diff --git a/docs/sql/README.rst b/docs/sql/README.rst
index 849e4f1c..08d75c8c 100644
--- a/docs/sql/README.rst
+++ b/docs/sql/README.rst
@@ -12,14 +12,9 @@ MySQL Installation
 
 On your Cowrie server, run::
 
-    $ sudo apt-get install libmysqlclient-dev python-mysqldb
     $ su - cowrie
     $ source cowrie/cowrie-env/bin/activate
-    $ pip install mysqlclient
-
-Previously MySQL-python was used. Only if you run into isses with mysqlclient, try this instead::
-
-    $ pip install MySQL-python
+    $ pip install mysql-connector-python
 
 MySQL Configuration
 ===================
diff --git a/requirements-output.txt b/requirements-output.txt
index e3dc667b..4610dd06 100644
--- a/requirements-output.txt
+++ b/requirements-output.txt
@@ -12,9 +12,7 @@ elasticsearch==7.12.0
 hpfeeds3==0.9.10
 
 # mysql
-# If this fails, see documentation /home/cowrie/cowrie/docs/sql/README.md
-# There are two options, mysqlclient is newer and provides Python3 support.
-mysqlclient==2.0.3
+mysql-connector-python==8.0.25
 
 # mongodb
 pymongo==3.11.3
diff --git a/src/cowrie/output/mysql.py b/src/cowrie/output/mysql.py
index dfabbc2b..b6439b0f 100644
--- a/src/cowrie/output/mysql.py
+++ b/src/cowrie/output/mysql.py
@@ -2,9 +2,6 @@
 MySQL output connector. Writes audit logs to MySQL database
 """
 
-
-import MySQLdb
-
 from twisted.enterprise import adbapi
 from twisted.internet import defer
 from twisted.python import log
@@ -12,6 +9,9 @@ from twisted.python import log
 import cowrie.core.output
 from cowrie.core.config import CowrieConfig
 
+# For exceptions: https://dev.mysql.com/doc/connector-python/en/connector-python-api-errors-error.html
+import mysql.connector
+
 
 class ReconnectingConnectionPool(adbapi.ConnectionPool):
     """
@@ -22,6 +22,11 @@ class ReconnectingConnectionPool(adbapi.ConnectionPool):
     by checking exceptions by error code and only disconnecting the current
     connection instead of all of them.
 
+     CR_CONN_HOST_ERROR: 2003: Cant connect to MySQL server on server (10061)
+     CR_SERVER_GONE_ERROR: 2006: MySQL server has gone away
+     CR_SERVER_LOST 2013: Lost connection to MySQL server
+     ER_LOCK_DEADLOCK 1213: Deadlock found when trying to get lock)
+
     Also see:
     http://twistedmatrix.com/pipermail/twisted-python/2009-July/020007.html
     """
@@ -29,10 +34,17 @@ class ReconnectingConnectionPool(adbapi.ConnectionPool):
     def _runInteraction(self, interaction, *args, **kw):
         try:
             return adbapi.ConnectionPool._runInteraction(self, interaction, *args, **kw)
-        except (MySQLdb.OperationalError, MySQLdb._exceptions.OperationalError) as e:
-            if e.args[0] not in (2003, 2006, 2013):
+        except mysql.connector.Error as e:
+            # except (MySQLdb.OperationalError, MySQLdb._exceptions.OperationalError) as e:
+            if e.errno not in (
+                mysql.connector.errorcode.CR_CONN_HOST_ERROR,
+                mysql.connector.errorcode.CR_SERVER_GONE_ERROR,
+                mysql.connector.errorcode.CR_SERVER_LOST,
+                mysql.connector.errorcode.ER_LOCK_DEADLOCK,
+            ):
                 raise e
-            log.msg(f"RCP: got error {e}, retrying operation")
+
+            log.msg(f"output_mysql: got error {e!r}, retrying operation")
             conn = self.connections.get(self.threadID())
             self.disconnect(conn)
             # Try the interaction again
@@ -41,7 +53,7 @@ class ReconnectingConnectionPool(adbapi.ConnectionPool):
 
 class Output(cowrie.core.output.Output):
     """
-    mysql output
+    MySQL output
     """
 
     db = None
@@ -52,7 +64,7 @@ class Output(cowrie.core.output.Output):
         port = CowrieConfig.getint("output_mysql", "port", fallback=3306)
         try:
             self.db = ReconnectingConnectionPool(
-                "MySQLdb",
+                "mysql.connector",
                 host=CowrieConfig.get("output_mysql", "host"),
                 db=CowrieConfig.get("output_mysql", "database"),
                 user=CowrieConfig.get("output_mysql", "username"),
@@ -64,11 +76,11 @@ class Output(cowrie.core.output.Output):
                 cp_reconnect=True,
                 use_unicode=True,
             )
-        except (MySQLdb.Error, MySQLdb._exceptions.Error) as e:
+        # except (MySQLdb.Error, MySQLdb._exceptions.Error) as e:
+        except Exception as e:
             log.msg(f"output_mysql: Error {e.args[0]}: {e.args[1]}")
 
     def stop(self):
-        self.db.commit()
         self.db.close()
 
     def sqlerror(self, error):
@@ -78,7 +90,7 @@ class Output(cowrie.core.output.Output):
         """
         if error.value.args[0] in (1146, 1406):
             log.msg(f"output_mysql: MySQL Error: {error.value.args!r}")
-            log.msg("MySQL schema maybe misconfigured, doublecheck database!")
+            log.msg("output_mysql: MySQL schema maybe misconfigured, doublecheck database!")
         else:
             log.msg(f"output_mysql: MySQL Error: {error.value.args!r}")
 
@@ -94,15 +106,19 @@ class Output(cowrie.core.output.Output):
     @defer.inlineCallbacks
     def write(self, entry):
         if entry["eventid"] == "cowrie.session.connect":
+            if self.debug:
+                log.msg(f"output_mysql: SELECT `id` FROM `sensors` WHERE `ip` = '{self.sensor}'")
             r = yield self.db.runQuery(
-                "SELECT `id`" "FROM `sensors`" f"WHERE `ip` = {self.sensor}"
+                f"SELECT `id` FROM `sensors` WHERE `ip` = '{self.sensor}'"
             )
 
             if r:
                 sensorid = r[0][0]
             else:
+                if self.debug:
+                    log.msg(f"output_mysql: INSERT INTO `sensors` (`ip`) VALUES ('{self.sensor}')")
                 yield self.db.runQuery(
-                    "INSERT INTO `sensors` (`ip`) " f"VALUES ({self.sensor})"
+                    f"INSERT INTO `sensors` (`ip`) VALUES ('{self.sensor}')"
                 )
 
                 r = yield self.db.runQuery("SELECT LAST_INSERT_ID()")