Give your AI agent dbt workflows for building models, answering data questions, troubleshooting jobs, and migrating projects.
dbt Agent Skills is a collection of instructions and supporting resources for AI agents working with dbt. It helps analytics engineers develop and document models, define metrics, investigate failures, and work through project migrations. Describe your task in natural language so the agent can select the relevant guidance.
In Claude Code, most included skills are configured for automatic use and stay out of the slash-command menu. The Core-to-v2 migration and dbt upgrade skills also allow manual invocation. Most development tasks need dbt configured and an existing project; documentation lookup and MCP setup can help before you have one.
When adding a transformation or fixing a SQL bug, ask the agent to inspect the existing models and source data, make the change, and validate the results. For complex logic or a regression, the unit-testing skill helps define mocked inputs and expected outputs.
Ask the agent to audit documentation coverage and draft missing model and column descriptions one folder at a time. It follows the project's existing conventions and leaves the edits for your review. The audit covers columns declared in YAML; finding additional warehouse columns requires a separate catalog check.
For a question such as revenue by region, the agent looks for suitable Semantic Layer metrics first, then falls back to model discovery or SQL where needed. Executing the answer requires access to the relevant query tools or warehouse.
Before renaming, removing, or changing the type of a shared column, ask the agent to assess the impact and plan a versioned rollout. The Mesh skill covers contracts, access, groups, and migration windows within a project. Cross-project references require dbt Cloud Enterprise or Enterprise+.
Give the agent the failed run's details to investigate logs, recent code changes, and data issues. The troubleshooting skill focuses on dbt platform jobs, including intermittent failures; local development errors are covered by the analytics engineering skill.
For a move such as Snowflake to Databricks, the migration skill uses dbt Fusion to find SQL dialect problems, then guides recompilation and validation with unit tests and model runs. Fusion and access to the source and destination platforms are needed; test and model execution can incur warehouse costs.
The marketplace distributes three plugins: dbt for development and operations, dbt-migration for upgrades and migrations, and dbt-extras for Mermaid lineage diagrams. The task groups below help you find individual skills across those packages.
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Build and modify dbt models, explore sources, and validate transformations.
Define mocked inputs and expected outputs to test a model's SQL logic.
Audit documentation coverage and draft missing descriptions in the project's style.
Plan compatible model changes with versions, contracts, access, and cross-project references.
Define and validate semantic models, metrics, dimensions, and time spines.
Answer business questions with Semantic Layer metrics or warehouse SQL.
Query dbt v2 project metadata for resources, coverage, lineage, and run results.
Draw model lineage in Mermaid using MCP, project artifacts, or code.
Choose the dbt executable and format commands, selectors, and parameters.
Investigate failed dbt platform jobs through logs, code history, and data.
Configure and troubleshoot server-backed model reuse with the paid dbt State service.
Prepare dbt MCP configuration, authentication, and connection checks for your AI tool.
Find and retrieve dbt documentation in Markdown for the agent.
Review autofix changes and separate actionable v2 migration errors from engine blockers.
Upgrade dbt 1.3–1.7 projects to 1.12 with migration checks.
Use dbt Fusion to adapt and validate projects on another data platform.
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Add the marketplace, then install its three plugins to get the full set of skills. Each plugin installs as a whole. dbt installation instructions
In a local Claude Code session, add the dbt marketplace.
/plugin marketplace add dbt-labs/dbt-agent-skillsInstall dbt, dbt-migration, and dbt-extras in the same session. For each, review the plugin panel and choose user, project, or local scope before confirming.
/plugin install dbt@dbt-agent-marketplace/plugin install dbt-migration@dbt-agent-marketplace/plugin install dbt-extras@dbt-agent-marketplaceCheck each installation summary. If it requests a reload, close the panel to apply it. If Claude Code leaves a plugin pending to protect the prompt cache, use the forced reload below in Claude Code to activate it; this costs one uncached request.
/reload-plugins --forceIn your terminal, list installed plugins and confirm that dbt, dbt-migration, and dbt-extras are listed with an enabled status.
claude plugin listMost of these skills are intentionally absent from the slash-command menu. Use the installed-plugin list to check the packages. Claude Code installation and loading
Install skills directly into your project with the Skills CLI. This method installs skill folders rather than registering the three marketplace plugins.
From your project directory, run the installer and select Claude Code as the target. Choose skills from dbt, dbt-migration, and dbt-extras; select every entry in those groups for the full set shown in Components.
npx skills add dbt-labs/dbt-agent-skillsIn Claude Code, open the available-skills list and confirm that your selected dbt skills are present. If you created the project's top-level skills directory during this session, reload skills first.
