/prisma-cli

name: prisma-cli
description: Prisma ORM CLI commands reference covering init, generate, migrate, db, dev, studio, validate, format, debug, and mcp. Use for ORM/database CLI workflows, not Prisma Compute app deployment. For Prisma Compute, `@prisma/cli app deploy`, `compute:deploy`, `create-prisma --deploy`, apps, deployments, logs, or domains, use the `prisma-compute` skill instead. Triggers on "prisma init", "prisma generate", "prisma migrate", "prisma db", "prisma studio", "prisma mcp".
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: prisma
  version: "7.6.0"

Prisma CLI Reference

Reference for Prisma ORM CLI commands. This skill provides guidance on command usage, options, and best practices for current Prisma ORM releases.

Boundary: Compute

Do not use this skill for Prisma Compute app deployment. Use `prisma-compute` for `@prisma/cli app deploy`, `compute:deploy`, `create-prisma --deploy`, Compute apps, deployments, logs, domains, and framework deploy readiness.

When to Apply

Reference this skill when:

• Setting up a new Prisma project (`prisma init`)
• Generating Prisma Client (`prisma generate`)
• Running database migrations (`prisma migrate`)
• Managing database state (`prisma db push/pull`)
• Using local development database (`prisma dev`)
• Debugging Prisma issues (`prisma debug`)

Rule Categories by Priority

| Priority | Category | Impact | Prefix | |----------|----------|--------|--------| | 1 | Setup | HIGH | `init` | | 2 | Generation | HIGH | `generate` | | 3 | Development | HIGH | `dev` | | 4 | Database | HIGH | `db-` | | 5 | Migrations | CRITICAL | `migrate-` | | 6 | Utility | MEDIUM | `studio`, `validate`, `format`, `debug`, `mcp` |

Command Categories

| Category | Commands | Purpose | |----------|----------|---------| | Setup | `init` | Bootstrap new Prisma project | | Generation | `generate` | Generate Prisma Client | | Validation | `validate`, `format` | Schema validation and formatting | | Development | `dev` | Local Prisma Postgres for development | | Database | `db pull`, `db push`, `db seed`, `db execute` | Direct database operations | | Migrations | `migrate dev`, `migrate deploy`, `migrate reset`, `migrate status`, `migrate diff`, `migrate resolve` | Schema migrations | | Utility | `studio`, `mcp`, `version`, `debug` | Development and AI tooling |

Quick Reference

Project Setup

# Initialize new project (creates prisma/ folder and prisma.config.ts)
prisma init

# Initialize with specific database
prisma init --datasource-provider postgresql
prisma init --datasource-provider mysql
prisma init --datasource-provider sqlite

# Initialize with Prisma Postgres (cloud)
prisma init --db

# Initialize with an example model
prisma init --with-model

Client Generation

# Generate Prisma Client
prisma generate

# Watch mode for development
prisma generate --watch

# Generate specific generator only
prisma generate --generator client

Bun Runtime

When using Bun, always add the `--bun` flag so Prisma runs with the Bun runtime (otherwise it falls back to Node.js because of the CLI shebang):

bunx --bun prisma init
bunx --bun prisma generate

Local Development Database

# Start local Prisma Postgres
prisma dev

# Start with specific name
prisma dev --name myproject

# Start in background (detached)
prisma dev --detach

# List all local instances
prisma dev ls

# Stop instance
prisma dev stop myproject

# Remove instance data
prisma dev rm myproject

Database Operations

# Pull schema from existing database
prisma db pull

# Push schema to database (no migrations)
prisma db push

# Seed database
prisma db seed

# Execute raw SQL
prisma db execute --file ./script.sql

Migrations (Development)

# Create and apply migration
prisma migrate dev

# Create migration with name
prisma migrate dev --name add_users_table

# Create migration without applying
prisma migrate dev --create-only

# Reset database and apply all migrations
prisma migrate reset

Migrations (Production)

# Apply pending migrations (CI/CD)
prisma migrate deploy

# Check migration status
prisma migrate status

# Compare schemas and generate diff
prisma migrate diff --from-config-datasource --to-schema schema.prisma --script

Utility Commands

# Open Prisma Studio (database GUI)
prisma studio

# Start Prisma's MCP server for AI tools
prisma mcp

# Show version info
prisma version
prisma -v

# Debug information
prisma debug

# Validate schema
prisma validate

# Format schema
prisma format

Current Prisma CLI Setup

New Configuration File

Use `prisma.config.ts` for CLI configuration:

import 'dotenv/config'
import { defineConfig, env } from 'prisma/config'

export default defineConfig({
  schema: 'prisma/schema.prisma',
  migrations: {
    path: 'prisma/migrations',
    seed: 'tsx prisma/seed.ts',
  },
  datasource: {
    url: env('DATABASE_URL'),
  },
})

Current Command Behavior

• Run `prisma generate` explicitly after `migrate dev`, `db push`, or other schema syncs when you need fresh client output
• Run `prisma db seed` explicitly after `migrate dev` or `migrate reset` when you need seed data
• Use `prisma db execute --file ...` for raw SQL scripts

Environment Variables

Load environment variables explicitly in `prisma.config.ts`, commonly with `dotenv`:

// prisma.config.ts
import 'dotenv/config'

Rule Files

See individual rule files for detailed command documentation:

references/init.md           - Project initialization
references/generate.md       - Client generation
references/dev.md            - Local development database
references/db-pull.md        - Database introspection
references/db-push.md        - Schema push
references/db-seed.md        - Database seeding
references/db-execute.md     - Raw SQL execution
references/migrate-dev.md    - Development migrations
references/migrate-deploy.md - Productio