Does Nodal need access to my database?
Does Nodal need access to my database?
No. Nodal never connects to your database — in the open-source repo or the hosted MCP server.
Your agent queries your warehouse through your own read-only connector; Nodal serves the
context (definitions and canonical queries), not your data. See
what Nodal can access.
What does the hosted MCP server need, then?
What does the hosted MCP server need, then?
GitHub access, nothing else. Your analytics-context repo gets read + write — read to
serve your context, write so your analyst can edit it and open pull requests from the Nodal
admin (every change lands as a reviewable PR). Your dbt project repo, if you connect it for
lineage, stays read-only — Nodal can never edit it. You grant this by installing the
Nodal GitHub App (the default) or by pasting a fine-grained token — see
Connect GitHub.
Does the open-source package send anything to Nodal?
Does the open-source package send anything to Nodal?
No. The package is instructions and local scripts that run inside your own agent. Schema, query
results, query history, dashboard captures, and the generated context stay on your machine and
in repos you control — no network calls to Nodal, no telemetry. The only external data flow is
the one you already have with your agent’s model provider. The hosted path is a separate, paid
product that activates only when you connect your context repo yourself.
Does dashboard verification need my BI credentials?
Does dashboard verification need my BI credentials?
No. Automated verification is optional and consent-gated: it opens a visible, dedicated local
Chrome profile, and you sign in (including two-factor). Nodal never types, stores, requests,
or inspects a credential, and never asks for a tokenized share link. Without the browser
binding, the analyst reads the value and filters off the dashboard and the flow is identical.
Watch it run.
I installed the plugin but the skills aren't showing up.
I installed the plugin but the skills aren't showing up.
Start a new agent session — plugins are discovered at the session boundary. If Nodal shows up
twice, you have both a native plugin and project-local skills.sh copies installed on the same
host; keep one. Update through the same channel you installed with (see the
Quickstart).
Is the context format proprietary?
Is the context format proprietary?
No. The Analytics Context Format (ACF) is open (Apache-2.0), and the eval harness also reads
Kaelio KTX, dbt models/docs, plain markdown, and agent data-analysis skills. You can self-host
and never talk to us.
How do I run Nodal in my own cloud/VPC?
How do I run Nodal in my own cloud/VPC?
For data-residency or security requirements, contact sales at
info@nodaldata.io.