oxmysql for FiveM: what it is, common mistakes and the AI skill

oxmysql is the database library for FiveM that replaced mysql-async and ghmattimysql. It runs on the server only, talks to MySQL or MariaDB, and exposes a small Lua API under the MySQL global. If your resource stores anything (player data, vehicles, inventories, logs), this is the layer you write against. The SKILL.md recommends MariaDB over MySQL 8 for compatibility.

Quick reference

In Lua, add .await to get the result inline, or pass a callback as the last argument. Parameters always go through ? placeholders.

Call	Returns
MySQL.query.await(sql, params)	Rows for a SELECT, otherwise insertId or affectedRows
MySQL.single.await(sql, params)	One row, or nil
MySQL.scalar.await(sql, params)	One value from one column of one row
MySQL.insert.await(sql, params)	The new insert id
MySQL.update.await(sql, params)	The affected row count
MySQL.prepare.await(sql, params)	Prepared statement, ? placeholders only
MySQL.transaction.await(queries)	Several queries that succeed or fail together

Manifest line, above your other server scripts: server_script '@oxmysql/lib/MySQL.lua'. Server side only.

What oxmysql gives you

Setup is one line in fxmanifest.lua, placed above your other server scripts: server_script '@oxmysql/lib/MySQL.lua'. After that, the MySQL table is available in every server script of the resource.

• MySQL.query and MySQL.query.await: run any statement. A SELECT returns rows, other statements return insertId or affectedRows.
• MySQL.insert: insert a row and get the new insert id back.
• MySQL.update: update rows and get the affected count.
• MySQL.single: one row or nil, the right call for "load this player".
• MySQL.scalar: one value from one row and one column, for counts and balances.
• MySQL.prepare: prepared statements with ? placeholders only, faster when you run the same query many times.
• MySQL.rawExecute: raw execution with no automatic result shape.
• MySQL.transaction: several queries that succeed or fail together.

Every function takes parameters through ? placeholders. Values never go into the SQL string. The reference is at coxdocs.dev/oxmysql.

Common mistakes with oxmysql

• Using the mysql-async API. MySQL.Sync.fetchAll and MySQL.Async.execute come from a library that is no longer maintained. In new code they either fail or depend on a compatibility layer you do not control. Use MySQL.query.await, MySQL.insert and the rest of the oxmysql API.
• Calling MySQL from a client script. The library is server only. A client has no database access and no MySQL global. Put the query in a server script and hand the result to the client through an event or a callback.
• Concatenating values into SQL. 'SELECT * FROM users WHERE identifier = "' .. identifier .. '"' is an injection waiting to happen. Write MySQL.single.await('SELECT * FROM users WHERE identifier = ?', { identifier }).
• Awaiting one query per row in a loop. Saving 300 vehicles with MySQL.update.await inside a for loop means 300 round trips. Batch the work into one statement where you can, or wrap the set in MySQL.transaction.
• Forgetting the lib line in the manifest. The symptom is "attempt to index a nil value (global 'MySQL')" on the first query. Add server_script '@oxmysql/lib/MySQL.lua' before your other server scripts.

Why AI assistants get oxmysql wrong

Generic assistants have read a decade of FiveM scripts, and most of that code uses mysql-async. Ask for "save the player's money" and you get MySQL.Async.execute with the value concatenated into the string, sometimes inside a client file. It runs nowhere, or worse, it runs and leaves the server open to injection.

The oxmysql skill gives the assistant one rule file per function: placeholders.md, query.md, insert.md, prepare.md, update.md, single.md, scalar.md, rawExecute.md and transaction.md. Each one states what the function returns and how parameters are passed. The assistant reads the rule that matches your request and writes code that uses the real API on the right side of the network.

To see how a skill compares with other FiveM AI setups, read our comparison.

Install the oxmysql skill in 30 seconds

1. Click "Download SKILL.md" at the top of this page.
2. Unzip it into the skills or rules folder of your AI tool. The install section below shows the exact path for Claude Code, Cursor and VS Code.
3. Ask the assistant for something concrete, like "load a player's bank balance by identifier", and check that it uses MySQL.scalar.await with a ? placeholder in a server script.