Resources · Claude connector

Claude dbt connectorWhat Claude can do in your dbt account.

The Claude dbt connector lists 60 tools. 48 read your project, 6 can build models or start and stop job runs, and 6 are described without saying whether they write. Here: what the remote server the directory lists really runs, and where the sources disagree.

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Overview

Why an analytics team would plug dbt into Claude

You ask about your data project in plain English and Claude goes to dbt for the answer: which model feeds a dashboard, whether a source is fresh, what a metric returns for last month. It reads the metadata, lineage and Semantic Layer for you, and on the dbt platform it can also kick off or retry a job.

Trace a broken dashboard back to its source. A finance chart looks wrong. get_lineage returns the graph upstream of the model, get_model_health shows run status, test results and source freshness, all in one conversation.

Answer a metric question without writing SQL. list_metrics shows what your Semantic Layer defines, then query_metrics runs the metric with the filters and grouping you asked for, and Claude explains the figures.

Rescue a failed job. get_job_run_error pulls the error details of a run, and once the cause is fixed, retry_job_run retries it, or trigger_job_run starts a fresh run.

Now what to watch. The directory lists the remote server, and dbt says that server does not run CLI commands such as run, build or test, nor the code-generation tools, even though they appear on the sheet. Which tools you get also depends on your dbt plan. And nothing runs by itself: no tool reacts when a job fails at night. For alerts and scheduled pipelines, an automation tool does that job; our Integrations hub gathers that side.

Vocabulary

Five words before you start

The vocabulary you will meet while connecting dbt to Claude.

Connector
The link you set up once between Claude and an account you already have, so Claude can work in it while it answers you.
Tool
One named action a connector opens to Claude. Claude picks the ones it needs on its own; the directory lists them all by name.
Authorization
The dbt sign-in screen where you hand Claude the access it will use. Granted once per person, and you can revoke it later.
Approval
The confirmation Claude waits for before it goes through with something that changes your account, shown in the chat.
MCP
The shared standard connectors are built on: it is what lets an assistant like Claude talk to an outside service such as dbt.
Connect

Plug dbt into Claude in three steps

  1. 01

    Find dbt in Claude

    In Claude's settings, open Customize, then Connectors, and look for dbt in the list. On a Team or Enterprise workspace, an Owner or Primary Owner has to enable the connector before each member can sign in.

  2. 02

    Start the connection

    Click Connect on its row, then sign in to dbt in the window dbt opens. If the link breaks one day, Disconnect and connect again; access can also be withdrawn from your dbt account.

  3. 03

    Read the authorization screen

    Read dbt's consent screen before confirming. It belongs to dbt, not to Claude, and it sets what the access covers, so check it against the projects you actually want Claude to see.

Tools

The 60 tools, grouped by what they do

dbt gives Claude 60 tools: 48 that read your account, 6 that change something in it, and 6 no official source describes.

Forty-eight read, six act on your project or jobs, six stay unclassified. Many tools on the sheet are deprecated or only work on the self-hosted server: the notes say which. Names stay as Claude shows them.

  • 48 read
  • 6 write
  • 6 not documented

What Claude reads (48)

48 tools

Forty-eight tools that look at metrics, models, lineage, jobs and docs without changing them.

text_to_sql

Turns a question in plain English into SQL, using your project's context so table and column names match.

When it helps
a product manager wants a query for weekly signups and does not know which model holds them.
Watch out
dbt hides it when an admin turns AI features off, and it is the one tool that consumes dbt Copilot actions.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_dimension_values

Lists the distinct values of a dimension, optionally limited to certain metrics, so Claude knows what it can filter on.

When it helps
before splitting revenue by region, you want to see which region labels actually exist in the Semantic Layer and how they are spelled.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_dimensions

Returns the dimensions available for the metrics you name, the ways a number can be sliced.

When it helps
a manager asks whether churn can be broken down by plan or by country, and you want the honest answer from the model definitions rather than a guess.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_entities

Brings back the entities tied to the metrics you specify, which is what links a number to customers, orders or accounts.

When it helps
you need to know whether a revenue metric can be joined to customer data before promising that analysis to the sales team.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_metrics_compiled_sql

Shows the compiled SQL behind a metric query without running it, so you can see exactly what the Semantic Layer would run.

