Just SKILL.md in skills/attach-db of duckdb/duckdb-skills.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 7feda8e

Used in 1 other repository

We found 1 copy of this SKILL.md (exact, near-identical or edited) in other folders, from 1 other GitHub owner. This page covers the copy in duckdb/duckdb-skills, which our catalogue first saw on October 7, 2026.

ipea/geocodebr.claude/skills/attach-db

Compare with similar skills

Attach DB next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Attach DB compared with similar skills
Skill	Stars	Used in	Tokens	Auto-check	Licence	Repo updated
Attach DB this skillduckdb/duckdb-skills	599	1 repos	~1.2k	Automated safety check: Notes	MIT	5 mo ago
Modelersidequery/sidemantic	129	—	~4.2k	Automated safety check: Pass	Apache-2.0	today
Semantic Analystsidequery/sidemantic	129	—	~982	Automated safety check: Pass	AGPL-3.0	today
Ops Telemetry Queryboundless-xyz/boundless	193	—	~3.8k	Automated safety check: Pass	Apache-2.0	1 mo ago
Matlab Use Databasematlab/matlab-agentic-toolkit	1.1k	—	~3.1k	Automated safety check: Pass	Custom licence	7 days ago
Matlab Use Duckdbmatlab/matlab-agentic-toolkit	1.1k	—	~3.9k	Automated safety check: Pass	Custom licence	7 days ago

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Questions about Attach DB

What does Attach DB do?

Attach a DuckDB database file for use with /duckdb-skills:query. Attach DB is an agent skill from duckdb/duckdb-skills, published by the product's own GitHub organization. Attach a DuckDB database file for use with /duckdb-skills:query.

When should I use Attach DB?

Attach DB fits situations like: tasks that involve SQL.

How do I install Attach DB in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add duckdb/duckdb-skills --skill attach-db -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/attach-db in duckdb/duckdb-skills) into .claude/skills/attach-db in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Attach DB in Codex?

Run `npx skills add duckdb/duckdb-skills --skill attach-db -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/attach-db in duckdb/duckdb-skills) into .agents/skills/attach-db in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Attach DB in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add duckdb/duckdb-skills --skill attach-db -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/attach-db, .gemini/skills/attach-db, .github/skills/attach-db and .opencode/skills/attach-db in your project.

What does Attach DB need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Attach DB needs the command-line tools its instructions call (duckdb and git). Its frontmatter pre-approves these tools: Bash.

Does Attach DB access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Its commands use git, which can reach the network depending on how they are called. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Attach DB safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found notes only (pre-approves every shell command (allowed-tools: bash)), nothing it rates as a warning. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Attach DB use?

Attach DB is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Attach DB use?

About 1.2k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 4.8k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Attach DB?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Attach DB: Modeler (sidequery/sidemantic, 129 stars), Semantic Analyst (sidequery/sidemantic, 129 stars), Ops Telemetry Query (boundless-xyz/boundless, 193 stars) and Matlab Use Database (matlab/matlab-agentic-toolkit, 1.1k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Attach DB?

duckdb (a GitHub organization, an official publisher) maintains it in duckdb/duckdb-skills, which has 599 GitHub stars. The repository holds 8 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on April 23, 2026.

Source: duckdb/duckdb-skills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.

Install Attach DB

Facts

At a glance

What it does

When your agent uses it

Example prompts

Requirements

Workflow steps

What it can do on your machine

Tool permissions

Runs code

Network

Credentials

Context cost

Safety

SKILL.md

Step 1 — Resolve the database path

Step 2 — Check DuckDB is installed

Step 3 — Validate the database

Step 4 — Explore the schema

Step 5 — Resolve the state directory

Step 6 — Append to the state file

Step 7 — Verify the state file works

Step 8 — Report

Files

Used in 1 other repository

Compare with similar skills

Similar skills

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Related

Questions about Attach DB