diff --git a/extensions/ql-vscode/src/databases/config/db-config-store.ts b/extensions/ql-vscode/src/databases/config/db-config-store.ts
index d146997cb49..fdac16945a4 100644
--- a/extensions/ql-vscode/src/databases/config/db-config-store.ts
+++ b/extensions/ql-vscode/src/databases/config/db-config-store.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { pathExists, writeJSON, readJSON, readJSONSync } from "fs-extra";
 import { join } from "path";
-import { cloneDbConfig, DbConfig } from "./db-config";
+import { cloneDbConfig, DbConfig, SelectedDbItem } from "./db-config";
 import * as chokidar from "chokidar";
 import { DisposableObject, DisposeHandler } from "../../pure/disposable-object";
 import { DbConfigValidator } from "./db-config-validator";
@@ -56,11 +56,31 @@ export class DbConfigStore extends DisposableObject {
     return this.configPath;
   }
 
+  public async setSelectedDbItem(dbItem: SelectedDbItem): Promise<void> {
+    if (!this.config) {
+      // If the app is trying to set the selected item without a config
+      // being set it means that there is a bug in our code, so we throw
+      // an error instead of just returning an error result.
+      throw Error("Cannot select database item if config is not loaded");
+    }
+
+    const config: DbConfig = {
+      ...this.config,
+      selected: dbItem,
+    };
+
+    await this.writeConfig(config);
+  }
+
+  private async writeConfig(config: DbConfig): Promise<void> {
+    await writeJSON(this.configPath, config, {
+      spaces: 2,
+    });
+  }
+
   private async loadConfig(): Promise<void> {
     if (!(await pathExists(this.configPath))) {
-      await writeJSON(this.configPath, this.createEmptyConfig(), {
-        spaces: 2,
-      });
+      await this.writeConfig(this.createEmptyConfig());
     }
 
     await this.readConfig();
diff --git a/extensions/ql-vscode/src/databases/db-item-selection.ts b/extensions/ql-vscode/src/databases/db-item-selection.ts
index 9ddc9bdc8ac..d4960ad37fa 100644
--- a/extensions/ql-vscode/src/databases/db-item-selection.ts
+++ b/extensions/ql-vscode/src/databases/db-item-selection.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { DbItem, DbItemKind, LocalDbItem, RemoteDbItem } from "./db-item";
+import { SelectedDbItem, SelectedDbItemKind } from "./config/db-config";
 
 export function getSelectedDbItem(dbItems: DbItem[]): DbItem | undefined {
   for (const dbItem of dbItems) {
@@ -42,3 +43,52 @@ function extractSelected(
   }
   return undefined;
 }
+
+export function mapDbItemToSelectedDbItem(
+  dbItem: DbItem,
+): SelectedDbItem | undefined {
+  switch (dbItem.kind) {
+    case DbItemKind.RootLocal:
+    case DbItemKind.RootRemote:
+      // Root items are not selectable.
+      return undefined;
+
+    case DbItemKind.LocalList:
+      return {
+        kind: SelectedDbItemKind.LocalUserDefinedList,
+        listName: dbItem.listName,
+      };
+
+    case DbItemKind.RemoteUserDefinedList:
+      return {
+        kind: SelectedDbItemKind.RemoteUserDefinedList,
+        listName: dbItem.listName,
+      };
+
+    case DbItemKind.RemoteSystemDefinedList:
+      return {
+        kind: SelectedDbItemKind.RemoteSystemDefinedList,
+        listName: dbItem.listName,
+      };
+
+    case DbItemKind.RemoteOwner:
+      return {
+        kind: SelectedDbItemKind.RemoteOwner,
+        ownerName: dbItem.ownerName,
+      };
+
+    case DbItemKind.LocalDatabase:
+      return {
+        kind: SelectedDbItemKind.LocalDatabase,
+        listName: dbItem?.parentListName,
+        databaseName: dbItem.databaseName,
+      };
+
+    case DbItemKind.RemoteRepo:
+      return {
+        kind: SelectedDbItemKind.RemoteRepository,
+        listName: dbItem?.parentListName,
+        repositoryName: dbItem.repoFullName,
+      };
+  }
+}
diff --git a/extensions/ql-vscode/src/databases/db-manager.ts b/extensions/ql-vscode/src/databases/db-manager.ts
index a4d499a82fc..3e715f6303a 100644
--- a/extensions/ql-vscode/src/databases/db-manager.ts
+++ b/extensions/ql-vscode/src/databases/db-manager.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,10 @@ import { AppEvent, AppEventEmitter } from "../common/events";
 import { ValueResult } from "../common/value-result";
 import { DbConfigStore } from "./config/db-config-store";
 import { DbItem } from "./db-item";
-import { getSelectedDbItem } from "./db-item-selection";
+import {
+  getSelectedDbItem,
+  mapDbItemToSelectedDbItem,
+} from "./db-item-selection";
 import { createLocalTree, createRemoteTree } from "./db-tree-creator";
 
 export class DbManager {
@@ -44,4 +47,11 @@ export class DbManager {
   public getConfigPath(): string {
     return this.dbConfigStore.getConfigPath();
   }
+
+  public async setSelectedDbItem(dbItem: DbItem): Promise<void> {
+    const selectedDbItem = mapDbItemToSelectedDbItem(dbItem);
+    if (selectedDbItem) {
+      await this.dbConfigStore.setSelectedDbItem(selectedDbItem);
+    }
+  }
 }