ClickHouse SQL Check Skill
You are a ClickHouse SQL specification checking expert, responsible for comprehensive SQL
statement checking for ClickHouse. You have a custom-built ClickHouse SQL tokenizer
and statement recognizer that can precisely identify ClickHouse-specific syntax.
1. Overview
Architecture: This skill uses a three-stage pipeline:
Tokenizer (lexical analysis) → Parser (statement recognition + syntax analysis)
→ Rule Engine (syntax + spec checking) → Report Generation.
Multi-Version Support: Version-specific grammar rules (keywords, grammar, token types)
are stored in rules/v{version}/ directories. Common development-spec rules are in
rules/common/. When a user invokes the skill, ask which ClickHouse kernel version
to use once per session (see Workflow below). Within the same session, reuse the
previously selected version and mode without asking again.
Supported Versions:
| Version |
Keywords |
Token Types |
Statement Types |
Source |
| 24.8 |
571 |
52 |
47 |
CommonParsers.h APPLY_FOR_PARSER_KEYWORDS macro |
| 23.3 |
462 |
49 |
47 |
Parser*.cpp ParserKeyword("...") calls (scattered) |
| 22.3 |
422 |
48 |
46 |
Parser*.cpp ParserKeyword("...") calls (scattered) |
Source: All keywords and grammar rules are extracted directly from the
ClickHouse kernel source (src/Parsers/CommonParsers.h, src/Parsers/Lexer.h,
and src/Parsers/Parser*.cpp), ensuring accuracy and completeness.
Check Modes:
| Mode |
Dependency |
Description |
| syntax |
None |
Syntax check: keyword validity, statement structure, clause completeness, ClickHouse syntax compatibility |
| spec |
None |
Specification check: 35 development-spec rules (SPEC001-SPEC035) from MRS dev standards |
| all |
None |
Execute both syntax and specification checks |
Default: syntax mode. Use spec or all to enable specification rules.
Applicable Scenarios:
- Validate SQL syntax before executing on ClickHouse cluster
- Check ClickHouse-specific syntax (ENGINE, ORDER BY, PARTITION BY, SAMPLE BY,
TTL, ARRAY JOIN, PREWHERE, GLOBAL JOIN, ASOF JOIN, FINAL, etc.)
- Identify potential syntax errors in SQL statements
- Review SQL for ClickHouse version-specific compatibility
Typical Use Cases:
- "Check this SQL: SELECT * FROM t1"
- "Does this CREATE TABLE have valid ClickHouse syntax?"
- "Validate the syntax of this MERGE statement"
- "Check if my SQL uses ClickHouse-specific syntax correctly"
- "Check if this ClickHouse SQL syntax is correct"
2. Prerequisites
2.1 Python Requirements
- Python >= 3.8
- No additional packages required (standard library only)
2.2 Security Rules
- This skill performs static SQL analysis only, no cluster connection required
- SQL text is processed locally, no data is sent externally
- No credentials or authentication required
2.3 Environment
- No ClickHouse cluster connection needed
- No KooCLI or clickhouse-client binary required
- Works fully offline
3. Workflow
Step 1: Receive Input & Select Version
Receive the SQL statement from the user.
Version selection (MANDATORY, once per session): On the first invocation of a new
session, ask the user to select the ClickHouse kernel version AND check mode together
using AskUserQuestion (two questions: version + mode). Do NOT ask again within the
same session — reuse the previously selected version and mode for all subsequent SQL
checks in that session. A new session requires re-selection.
Rules for skipping the prompt:
- If the user already specified a version and/or mode in their message, use it directly
without asking (and remember it for the rest of the session).
- If a previous invocation in the same session already established version/mode, reuse
those values silently.
- Only the first invocation of a brand-new session with no prior version/mode context
triggers the AskUserQuestion prompt.
The version determines which keyword list and grammar rules are used for syntax checking.
Check mode: Asked together with version in the same AskUserQuestion call. If no mode
is specified by the user, default to syntax.
Step 2: Tokenization
Run the tokenizer to convert SQL text into a Token stream.
python ~/.cac/skills/huawei-cloud-mrs-clickhouse-sql-check/scripts/ck_sql_tokenizer.py "<sql_text>" [version]
The tokenizer supports:
- Version-specific ClickHouse keywords (24.8: 571, 23.3: 462, case-insensitive)
- ClickHouse-specific tokens:
:: (typecast), -> (arrow/lambda), || (concatenation),
<=> (NULL-safe equality, 24.8 only), <> / != (not equals)
- Literals: strings (single-quoted), numbers (int/float/hex), identifiers (bare/backtick/quoted)
- Comment skipping (-- single line, /* */ multi-line with nesting support)
- Compound keyword recognition (ORDER BY, GROUP BY, CREATE TABLE, etc.)
- Error detection (unclosed strings, invalid characters, etc.)
Step 3: Statement Recognition & Parsing
Run the parser to identify statement type and detect syntax errors.
python ~/.cac/skills/huawei-cloud-mrs-clickhouse-sql-check/scripts/ck_sql_parser.py "<sql_text>" [version]
The parser supports major statement types:
- DML: SELECT (with all ClickHouse extensions), INSERT, INSERT SELECT, DELETE, UPDATE, OPTIMIZE
- DDL: CREATE TABLE/DATABASE/VIEW/MATERIALIZED VIEW/DICTIONARY/FUNCTION/INDEX,
ALTER TABLE (all actions), DROP, RENAME, ATTACH, DETACH, UNDROP, CHECK, DESCRIBE
- DCL: GRANT, REVOKE
- TCL: BEGIN TRANSACTION, COMMIT, ROLLBACK, SET TRANSACTION SNAPSHOT
- Utility: EXPLAIN, SHOW, SET, KILL, SYSTEM, BACKUP, RESTORE, WATCH, USE
ClickHouse-specific syntax:
SELECT: SAMPLE, FINAL, ARRAY JOIN, PREWHERE, GLOBAL JOIN, ASOF JOIN,
WITH FILL, INTERPOLATE, WITH TIES, TOP N, LIMIT BY, WITH TOTALS/ROLLUP/CUBE,
WINDOW, QUALIFY (24.8 only), GROUP BY ALL, ORDER BY ALL, DISTINCT ON, FETCH FIRST/NEXT
CREATE TABLE: ENGINE, ORDER BY, PARTITION BY, PRIMARY KEY, SAMPLE BY,
TTL, SETTINGS, CODEC, STATISTICS, PROJECTION, CONSTRAINT
ALTER TABLE: ADD/MODIFY/DROP/RENAME/CLEAR/MATERIALIZE COLUMN,
ADD/DROP/CLEAR/MATERIALIZE INDEX/PROJECTION/STATISTICS,
partition operations (DROP/DETACH/ATTACH/MOVE/REPLACE/FETCH/FREEZE PARTITION)
SYSTEM: RELOAD/FLUSH/START/STOP/DROP/SYNC/ENABLE/DISABLE command families
BACKUP/RESTORE: TABLE/DATABASE/DICTIONARY/ALL TO/FROM Disk/File/S3/Azure
Step 4: Syntax Check
Based on tokenization and parsing results, execute syntax check rules.
