databricks: support Lakehouse//RT, auto-detecting the SEA backend

.github/workflows/cli-release.yml

@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ jobs:
             VERSION='${{ github.ref_name }}'
           fi
 
-          go build -o rill \
+          go build -tags databricks_kernel -o rill \
             -mod=readonly \
             -ldflags="-s -w -X main.Version=${VERSION} -X main.Commit=${{ github.sha }} -X main.BuildDate=$(date +%FT%TZ)" \
             cli/main.go

.github/workflows/rill-cloud.yml

@@ -96,9 +96,9 @@ jobs:
           make runtime.examples.embed
 
           if [ ${RELEASE} == "true" ]; then
-            go build -o rill -mod=readonly -ldflags="-s -w -X main.Version=$(scripts/versiontag.sh) -X main.Commit=${GITHUB_SHA} -X main.BuildDate=$(date +%FT%T)" cli/main.go
+            go build -tags databricks_kernel -o rill -mod=readonly -ldflags="-s -w -X main.Version=$(scripts/versiontag.sh) -X main.Commit=${GITHUB_SHA} -X main.BuildDate=$(date +%FT%T)" cli/main.go
           else
-            go build -o rill -mod=readonly -ldflags="-s -w -X main.Commit=${GITHUB_SHA} -X main.BuildDate=$(date +%FT%T)" cli/main.go
+            go build -tags databricks_kernel -o rill -mod=readonly -ldflags="-s -w -X main.Commit=${GITHUB_SHA} -X main.BuildDate=$(date +%FT%T)" cli/main.go
           fi
 
           docker buildx build --platform linux/${{ matrix.arch }} -t ${IMAGE}:${GITHUB_SHA}-${{ matrix.arch }} . --push --provenance=false --sbom=false  

Makefile

@@ -4,11 +4,11 @@ all: cli
 .PHONE: cli-only
 cli-only:
 	go run scripts/embed_duckdb_ext/main.go
-	go build -o rill cli/main.go
+	go build -tags databricks_kernel -o rill cli/main.go
 
 .PHONY: cli
 cli: cli.prepare
-	go build -o rill cli/main.go 
+	go build -tags databricks_kernel -o rill cli/main.go
 
 .PHONY: cli.prepare
 cli.prepare: runtime.examples.embed

docs/docs/developers/build/connectors/data-source/databricks.mdx

@@ -56,6 +56,13 @@ catalog: "main"     # optional
 schema: "default"   # optional
 ```
 
+:::info Lakehouse//RT warehouses
+Lakehouse//RT (real-time) warehouses only support the Statement Execution API (SEA)
+protocol and reject the default Thrift protocol. Rill **auto-detects** this: if a
+warehouse rejects Thrift, the connector transparently switches to the SEA backend — no
+configuration needed. (You can also force it with `use_kernel: true`.) Ordinary DBSQL warehouses keep using Thrift.
+:::
+
 **Step 2: Add credentials to `.env`**
 
 ```bash

go.mod

@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/alicebob/miniredis v2.5.0+incompatible
 	github.com/anthropics/anthropic-sdk-go v1.19.0
 	github.com/apache/arrow-go/v18 v18.5.1
+	github.com/apache/arrow/go/v12 v12.0.1
 	github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go-v2 v1.41.5
 	github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go-v2/config v1.32.12
 	github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go-v2/credentials v1.19.12
@@ -37,7 +38,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/c2h5oh/datasize v0.0.0-20220606134207-859f65c6625b
 	github.com/confluentinc/confluent-kafka-go/v2 v2.2.0
 	github.com/coreos/go-oidc/v3 v3.17.0
-	github.com/databricks/databricks-sql-go v1.14.0
+	github.com/databricks/databricks-sql-go v1.15.1
 	github.com/dgraph-io/ristretto v0.1.1
 	github.com/docker/go-connections v0.6.0
 	github.com/duckdb/duckdb-go/v2 v2.10505.0
@@ -120,12 +121,12 @@ require (
 	go.uber.org/zap/exp v0.2.0
 	gocloud.dev v0.36.0
 	golang.org/x/exp v0.0.0-20260410095643-746e56fc9e2f
-	golang.org/x/net v0.57.0
+	golang.org/x/net v0.58.0
 	golang.org/x/oauth2 v0.36.0
 	golang.org/x/sync v0.22.0
 	golang.org/x/sys v0.47.0
 	golang.org/x/term v0.45.0
-	golang.org/x/text v0.40.0
+	golang.org/x/text v0.41.0
 	google.golang.org/api v0.230.0
 	google.golang.org/genai v1.44.0
 	google.golang.org/genproto/googleapis/api v0.0.0-20260526163538-3dc84a4a5aaa
@@ -140,9 +141,15 @@ require (
 )
 
