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About dbt login

Use dbt login to authenticate once and unlock gated features across dbt tools.

dbt login signs you in to dbt from the command line to access advanced features requiring login. It opens browser-based authentication, prompting you to either sign in to an existing dbt platform account or create a free account.

Run dbt login status to view your current authentication status.

When to use dbt login​

dbt login is intended for dbt State or local development (interactive) on macOS, Linux, and Windows, where you can complete authentication in a browser.

It does not support non-interactive authentication. For non-interactive environments, such as CI/CD jobs, scheduled jobs, or external orchestrators, use a service token instead to access advanced features.

What dbt login unlocks​

Use dbt login to unlock advanced features including:

Refer to VS Code extension features for the full list of features and their availability.

Before you log in​

Most advanced features are available free for 14 days from your first use of the dbt VS Code extension. After the 14-day period ends, most features continue to work without signing in. Advanced features prompt you to run dbt login to register.

Signing in with dbt login, or signing in or registering for a dbt platform account, unlocks the full feature set across dbt tools that use the shared login state.

Refer to VS Code extension features for the full list of features and their availability.

Authentication methods​

dbt login is interactive only. It opens a browser-based sign-in flow and stores your session locally.

You can log into dbt either using interactive or non-interactive methods.

Interactive authentication​

Use dbt login when you're developing locally in a terminal or IDE and can complete sign-in in a browser.

  • When you run dbt login, dbt opens a browser-based authentication flow. After you complete authentication, dbt stores your login state locally and confirms that you're signed in.
  • After you sign in, dbt can use your login state to unlock advanced features across the dbt CLI, VS Code extension, and dbt State.
  • Your session stays active across terminal sessions. The local license expires after 7 days, but dbt can automatically refresh it while you're active. If dbt can't refresh your session, or if your session expires after inactivity, dbt prompts you to run dbt login again.

Run dbt login from your local terminal (not in the dbt platform UI).

Example (interactive):

dbt login
dbt login status

Complete the browser prompts to sign in or register for a dbt platform account.

Non-interactive environments​

Non-interactive means dbt runs without a person at a keyboard to open a browser — for example, a GitHub Actions workflow, a cron job, or a scheduled dbt platform job. There is no separate "non-interactive login" command. You do not run dbt login in these environments.

If you are new to dbt, start with interactive authentication. You only need the guidance in this section when you automate dbt runs.

How shared login works across dbt tools​

  • Use dbt login to authenticate with dbt State. You can start the sign-in flow from the dbt VS Code extension:
  • If you run dbt login from the CLI, the dbt VS Code extension uses that login in your next extension session.
  • If you sign in from the dbt VS Code extension, you can use that login the next time you run a login-gated command.

When you run a command or use a feature that requires authentication, dbt checks your current login state. If you're signed in, the feature runs. If you're not signed in, dbt tells you which feature requires authentication and prompts you to run dbt login.

For the VS Code extension registration flow, refer to Sign in or register.

Usage​

This page lists the commands and output you can use with dbt login.

dbt login​

Run dbt login from your terminal to open browser-based authentication:

dbt login

The CLI opens your default browser and shows the authentication URL:

Opening your browser to complete login...
→ https://us1.dbt.com/register

If you need to reset your password, complete the reset, then re-run dbt login to finish authenticating.
Waiting for authentication…

After you sign in or register, dbt saves your credentials to your local dbt configuration directory:

  • macOS and Linux: ~/.dbt/
  • Windows: C:\Users\[username]\.dbt\

Your login session remains active across terminal sessions. While you're actively using dbt, your session renews automatically. If your session expires, dbt prompts you to run dbt login again.

When authentication completes successfully, the CLI shows:

Congratulations! You are now signed in.

When authentication fails, the CLI shows:

Authentication failed. Re-run dbt login to try again.

[Placeholder for user-facing error message on failure reason]
dbt State and dbt login

If you have a dbt platform account, you can use the same account to authenticate with dbt State — no separate sign-in required. For full dbt State setup, refer to Setting up dbt State.

dbt login --help​

Usage: dbt login [OPTIONS] <COMMAND>

Commands:
  status          Show dbt authentication status

dbt login status​

Run dbt login status to show whether dbt is authenticated:

dbt login status

If dbt is authenticated, the CLI shows the authentication method:

Status: authenticated (via METHOD)

If dbt is not authenticated, the CLI shows:

Status: unauthenticated

dbt --help​

dbt login appears in the dbt --help available commands list:

Available Commands:
  login          Log in to dbt
  • dbt login status — Shows your current dbt authentication status.
  • dbt init — Use during first-time project setup; prompts you to run dbt login to unlock authenticated features.
  • dbt deps — Installs packages for a dbt project.
  • dbt debug — Tests your dbt project and connection configuration.

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