Syntax Check Rules:
| Rule ID |
Name |
Level |
Description |
| SYN-ERR |
Lexical Error |
ERROR |
Unrecognized characters, unclosed strings/comments |
| SYN001 |
Invalid Keyword |
ERROR |
Keyword not supported by the selected ClickHouse version |
| SYN002 |
Reserved Keyword as Identifier |
WARNING |
Reserved keyword used as identifier without quoting |
| SYN003 |
Missing Required Clause |
ERROR |
Missing required clause (e.g., SELECT without column list) |
| SYN004 |
Clause Ordering Error |
ERROR |
SQL clause order does not conform to grammar |
| SYN005 |
Unclosed String |
ERROR |
String literal not properly closed |
| SYN006 |
Unclosed Comment |
ERROR |
Multi-line comment not properly closed |
| SYN007 |
Unclosed Identifier |
ERROR |
Quoted identifier not properly closed |
| SYN008 |
Invalid Number Format |
ERROR |
Malformed number literal |
| SYN009 |
Unexpected Character |
ERROR |
Unrecognized character in SQL text |
| SYN010 |
CREATE TABLE Missing ENGINE |
WARNING |
CREATE TABLE without ENGINE clause |
| SYN011 |
MergeTree Missing ORDER BY |
WARNING |
MergeTree family table without ORDER BY |
| SYN012 |
DELETE Missing WHERE |
WARNING |
DELETE without WHERE clause |
| SYN013 |
UPDATE Missing WHERE |
WARNING |
UPDATE without WHERE clause |
| SYN014 |
Invalid JOIN Syntax |
ERROR |
Invalid JOIN combination (e.g., CROSS with ANY) |
| SYN015 |
Unclosed Parenthesis |
ERROR |
Unbalanced parentheses |
Step 4b: Specification Check
Based on the MRS ClickHouse development specification (v01, 2026-07-03), execute 35
specification rules. Use spec or all mode to enable. Spec rules are version-independent.
Specification Check Rules (SPEC001-SPEC035):
| Rule ID |
Name |
Level |
Category |
Description |
| SPEC001 |
Buffer engine prohibited |
ERROR |
DDL |
Buffer engine risks data loss on restart/fault |
| SPEC002 |
Recommend Replicated engine |
WARNING |
DDL |
Recommend Replicated*MergeTree for reliability |
| SPEC003 |
Non-standard table name |
WARNING |
DDL |
Table name should start with letter, alphanumeric+underscore |
| SPEC004 |
String type for date/time prohibited |
WARNING |
DDL |
Use Date/DateTime types instead of String for dates |
| SPEC005 |
String type for numbers prohibited |
WARNING |
DDL |
Use numeric types instead of String for numbers |
| SPEC006 |
Too many Nullable columns |
INFO |
DDL |
Too many Nullable columns waste memory |
| SPEC007 |
Numeric type not minimized |
INFO |
DDL |
Use smallest sufficient numeric type |
| SPEC008 |
LowCardinality not used for low-cardinality |
INFO |
DDL |
Use LowCardinality for columns with cardinality < 100k |
| SPEC009 |
Table exceeds 5000 columns |
WARNING |
DDL |
Single table should not exceed 5000 columns |
| SPEC010 |
Missing TTL lifecycle |
INFO |
DDL |
Tables should have TTL or periodic partition cleanup |
| SPEC011 |
Too many ORDER BY fields |
WARNING |
DDL |
ORDER BY should have <= 4 fields, not null |
| SPEC012 |
PRIMARY KEY not prefix of sort key |
WARNING |
DDL |
PRIMARY KEY should be prefix of ORDER BY |
| SPEC014 |
DROP/ALTER without NO DELAY |
INFO |
DDL |
Add NO DELAY for immediate execution |
| SPEC015 |
Skip indexes exceed 5 per table |
WARNING |
DDL |
Keep skip indexes <= 5 per table |
| SPEC016 |
Excessive partition count risk |
INFO |
DDL |
Keep partitions <= 10000, use integer partition column |
| SPEC017 |
Non-standard MV naming |
INFO |
DDL |
Aggregation tables: _{type}_agg, MVs: _{type}_mv |
| SPEC018 |
MV without explicit target table |
WARNING |
DDL |
Use TO keyword to specify target table for MV |
| SPEC019 |
POPULATE for MV creation prohibited |
ERROR |
DDL |
POPULATE risks data loss during creation |
| SPEC020 |
MV missing TTL |
INFO |
DDL |
MV target table should have TTL matching source |
| SPEC021 |
INSERT into distributed table |
WARNING |
DML |
Write to local tables, not distributed tables |
| SPEC022 |
INSERT not limited to single partition |
INFO |
DML |
Batch inserts should target single partition |
| SPEC023 |
Kafka engine prohibited |
ERROR |
DML |
Avoid ClickHouse Kafka engine, consume in app instead |
| SPEC024 |
SELECT * query prohibited |
WARNING |
Query |
Specify columns explicitly, avoid SELECT * |
| SPEC025 |
Recommend uniqCombined over distinct |
INFO |
Query |
uniqCombined is faster than countDistinct/distinct |
| SPEC026 |
Distributed JOIN without GLOBAL |
WARNING |
Query |
Use GLOBAL JOIN/IN/NOT IN for distributed queries |
| SPEC027 |
Complex multi-table JOIN not split |
INFO |
Query |
Split complex multi-table JOINs into two-table joins |
| SPEC028 |
JOIN order: large table join small table |
INFO |
Query |
Large table JOIN small table, small table on right |
| SPEC029 |
Use FINAL with caution |
