Widen - Native macOS Postgres GUI with Text-to-SQL

TL;DR

TL;DR: Widen is a free, open-source native macOS Postgres GUI that drafts SQL from English questions using a cloud LLM or Apple’s on-device Foundation Model, shows you the SQL before it runs, and never auto-executes writes.

Source and Accuracy Notes

⚠️ This section is MANDATORY. All links must be verified from actual source, not guessed.

• Project page: widen.dev ← visited and verified
• Source repository: github.com/betocmn/widen ← read README end-to-end
• License: MIT ← verified from README [![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-MIT-yellow.svg)](LICENSE)
• HN launch thread: news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49117989
• Source last checked: 2026-08-01 (commit main, README v1.0)

What Is Widen?

Widen is an open-source, native Postgres GUI for macOS 14 and later. It reads your database schema and can draft SQL from a plain-English question using either:

• Cloud mode (default): calls a provider you configure in Settings. Fresh installs default to OpenRouter with the fixed openai/gpt-5.5 profile — you supply the OpenRouter API key.
• Local mode: uses Apple’s on-device Foundation Model on eligible macOS 26+ Apple Silicon Macs with Apple Intelligence enabled.

The key design principle is review before run. Every drafted SQL statement — whether typed manually or generated by the model — goes through the same deterministic safety validator before execution. Widen never auto-runs writes, and prompts for confirmation on DELETE or UPDATE without a WHERE clause.

Setup Workflow

Prerequisites

| Requirement | Notes | |---|---| | macOS 14 or later | Required to install and launch Widen | | Apple Silicon | Required only for the optional on-device Foundation Model | | Apple Intelligence | Required only for local AI generation | | PostgreSQL | Widen is Postgres-only today. Postgres.app works well for local testing | | OpenRouter API key | Required only for cloud text-to-SQL mode |

Install Widen

Download the latest signed and notarized DMG:

open "https://github.com/betocmn/widen/releases/latest/download/Widen.dmg"

Open Widen.dmg, drag Widen into Applications, and launch it. Sparkle updates are served from GitHub Releases.

Build from Source

Building from source requires Xcode 26:

git clone https://github.com/betocmn/widen
cd widen
make project   # regenerate Widen.xcodeproj from project.yml
make build     # build the app (Debug)
make run       # build and launch Widen.app

If your Xcode 26 lives somewhere other than /Applications/Xcode-26.app, override the path:

make build DEVELOPER_DIR=/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer

Set Up a Sample Database

With Postgres.app running on localhost:5432:

createdb widen_test
psql -d widen_test -f scripts/sample_db.sql

If psql is not on your PATH, use the bundled one: /Applications/Postgres.app/Contents/Versions/17/bin/psql

Connect to Postgres

On first launch, click Add Database to open Settings › Databases. For a default Postgres.app setup:

• Host: localhost
• Port: 5432
• Database: widen_test
• Username: your macOS username
• Password: empty (Postgres.app uses trust auth locally)
• SSL mode: Disabled

Configure Cloud Text-to-SQL

1. Open Settings › Providers
2. Add your OpenRouter API key
3. Select the model profile (fresh installs default to openai/gpt-5.5)

For local AI (macOS 26+ Apple Silicon):

1. Open Settings › Providers
2. Enable local mode
3. Ensure Apple Intelligence is turned on in System Settings

How a Query Runs

1. Compose — type a plain-English question into the composer, or write raw SQL directly (SELECT/WITH reads and SQL-shaped INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE writes skip the model entirely)
2. Draft — for questions, Widen sends the open schema’s allowed tables, columns, types, and foreign keys plus the safety rules to the selected backend, and receives structured output: SQL, explanation, assumptions, referenced tables, confidence, and risk level
3. Review — the SQL appears as a dashed card, validated deterministically before anything runs. Only one read or write statement is allowed per query; no semicolons, DDL, transaction keywords, pg_sleep, dblink, or large-object calls
4. Run — reads execute in a BEGIN READ ONLY transaction; writes in a normal transaction with SET LOCAL statement_timeout (default 10 seconds). Read queries without a LIMIT are wrapped in a subquery with your default row limit (default 100 rows)
5. Results — first 10 rows display in a table card; “View more” shows the rest. Every run is recorded in the transcript

Keyboard shortcuts: Enter submits the composer; Option+Enter adds a newline; Cmd+Enter runs the active SQL; Cmd+N starts a new session; Cmd+R refreshes the active database schema; Cmd+, opens Settings.