 require (
-	github.com/apache/arrow/go/v12 v12.0.1 // indirect
 	github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go-v2/service/signin v1.0.8 // indirect
 	github.com/cenkalti/backoff/v5 v5.0.3 // indirect
+	github.com/databricks/databricks-sql-kernel-bindings/lib/darwin_amd64 v1.0.0 // indirect
+	github.com/databricks/databricks-sql-kernel-bindings/lib/darwin_arm64 v1.0.0 // indirect
+	github.com/databricks/databricks-sql-kernel-bindings/lib/linux_amd64 v1.0.0 // indirect
+	github.com/databricks/databricks-sql-kernel-bindings/lib/linux_arm v1.0.0 // indirect
+	github.com/databricks/databricks-sql-kernel-bindings/lib/linux_arm64 v1.0.0 // indirect
+	github.com/databricks/databricks-sql-kernel-bindings/lib/windows_amd64 v1.0.0 // indirect
+	github.com/databricks/databricks-sql-kernel-bindings/lib/windows_arm64 v1.0.0 // indirect
 	github.com/dnephin/pflag v1.0.7 // indirect
 	github.com/docker/compose/v5 v5.1.2 // indirect
 	github.com/duckdb/duckdb-go-bindings/lib/darwin-amd64 v0.10505.0 // indirect
@@ -419,11 +426,11 @@ require (
 	go.opentelemetry.io/proto/otlp v1.10.0 // indirect
 	go.uber.org/goleak v1.3.0 // indirect
 	go.yaml.in/yaml/v3 v3.0.4 // indirect
-	golang.org/x/crypto v0.54.0 // indirect
-	golang.org/x/mod v0.38.0 // indirect
-	golang.org/x/telemetry v0.0.0-20260708182218-49f421fb7959 // indirect
+	golang.org/x/crypto v0.55.0 // indirect
+	golang.org/x/mod v0.40.0 // indirect
+	golang.org/x/telemetry v0.0.0-20260811182544-a038080d80e5 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/time v0.14.0 // indirect
-	golang.org/x/tools v0.48.0 // indirect
+	golang.org/x/tools v0.49.0 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/xerrors v0.0.0-20240903120638-7835f813f4da // indirect
 	google.golang.org/genproto v0.0.0-20250303144028-a0af3efb3deb // indirect
 	google.golang.org/genproto/googleapis/rpc v0.0.0-20260523011958-0a33c5d7ca68 // indirect