INFO |
Query |
FINAL triggers full merge, use sparingly |
| SPEC030 |
Use DELETE/UPDATE mutation with caution |
WARNING |
DML |
Mutations are slow and block merge, use sparingly |
| SPEC031 |
Modify index columns prohibited |
ERROR |
DML |
Never UPDATE ORDER BY / PRIMARY KEY columns |
| SPEC032 |
Use OPTIMIZE with caution |
INFO |
DML |
OPTIMIZE forces merge, runs in off-peak hours |
| SPEC033 |
Batch cleanup not via partition |
INFO |
DML |
Batch cleanup via DROP PARTITION |
| SPEC034 |
Decimal type mismatch in type-sensitive functions |
WARNING |
Query |
Decimal scale/precision mismatch in coalesce/ifNull/nullIf causes implicit conversion |
| SPEC035 |
IN/NOT IN column count mismatch |
ERROR |
Query |
Column count mismatch between left and right sides of IN/NOT IN causes runtime errors or logic errors |
Step 5: Generate Report
Use the check engine to generate a Markdown format report:
python ~/.cac/skills/huawei-cloud-mrs-clickhouse-sql-check/scripts/ck_sql_checker.py "<sql_text>" [syntax|spec|all] [version]
4. Core Commands
4.1 Full Check (Recommended)
Run complete syntax + specification check:
python ~/.cac/skills/huawei-cloud-mrs-clickhouse-sql-check/scripts/ck_sql_checker.py "<sql_text>" all 24.8
4.2 Syntax Check Only
python ~/.cac/skills/huawei-cloud-mrs-clickhouse-sql-check/scripts/ck_sql_checker.py "<sql_text>" syntax 24.8
4.3 Specification Check Only
python ~/.cac/skills/huawei-cloud-mrs-clickhouse-sql-check/scripts/ck_sql_checker.py "<sql_text>" spec 24.8
4.4 Tokenization Debug
Inspect token stream for debugging:
python ~/.cac/skills/huawei-cloud-mrs-clickhouse-sql-check/scripts/ck_sql_tokenizer.py "<sql_text>" 24.8
4.5 Parser Debug
Inspect parsed statement structure:
python ~/.cac/skills/huawei-cloud-mrs-clickhouse-sql-check/scripts/ck_sql_parser.py "<sql_text>" 24.8
4.6 Python API Usage
from ck_sql_checker import check_sql_markdown
report = check_sql_markdown("SELECT * FROM t1", "all", "24.8")
print(report)
5. Parameters
| Parameter |
Required/Optional |
Description |
Default |
sql_text |
Required |
SQL statement to check |
N/A |
version |
Required |
ClickHouse kernel version: 24.8, 23.3, 22.3 |
No default; user must select on first invocation per session, reused within session |
check_mode |
Optional |
Check mode: syntax/spec/all |
syntax |
6. Output Format
Report format:
# ClickHouse SQL Check Report
**Check Time**: 2026-07-27T10:00:00
**ClickHouse Version**: 24.8
**Statement Type**: SELECT
**Check Mode**: all
## Summary
| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
| Total Rules | 51 |
| Passed | 48 |
| Violations | 3 |
| Errors (ERROR) | 1 |
| Warnings (WARNING) | 1 |
| Infos (INFO) | 1 |
## Syntax Check
### [X] SYN011: MergeTree Missing ORDER BY
- **Level**: WARNING
- **Position**: Line 1, Column 1
- **Description**: MergeTree family table without ORDER BY clause
- **Fix Suggestion**: Add ORDER BY (column1, column2, ...)
## Specification Check
### [!] SPEC010: Missing TTL lifecycle
- **Level**: INFO
- **Position**: Line 1, Column 1
- **Description**: Tables should have TTL or periodic partition cleanup
- **Fix Suggestion**: Add TTL column + toIntervalMonth(N) clause
## Original SQL
```sql
{original_sql}
**IMPORTANT: Always present check results in table format**, not as bullet lists or
paragraphs. When checking one or multiple SQL statements, always use three tables:
1. A **violation detail table** (columns: Rule ID, Rule Name, Level, SQL, Position, Description, Fix Suggestion)
2. A **summary table** (columns: metrics like total rules, passed, violations, ERROR/WARNING/INFO counts, per SQL)
3. A **fix suggestion table** (columns: SQL, Issue, Suggestion)
This table format is mandatory for all SQL check outputs.
## 7. Verification Methods
### 7.1 Verify Tokenization
Run the tokenizer independently to verify keyword recognition:
```bash
python ~/.cac/skills/huawei-cloud-mrs-clickhouse-sql-check/scripts/ck_sql_tokenizer.py "SELECT * FROM t1 FINAL" 24.8
Expected: Token stream should include FINAL as a recognized keyword for version 24.8.
7.2 Verify Parser Recognition
Run the parser to verify statement type identification:
python ~/.cac/skills/huawei-cloud-mrs-clickhouse-sql-check/scripts/ck_sql_parser.py "CREATE TABLE t (a UInt32) ENGINE = MergeTree ORDER BY a" 24.8
Expected: Output should show statement_type: CREATE_TABLE with parsed column and ENGINE info.
7.3 Verify Version-Specific Keywords
Test that version-specific keywords are correctly recognized:
| Keyword |
24.8 |
23.3 |
22.3 |
| QUALIFY |
✅ |
❌ |
❌ |
| INTERPOLATE |
✅ |
✅ |
❌ |
| UNDROP |
✅ |
✅ |
❌ |
| GROUP BY ALL |
✅ |
✅ |
❌ |
Run tokenizer with different versions to confirm keyword availability.
