> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.sqlbuild.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# MotherDuck

> MotherDuck adapter configuration for SQLBuild.

MotherDuck uses DuckDB's built-in `md:` connection support. No extra installation needed beyond the core DuckDB dependency.

## Connection config

```toml theme={null}
adapter = "motherduck"

[connection]
database = "my_database"
token = "your_motherduck_token"
```

| Field      | Description                                                                                                                               |
| ---------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `database` | MotherDuck database name. Automatically prefixed with `md:` if not already present. Defaults to `md:` (your default MotherDuck database). |
| `token`    | MotherDuck access token. Can also be set via environment variable.                                                                        |

## Authentication

MotherDuck requires an access token. Generate one from the MotherDuck UI and pass it via the connection config or an environment variable:

```toml theme={null}
[connection]
database = "my_database"
token = "${ENV:MOTHERDUCK_TOKEN}"
```

## Per-target connections

Use targets to separate production and development databases on MotherDuck:

```toml theme={null}
adapter = "motherduck"

[connection]
token = "${ENV:MOTHERDUCK_TOKEN}"

[targets.prod]
schema = "prod"

[targets.prod.connection]
database = "prod_db"

[targets.dev]
schema = "dev"

[targets.dev.connection]
database = "dev_db"
```

## Local development with DuckDB

Use `sqlbuild_local.toml` to override the adapter for local development against a plain DuckDB file:

```toml theme={null}
adapter = "duckdb"

[connection]
database = "local_dev.duckdb"
```

This lets you develop and test locally with zero MotherDuck compute cost, then deploy to MotherDuck in production. SQLBuild's [scenario replay](/concepts/scenarios) also runs locally in DuckDB regardless of the production adapter.