go.sum

@@ -1131,8 +1131,22 @@ github.com/d2g/dhcp4server v0.0.0-20181031114812-7d4a0a7f59a5/go.mod h1:Eo87+Kg/
 github.com/d2g/hardwareaddr v0.0.0-20190221164911-e7d9fbe030e4/go.mod h1:bMl4RjIciD2oAxI7DmWRx6gbeqrkoLqv3MV0vzNad+I=
 github.com/danieljoos/wincred v1.2.3 h1:v7dZC2x32Ut3nEfRH+vhoZGvN72+dQ/snVXo/vMFLdQ=
 github.com/danieljoos/wincred v1.2.3/go.mod h1:6qqX0WNrS4RzPZ1tnroDzq9kY3fu1KwE7MRLQK4X0bs=
-github.com/databricks/databricks-sql-go v1.14.0 h1:pc6/WPEwKujCBlHbz/U2kVWou8BCvo2Hm3GJVsmyogU=
-github.com/databricks/databricks-sql-go v1.14.0/go.mod h1:knb3jMMEf7rYm+Hw0i6NFuYC12WX7jkSQNhuz/D5V1Q=
+github.com/databricks/databricks-sql-go v1.15.1 h1:KUP/x8+jUTPbki8ChB4dJySB4TLhuQFhqRf2SocqnJc=
+github.com/databricks/databricks-sql-go v1.15.1/go.mod h1:+aTNQK37V5esFw0jaMZPJ6GKveMcsnSNPCq3iRA3AOc=
+github.com/databricks/databricks-sql-kernel-bindings/lib/darwin_amd64 v1.0.0 h1:BJzNEXT61x2k2yOq/l6XxmyI/oaVDSwA+SdqG/oc2jM=
+github.com/databricks/databricks-sql-kernel-bindings/lib/darwin_amd64 v1.0.0/go.mod h1:ceyJVgJAbNmkwc/2YMUNGuw2gd8nHZwZhP2xpN84VBg=
+github.com/databricks/databricks-sql-kernel-bindings/lib/darwin_arm64 v1.0.0 h1:MWO7E0fFgSVvZLswQRYwtTchgklXWGDRWtAuxux//RE=
+github.com/databricks/databricks-sql-kernel-bindings/lib/darwin_arm64 v1.0.0/go.mod h1:Cr0N6/u4qDUvdbtqm4sVflN4ZXO8qdDcxEBhF5WB9PI=
+github.com/databricks/databricks-sql-kernel-bindings/lib/linux_amd64 v1.0.0 h1:bRmxDGVuV9UURuyY6Z+dSBFHqGASWucEKWcZWb5ftBY=
+github.com/databricks/databricks-sql-kernel-bindings/lib/linux_amd64 v1.0.0/go.mod h1:KqeZQ/C/GoKAqoGL97/KT3BwLoqsxgSl3qJjje1F7TU=
+github.com/databricks/databricks-sql-kernel-bindings/lib/linux_arm v1.0.0 h1:00FOtv6k45rJv/DPFlu94lRb4Bbx6TmzOdTS2nChLOI=
+github.com/databricks/databricks-sql-kernel-bindings/lib/linux_arm v1.0.0/go.mod h1:5/HsocwYCRUmO4sZKnLTBb/W+ItCdp3Z8lfssNdfqhM=
+github.com/databricks/databricks-sql-kernel-bindings/lib/linux_arm64 v1.0.0 h1:BAvQvVJTsavY2tlsELtDJiViDw16IuKd755nrsLndQQ=
+github.com/databricks/databricks-sql-kernel-bindings/lib/linux_arm64 v1.0.0/go.mod h1:/1vEJKUPnrWx566kI/Ifl00GrhSyp798Ztl6rjtymCI=
+github.com/databricks/databricks-sql-kernel-bindings/lib/windows_amd64 v1.0.0 h1:zRPyxXJRhzG9w1dYqdS5SMhxq8LF1H/tARhOHPpHHSE=
+github.com/databricks/databricks-sql-kernel-bindings/lib/windows_amd64 v1.0.0/go.mod h1:OaUVov84uK1IJz1gNk5TIoae0rj0vx+4N1qqRT88MdU=
+github.com/databricks/databricks-sql-kernel-bindings/lib/windows_arm64 v1.0.0 h1:Wb7PH5nuSCpPJNYORcomEGZ1jq1pIQaWMAY2puLFfeg=
+github.com/databricks/databricks-sql-kernel-bindings/lib/windows_arm64 v1.0.0/go.mod h1:Z8JD951Nk66P1J8hL6YhkyMp1YAnrRzxE2JMTYRblxc=
 github.com/davecgh/go-spew v1.1.0/go.mod h1:J7Y8YcW2NihsgmVo/mv3lAwl/skON4iLHjSsI+c5H38=
 github.com/davecgh/go-spew v1.1.1/go.mod h1:J7Y8YcW2NihsgmVo/mv3lAwl/skON4iLHjSsI+c5H38=
 github.com/davecgh/go-spew v1.1.2-0.20180830191138-d8f796af33cc h1:U9qPSI2PIWSS1VwoXQT9A3Wy9MM3WgvqSxFWenqJduM=
@@ -2632,8 +2646,8 @@ golang.org/x/crypto v0.0.0-20211108221036-ceb1ce70b4fa/go.mod h1:GvvjBRRGRdwPK5y
 golang.org/x/crypto v0.0.0-20220622213112-05595931fe9d/go.mod h1:IxCIyHEi3zRg3s0A5j5BB6A9Jmi73HwBIUl50j+osU4=