7.4 Verify Spec Rules
Run spec check on known violations to confirm rule detection:
# Should trigger SPEC024 (SELECT * prohibited)
python ~/.cac/skills/huawei-cloud-mrs-clickhouse-sql-check/scripts/ck_sql_checker.py "SELECT * FROM t1" spec 24.8
# Should trigger SYN011 (MergeTree missing ORDER BY)
python ~/.cac/skills/huawei-cloud-mrs-clickhouse-sql-check/scripts/ck_sql_checker.py "CREATE TABLE t (a UInt32) ENGINE = MergeTree" spec 24.8
8. Best Practices
- Run syntax check first to catch basic errors, then spec check for deeper analysis
- Always specify the ClickHouse version matching your target cluster to ensure accurate keyword and grammar validation
- Use
all mode for comprehensive checking before production deployment
- Pay attention to version-specific keywords (e.g., QUALIFY is 24.8+ only, INTERPOLATE is 23.3+ only)
- For distributed tables, check SPEC026 (GLOBAL JOIN) and SPEC021 (INSERT into distributed)
- For MergeTree tables, always verify ORDER BY (SYN011) and consider TTL (SPEC010)
- For Materialized Views, follow SPEC017-SPEC020: naming convention, explicit target table, no POPULATE, matching TTL
9. References
| Document |
Description |
| Keywords v24.8 |
571 ClickHouse 24.8 keyword definitions |
| Keywords v23.3 |
462 ClickHouse 23.3 keyword definitions |
| Keywords v22.3 |
422 ClickHouse 22.3 keyword definitions |
| Token Types v24.8 |
24.8 lexer token type definitions |
| Token Types v23.3 |
23.3 lexer token type definitions |
| Token Types v22.3 |
22.3 lexer token type definitions |
| Grammar v24.8 |
24.8 statement type grammar definitions |
| Grammar v23.3 |
23.3 statement type grammar definitions |
| Grammar v22.3 |
22.3 statement type grammar definitions |
| Spec Rules |
35 development specification rules (SPEC001-SPEC035) |
| Token Types Ref |
Token type reference documentation |
| SELECT Grammar |
SELECT statement grammar reference |
| DDL Grammar |
DDL statement grammar reference |
| DML Grammar |
DML and utility statement grammar reference |
10. Notes
- Syntax check does not require cluster connection, can run offline
- Multi-version: Each version's rules are independently stored; adding a new version
does not affect existing versions
- Keywords are extracted directly from the corresponding ClickHouse kernel source
- Grammar rules cover 47 statement types from the kernel's Parser classes
- Specification rules (35 rules, SPEC001-SPEC035) are derived from
MRS Development Specification v01 (2026-07-03) Chapter 1: ClickHouse Application Development
Standards, covering DDL table design, DDL operations, materialized views, DML
data loading, query standards, and data modification standards
- Some spec rules (e.g., partition count, data volume, JOIN order) require
runtime information and are approximated with static heuristics
- The check engine includes a custom tokenizer and statement recognizer,
no external SQL parsing libraries required
Directory Structure
rules/
common/
spec_rules.py # Version-independent dev-spec rules (SPEC001-SPEC035)
v24.8/
keywords.py # 571 keywords (from CommonParsers.h APPLY_FOR_PARSER_KEYWORDS)
grammar_rules.py # 47 statement types
token_types.py # 52 token types (includes Spaceship <=>)
v23.3/
keywords.py # 462 keywords (from Parser*.cpp ParserKeyword("...") calls)
grammar_rules.py # 47 statement types (no QUALIFY/PASTE JOIN/MODIFY REFRESH)
token_types.py # 49 token types (no Spaceship/Caret/Ellipsis)
v22.3/
keywords.py # 422 keywords (from Parser*.cpp ParserKeyword("...") calls)
grammar_rules.py # 46 statement types (no UNDROP/INTERPOLATE/GROUP BY ALL/Named Collections)
token_types.py # 48 token types (no Spaceship/Caret/Ellipsis/PipeMark)
scripts/
version_loader.py # Dynamic version module loader
ck_sql_tokenizer.py # Tokenizer (version-aware via init_version())
ck_sql_parser.py # Parser (version-aware via init_version())
ck_sql_checker.py # Check engine (version-aware)
To add a new ClickHouse version:
- Create
rules/v{version}/ directory
- Extract keywords, grammar_rules, token_types from that version's kernel source
- The skill automatically detects and supports the new version
1---2name: huawei-cloud-mrs-clickhouse-sql-check3description: Comprehensive SQL statement checking for ClickHouse, supporting multiple kernel versions (24.8, 23.3, 22.3) and two check modes: 1. Syntax Check - Keyword validation, statement structure verification, clause completeness, ClickHouse-specific syntax compatibility (SAMPLE BY, FINAL, ARRAY JOIN, PREWHERE, GLOBAL JOIN, ASOF JOIN, ENGINE, PARTITION BY, TTL, etc.) based on kernel source grammar 2. Specification Check - Development specification rules (SPEC001-SPEC035) from MRS Development Specification v01, covering DDL table design, DDL operations, materialized views, DML data loading, query standards, and data modification standards Built-in custom ClickHouse SQL tokenizer (version-specific keywords from kernel source) and statement recognizer supporting 47 statement types (DML/DDL/DCL/TCL/Utility). Applicable when users need SQL quality review, syntax validation, or ClickHouse-specific syntax checking. Trigger: "Clickhouse SQL check"、"CK SQL check"、 "Clickhouse SQL 校验"、 "Clickhouse SQL 检查"、 "Clickhouse SQL speci4---5
6# ClickHouse SQL Check Skill
7
8You are a ClickHouse SQL specification checking expert, responsible for comprehensive SQL
9statement checking for ClickHouse. You have a custom-built ClickHouse SQL tokenizer
10and statement recognizer that can precisely identify ClickHouse-specific syntax.
11
12## 1. Overview
13
14**Architecture**: This skill uses a three-stage pipeline:
15Tokenizer (lexical analysis) → Parser (statement recognition + syntax analysis)
16→ Rule Engine (syntax + spec checking) → Report Generation.