Safety Architecture

Widen enforces two layers of defense:

App-level guardrails (deterministic SQL validator):

• One statement only
• SELECT/WITH reads, or explicit INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE writes
• No DDL, transaction keywords, semicolon chains, pg_sleep, dblink, or large-object calls
• Statement timeouts and row caps apply at execution time

Database-level defense (recommended complement):

• Connect with a read-only Postgres user for analytical queries
• Database permissions are the real boundary — app-level guardrails are useful but not a substitute

Non-secret connection settings are stored in ~/Library/Application Support/Widen/connections.json; passwords are stored in the macOS Keychain (service Widen).

Why Text-to-SQL Is Beta

The README is unusually candid about this. Text-to-SQL ships behind a hard release gate:

• 60 pinned-model gate results
• At least 90% end-to-end semantic pass rate
• 100% safety validity
• 100% schema validity
• 100% clarification decision accuracy
• At least 95% transport reliability
• Zero repeated-repair failures

The gate currently fails on semantic pass rate. Until it passes, the README instructs authors to not describe text-to-SQL as production-ready. Negative results (failed gate experiments) are documented publicly in docs/evals/.

Known Limitations

• PostgreSQL only — no MySQL, SQLite, or other databases
• Early MVP — not full DataGrip, TablePlus, or Postico feature parity
• Cloud text-to-SQL beta: requires your own OpenRouter API key; model selection is pinned to the evaluated version and not user-configurable
• Local AI requires macOS 26+ Apple Silicon hardware with Apple Intelligence; large schemas are truncated whole-table-at-a-time
• Results rendered as text values; typed grid behavior is still limited
• Export: CSV only
• No SQL syntax highlighting yet
• Query results are not persisted across restarts (transcripts, SQL, and generation metadata are)

Comparison

| Feature | Widen | TablePlus | Postico | DataGrip | |---|---|---|---|---| | Native macOS | yes | yes | yes | no (Electron) | | Text-to-SQL | yes (beta) | no | no | no | | Local AI (on-device) | yes (macOS 26+) | no | no | no | | Open source | yes (MIT) | no | no | no | | No account/backend | yes | no | no | no | | Price | free | $89/lifetime | $49 | $199/year |

FAQ

Q: Does Widen work without an internet connection?

A: Yes for manual SQL editing and schema browsing. Cloud text-to-SQL requires an internet connection; local AI mode (macOS 26+ Apple Silicon) works fully offline.

Q: Is my data sent to Widen’s servers?

A: No. Widen has no backend, no account, and no analytics out of the box. Cloud text-to-SQL sends your question and schema metadata to the provider you configure (default: OpenRouter). Local AI mode keeps everything on your Mac.

Q: Can Widen auto-run writes?

A: No. Writes are never auto-run. DELETE or UPDATE without a WHERE clause prompts for explicit confirmation first.

Q: What Postgres providers does Widen support?

A: Widen is Postgres-only. Any Postgres host (local via Postgres.app, Supabase, Railway, Neon, etc.) works as long as you have the connection details.

Q: How does local AI mode work on macOS?

A: On eligible macOS 26+ Apple Silicon Macs with Apple Intelligence enabled, Widen uses Apple’s on-device Foundation Model. Very large schemas are truncated whole-table-at-a-time before prompting due to the model’s context window.

Conclusion

Widen fills a specific niche: a free, native, no-account macOS Postgres GUI with optional text-to-SQL that keeps you in control of every query. Its clearest differentiator is the combination of local AI on Apple Silicon and an honest beta label on the text-to-SQL feature — the authors document their own failure criteria rather than overselling. If you want a lightweight Postgres workbench that happens to have AI-assisted querying and you’re on a Mac, it is worth trying. For full feature parity with TablePlus or DataGrip, check back after a few more releases.

widen.dev · GitHub · HN Discussion