 golang.org/x/crypto v0.19.0/go.mod h1:Iy9bg/ha4yyC70EfRS8jz+B6ybOBKMaSxLj6P6oBDfU=
 golang.org/x/crypto v0.20.0/go.mod h1:Xwo95rrVNIoSMx9wa1JroENMToLWn3RNVrTBpLHgZPQ=
-golang.org/x/crypto v0.54.0 h1:YLIA59K4fiNzHzjnZt2tUJQjQtUWfWbeHBqKtk3eScw=
-golang.org/x/crypto v0.54.0/go.mod h1:KWL8ny2AZdGR2cWmzeHrp2azQPGogOv+HeQaVEXC2dk=
+golang.org/x/crypto v0.55.0 h1:+KWHjbgOaAQ66dh/YlkZKHlz9ZUlq61AFirAR9ntP8M=
+golang.org/x/crypto v0.55.0/go.mod h1:uq0V9dE/fzQuJtbnL+2EhWOE63vo164FY8xqEnV9xis=
 golang.org/x/exp v0.0.0-20180321215751-8460e604b9de/go.mod h1:CJ0aWSM057203Lf6IL+f9T1iT9GByDxfZKAQTCR3kQA=
 golang.org/x/exp v0.0.0-20180807140117-3d87b88a115f/go.mod h1:CJ0aWSM057203Lf6IL+f9T1iT9GByDxfZKAQTCR3kQA=
 golang.org/x/exp v0.0.0-20190121172915-509febef88a4/go.mod h1:CJ0aWSM057203Lf6IL+f9T1iT9GByDxfZKAQTCR3kQA=
@@ -2694,8 +2708,8 @@ golang.org/x/mod v0.5.1/go.mod h1:5OXOZSfqPIIbmVBIIKWRFfZjPR0E5r58TLhUjH0a2Ro=
 golang.org/x/mod v0.6.0-dev.0.20220419223038-86c51ed26bb4/go.mod h1:jJ57K6gSWd91VN4djpZkiMVwK6gcyfeH4XE8wZrZaV4=
 golang.org/x/mod v0.7.0/go.mod h1:iBbtSCu2XBx23ZKBPSOrRkjjQPZFPuis4dIYUhu/chs=
 golang.org/x/mod v0.8.0/go.mod h1:iBbtSCu2XBx23ZKBPSOrRkjjQPZFPuis4dIYUhu/chs=
-golang.org/x/mod v0.38.0 h1:MECBjubtXD7yj4HrhIUcywNaGeNVUdfVnxmPajOk4yk=
-golang.org/x/mod v0.38.0/go.mod h1:V6Xz0pq8TQ3dGqVQ1FVHuelZpAL0uNhSkk9ogYP3c40=
+golang.org/x/mod v0.40.0 h1:hUv+3cXcdRHz08UmSiOob7sadHig73uo5bkXxQ/tvUs=
+golang.org/x/mod v0.40.0/go.mod h1:0/weTWkPWGBikyTWAX3dkjVztMmBA5hM0DH6BElSupE=
 golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20180724234803-3673e40ba225/go.mod h1:mL1N/T3taQHkDXs73rZJwtUhF3w3ftmwwsq0BUmARs4=
 golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20180826012351-8a410e7b638d/go.mod h1:mL1N/T3taQHkDXs73rZJwtUhF3w3ftmwwsq0BUmARs4=
 golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20180906233101-161cd47e91fd/go.mod h1:mL1N/T3taQHkDXs73rZJwtUhF3w3ftmwwsq0BUmARs4=
@@ -2776,8 +2790,8 @@ golang.org/x/net v0.7.0/go.mod h1:2Tu9+aMcznHK/AK1HMvgo6xiTLG5rD5rZLDS+rp2Bjs=
 golang.org/x/net v0.8.0/go.mod h1:QVkue5JL9kW//ek3r6jTKnTFis1tRmNAW2P1shuFdJc=
 golang.org/x/net v0.10.0/go.mod h1:0qNGK6F8kojg2nk9dLZ2mShWaEBan6FAoqfSigmmuDg=
 golang.org/x/net v0.21.0/go.mod h1:bIjVDfnllIU7BJ2DNgfnXvpSvtn8VRwhlsaeUTyUS44=
-golang.org/x/net v0.57.0 h1:K5+3DljvIuDG9/Jv9rvyMywYNFCQ9RSUY6OOTTkT+tE=
-golang.org/x/net v0.57.0/go.mod h1:KpXc8iv+r3XplLAG/f7Jsf9RPszJzdR0f58q9vGOuEU=
+golang.org/x/net v0.58.0 h1:ynWG7rqYi4ccpTEuPZ2QGWHktVEM9DMCj9yzDE0Q7To=
+golang.org/x/net v0.58.0/go.mod h1:YwCddHnFlT7eLQqVprV19OnhLGtc5xOKgE0RyqgfWAU=
 golang.org/x/oauth2 v0.0.0-20180821212333-d2e6202438be/go.mod h1:N/0e6XlmueqKjAGxoOufVs8QHGRruUQn6yWY3a++T0U=
 golang.org/x/oauth2 v0.0.0-20190226205417-e64efc72b421/go.mod h1:gOpvHmFTYa4IltrdGE7lF6nIHvwfUNPOp7c8zoXwtLw=
 golang.org/x/oauth2 v0.0.0-20190604053449-0f29369cfe45/go.mod h1:gOpvHmFTYa4IltrdGE7lF6nIHvwfUNPOp7c8zoXwtLw=