/reload-skills/skillsThe reload command is needed only for a newly created top-level skills directory; changes within watched directories are detected automatically. Claude Code skill discovery
Use Tessl to manage the repository's skills in your project. Have Tessl installed with Node.js 22.17.0 or higher; the Tessl setup guide covers that prerequisite.
In a terminal at your project root, initialize Tessl for Claude Code.
tessl initIn the same directory, install the dbt skills. Without an agent override, Tessl targets the coding agents it detects in the project.
tessl install dbt-labs/dbt-agent-skillsList the installed Tessl packages in your terminal.
tessl listIn Claude Code, reload skills first if the project's top-level skills directory was created during this session. Then open the available-skills list and confirm that the dbt skills are present.
/reload-skills/skillsChanges within existing watched skill directories are detected automatically. Claude Code skill discovery
For a dbt v2 project, install skills through versioned dbt dependencies. This writes skills into the project's Claude Code skills directory. Installing skills from dbt packages
Add these dependencies to packages.yml at your dbt project root, merging them with any existing packages list. Keep all three for the full set, or remove packages you do not need. Pin revision to a Git tag or commit SHA when you need reproducible installs.
packages:
# Everyday dbt skills
- git: "https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt-agent-skills.git"
subdirectory: "skills/dbt"
revision: main
# Migration skills (typically a one-off)
- git: "https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt-agent-skills.git"
subdirectory: "skills/dbt-migration"
revision: main
# Extra skills
- git: "https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt-agent-skills.git"
subdirectory: "skills/dbt-extras"
revision: mainIn your root project's dbt_project.yml, add ai_provider to the existing flags block, or create that block if needed. Keep claude as the provider. Setting this inside a dependency package has no effect.
flags:
ai_provider: claude # Claude Code -> .claude/skillsFrom the dbt project root, install the dependencies. Without ai_provider, dependency installation can succeed while installing no skills.
dbt depsCheck the output for skill installations into .claude/skills. In Claude Code, reload skills if the top-level directory was newly created during the session, then check the available-skills list.
/reload-skills/skillsInstall the three dbt plugins in VS Code's Agent Customizations editor. These steps use the unified Browse interface (Preview); if it is unavailable, choose the Skills CLI method instead. VS Code plugin installation
From the Command Palette, run Chat: Open Customizations. Select Browse, open the source menu, and select Configure Marketplaces.
Select Add Marketplace and enter dbt-labs/dbt-agent-skills. Only add marketplaces you trust. Return to Browse and select the added marketplace from the source menu.
Select dbt and choose Install. Review the marketplace source before accepting the first-install trust prompt. Install dbt-migration and dbt-extras from the same marketplace as well; adding the marketplace alone does not install its plugins.
In the Agent Customizations editor, select Plugins and confirm that dbt, dbt-migration, and dbt-extras are listed and enabled for your intended harness and workspace. Start a fresh session and confirm that the installed skills are available.
Install skill folders for GitHub Copilot in VS Code with the Skills CLI. This method does not register marketplace plugins.
Run the installer from your project directory and select GitHub Copilot as the target. Choose skills from dbt, dbt-migration, and dbt-extras.
npx skills add dbt-labs/dbt-agent-skillsIn VS Code, open Chat: Open Customizations and inspect the skills available to Copilot in the current workspace.
Use Open Customizations for the Copilot harness; the Configure Skills shortcut is specific to the Local harness. VS Code skills
Install the three plugins through Copilot CLI. These commands combine GitHub's documented syntax with the names in the dbt marketplace manifest.
In your terminal, add the dbt marketplace.
copilot plugin marketplace add dbt-labs/dbt-agent-skillsInstall dbt, dbt-migration, and dbt-extras from that marketplace.
copilot plugin install dbt@dbt-agent-marketplacecopilot plugin install dbt-migration@dbt-agent-marketplacecopilot plugin install dbt-extras@dbt-agent-marketplaceIn your terminal, list installed plugins and confirm that all three appear.
copilot plugin listUse the Skills CLI to install individual skills for GitHub Copilot. This installs skill folders rather than the marketplace plugins.
From your project directory, run the installer and select GitHub Copilot as the target. Choose skills from dbt, dbt-migration, and dbt-extras.
npx skills add dbt-labs/dbt-agent-skillsStart a Copilot CLI session in that project, or reload skills in an existing session. Then list the available skills and confirm that your selections appear.
