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Actian MCP Server for HCL Informix®¶

Connect the MCP-compatible client to an HCL Informix® database using the Actian MCP Server. Once configured, you can use the server to explore schema metadata and execute SQL queries through a standardized interface. The MCP Server for HCL Informix® enables communication between any MCP client and the HCL Informix® database. The server automatically manages connection pooling, response formatting, and schema discovery, allowing you to focus on business data analysis.

Capabilities¶

The Actian MCP Server for HCL Informix® supports the following operations:

Action	Description
Run SQL queries	Run read-only SQL directly against the database.
List tables and views	Discover available objects within the schema.
Inspect table structure	Retrieve column definitions, data types, and key information.
Read schema metadata	Explore comprehensive database-level metadata.
List functions and procedures	View available user-defined routines.
Execute write queries	Run `INSERT`, `UPDATE`, and `DELETE` statements. Off by default. Requires `query_mode` set to `read-write`.

Write support is opt-in

The server permits only read queries unless you set query_mode to read-write. Each write then requires the mcp:write scope and human approval. For more information, see Write support.

Prerequisites¶

Before starting the server, ensure the following requirements are met:

Container Engine: Docker installed and running on the host machine.
Database credentials: Access details for the HCL Informix database.
Secure deployment files (Optional): TLS certificate and key files.
Authentication (Optional): An OIDC provider, required for OAuth authentication.

Database Compatibility

The Actian MCP server for HCL Informix requires version 15.0.1 and above. Earlier Informix versions are not supported.

Configuration¶

The server runs as a Docker container. To configure the server, mount the (conf.json) file to the container at /app/conf.json.

Create Configuration File¶

Create a file named conf.json in the working directory and add the database-specific configuration details:

{
  "servername": "<server_name>",
  "service": "<service_port>",
  "dsn": "<dsn_name>",
  "server": "<database_host>",
  "database": "<database_name>",
  "database_user": "<database_user>",
  "database_password": "<database_password>",
  "max_connections": "<max_concurrent_connections>",
  "max_rows": "<max_rows_per_query_response>",
  "host": "<mcp_server_host>",
  "port": "<mcp_server_port>",
  "query_mode": "read-only",
  "write_confirmation": true,
  "log_level": "INFO",
  "ssl_certfile": "/app/server.crt",
  "ssl_keyfile": "/app/server.key",
  "oauth": {
    "FASTMCP_SERVER_AUTH_CONFIG_URL": "<oidc_discovery_url>",
    "FASTMCP_SERVER_AUTH_CLIENT_ID": "<client_id>",
    "FASTMCP_SERVER_AUTH_CLIENT_SECRET": "<client_secret>",
    "FASTMCP_SERVER_AUTH_BASE_URL": "<server_base_url>",
    "FASTMCP_SERVER_AUTH_AUDIENCE": "<audience>",
    "user_impersonation": true
  }  
}

Configuration Reference¶

Required Fields

Field	Type	Description
`servername`	`string`	HCL Informix® database server name
`service`	`integer`	HCL Informix® server port number
`dsn`	`string`	Data source name
`server`	`string`	Host address for the HCL Informix® database
`database`	`string`	Name of the database to connect to target database
`max_connections`	integer	Maximum concurrent database connections in the pool
`host`	`string`	Host address that the MCP Server listens on inside the container
`port`	integer	Port that the MCP Server listens on inside the container
`database_user`	`string`	Database username.
`database_password`	`string`	Database password.

Optional Fields

Field	Type	Default	Description
`max_rows`	integer	1000	Maximum number of rows returned per query response.
`log_level`	`string`	`INFO`	Server log verbosity. Valid values: `DEBUG`, `INFO`, `WARNING`, `ERROR`, `CRITICAL`.
`ssl_certfile`	`string`	—	Path to the TLS certificate file. Add `/app/server.crt` inside the container.
`ssl_keyfile`	`string`	—	Path to the TLS private key file. Add `/app/server.key` inside the container.
`oauth`	`object`	—	OAuth configuration block for protected deployments, see OAuth configuration for more information.
`query_mode`	`string`	`read-only`	Controls whether data-modifying SQL is permitted. Valid values are `read-only` and `read-write`. See Write support
`write_confirmation`	`boolean`	`true`	Whether a write requires human approval before it runs. Set to `false` only for clients that cannot display the approval prompt. See Write support. Applies only when `query_mode` is `read-write`.
`extensions`	`array`	—	Extension modules to load, each object with a required `module` and an optional `config`. For more information, see Extensions

Start the Server¶

With the conf.json file ready, run the following Docker command to start the container. This command mounts the configuration file as a read-only volume.

```bash
docker run  -d \
  -v $(pwd)/conf_temp.json:/app/conf.json:ro,Z \
  -p 8000:8000 \
  --name=ifx-mcp \
  actian/informix-mcp-server:1.1.0
```

Note

The container must read its configuration from /app/conf.json. Do not change the mount target path.

Once the container is running, connect the MCP client to the exposed server endpoint using the host and port from the configuration "https://<host machine ip address>:8000/mcp"

Next Steps¶

Write Support
Enable data-modifying SQL, and what gates each write.
Authentication
Secure the server with OAuth 2.0 and an external identity provider.
Tools
Explore the available MCP tools for HCL Informix® database operations.
Resources
Learn more about schema metadata resources.
Prompts
Use pre-built prompt templates for common workflows.
Extensions
Add your own tools to the server with a Python extension.