When it helps
an analyst disputes a figure and you want to inspect the generated query side by side with their own before anyone argues further.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

list_metrics

Retrieves every metric defined in your Semantic Layer, the governed catalog of what can be queried.

When it helps
a new hire asks which official KPIs exist, and you would rather they read the governed definitions than reinvent their own in a spreadsheet.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

list_saved_queries

Lists all saved queries in the Semantic Layer, the reusable requests your team already agreed on.

When it helps
the monthly board pack relies on a standard set of queries and you want to check which ones are defined before rebuilding any of them by hand.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

query_metrics

Runs a metric query with the filters and grouping you ask for, and returns the result for Claude to read out.

When it helps
the CFO wants last quarter's gross margin by product line on a call, and nobody has time to open the BI tool and build the view.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_all_macros

Retrieves the macros in your project, with an option to filter by package or return only package names.

When it helps
you suspect two teams wrote similar date helpers and want to see what already exists before someone adds a third one to the codebase.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_all_models

Returns the name and description of every model in the project, a quick table of contents of the project.

When it helps
you are onboarding a consultant and want a readable inventory of the project without exporting the documentation site or walking them through the repository.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_all_sources

Lists your sources together with their freshness status, optionally filtered by source name.

When it helps
a morning report looks stale and you want to know at a glance whether the raw data from the CRM or the billing system arrived late overnight.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_exposure_details

dbt's README marks this one deprecated and points you to a broader node-details tool that the directory sheet does not list. The sheet still carries the old name, so it gets a note here, without a current description of its own.

When it helps
you spot the name in Claude's tool list and want to know why dbt no longer recommends it.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_exposures

Gets all exposures, the downstream dashboards, apps or analyses that depend on your models.

When it helps
before a column disappears in a refactor, you want the list of dashboards that could break so you can warn their owners ahead of the deploy instead of after the complaints.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_lineage

Returns a bounded lineage graph around a resource, filtered by type, depth and direction.

When it helps
a KPI dropped overnight and you want to walk upstream two levels from the model behind it to see which inputs could explain the drop.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_macro_details

Still on the directory sheet, yet flagged deprecated in dbt's README. The documentation names a general node-details tool as the replacement, and that replacement is not among the 60 tools the sheet lists.

When it helps
an older prompt or team note still mentions this name and you want to check its status before reusing it.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_mart_models

Retrieves all mart models of the project, as a list of its own.

When it helps
a business user asks where to find clean customer data, and you want to point them at the curated layer rather than at staging tables they should never touch directly.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_model_children

Deprecated according to dbt's README, which redirects to get_lineage, listed on this page with its type, depth and direction filters. The old name survives on the directory sheet only.

When it helps
a colleague's notes still call it, and you want the current tool to ask Claude for instead.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_model_details

The README gives no live description for this name any more: it is deprecated, with a general node-details tool as the stated successor, one the directory sheet does not show.

When it helps
you are cleaning up an internal guide to Claude and dbt and want to drop the names dbt has stopped recommending.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_model_health

Gathers health signals for a model: run status, test results and the freshness of its upstream sources.

When it helps
a stakeholder asks if a table can be trusted today, and you want one answer that combines the last run, the tests and the inputs before you reply.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_model_parents

Like the entry for children, this one is deprecated in dbt's README in favor of get_lineage, the bounded lineage tool listed further up. Only the directory sheet keeps the old entry.

When it helps
you want to understand why two tools seem to overlap in Claude's list, and which one dbt points to today.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_model_performance

Fetches a model's execution history, with an option to include test results alongside.

When it helps
nightly runs have been getting slower for weeks and you want to see whether one model is responsible before you spend more on warehouse compute or reshuffle the schedule.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_seed_details

Another entry the README labels deprecated. dbt names a general node-details tool as the one to use instead, though it is absent from the directory sheet, which still lists this legacy name.

When it helps
you audit the tools your workspace exposes and want to flag the ones dbt itself no longer recommends.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_semantic_model_details

Deprecated per dbt's README, with a general node-details tool given as the replacement. Since the directory sheet does not list that replacement, this page can only report the status of the old name, not describe what it once returned.