/skills reload/skills listInstall the repository's skills directly for Cursor with the Skills CLI. This can include migration and diagram skills as well as everyday dbt work.
From your project directory, run the installer and select Cursor as the target. Choose skills from dbt, dbt-migration, and dbt-extras.
npx skills add dbt-labs/dbt-agent-skillsRestart Cursor to discover the installed skills. In Agent chat, type / and search for a dbt skill you selected.
Use Tessl to manage the dbt skills in your Cursor project. Have Tessl installed with Node.js 22.17.0 or higher; the Tessl setup guide covers installation.
In a terminal at your project root, initialize Tessl for Cursor.
tessl initInstall the dbt skills in the same directory. Tessl targets the coding agents it detects in the project.
tessl install dbt-labs/dbt-agent-skillsList installed Tessl packages in your terminal. Restart Cursor, then type / in Agent chat and search for the dbt skills.
tessl listFor a dbt v2 project, install the skills alongside your dbt dependencies. Cursor reads the resulting .agents/skills directory. dbt package skills
Merge these dependencies into packages.yml at your dbt project root. Keep all three for the full set, or remove packages you do not need. Replace revision: main with a Git tag or commit SHA for reproducible installs.
packages:
# Everyday dbt skills
- git: "https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt-agent-skills.git"
subdirectory: "skills/dbt"
revision: main
# Migration skills (typically a one-off)
- git: "https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt-agent-skills.git"
subdirectory: "skills/dbt-migration"
revision: main
# Extra skills
- git: "https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt-agent-skills.git"
subdirectory: "skills/dbt-extras"
revision: mainMerge this flag into your root project's dbt_project.yml. In the example, replace claude with cursor. A flag set inside a dependency package is ignored.
flags:
ai_provider: claude # Claude Code -> .claude/skillsIn a terminal at the dbt project root, install the dependencies. Check the output for skills written into .agents/skills.
dbt depsRestart Cursor. In Agent chat, type / and search for one of the installed dbt skills.
Install skills for the Cline extension with the Skills CLI. Cline's support for the .agents/skills directory is established by its extension source at commit 5b454165353a.
Run the installer from your project directory and select Cline as the target. Choose skills from dbt, dbt-migration, and dbt-extras.
npx skills add dbt-labs/dbt-agent-skillsIn the Cline panel, click the scale icon beside the model selector and open Skills. Confirm that the dbt skills are present and enabled.
Use Codex CLI to install the marketplace plugins. Plugins are unavailable in the IDE extension; choose Skills CLI or dbt package dependencies for standalone skills there. The marketplace command combines Codex's documented syntax and legacy manifest support with the dbt marketplace.
In your terminal, register the dbt marketplace.
codex plugin marketplace add dbt-labs/dbt-agent-skillsInside Codex CLI, open the plugin browser. Find dbt-agent-marketplace and install dbt, dbt-migration, and dbt-extras.
/pluginsStart a new Codex session, then open the plugin browser again and confirm that the three plugins are installed and enabled.
/pluginsInstall standalone skills for Codex CLI or the IDE extension with the Skills CLI. Codex discovers project skills under .agents/skills.
Run the installer from your project directory and select Codex as the target. Choose skills from dbt, dbt-migration, and dbt-extras.
npx skills add dbt-labs/dbt-agent-skillsIn Codex CLI or the IDE extension, type $ to open the skill picker and look for your selected dbt skills. Codex detects skill changes automatically; restart it if they do not appear.
For a dbt v2 project, manage the skills as dbt dependencies. They install into .agents/skills for Codex CLI and the IDE extension. dbt package skills
Merge these dependencies into packages.yml at the dbt project root. Keep all three for the full set, or remove packages you do not need. Pin revision to a Git tag or commit SHA for reproducible installs.
packages:
# Everyday dbt skills
- git: "https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt-agent-skills.git"
subdirectory: "skills/dbt"
revision: main
# Migration skills (typically a one-off)
- git: "https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt-agent-skills.git"
subdirectory: "skills/dbt-migration"
revision: main
# Extra skills
- git: "https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt-agent-skills.git"
subdirectory: "skills/dbt-extras"
revision: mainMerge this flag into your root project's dbt_project.yml. In the example, replace claude with codex. Setting the flag inside a dependency package has no effect.
flags:
ai_provider: claude # Claude Code -> .claude/skillsIn a terminal at the dbt project root, install the dependencies. Check the output for skills written into .agents/skills.
dbt depsIn Codex CLI or the IDE extension, type $ and confirm that the dbt skills appear in the picker. Restart Codex if the changes have not been detected.