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Show HN: SnapQL – Desktop app to query Postgres with AI

(github.com)
103 points nicktikhonov | 10 comments | 20 Jun 25 11:08 UTC | HN request time: 1.237s | source | bottom

SnapQL is an open-source desktop app (built with Electron) that lets you query your Postgres database using natural language. It’s schema-aware, so you don’t need to copy-paste your schema or write complex SQL by hand.

Everything runs locally — your OpenAI API key, your data, and your queries — so it's secure and private. Just connect your DB, describe what you want, and SnapQL writes and runs the SQL for you.

1. GarrickDrgn ◴[20 Jun 25 14:29 UTC] No.44328059[source]▶
Am I misunderstanding something? How is this "Everything runs locally" if it's talking to OpenAI's APIs?
replies(4): >>44328354 #>>44328449 #>>44328475 #>>44328580 #
2. whilenot-dev ◴[20 Jun 25 14:59 UTC] No.44328354[source]▶
This app is using OpenAI via the ai package[0][1], so "Everything runs locally" is definitely misleading.

[0]: https://github.com/NickTikhonov/snap-ql/blob/409e937fa330deb...

[1]: https://github.com/vercel/ai

3. ◴[20 Jun 25 15:08 UTC] No.44328449[source]▶
4. piskov ◴[20 Jun 25 15:10 UTC] No.44328475[source]▶
I guess he means there is no proxy between you and openai. API key won’t leak, etc.
5. nicktikhonov ◴[20 Jun 25 15:22 UTC] No.44328580[source]▶
What I meant was that it isn't a web app and I don't store your connection strings or query results. I'll make this more clear
replies(2): >>44328639 #>>44329251 #
6. omega3 ◴[20 Jun 25 15:27 UTC] No.44328639[source]▶
You might not but openai does.
replies(2): >>44328748 #>>44328906 #
7. doctorpangloss ◴[20 Jun 25 15:37 UTC] No.44328748{3}[source]▶
API gateways could accept public keys instead of generating bearer tokens. Then the private key could reside in an HSM, and apps like this could give HSMs requests to sign. IMO even though this could be done in an afternoon, everyone - Apple and Google, the CDN / WAF provider, the service provider - is too addicted to the telemetry.
8. nicktikhonov ◴[20 Jun 25 15:52 UTC] No.44328906{3}[source]▶
That makes no sense. OpenAI doesn't know the secret database connection string or any query results. Perhaps you should have read the code before making baseless claims.
replies(1): >>44328944 #
9. nessbot ◴[20 Jun 25 15:55 UTC] No.44328944{4}[source]▶
But it knows what you're querying, which depending on what you're doing may also give away a good bit about whats in the DB.
10. kokanee ◴[20 Jun 25 16:19 UTC] No.44329251[source]▶
It is a web app, though. You just aren't running the server, OpenAI is. And you're packaging the front end in electron instead of chrome to make it feel as if it all runs locally, even though it doesn't.

Side note: I don't see a license anywhere, so technically it isn't open source.