When it helps
you compare the sheet with dbt's documentation and want to know which entries are legacy.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_snapshot_details

Flagged deprecated in the README, which points to a general node-details tool instead. The directory sheet keeps listing it; the documentation no longer explains it beyond that flag.

When it helps
a tool call with this name shows up in a conversation and you want to know dbt's own position on it.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_source_details

dbt's README lists it as deprecated and names a general node-details tool as the way forward. The old name stays on the directory sheet, while source freshness remains covered by get_all_sources, which is not deprecated.

When it helps
you need to decide which tool name to mention when you brief a team on Claude and dbt.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_test_details

The last deprecated detail tool in dbt's README, again with a general node-details tool as the named successor, absent from the directory sheet. The sheet's list keeps the old name regardless.

When it helps
you count the tools you can really rely on and want to set the deprecated ones aside.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

compile

Turns models, tests and analyses into executable SQL, handy for checking Jinja logic before anything runs.

When it helps
a macro behaves oddly and you want to read the SQL it really produces.
Watch out
as a CLI command, dbt reserves it for the self-hosted server, not the remote one the directory lists.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_lineage_dev

Reads lineage from the local manifest file, with type and depth filters, rather than from the dbt platform.

When it helps
you are developing on a branch and want lineage that reflects your uncommitted work.
Watch out
it relies on a local project, so it only makes sense with the self-hosted server.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_node_details_dev

Pulls details for models, seeds, snapshots or sources from the local manifest file instead of the platform.

When it helps
you just edited a model locally and want Claude to read the version on your machine.
Watch out
like the other local tools, it assumes a self-hosted setup, not the remote server.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

list

Lists resources in the project by type, with dbt's selector syntax to narrow the set.

When it helps
you want every model tagged for finance before a review meeting with that team.
Watch out
it is one of the CLI commands, available on the self-hosted server and not on the remote one.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

parse

Parses and validates the project files for syntax correctness, a quick sanity check on the whole project.

When it helps
a teammate merged a large pull request and you want to know whether the project still parses before the next scheduled run kicks off.
Watch out
dbt lists it among CLI commands, outside the remote server's scope.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

test

Runs your data tests to validate data and model integrity, and reports which ones pass or fail.

When it helps
a stakeholder reports duplicates in a table and you want the uniqueness tests checked right away.
Watch out
dbt places it with the CLI commands, which the remote server does not support.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_job_details

Gets a job's configuration: its triggers, its schedule and the dbt commands it runs.

When it helps
a dashboard refreshes at an odd hour and you want to know when its job is actually scheduled and what it executes before asking the data team.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_job_run_details

Retrieves the details of one job run: status, timing, steps and artifacts.

When it helps
this morning's run finished late and you want to see which step took the time, so the conversation with the platform team starts from facts rather than impressions.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_job_run_error

Pulls the error details of a job run, with an option to include warnings or show warnings only.

When it helps
the nightly job failed and you want Claude to read the actual error message and suggest where to look, instead of scrolling through the full log yourself.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

list_job_run_artifacts

Lists the artifacts available from a job run, such as the files dbt produces after it finishes.

When it helps
you need the run results or manifest from a specific production run to investigate an incident, and want to know what is available before asking for it.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

list_jobs

Lists the jobs in your dbt platform account, optionally filtered by project or environment.

When it helps
you are auditing scheduled work before a warehouse migration and want the complete list of production jobs in one place rather than clicking through each project.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

list_jobs_runs

Lists job runs, with filters by job or status and ordering by a field of your choice.

When it helps
you want every failed run of the past week in one view to see whether the same job keeps breaking or the failures are spread out.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

list_projects

Lists all projects in your dbt platform account, as far as the account you connected can see them.

When it helps
your company runs several dbt projects and you are not sure which one owns the marketing models you are asking about.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

fusion.compile_sql

Compiles SQL in the context of your project, through the dbt platform rather than locally.

When it helps
you want to check how a query referencing several models resolves before sharing it with a colleague, without setting anything up on your own laptop.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

fusion.get_column_lineage

Traces lineage at the column level through the dbt platform, finer than model-level lineage.

When it helps
legal asks where an email address field ends up across the warehouse, and you need the exact columns it flows into, not just the models.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_column_lineage

Traces column-level lineage locally, which requires dbt's language server from the dbt Labs VS Code extension.

