Mapping SQLite Result Columns Back to Their Source table.column
Simon Willison's Weblog6 hours agoTutorialSimon Willison explored how to programmatically map SQLite query result columns back to their source table and column names — a capability that would let Datasette enrich query results with contextual metadata. He tasked Claude Code (Opus 4.8) with finding solutions, which surfaced three approaches: using the apsw library, calling SQLite's sqlite3_column_table_name() C function via Python ctypes, and parsing EXPLAIN bytecode output. The research is published as a GitHub README and covers the tradeoffs of each technique.
Datasette 1.0a33 Adds JSON API Extras for Queries and Rows
Simon Willison's Weblog3 days agoReleaseSimon Willison announced Datasette 1.0a33, an alpha release that extends the existing ?_extra= JSON API pattern beyond tables to cover queries and rows. The feature is now documented and presented as a significant step toward Datasette 1.0. Willison also used Claude Fable 5 in Claude Code and GPT-5.5 xhigh in Codex Desktop to build a custom extras API explorer demonstrating the new capability.
datasette-agent 0.2a0 Released: Tools Can Ask Users Questions During Execution
Simon Willison's Weblog3 days agoReleasedatasette-agent 0.2a0 lets tools ask users questions during execution through ToolContext. Unanswered questions suspend the agent turn, render as chat UI forms, and persist across server restarts. A new save_query tool can store agent-written SQL as a Datasette saved query, but only after explicit human approval.
datasette-agent-edit 0.1a0
Simon Willison's Weblog6 days agoReleaseSimon Willison released datasette-agent-edit 0.1a0 as a base plugin for Datasette Agent. It is intended to support future plugins that edit existing text, including collaborative Markdown, large SQL queries, and SVG files. The design follows Claude’s text editor tool pattern, exposing view, str_replace, and insert primitives so other plugins can reuse a stricter editing workflow.
datasette-agent-micropython 0.1a0
Simon Willison's Weblog11 days agoReleaseSimon Willison released datasette-agent-micropython 0.1a0, an alpha aimed at letting Datasette Agent generate and execute Python safely. The project focuses on sandboxing, with MicroPython and WebAssembly-related techniques suggested by the tags. Willison says the early results look promising and that GPT-5.5 has not yet escaped the sandbox, though this remains an early alpha.
micropython-wasm 0.1a1
Simon Willison's Weblog11 days agoReleaseSimon Willison released micropython-wasm 0.1a1, a small update connected to Python, sandboxing, and WebAssembly. The release fixes limitations that appeared while he was trying to use it to build datasette-agent-micropython. The post does not list detailed changes, so this should be read as an early usability and compatibility improvement rather than a major feature launch.
May 2026 Newsletter
Simon Willison's Weblog13 days agoCommentarySimon Willison sent the May 2026 edition of his sponsors-only monthly newsletter. Topics include rising AI costs, Anthropic's strong month, and somewhat disappointing model releases. The issue also covers conferences, podcasts, the launch of Datasette Agent, progress on Datasette, tools he is using, and miscellaneous extras. An April issue is available as a public preview.
datasette 1.0a32
Simon Willison's Weblog13 days agoReleasedatasette 1.0a32 is a minor bugfix release rather than a feature update. It fixes an issue with `INSERT ... RETURNING` queries executed through the new `/db/-/execute-write` endpoint. The release also addresses several `base_url` issues discovered while experimenting with Service Workers.
Datasette 1.0a30 Released with Extensible "Jump to" Menu
Simon Willison's Weblog20 days agoReleaseDatasette 1.0a30 has been released, featuring a new customizable "Jump to..." menu accessible via the "/" shortcut. The menu allows users to quickly filter and navigate to databases, tables, and debug options. Developers can extend this menu with custom items using the new jump_items_sql() plugin hook.
datasette-agent 0.1a4: Start Agent Chats Instantly via the "/" Jump Menu
Simon Willison's Weblog20 days agoNew ToolSimon Willison released datasette-agent 0.1a4, leveraging the new makeJumpSections() JS plugin hook in Datasette 1.0a30. Users can now press "/" from any page to open the "Jump to" menu and instantly access a "Start a new agent chat" input box. This update streamlines database interactions, allowing users to trigger agent-led data analysis seamlessly.
datasette-fixtures 0.1a0 Released
Simon Willison's Weblog20 days agoReleaseSimon Willison announced the release of datasette-fixtures 0.1a0, a new plugin designed to simplify plugin testing. It utilizes the new `datasette.fixtures.populate_fixture_database(conn)` helper introduced in Datasette 1.0a30. Developers can quickly test this functionality using `uvx` to generate mock database tables and retrieve sample JSON data without a full manual installation.
datasette-agent-charts 0.1a2 發布：可在生成的圖表下方查看 SQL 查詢語句
Simon Willison's Weblog24 days agoReleaseSimon Willison, the founder of the well-known open-source data analysis tool Datasette, has recently released the latest alpha version of…
datasette-agent 0.1a3 版本發布：優化 SQL 查詢檢視與截斷回應處理
Simon Willison's Weblog24 days agoReleaseSimon Willison's open-source AI assistant tool for Datasette, `datasette-agent`, has recently released version 0.1a3 in alpha. Datasette is an open-source…
datasette-agent-charts 0.1a1 發布：更豐富的色彩、互動式工具提示與權限檢查
Simon Willison's Weblog25 days agoReleaseSimon Willison has released the 0.1a1 early alpha version of datasette-agent-charts for his Datasette ecosystem. This plugin is designed to make it easier for…
Datasette 插件 datasette-llm-accountant 發布 0.1a4 版本，修正回應鏈追蹤錯誤
Simon Willison's Weblog25 days agoReleaseSimon Willison, the creator of the well-known open-source data analysis tool Datasette, today released version 0.1a4 of the ecosystem plugin…
Datasette 插件 datasette-llm 發布 0.1a8 版本，修復 Prompt 上下文鏈收集 Bug
Simon Willison's Weblog25 days agoReleaseThe Datasette plugin `datasette-llm`, maintained by well-known open-source developer Simon Willison, has released version 0.1a8 today. Datasette is an…
datasette-llm-limits 0.1a0 發布：為 Datasette 內建 LLM 查詢設定消費額度上限
Simon Willison's Weblog30 days agoReleaseSimon Willison recently released the first alpha version (0.1a0) of a new Datasette plugin, `datasette-llm-limits`. This plugin is designed to address the…
datasette-agent 發布 0.1a1 版本：改進資料表權限控制
Simon Willison's Weblog30 days agoReleaseSimon Willison has released version 0.1a1 — the latest early alpha — of `datasette-agent`, an AI agent plugin for his well-known open-source data exploration…
datasette-ip-rate-limit 0.1a0：Simon Willison 藉 GPT-5.5 打造的 Datasette 防爬蟲速率限制外掛
Simon Willison's Weblog31 days agoReleaseSimon Willison, the creator of the well-known open-source data analysis tool Datasette, recently released version 0.1a0 of a brand-new plugin called…