@@ -2969,8 +2983,8 @@ golang.org/x/sys v0.8.0/go.mod h1:oPkhp1MJrh7nUepCBck5+mAzfO9JrbApNNgaTdGDITg=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.17.0/go.mod h1:/VUhepiaJMQUp4+oa/7Zr1D23ma6VTLIYjOOTFZPUcA=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.47.0 h1:o7XGOvZQCADBQQ4Y7VNq2dRWQR7JmOUW8Kxx4ZsNgWs=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.47.0/go.mod h1:4GL1E5IUh+htKOUEOaiffhrAeqysfVGipDYzABqnCmw=
-golang.org/x/telemetry v0.0.0-20260708182218-49f421fb7959 h1:RJhm5l6Fo4rmEIcndxDllNhhf/fAx8qIm4t6A7vpm2A=
-golang.org/x/telemetry v0.0.0-20260708182218-49f421fb7959/go.mod h1:LV7u5Oco+Z/g6XI7PqN+EUUUGGkEcmB1uj2ceI0fOVg=
+golang.org/x/telemetry v0.0.0-20260811182544-a038080d80e5 h1:ZUSxONxc981v7AW7QUg+I9WwZzSTTJ019ENBYr5pV/Q=
+golang.org/x/telemetry v0.0.0-20260811182544-a038080d80e5/go.mod h1:LVehoXe41cL5SCVQilsV7Gg6BNG+Js6P9PhSbYTIUkQ=
 golang.org/x/term v0.0.0-20201117132131-f5c789dd3221/go.mod h1:Nr5EML6q2oocZ2LXRh80K7BxOlk5/8JxuGnuhpl+muw=
 golang.org/x/term v0.0.0-20201126162022-7de9c90e9dd1/go.mod h1:bj7SfCRtBDWHUb9snDiAeCFNEtKQo2Wmx5Cou7ajbmo=
 golang.org/x/term v0.0.0-20210220032956-6a3ed077a48d/go.mod h1:bj7SfCRtBDWHUb9snDiAeCFNEtKQo2Wmx5Cou7ajbmo=
@@ -3002,8 +3016,8 @@ golang.org/x/text v0.7.0/go.mod h1:mrYo+phRRbMaCq/xk9113O4dZlRixOauAjOtrjsXDZ8=
 golang.org/x/text v0.8.0/go.mod h1:e1OnstbJyHTd6l/uOt8jFFHp6TRDWZR/bV3emEE/zU8=
 golang.org/x/text v0.9.0/go.mod h1:e1OnstbJyHTd6l/uOt8jFFHp6TRDWZR/bV3emEE/zU8=
 golang.org/x/text v0.14.0/go.mod h1:18ZOQIKpY8NJVqYksKHtTdi31H5itFRjB5/qKTNYzSU=
-golang.org/x/text v0.40.0 h1:Ub2Z6/xjgF1WrYQz2nuITOEegKFtiIy+rieRJ5lHZKs=
-golang.org/x/text v0.40.0/go.mod h1:hpnzDAfGV753zIKo+wk3u1bVKCGPbrnF7+7LBF/UHVY=
+golang.org/x/text v0.41.0 h1:vz/seA0lnX87Othu2f/0L24RcgrXD9/YFTSuGjj3rH8=
+golang.org/x/text v0.41.0/go.mod h1:jvf1O8ajNzZqhSrQBPbutR/EB83Cc0CFrezNQIwbb5M=
 golang.org/x/time v0.0.0-20180412165947-fbb02b2291d2/go.mod h1:tRJNPiyCQ0inRvYxbN9jk5I+vvW/OXSQhTDSoE431IQ=
 golang.org/x/time v0.0.0-20181108054448-85acf8d2951c/go.mod h1:tRJNPiyCQ0inRvYxbN9jk5I+vvW/OXSQhTDSoE431IQ=
 golang.org/x/time v0.0.0-20190308202827-9d24e82272b4/go.mod h1:tRJNPiyCQ0inRvYxbN9jk5I+vvW/OXSQhTDSoE431IQ=
@@ -3099,8 +3113,8 @@ golang.org/x/tools v0.1.11/go.mod h1:SgwaegtQh8clINPpECJMqnxLv9I09HLqnW3RMqW0CA4
 golang.org/x/tools v0.1.12/go.mod h1:hNGJHUnrk76NpqgfD5Aqm5Crs+Hm0VOH/i9J2+nxYbc=
 golang.org/x/tools v0.3.0/go.mod h1:/rWhSS2+zyEVwoJf8YAX6L2f0ntZ7Kn/mGgAWcipA5k=
 golang.org/x/tools v0.6.0/go.mod h1:Xwgl3UAJ/d3gWutnCtw505GrjyAbvKui8lOU390QaIU=
-golang.org/x/tools v0.48.0 h1:3+hClM1aLL5mjMKm5ovokw9epgRXPuu2tILgismM6RE=
-golang.org/x/tools v0.48.0/go.mod h1:08xX0orndb/F7jJxGDicx061tyd5pcMto75YMAXr6lk=
+golang.org/x/tools v0.49.0 h1:3NI7VXzL9+1WZD52Dx2ttoPwD5DWrFGpl9mFZDlmisI=
+golang.org/x/tools v0.49.0/go.mod h1:SJNXV9DBKT0UbdttsQjbfJlAE/q+y36++zo3uL3N0Oo=
 golang.org/x/xerrors v0.0.0-20190410155217-1f06c39b4373/go.mod h1:I/5z698sn9Ka8TeJc9MKroUUfqBBauWjQqLJ2OPfmY0=
 golang.org/x/xerrors v0.0.0-20190513163551-3ee3066db522/go.mod h1:I/5z698sn9Ka8TeJc9MKroUUfqBBauWjQqLJ2OPfmY0=
 golang.org/x/xerrors v0.0.0-20190717185122-a985d3407aa7/go.mod h1:I/5z698sn9Ka8TeJc9MKroUUfqBBauWjQqLJ2OPfmY0=

