MinusX – AI Analyst for Your Metabase Dashboards

TL;DR

TL;DR: MinusX is an open-source AI analyst Chrome extension (MIT) that slots into your existing Metabase instance, letting you ask business questions in plain English and get answers backed by your actual dashboard context and custom metrics.

Source and Accuracy Notes

• Project page: minusx.ai
• Source repository: github.com/minusxai/minusx-metabase
• License: MIT (verified via GitHub API license.spdx_id)
• HN launch thread: news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41301448 (96 points, YC S24)
• Stars: 349 (as of 2026-07-20, verified via GitHub REST API)
• Source last checked: 2026-07-20

What Is MinusX?

MinusX is an AI Data Analyst you add to Metabase as a Chrome extension. Instead of writing SQL or navigating dashboards manually, you type a business question in plain English and MinusX reads your Metabase context — existing dashboards, saved questions, custom metrics, and dimensions — to produce a reliable answer.

The product launched on Hacker News in YC Batch S24 and is actively maintained by the minusxai GitHub organization. The core plugin is open source under the MIT license.

Key claims from the README:

“MinusX adds an AI side-chat to your Metabase. When given an instruction, MinusX uses your business context already inside Metabase to reliably answer questions including your previous queries and (if you ask from a Dashboard page), the current dashboard context.”

Features

• Plain English queries — ask follow-up questions naturally without SQL
• Dashboard-aware context — reads the current dashboard page and its cards as context
• Custom metric support — incorporates custom dimensions, metrics, and sub-queries from Metabase Data Catalogs
• Chrome extension — no server-side changes required for the basic plugin
• Playground mode — try it at minusx.ai/playground without installing Metabase
• Self-hosted — runs as a Metabase plugin; your data stays in your Metabase instance

Setup Workflow

Prerequisites

• Metabase instance (self-hosted or cloud)
• Google Chrome browser
• A MinusX account (free tier available)

Step 1: Install the Chrome Extension

Install the MinusX Chrome extension from the Chrome Web Store or directly at minusx.ai/chrome-extension.

Step 2: Connect to Your Metabase

1. Open Metabase in Chrome and click the MinusX extension icon in the toolbar.
2. Authenticate with your MinusX account.
3. Point MinusX to your Metabase instance URL.
4. Grant the extension access to your Metabase session.

Step 3: Start Asking Questions

Navigate to any Metabase dashboard or question, then open the MinusX side-chat. Type your business question and MinusX will read the surrounding dashboard context to formulate an answer using your actual data.

How It Works Under the Hood

MinusX reads the Metabase session and dashboard metadata to understand what data is available. It then passes that context to an LLM (configurable backend) to generate SQL or interpret the existing query structure. The key differentiator is the Data Catalog feature — you can pre-register custom metrics, calculated dimensions, and sub-query definitions so the model has full visibility into your business logic, not just raw table schemas.

The extension itself is a Chrome browser extension. The Metabase plugin code lives at github.com/minusxai/minusx-metabase if you want to self-host or contribute.

Self-Hosted Option

For teams that want full control, the minusx-metabase plugin can be deployed alongside your existing Metabase instance. See the setup guide in the repo for configuration details.

Practical Evaluation Checklist

• [ ] Works with self-hosted Metabase (no cloud dependency for data)
• [ ] Plain English query returns correct data from existing dashboards
• [ ] Follow-up questions maintain context across the conversation
• [ ] Custom metrics from Data Catalogs are recognized by the model
• [ ] Chrome extension works on both Chromium-based browsers
• [ ] No SQL knowledge required for day-to-day ad-hoc queries

Security Notes

• The extension reads Metabase session data and dashboard metadata — it does not autonomously execute writes to your database by default.
• Your data stays within your Metabase instance; MinusX acts as a query interface layer.
• Review the Metabase permissions model before granting broad access to the extension.
• The open-source plugin code can be audited at github.com/minusxai/minusx-metabase.

FAQ

Q: Does MinusX work with Metabase Cloud? A: Yes — the Chrome extension connects to any Metabase instance via URL, including Metabase Cloud deployments.

Q: Is there a free tier? A: Yes. A free plan is available at minusx.ai/pricing with usage limits. See the pricing page for current tiers.

Q: What LLMs does MinusX use? A: MinusX is model-agnostic on the backend. The specific model used can be configured in the extension settings. Check the docs at docs.minusx.ai for current defaults.

Q: Can I self-host the full MinusX stack? A: The Metabase plugin (minusx-metabase) is open source and self-hostable. The extension itself is a Chrome extension distributed via the Chrome Web Store. Full self-hosted deployment details are in the repo’s setup.md.

Q: How does MinusX handle wrong answers or hallucinations? A: MinusX uses the Data Catalog feature to constrain the model’s view of your data schema. You can also review the generated SQL before it executes. Always validate against your actual dashboard numbers for critical decisions.

Conclusion

MinusX solves the “I know my data is in Metabase but I can’t figure out the right SQL” problem by putting a natural-language layer on top of your existing dashboards. For small teams without a dedicated data analyst, or for non-technical stakeholders who need ad-hoc answers, it removes the SQL bottleneck without requiring a full BI overhaul.

The MIT-licensed Chrome extension approach means you can try it today with zero infrastructure changes. If your team already uses Metabase, MinusX is worth a look — especially given the YC S24 backing and active open-source development.

Try the playground at minusx.ai/playground before committing to an install.