rails-query vs Grain SQL
rails-query is a plugin bundle for AI coding tools published by lewispb. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Claude Code: claude-plugins-community). Grain SQL is an MCP server published by pattrnlabs. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Official MCP Registry). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-15. This pair was picked by a reader, not by our comparison rule, so search engines are asked not to index the page.
Where each is published
| Marketplace |  rails-query |   Grain SQL |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code: claude-plugins-community | Listed Version: 0.1.0 Forks (GitHub): 1 Stars (GitHub): 25 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Official MCP Registry | Not listed | Listed Version: 0.10.33 Downloads/month (npm): 5 097 Downloads/week (npm): 1 476 Forks (GitHub): 1 Stars (GitHub): 3 Not marked · First seen |
Each figure is the marketplace's own and is never added up across marketplaces. A marketplace that publishes no figure shows none: no number is not zero.
The facts side by side
| Fact | rails-query | Grain SQL |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it | 1 | 1 |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 25 (better) | 3 (worse) |
| Forks (GitHub) | 1 | 1 |
| Last release (differs) | Not published | 2026-10-15 |
| Where it runs (differs) | Installs as a plugin bundle | On your machine (grain-tools) |
| Transport (differs) | Not stated | stdio |
| Tools it declares | Not published | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for (differs) | Not published | 3, secrets among them: 1 |
| Parts of the bundle (differs) | 1 | Not a bundle |
| Licence (differs) | MIT | Not stated |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/lewispb/rails-query-skill | github.com/pattrnlabs/grain |
| Changes in the last 7 days (differs) | 0 | 3 |
| First seen | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-11 |
Lines where the two differ have a tinted background and bold values. Where the data itself says which value is better (more marketplaces, a larger figure of the same marketplace, a fresher release, a verified mark on a marketplace that lists both), the better one is also marked green with ▲ and the worse one red with ▼. Where it runs, the transport, the tools, the settings, hooks, the bundle's parts, the licence and the week's changes are marked only as different: more or fewer is not better in itself.
What each says it does
rails-query
Run read-only database queries against Ruby on Rails 8.2+ app's database via rails query — ActiveRecord or SQL, schema/model introspection, EXPLAIN, pagination, and remote execution via Kamal.
Grain SQL
Run SQL queries and inspect database schemas through safe, visible MCP tools.
How to run each
rails-query As a Claude Code plugin
/plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-community
/plugin install rails-query@claude-communityGrain SQL As a local MCP server: npm package
claude mcp add --env "GRAIN_CONNECTIONS=<YOUR_GRAIN_CONNECTIONS>" --transport stdio grain -- npx -y grain-toolsRequires: GRAIN_CONNECTIONS (secret)
Commands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Tools each declares
Neither one's marketplaces publish a list of tools, so there is nothing to compare.
Settings each asks for
The marketplaces of rails-query publish no settings it asks for, so we do not compare settings.
What it can do: rails-query · What it can do: Grain SQL · Compare two other plugins
Data comes from the public marketplace file https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-community/blob/HEAD/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json. Data comes from the Official MCP Registry (registry.modelcontextprotocol.io), CC0 1.0. Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.