runtime/drivers/databricks/databricks.go

@@ -79,6 +79,13 @@ var spec = drivers.Spec{
 			Placeholder: "default",
 			Hint:        "Schema within the catalog (optional; defaults to the workspace default)",
 		},
+		{
+			Key:         "use_kernel",
+			Type:        drivers.BooleanPropertyType,
+			DisplayName: "Use SEA (Statement Execution API)",
+			Hint: "Force the SEA backend instead of Thrift. Lakehouse//RT warehouses are " +
+				"auto-detected and switched to SEA automatically, so this is usually unnecessary.",
+		},
 	},
 	ImplementsOLAP:      true,
 	ImplementsWarehouse: true,
@@ -94,6 +101,9 @@ type configProperties struct {
 	Catalog    string `mapstructure:"catalog"`
 	Schema     string `mapstructure:"schema"`
 	LogQueries bool   `mapstructure:"log_queries"`
+	// UseKernel forces the driver's SEA backend. Lakehouse//RT is auto-detected and
+	// switched to SEA even when this is false (see getDB), so it's an override.
+	UseKernel bool `mapstructure:"use_kernel"`
 }
 
 func (c *configProperties) validate() error {
@@ -124,10 +134,17 @@ func (c *configProperties) validate() error {
 
 func (c *configProperties) resolveDSN() string {
 	if c.DSN != "" {
+		if c.UseKernel {
+			return withUseKernel(c.DSN)
+		}
 		return c.DSN
 	}
 	params := url.Values{}
 	params.Set("timezone", "UTC")
+	// Opt in to the SEA backend (required for Lakehouse//RT); default is Thrift.
+	if c.UseKernel {
+		params.Set("useKernel", "true")
+	}
 	if c.Catalog != "" {
 		params.Set("catalog", c.Catalog)
 	}
@@ -145,6 +162,32 @@ func (c *configProperties) resolveDSN() string {
 	return u.String()
 }
 