When it helps
you are refactoring a model on your machine and want to see which downstream columns depend on the one you plan to drop before you commit anything.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_product_doc_pages

Fetches the full Markdown content of one or more pages from dbt's public documentation at docs.getdbt.com, by path or URL.

When it helps
you want Claude to answer a configuration question from the official dbt docs rather than from memory.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

search_product_docs

Searches dbt's public documentation and returns matching page titles, URLs and descriptions ranked by relevance.

When it helps
you are not sure what the feature you need is called in dbt, and want the right page found before Claude reads it in full.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_mcp_server_branch

Returns the current git branch of the running dbt server, a debugging detail more than a daily tool.

When it helps
a tool behaves differently from the documentation and support asks which build of the server you are actually connected to.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_mcp_server_version

Reports the current version of the dbt server Claude is connected to.

When it helps
a tool mentioned in dbt's documentation seems missing, and the first thing to check is whether your server version is recent enough to include it before opening a support ticket.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

What Claude changes (6)

6 tools

Six tools that materialize models or start, retry and cancel job runs. No source describes a confirmation specific to any of them: the general rule below applies.

build

Approval: see the rule

Runs models, tests, snapshots and seeds in dependency order, the full dbt build that materializes them in your warehouse.

What Claude asks for
no source describes a confirmation specific to this tool; the general rule applies.
When it helps
after a fix, you want the affected branch of the project rebuilt and tested.
Watch out
dbt says the remote server does not run CLI commands.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

clone

Approval: see the rule

Copies selected nodes from a given state into the target schema, a quick way to mirror production objects elsewhere.

What Claude asks for
nothing specific is documented; the default approval rule covers it.
When it helps
you want production tables available in a development schema to test a change.
Watch out
it is a CLI command, which only the self-hosted server runs.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

run

Approval: see the rule

Executes models to materialize them in the database, the classic dbt run.

What Claude asks for
the sources describe no confirmation of its own; rely on the general rule.
When it helps
one model needs refreshing after a late data load, without waiting for the nightly job.
Watch out
per dbt, only the self-hosted server executes CLI commands like this one.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

cancel_job_run

Approval: see the rule

Stops a job run that is currently in progress on the dbt platform.

What Claude asks for
no confirmation specific to this tool is documented; see the general approval rule.
When it helps
someone triggered a full refresh by mistake during business hours and it is hogging the warehouse.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

retry_job_run

Approval: see the rule

Retries a failed job run on the dbt platform, picking it up again rather than starting a brand-new run.

What Claude asks for
no source documents a dedicated confirmation; the general rule covers it.
When it helps
a run failed on a temporary warehouse timeout and the fix is simply to try again.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

trigger_job_run

Approval: see the rule

Starts a job run, with options to override the git branch, the schema or other settings for that run.

What Claude asks for
nothing specific is described; the default approval rule applies.
When it helps
late data arrived and finance needs the numbers refreshed before noon.

Sourcegithub.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

Described, not classified (6)

6 tools

dbt gives each of these one line, but no source says whether they only return results or also save or alter something.

execute_sql

dbt's README describes it as executing SQL on dbt platform infrastructure, with Semantic Layer support. No source says whether a statement may alter your warehouse, so this page keeps it unclassified. The general approval rule further down applies to it.

docs

dbt describes it in one line: it generates documentation for the project. No source says whether files are saved or altered in the process, so it stays unclassified here.

Watch out
it belongs to the CLI family, which the remote server does not run, and the general approval rule applies.

show

The README says it executes SQL against the database and returns results. No source states whether that can alter anything, so it sits among the unclassified tools.

Watch out
it is a CLI command, not run by the remote server, and the general approval rule covers it.

generate_model_yaml

dbt's one-line description: it generates model YAML with columns, optionally inheriting upstream descriptions. No source says whether the result is saved into your project or only returned, so it stays unclassified.

Watch out
Codegen tools need the self-hosted server, and the general approval rule applies.

generate_source

Per the README, it produces source YAML by inspecting database schemas, with columns if you want them. Nothing in the documentation tells whether that YAML lands in your files, hence its place in this group.

Watch out
the remote server does not offer Codegen.

generate_staging_model

The README sums it up as producing staging model SQL from a source table. No source documents whether a file is saved in the project, so this page does not classify it.

