Database client
Grove has a built-in database client — a Database panel in the desktop app
that browses and edits your databases without any connection setup. Because Grove
already knows your projects, it reads each site's connection details straight
from its .env, so there's nothing to configure.
Not to be confused with
grove dbon the CLI, which takes snapshots of Grove's bundled databases. The Database panel is a full client for browsing and editing data. See Commands for snapshots.
Opening it
Launch the Grove app and choose Database in the sidebar.
Zero-config auto-discovery
For every site Grove serves, it looks for a database configuration in the
project's .env (DB_CONNECTION, DB_HOST, DB_DATABASE, …). Each project with
a database shows up as a connection at the top of the panel — no host, port, or
password to type. Supported engines: MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQLite.
Browsing and querying (free)
- Click a connection to list its tables.
- Click a table to load its rows into the data grid (
select * from … limit 500). - Write your own query in the editor and press ⌘⏎ to run it.
Browsing tables and running read-only queries (SELECT, SHOW, EXPLAIN,
PRAGMA, …) is free.
Free vs Pro
| Free | Grove Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Browse tables | ✅ | ✅ |
Run SELECT queries |
✅ | ✅ |
| Inline row editing | ✅ | |
| Schema inspector (columns, indexes, foreign keys) | ✅ | |
| Production-safety guard | ✅ |
Activate Pro with grove license activate <key> or under Settings → License.
See Pro & Teams.
Schema inspector (Pro)
With a table open, switch to the Schema tab to see its columns (name, type, nullability, key), indexes (name, uniqueness, columns), and foreign keys (column → referenced table.column).
Inline row editing (Pro)
Double-click a cell to edit it, then press Enter to save (Escape cancels).
Grove builds a safe UPDATE using the table's primary key, so a table needs
a primary key for editing to be available.
Production safety
Grove inspects each connection and flags any that look like production (for
example, a non-local host or an APP_ENV/database name that reads as prod). Such
connections are marked with a ⚠ badge, and editing is disabled on them — a
guard against fat-fingering live data. Read-only browsing still works.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Fix |
|---|---|
| A project doesn't appear | It has no DB_CONNECTION in its .env, or the database isn't running (start it under Services). |
| "unknown connection" | Reopen the Database panel to refresh the discovered connections. |
| Can't edit a cell | Editing is Pro-only, requires the table to have a primary key, and is disabled on production-looking connections. |
| Editing / schema asks to upgrade | These are Grove Pro features — activate a license. |
See also: Pro & Teams · Configuration.