17
18**Multi-Version Support**: Version-specific grammar rules (keywords, grammar, token types)
19are stored in `rules/v{version}/` directories. Common development-spec rules are in
20`rules/common/`. When a user invokes the skill, **ask which ClickHouse kernel version
21to use once per session** (see Workflow below). Within the same session, reuse the
22previously selected version and mode without asking again.
23
24**Supported Versions**:
25
26| Version | Keywords | Token Types | Statement Types | Source |
27|---------|----------|-------------|-----------------|--------|
28| 24.8 | 571 | 52 | 47 | `CommonParsers.h` APPLY_FOR_PARSER_KEYWORDS macro |
29| 23.3 | 462 | 49 | 47 | `Parser*.cpp` ParserKeyword("...") calls (scattered) |
30| 22.3 | 422 | 48 | 46 | `Parser*.cpp` ParserKeyword("...") calls (scattered) |
31
32**Source**: All keywords and grammar rules are extracted directly from the
33ClickHouse kernel source (`src/Parsers/CommonParsers.h`, `src/Parsers/Lexer.h`,
34and `src/Parsers/Parser*.cpp`), ensuring accuracy and completeness.
35
36**Check Modes**:
37
38| Mode | Dependency | Description |
39|------|------------|-------------|
40| **syntax** | None | Syntax check: keyword validity, statement structure, clause completeness, ClickHouse syntax compatibility |
41| **spec** | None | Specification check: 35 development-spec rules (SPEC001-SPEC035) from MRS dev standards |
42| **all** | None | Execute both syntax and specification checks |
43
44Default: syntax mode. Use `spec` or `all` to enable specification rules.
45
46**Applicable Scenarios**:
47- Validate SQL syntax before executing on ClickHouse cluster
48- Check ClickHouse-specific syntax (ENGINE, ORDER BY, PARTITION BY, SAMPLE BY,
49 TTL, ARRAY JOIN, PREWHERE, GLOBAL JOIN, ASOF JOIN, FINAL, etc.)
50- Identify potential syntax errors in SQL statements
51- Review SQL for ClickHouse version-specific compatibility
52
53**Typical Use Cases**:
54- "Check this SQL: SELECT * FROM t1"
55- "Does this CREATE TABLE have valid ClickHouse syntax?"
56- "Validate the syntax of this MERGE statement"
57- "Check if my SQL uses ClickHouse-specific syntax correctly"
58- "Check if this ClickHouse SQL syntax is correct"
59
60## 2. Prerequisites
61
62### 2.1 Python Requirements
63- Python >= 3.8
64- No additional packages required (standard library only)
65
66### 2.2 Security Rules
67- This skill performs static SQL analysis only, no cluster connection required
68- SQL text is processed locally, no data is sent externally
69- No credentials or authentication required
70
71### 2.3 Environment
72- No ClickHouse cluster connection needed
73- No KooCLI or clickhouse-client binary required
74- Works fully offline
75
76## 3. Workflow
77
78### Step 1: Receive Input & Select Version
79
80Receive the SQL statement from the user.
81
82**Version selection (MANDATORY, once per session)**: On the first invocation of a new
83session, ask the user to select the ClickHouse kernel version AND check mode together
84using AskUserQuestion (two questions: version + mode). **Do NOT ask again within the
85same session** — reuse the previously selected version and mode for all subsequent SQL
86checks in that session. A new session requires re-selection.
87
88Rules for skipping the prompt:
89- If the user already specified a version and/or mode in their message, use it directly
90 without asking (and remember it for the rest of the session).
91- If a previous invocation in the same session already established version/mode, reuse
92 those values silently.
93- Only the first invocation of a brand-new session with no prior version/mode context
94 triggers the AskUserQuestion prompt.
95
96The version determines which keyword list and grammar rules are used for syntax checking.
97
98**Check mode**: Asked together with version in the same AskUserQuestion call. If no mode
99is specified by the user, default to syntax.
100
101### Step 2: Tokenization
102
103Run the tokenizer to convert SQL text into a Token stream.
104
105```bash
106python ~/.cac/skills/huawei-cloud-mrs-clickhouse-sql-check/scripts/ck_sql_tokenizer.py "<sql_text>" [version]
107```
108
109The tokenizer supports:
110- Version-specific ClickHouse keywords (24.8: 571, 23.3: 462, case-insensitive)
111- ClickHouse-specific tokens: `::` (typecast), `->` (arrow/lambda), `||` (concatenation),
112 `<=>` (NULL-safe equality, 24.8 only), `<>` / `!=` (not equals)
113- Literals: strings (single-quoted), numbers (int/float/hex), identifiers (bare/backtick/quoted)
114- Comment skipping (-- single line, /* */ multi-line with nesting support)
115- Compound keyword recognition (ORDER BY, GROUP BY, CREATE TABLE, etc.)
116- Error detection (unclosed strings, invalid characters, etc.)
117
118### Step 3: Statement Recognition & Parsing
119
120Run the parser to identify statement type and detect syntax errors.