+// withUseKernel forces useKernel=true on a resolved DSN, dropping any existing useKernel param.
+// It rewrites only the query part after the first '?' rather than using url.Parse,
+// because the driver also accepts scheme-less DSNs (token:...@host) which url.Parse misreads.
+func withUseKernel(dsn string) string {
+	base, query, hasQuery := strings.Cut(dsn, "?")
+	if !hasQuery || query == "" {
+		return base + "?useKernel=true"
+	}
+	parts := strings.Split(query, "&")
+	kept := parts[:0]
+	for _, p := range parts {
+		if strings.HasPrefix(p, "useKernel=") {
+			continue
+		}
+		kept = append(kept, p)
+	}
+	kept = append(kept, "useKernel=true")
+	return base + "?" + strings.Join(kept, "&")
+}
+
+// rtRequiresSEA reports whether err is a Lakehouse//RT warehouse rejecting the
+// Thrift protocol (the driver surfaces the server's message verbatim).
+func rtRequiresSEA(err error) bool {
+	return err != nil && strings.Contains(err.Error(), "not supported for Thrift protocol")
+}
+
 func (d driver) Open(_, instanceID string, config map[string]any, st *storage.Client, ac *activity.Client, logger *zap.Logger) (drivers.Handle, error) {
 	if instanceID == "" {
 		return nil, errors.New("databricks driver can't be shared")
@@ -187,6 +230,7 @@ type connection struct {
 	db    *sqlx.DB // lazily populated using getDB
 	dbErr error
 	dbMu  *semaphore.Weighted
+	dsn   string // set by backendDSN; carries useKernel=true when Lakehouse//RT was detected
 }
 
 // Ping implements drivers.Handle.
@@ -303,9 +347,49 @@ func (c *connection) getDB(ctx context.Context) (*sqlx.DB, error) {
 		return c.db, c.dbErr
 	}
 
-	c.db, c.dbErr = sqlx.Open("databricks", c.config.resolveDSN())
-	if c.dbErr != nil {
-		return nil, c.dbErr
+	dsn, err := c.backendDSN(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
 	}
+	c.db, c.dbErr = sqlx.Open("databricks", dsn)
 	return c.db, c.dbErr
 }
+
+// backendDSN returns the DSN to connect with, auto-detecting Lakehouse//RT on first call:
+// unless SEA was requested explicitly (use_kernel), it pings over Thrift and switches to SEA if the warehouse rejects it.
+// The probe pool is closed right away so callers that only need the DSN (QueryAsFiles) leave no connection open.
+// Other ping errors are cached in dbErr so callers queued behind dbMu do not each re-probe;
+// a cancelled or timed-out probe is not cached since the caller's ctx, not the warehouse, failed.
+// Caller must hold dbMu.
+func (c *connection) backendDSN(ctx context.Context) (string, error) {
+	if c.dbErr != nil {
+		return "", c.dbErr
+	}
+	if c.dsn != "" {
+		return c.dsn, nil
+	}
+
+	dsn := c.config.resolveDSN()
+	if !c.config.UseKernel {
+		probe, err := sqlx.Open("databricks", dsn)
+		if err != nil {
+			c.dbErr = err
+			return "", err
+		}
+		defer probe.Close()
+		err = probe.PingContext(ctx)
+		switch {
+		case rtRequiresSEA(err):
+			c.logger.Info("databricks: warehouse rejected Thrift (Lakehouse//RT); switching to the SEA backend")
+			dsn = withUseKernel(dsn)
+		case err != nil:
+			if ctx.Err() == nil {
+				c.dbErr = err
+			}
+			return "", err
+		}
+	}
+
+	c.dsn = dsn
+	return dsn, nil
+}