Extending dbt Wizard with plugins and hooks

Use plugins to install a coordinated set of dbt Wizard CLI extensions from a marketplace. A plugin can bundle skills, Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers, apps, and lifecycle hooks so a team can distribute a complete workflow together.

Plugins and hooks are available in interactive dbt Wizard CLI sessions. You can't install them in Studio IDE or the dbt Wizard home tab.

Understand plugins, marketplaces, and hooks

• A marketplace is a local or Git source that publishes one or more plugins.
• A plugin is a named bundle with a .dbt-wizard-plugin/plugin.json manifest.
• A hook runs a command at a dbt Wizard lifecycle event, such as session start, prompt submission, before or after a tool call, a permission request, or session stop.

Hooks can inspect context, add guidance, or block an action depending on the event. Because a hook can execute a command on your machine, review its source and trust request with the same care you would use for any development tool.

Add a marketplace

Add a marketplace from a GitHub repository:

wizard plugin marketplace add OWNER/REPOSITORY --ref main

You can also add a local marketplace while developing or evaluating it:

wizard plugin marketplace add ./path/to/marketplace

For a repository that contains a marketplace in a subdirectory, use a sparse checkout path:

wizard plugin marketplace add \
  https://github.com/OWNER/REPOSITORY \
  --sparse path/to/plugins

List the configured sources and their local snapshot locations:

wizard plugin marketplace list

Before installing a plugin, inspect the marketplace snapshot and the plugin's .dbt-wizard-plugin/plugin.json. Review any referenced skills, MCP server configuration, apps, hook files, and executable scripts.

Use wizard plugin --help to view the rest of the plugin commands in the dbt Wizard CLI.

Install and inspect a plugin

List the available plugins and their installation state:

wizard plugin list

Install a plugin by its PLUGIN@MARKETPLACE identifier:

wizard plugin add PLUGIN_NAME@MARKETPLACE_NAME

The equivalent long form is:

wizard plugin add PLUGIN_NAME --marketplace MARKETPLACE_NAME

Start a new interactive session after installation. Use /plugins to browse loaded plugins. If the plugin declares hooks, use /hooks to inspect the handlers and their trust status before allowing them to run.

Review hooks before trusting them

Don't use --dangerously-bypass-hook-trust as a routine setup step. It allows enabled hooks to run without persisted review for that invocation. Review each hook and persist its trust decision instead.

Verify the extension

Test one capability at a time after installation:

1. Confirm the plugin is installed and enabled with wizard plugin list.
2. Start a new session so dbt Wizard reloads plugins and skills.
3. Inspect /plugins and /hooks for load warnings or untrusted hook handlers.
4. Ask dbt Wizard to list the skill or MCP capability you expect the plugin to provide.
5. Run a read-only prompt that exercises the capability before granting write access or broader tool approvals.

If a plugin bundles an MCP server, its tools still follow the MCP approval settings. A plugin doesn't bypass the CLI sandbox or tool approval policy.

Update or remove an extension

Refresh one configured Git marketplace:

wizard plugin marketplace upgrade MARKETPLACE_NAME

Omit the name to refresh all configured Git marketplaces:

wizard plugin marketplace upgrade

Review the updated source before starting a session that allows its hooks to run.

Remove a plugin when you no longer need it:

wizard plugin remove PLUGIN_NAME@MARKETPLACE_NAME

Remove the marketplace source separately:

wizard plugin marketplace remove MARKETPLACE_NAME

Removing a marketplace and removing an installed plugin are separate operations. List both after cleanup to confirm the intended state.

Choose the smallest extension mechanism

Use a plugin when several capabilities need to be installed and versioned together. For a single concern, a smaller extension is easier to review:

Need	Use
Reusable team instructions	A project skill in .agents/skills/.
Tools from another service	A configured MCP server.
A command that runs at a lifecycle event	A hook, distributed only from a source your team trusts.
Skills, tools, apps, and hooks that must ship together	A plugin from a reviewed marketplace.

Related docs

• Use skills with dbt Wizard CLI
• Use MCP servers with dbt Wizard CLI
• Approval and sandboxing
• dbt Wizard command reference

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