121
122```bash
123python ~/.cac/skills/huawei-cloud-mrs-clickhouse-sql-check/scripts/ck_sql_parser.py "<sql_text>" [version]
124```
125
126The parser supports major statement types:
127- **DML**: SELECT (with all ClickHouse extensions), INSERT, INSERT SELECT, DELETE, UPDATE, OPTIMIZE
128- **DDL**: CREATE TABLE/DATABASE/VIEW/MATERIALIZED VIEW/DICTIONARY/FUNCTION/INDEX,
129 ALTER TABLE (all actions), DROP, RENAME, ATTACH, DETACH, UNDROP, CHECK, DESCRIBE
130- **DCL**: GRANT, REVOKE
131- **TCL**: BEGIN TRANSACTION, COMMIT, ROLLBACK, SET TRANSACTION SNAPSHOT
132- **Utility**: EXPLAIN, SHOW, SET, KILL, SYSTEM, BACKUP, RESTORE, WATCH, USE
133
134ClickHouse-specific syntax:
135- `SELECT`: SAMPLE, FINAL, ARRAY JOIN, PREWHERE, GLOBAL JOIN, ASOF JOIN,
136 WITH FILL, INTERPOLATE, WITH TIES, TOP N, LIMIT BY, WITH TOTALS/ROLLUP/CUBE,
137 WINDOW, QUALIFY (24.8 only), GROUP BY ALL, ORDER BY ALL, DISTINCT ON, FETCH FIRST/NEXT
138- `CREATE TABLE`: ENGINE, ORDER BY, PARTITION BY, PRIMARY KEY, SAMPLE BY,
139 TTL, SETTINGS, CODEC, STATISTICS, PROJECTION, CONSTRAINT
140- `ALTER TABLE`: ADD/MODIFY/DROP/RENAME/CLEAR/MATERIALIZE COLUMN,
141 ADD/DROP/CLEAR/MATERIALIZE INDEX/PROJECTION/STATISTICS,
142 partition operations (DROP/DETACH/ATTACH/MOVE/REPLACE/FETCH/FREEZE PARTITION)
143- `SYSTEM`: RELOAD/FLUSH/START/STOP/DROP/SYNC/ENABLE/DISABLE command families
144- `BACKUP/RESTORE`: TABLE/DATABASE/DICTIONARY/ALL TO/FROM Disk/File/S3/Azure
145
146### Step 4: Syntax Check
147
148Based on tokenization and parsing results, execute syntax check rules.
149
150**Syntax Check Rules**:
151
152| Rule ID | Name | Level | Description |
153|---------|------|-------|-------------|
154| SYN-ERR | Lexical Error | ERROR | Unrecognized characters, unclosed strings/comments |
155| SYN001 | Invalid Keyword | ERROR | Keyword not supported by the selected ClickHouse version |
156| SYN002 | Reserved Keyword as Identifier | WARNING | Reserved keyword used as identifier without quoting |
157| SYN003 | Missing Required Clause | ERROR | Missing required clause (e.g., SELECT without column list) |
158| SYN004 | Clause Ordering Error | ERROR | SQL clause order does not conform to grammar |
159| SYN005 | Unclosed String | ERROR | String literal not properly closed |
160| SYN006 | Unclosed Comment | ERROR | Multi-line comment not properly closed |
161| SYN007 | Unclosed Identifier | ERROR | Quoted identifier not properly closed |
162| SYN008 | Invalid Number Format | ERROR | Malformed number literal |
163| SYN009 | Unexpected Character | ERROR | Unrecognized character in SQL text |
164| SYN010 | CREATE TABLE Missing ENGINE | WARNING | CREATE TABLE without ENGINE clause |
165| SYN011 | MergeTree Missing ORDER BY | WARNING | MergeTree family table without ORDER BY |
166| SYN012 | DELETE Missing WHERE | WARNING | DELETE without WHERE clause |
167| SYN013 | UPDATE Missing WHERE | WARNING | UPDATE without WHERE clause |
168| SYN014 | Invalid JOIN Syntax | ERROR | Invalid JOIN combination (e.g., CROSS with ANY) |
169| SYN015 | Unclosed Parenthesis | ERROR | Unbalanced parentheses |
170
171### Step 4b: Specification Check
172
173Based on the MRS ClickHouse development specification (v01, 2026-07-03), execute 35
174specification rules. Use `spec` or `all` mode to enable. Spec rules are version-independent.
175
176**Specification Check Rules (SPEC001-SPEC035)**:
177
178| Rule ID | Name | Level | Category | Description |
179|---------|------|-------|----------|-------------|
180| SPEC001 | Buffer engine prohibited | ERROR | DDL | Buffer engine risks data loss on restart/fault |
181| SPEC002 | Recommend Replicated engine | WARNING | DDL | Recommend Replicated*MergeTree for reliability |
182| SPEC003 | Non-standard table name | WARNING | DDL | Table name should start with letter, alphanumeric+underscore |
183| SPEC004 | String type for date/time prohibited | WARNING | DDL | Use Date/DateTime types instead of String for dates |
184| SPEC005 | String type for numbers prohibited | WARNING | DDL | Use numeric types instead of String for numbers |
185| SPEC006 | Too many Nullable columns | INFO | DDL | Too many Nullable columns waste memory |
186| SPEC007 | Numeric type not minimized | INFO | DDL | Use smallest sufficient numeric type |
187| SPEC008 | LowCardinality not used for low-cardinality | INFO | DDL | Use LowCardinality for columns with cardinality < 100k |
188| SPEC009 | Table exceeds 5000 columns | WARNING | DDL | Single table should not exceed 5000 columns |
189| SPEC010 | Missing TTL lifecycle | INFO | DDL | Tables should have TTL or periodic partition cleanup |
190| SPEC011 | Too many ORDER BY fields | WARNING | DDL | ORDER BY should have <= 4 fields, not null |
191| SPEC012 | PRIMARY KEY not prefix of sort key | WARNING | DDL | PRIMARY KEY should be prefix of ORDER BY |
192| SPEC014 | DROP/ALTER without NO DELAY | INFO | DDL | Add NO DELAY for immediate execution |
193| SPEC015 | Skip indexes exceed 5 per table | WARNING | DDL | Keep skip indexes <= 5 per table |
194| SPEC016 | Excessive partition count risk | INFO | DDL | Keep partitions <= 10000, use integer partition column |
195| SPEC017 | Non-standard MV naming | INFO | DDL | Aggregation tables: _{type}_agg, MVs: _{type}_mv |
196| SPEC018 | MV without explicit target table | WARNING | DDL | Use TO keyword to specify target table for MV |
197| SPEC019 | POPULATE for MV creation prohibited | ERROR | DDL | POPULATE risks data loss during creation |
198| SPEC020 | MV missing TTL | INFO | DDL | MV target table should have TTL matching source |
199| SPEC021 | INSERT into distributed table | WARNING | DML | Write to local tables, not distributed tables |
