dbt Command reference
You can run dbt using the following tools:
- In your browser with the Studio IDE
- On the command line interface using the dbt CLI or open-source dbt Core.
A key distinction is that dbt CLI and Studio IDE are designed to support safe parallel execution of dbt commands, leveraging dbt platform's infrastructure and its comprehensive features. In contrast, dbt Core doesn't support safe parallel execution for multiple invocations in the same process. Learn more in the parallel execution section.
Parallel execution
dbt platform allows for concurrent execution of commands, enhancing efficiency without compromising data integrity. This enables you to run multiple commands at the same time. However, it's important to understand which commands can be run in parallel and which can't.
In contrast, dbt-core doesn't support safe parallel execution for multiple invocations in the same process, and requires users to manage concurrency manually to ensure data integrity and system stability.
To ensure your dbt workflows are both efficient and safe, you can run different types of dbt commands in parallel — for example, dbt build (write operation) can safely run alongside dbt parse (read operation). However, you can't run dbt build and dbt run (both write operations) in parallel.
dbt commands can be read or write commands:
| Command type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Write | These commands perform actions that change data or metadata in your data platform. Limited to one invocation at any given time, which prevents any potential conflicts, such as overwriting the same table in your data platform at the same time. | dbt builddbt run |
| Read | These commands involve operations that fetch or read data without making any changes to your data platform. Can have multiple invocations in parallel and aren't limited to one invocation at any given time. This means read commands can run in parallel with other read commands and a single write command. | dbt parsedbt compile |
Available commands
The following sections outline the commands supported by dbt and their relevant flags. They are available in all tools and all supported versions unless noted otherwise. You can run these commands in your specific tool by prefixing them with dbt — for example, to run the test command, type dbt test.
You can also call these commands and flags programmatically using dbtRunner.invoke. For details, refer to Programmatic invocations.
For information about selecting models on the command line, refer to Model selection syntax.
Commands marked ❌ indicate write commands, commands marked ✅ indicate read commands, and commands marked N/A indicate that parallel execution isn't relevant for that command.
Some commands are not yet supported in the dbt Fusion engine or have limited functionality. Refer to the Fusion supported features page for details.
| Command | Description | Parallel execution | Caveats |
|---|---|---|---|
| build | Builds and tests all selected resources (models, seeds, tests, and more) | ❌ | All tools All supported versions |
| cancel | Cancels the most recent invocation. | N/A | dbt CLI Requires dbt v1.6 or higher |
| clean | Deletes artifacts present in the dbt project | ✅ | All tools All supported versions |
| clone | Clones selected models from the specified state | ❌ | All tools Requires dbt v1.6 or higher |
| compile | Compiles (but does not run) the models in a project | ✅ | All tools All supported versions |
| debug | Debugs dbt connections and projects | ✅ | All tools All supported versions |
| deps | Downloads dependencies for a project | ✅ | All tools All supported versions |
| docs | Generates documentation for a project | ✅ | All tools All supported versions |
| environment | Enables you to interact with your dbt platform environment. | N/A | dbt CLI Requires dbt v1.5 or higher |
| help | Displays help information for any command | N/A | dbt Core, dbt CLI All supported versions |
| init | Initializes a new dbt project | ✅ | Fusion dbt Core All supported versions |
| invocation | Enables users to debug long-running sessions by interacting with active invocations. | N/A | dbt CLI Requires dbt v1.5 or higher |
| lint | Lints SQL files in a project for style, correctness, and convention violations | ✅ | Requires dbt platform project on Fusion |
| list | Lists resources defined in a dbt project | ✅ | All tools All supported versions |
| login | Logs in to your dbt platform account | N/A | v2 and later dbt CLI |
| parse | Parses a project and writes detailed timing info | ✅ | All tools All supported versions |
| reattach | Reattaches to the most recent invocation to retrieve logs and artifacts. | N/A | dbt CLI Requires dbt v1.6 or higher |
| retry | Retry the last run dbt command from the point of failure | ✅ | All tools Requires dbt v1.6 or higher |
| run | Runs the models in a project | ❌ | All tools All supported versions |
| run-operation | Invokes a macro, including running arbitrary maintenance SQL against the database | ❌ | All tools All supported versions |
| seed | Loads CSV files into the database | ❌ | All tools All supported versions |
| show | Previews table rows post-transformation | ✅ | All tools All supported versions |
| snapshot | Executes "snapshot" jobs defined in a project | ❌ | All tools All supported versions |
| source | Provides tools for working with source data (including validating that sources are "fresh") | ✅ | All tools All supported versions |
| system | Manages the CLI installation: update to a new version, uninstall, or pre-install ADBC adapter drivers | N/A | Fusion only |
| test | Executes tests defined in a project | ✅ | All tools All supported versions Fusion flag --warn-error not yet supported |
| wizard | Starts an agentic dbt development session with dbt Wizard from the command line | N/A | Local development All supported versions |
Note, use the --version flag to display the installed dbt Core or dbt CLI version. (Not applicable for the Studio IDE). Available on all supported versions.
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