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dbt platform CLI migration

Starting September 14, 2026, pip install dbt will install dbt v2 instead of the dbt platform CLI. If you install the dbt platform CLI with pip, you need to take action to keep using it without interruption.

What's changing​

Starting September 14, 2026, pip install dbt will install dbt v2, dbt's next-generation Rust-based engine, instead of the dbt platform CLI. This is a one-time change to what the dbt package on PyPI contains, not a dbt platform CLI upgrade.

If you install the dbt platform CLI using pip today and don't pin a version, your next pip install dbt or pip install --upgrade dbt installs dbt v2 instead. dbt v2 is a different engine: it runs locally against a warehouse connection you configure yourself, instead of running your commands against your dbt platform development environment. Commands like dbt cancel, dbt reattach, dbt environment, dbt sl export, and dbt sqlfluff don't exist in dbt v2.

What to do​

If you use the dbt platform CLI and want to keep using it, reinstall it using the current method for your operating system — Homebrew on macOS, or the native executable on Windows or Linux. Refer to Install the dbt platform CLI for full instructions.

If you can't reinstall right now (for example, a Docker image that only has pip available), pin your version instead:

pip install dbt==1.0.0.40.20

This keeps working indefinitely, but won't receive further dbt platform CLI updates through pip. Reinstalling with a currently supported method is the long-term path.

General areas of impact​

  • Dockerfiles / CI pipelines: any unpinned pip install dbt step. Search your repos for pip install dbt without a == version pin.
  • Airflow: BashOperator/KubernetesPodOperator tasks that install the CLI into the worker image at build time.
  • requirements.txt / Pipfile / pyproject.toml: any unpinned dbt entry.
  • dbt Power User (VS Code extension): it shells out to the dbt platform CLI internally. Pin your version the same way; the extension itself doesn't need any separate action.

FAQ​

  • Why is dbt Labs doing this? dbt v2 is the new default dbt engine going forward. Publishing it under the dbt name on PyPI means new users get dbt v2 by default, matching how dbt already behaves everywhere else (Homebrew, standalone install).

  • Will my pinned dbt platform CLI version stop working? No. Pinned installs keep working. They just won't get new dbt platform CLI releases through pip after September 14. For that, reinstall using a currently supported method.

  • How do I tell which one I have installed? dbt --version. The dbt platform CLI prints a version like 0.40.20; the corresponding version on PyPI is 1.0.0.40.20. dbt v2's version string needs reconfirming post-update. At the time this article was published, dbt v2's binary still internally identifies as dbt-fusion X.Y.Z, which may change.

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