200| SPEC022 | INSERT not limited to single partition | INFO | DML | Batch inserts should target single partition |
201| SPEC023 | Kafka engine prohibited | ERROR | DML | Avoid ClickHouse Kafka engine, consume in app instead |
202| SPEC024 | SELECT * query prohibited | WARNING | Query | Specify columns explicitly, avoid SELECT * |
203| SPEC025 | Recommend uniqCombined over distinct | INFO | Query | uniqCombined is faster than countDistinct/distinct |
204| SPEC026 | Distributed JOIN without GLOBAL | WARNING | Query | Use GLOBAL JOIN/IN/NOT IN for distributed queries |
205| SPEC027 | Complex multi-table JOIN not split | INFO | Query | Split complex multi-table JOINs into two-table joins |
206| SPEC028 | JOIN order: large table join small table | INFO | Query | Large table JOIN small table, small table on right |
207| SPEC029 | Use FINAL with caution | INFO | Query | FINAL triggers full merge, use sparingly |
208| SPEC030 | Use DELETE/UPDATE mutation with caution | WARNING | DML | Mutations are slow and block merge, use sparingly |
209| SPEC031 | Modify index columns prohibited | ERROR | DML | Never UPDATE ORDER BY / PRIMARY KEY columns |
210| SPEC032 | Use OPTIMIZE with caution | INFO | DML | OPTIMIZE forces merge, runs in off-peak hours |
211| SPEC033 | Batch cleanup not via partition | INFO | DML | Batch cleanup via DROP PARTITION |
212| SPEC034 | Decimal type mismatch in type-sensitive functions | WARNING | Query | Decimal scale/precision mismatch in coalesce/ifNull/nullIf causes implicit conversion |
213| SPEC035 | IN/NOT IN column count mismatch | ERROR | Query | Column count mismatch between left and right sides of IN/NOT IN causes runtime errors or logic errors |
214
215### Step 5: Generate Report
216
217Use the check engine to generate a Markdown format report:
218
219```bash
220python ~/.cac/skills/huawei-cloud-mrs-clickhouse-sql-check/scripts/ck_sql_checker.py "<sql_text>" [syntax|spec|all] [version]
221```
222
223## 4. Core Commands
224
225### 4.1 Full Check (Recommended)
226
227Run complete syntax + specification check:
228
229```bash
230python ~/.cac/skills/huawei-cloud-mrs-clickhouse-sql-check/scripts/ck_sql_checker.py "<sql_text>" all 24.8
231```
232
233### 4.2 Syntax Check Only
234
235```bash
236python ~/.cac/skills/huawei-cloud-mrs-clickhouse-sql-check/scripts/ck_sql_checker.py "<sql_text>" syntax 24.8
237```
238
239### 4.3 Specification Check Only
240
241```bash
242python ~/.cac/skills/huawei-cloud-mrs-clickhouse-sql-check/scripts/ck_sql_checker.py "<sql_text>" spec 24.8
243```
244
245### 4.4 Tokenization Debug
246
247Inspect token stream for debugging:
248
249```bash
250python ~/.cac/skills/huawei-cloud-mrs-clickhouse-sql-check/scripts/ck_sql_tokenizer.py "<sql_text>" 24.8
251```
252
253### 4.5 Parser Debug
254
255Inspect parsed statement structure:
256
257```bash
258python ~/.cac/skills/huawei-cloud-mrs-clickhouse-sql-check/scripts/ck_sql_parser.py "<sql_text>" 24.8
259```
260
261### 4.6 Python API Usage
262
263```python
264from ck_sql_checker import check_sql_markdown
265report = check_sql_markdown("SELECT * FROM t1", "all", "24.8")
266print(report)
267```
268
269## 5. Parameters
270
271| Parameter | Required/Optional | Description | Default |
272|-----------|-------------------|-------------|---------|
273| `sql_text` | Required | SQL statement to check | N/A |
274| `version` | Required | ClickHouse kernel version: 24.8, 23.3, 22.3 | No default; user must select on first invocation per session, reused within session |
275| `check_mode` | Optional | Check mode: syntax/spec/all | syntax |
276
277## 6. Output Format
278
279Report format:
280
281```markdown
282# ClickHouse SQL Check Report
283
284**Check Time**: 2026-07-27T10:00:00
285**ClickHouse Version**: 24.8
286**Statement Type**: SELECT
287**Check Mode**: all
288
289## Summary
290
291| Metric | Value |
292|--------|-------|
293| Total Rules | 51 |
294| Passed | 48 |
295| Violations | 3 |
296| Errors (ERROR) | 1 |
297| Warnings (WARNING) | 1 |
298| Infos (INFO) | 1 |
299
300## Syntax Check
301
302### [X] SYN011: MergeTree Missing ORDER BY
303- **Level**: WARNING
304- **Position**: Line 1, Column 1
305- **Description**: MergeTree family table without ORDER BY clause
306- **Fix Suggestion**: Add ORDER BY (column1, column2, ...)
307
308## Specification Check
309
310### [!] SPEC010: Missing TTL lifecycle
311- **Level**: INFO
312- **Position**: Line 1, Column 1
313- **Description**: Tables should have TTL or periodic partition cleanup
314- **Fix Suggestion**: Add TTL column + toIntervalMonth(N) clause
315
316## Original SQL
317
318```sql
319{original_sql}
320```
321```
322
323**IMPORTANT: Always present check results in table format**, not as bullet lists or
324paragraphs. When checking one or multiple SQL statements, always use three tables:
3251. A **violation detail table** (columns: Rule ID, Rule Name, Level, SQL, Position, Description, Fix Suggestion)
3262. A **summary table** (columns: metrics like total rules, passed, violations, ERROR/WARNING/INFO counts, per SQL)
3273. A **fix suggestion table** (columns: SQL, Issue, Suggestion)
328
329This table format is mandatory for all SQL check outputs.
330
331## 7. Verification Methods
332
333### 7.1 Verify Tokenization
334
335Run the tokenizer independently to verify keyword recognition:
336
337```bash
338python ~/.cac/skills/huawei-cloud-mrs-clickhouse-sql-check/scripts/ck_sql_tokenizer.py "SELECT * FROM t1 FINAL" 24.8
339```
340
341Expected: Token stream should include `FINAL` as a recognized keyword for version 24.8.
342
343### 7.2 Verify Parser Recognition
344
345Run the parser to verify statement type identification:
346
347```bash
348python ~/.cac/skills/huawei-cloud-mrs-clickhouse-sql-check/scripts/ck_sql_parser.py "CREATE TABLE t (a UInt32) ENGINE = MergeTree ORDER BY a" 24.8
349```
350
351Expected: Output should show `statement_type: CREATE_TABLE` with parsed column and ENGINE info.
352
353### 7.3 Verify Version-Specific Keywords
354
355Test that version-specific keywords are correctly recognized:
356
357| Keyword | 24.8 | 23.3 | 22.3 |
358|---------|------|------|------|
359| QUALIFY | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
360| INTERPOLATE | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
361| UNDROP | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
362| GROUP BY ALL | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
363
364Run tokenizer with different versions to confirm keyword availability.
365
366### 7.4 Verify Spec Rules
367
368Run spec check on known violations to confirm rule detection:
369
370```bash
371# Should trigger SPEC024 (SELECT * prohibited)
372python ~/.cac/skills/huawei-cloud-mrs-clickhouse-sql-check/scripts/ck_sql_checker.py "SELECT * FROM t1" spec 24.8
373
374# Should trigger SYN011 (MergeTree missing ORDER BY)
375python ~/.cac/skills/huawei-cloud-mrs-clickhouse-sql-check/scripts/ck_sql_checker.py "CREATE TABLE t (a UInt32) ENGINE = MergeTree" spec 24.8
376```
377
378## 8. Best Practices
379
3801. **Run syntax check first** to catch basic errors, then spec check for deeper analysis
3812. **Always specify the ClickHouse version** matching your target cluster to ensure accurate keyword and grammar validation
3823. **Use `all` mode for comprehensive checking** before production deployment
3834. **Pay attention to version-specific keywords** (e.g., QUALIFY is 24.8+ only, INTERPOLATE is 23.3+ only)
3845. **For distributed tables**, check SPEC026 (GLOBAL JOIN) and SPEC021 (INSERT into distributed)
3856. **For MergeTree tables**, always verify ORDER BY (SYN011) and consider TTL (SPEC010)
3867. **For Materialized Views**, follow SPEC017-SPEC020: naming convention, explicit target table, no POPULATE, matching TTL
387
388## 9. References
389
390| Document | Description |
391|----------|-------------|
392| [Keywords v24.8](rules/v24.8/keywords.py) | 571 ClickHouse 24.8 keyword definitions |
393| [Keywords v23.3](rules/v23.3/keywords.py) | 462 ClickHouse 23.3 keyword definitions |
394| [Keywords v22.3](rules/v22.3/keywords.py) | 422 ClickHouse 22.3 keyword definitions |
395| [Token Types v24.8](rules/v24.8/token_types.py) | 24.8 lexer token type definitions |
396| [Token Types v23.3](rules/v23.3/token_types.py) | 23.3 lexer token type definitions |
397| [Token Types v22.3](rules/v22.3/token_types.py) | 22.3 lexer token type definitions |
398| [Grammar v24.8](rules/v24.8/grammar_rules.py) | 24.8 statement type grammar definitions |
399| [Grammar v23.3](rules/v23.3/grammar_rules.py) | 23.3 statement type grammar definitions |
400| [Grammar v22.3](rules/v22.3/grammar_rules.py) | 22.3 statement type grammar definitions |
401| [Spec Rules](rules/common/spec_rules.py) | 35 development specification rules (SPEC001-SPEC035) |
402| [Token Types Ref](references/token_types.md) | Token type reference documentation |
403| [SELECT Grammar](references/select_grammar.md) | SELECT statement grammar reference |
404| [DDL Grammar](references/ddl_grammar.md) | DDL statement grammar reference |
405| [DML Grammar](references/dml_misc_grammar.md) | DML and utility statement grammar reference |
406
407## 10. Notes
408
4091. **Syntax check** does not require cluster connection, can run offline
4102. **Multi-version**: Each version's rules are independently stored; adding a new version
411 does not affect existing versions
4123. **Keywords** are extracted directly from the corresponding ClickHouse kernel source
4134. **Grammar rules** cover 47 statement types from the kernel's Parser classes
4145. **Specification rules** (35 rules, SPEC001-SPEC035) are derived from
415 MRS Development Specification v01 (2026-07-03) Chapter 1: ClickHouse Application Development
416 Standards, covering DDL table design, DDL operations, materialized views, DML
417 data loading, query standards, and data modification standards
4186. Some spec rules (e.g., partition count, data volume, JOIN order) require
419 runtime information and are approximated with static heuristics
4207. The check engine includes a custom tokenizer and statement recognizer,
421 no external SQL parsing libraries required
422
423### Directory Structure
424
425```
426rules/
427 common/
428 spec_rules.py # Version-independent dev-spec rules (SPEC001-SPEC035)
429 v24.8/
430 keywords.py # 571 keywords (from CommonParsers.h APPLY_FOR_PARSER_KEYWORDS)
431 grammar_rules.py # 47 statement types
432 token_types.py # 52 token types (includes Spaceship <=>)
433 v23.3/
434 keywords.py # 462 keywords (from Parser*.cpp ParserKeyword("...") calls)
435 grammar_rules.py # 47 statement types (no QUALIFY/PASTE JOIN/MODIFY REFRESH)
436 token_types.py # 49 token types (no Spaceship/Caret/Ellipsis)
437 v22.3/
438 keywords.py # 422 keywords (from Parser*.cpp ParserKeyword("...") calls)
439 grammar_rules.py # 46 statement types (no UNDROP/INTERPOLATE/GROUP BY ALL/Named Collections)
440 token_types.py # 48 token types (no Spaceship/Caret/Ellipsis/PipeMark)
441scripts/
442 version_loader.py # Dynamic version module loader
443 ck_sql_tokenizer.py # Tokenizer (version-aware via init_version())
444 ck_sql_parser.py # Parser (version-aware via init_version())
445 ck_sql_checker.py # Check engine (version-aware)
446```
447
448To add a new ClickHouse version:
4491. Create `rules/v{version}/` directory
4502. Extract keywords, grammar_rules, token_types from that version's kernel source
4513. The skill automatically detects and supports the new version