Watch out
dbt reserves Codegen for the self-hosted server; the general approval rule covers it.
Approvals

What Claude asks you before it acts

By default, Claude stops and asks for your go-ahead before each action it takes on an account for you. The request shows in the conversation at the moment it matters.

On Team and Enterprise, workspace owners decide whether a member can let some actions through without being asked again. They can also cap what a connector may do for the whole organization, keeping reads open and closing writes, and nobody bypasses that from their own account. Claude works with your rights and nothing more: a project your dbt account cannot see stays closed to Claude. The official per-tool label (read-only versus write and delete) only shows in a connected account's settings.

Plans

Which plans it works on

Across the 819 sheets of the official directory, 0 shows plan availability. The connector-by-connector answer is published nowhere: it is a real gap in the catalog.

The general rule is published: remote connectors are open to all users on Claude, Cowork, Claude Desktop and mobile. On Team and Enterprise, an Owner or Primary Owner opens the connector for the organization before members can connect. The plans sold on the dbt side are a separate question: they decide which tools work, as the limits below explain. For this connector's current state, check its sheet in the official directory.

Limits

Where this connector stops

A connector is not an automation. Claude calls these tools while it answers you: nothing starts when a job fails or a source goes stale overnight.

Only dbt documents this connector; no Claude help page covers it. dbt's documentation also calls the server a read-only access layer that stores no production data or job run results, while the same documentation lists tools that trigger, retry and cancel job runs. The partner badge is not a security audit, and Anthropic states on every sheet that it does not choose the tools a publisher exposes or vouch for how they behave. Every directory connector has its own page with us, such as the Claude affinity connector.

Two official sources disagree

Can Claude run dbt run, build or test through the directory connector?

What this page followsBoth are current but describe different things: the sheet lists every tool of the dbt server, while dbt explains what the remote one, the one in the directory, actually runs. We follow dbt for the remote server. Check the tool list Claude shows after you connect.

Need help

Need help connecting dbt to Claude?

A person reads every message.

FAQ

Claude dbt connector: common questions

01What can Claude do with the dbt connector?
Claude can explore and question your dbt project from a conversation. Its tools browse models, sources, exposures, macros and lineage down to columns, check model health and performance, list and query Semantic Layer metrics, read job configurations, runs, errors and artifacts, and search dbt's own documentation. On the dbt platform it can also trigger, retry and cancel job runs. Several CLI and code-generation tools appear on the sheet but, per dbt, only work with the self-hosted server.
02Can Claude change anything in my dbt project or warehouse?
Yes, a few tools act. Trigger, retry and cancel change the state of job runs on the dbt platform, and build, run and clone materialize or copy objects in your warehouse, though dbt says those CLI commands need the self-hosted server. Six more tools, such as execute_sql or the code generators, are described without saying whether they alter anything. Claude always acts with the rights of the dbt account you connected.
03Does Claude ask before it runs a job or builds models?
No source describes a confirmation specific to a dbt tool, so the general rule applies: by default Claude asks before each action it takes on an account for you. On Team and Enterprise, owners decide whether members can let some actions through without being asked, and they can block writing tools for the whole organization while leaving metadata and metrics readable. Whatever the setting, Claude only works with the rights of the dbt account you connected.
04Which Claude plans is it available on?
No official source publishes plan availability connector by connector, and none of the 819 directory sheets displays it. The general rule says remote connectors are open to all users on Claude, Cowork, Claude Desktop and mobile, with an Owner or Primary Owner enabling them first on Team and Enterprise. Separately, dbt says the remote server works on all dbt plans but the tools you get depend on your dbt plan. The connector's sheet shows its current state.
05Does Claude see every project in our dbt account?
Claude sees what the dbt account you signed in with can see, and nothing more. It can list the projects and jobs that account reaches, and the APIs behind each tool depend on your dbt plan, so some tools may simply be missing. dbt also states the server does not store production data or run results itself; it reads them from the platform when a tool is called. A workspace owner can further restrict what the connector may do.
06Why can't Claude run dbt build through the connector?
Because the directory lists the remote dbt server, and dbt states that the remote server does not support local development or CLI commands such as run, build and test, nor the code-generation tools. Those need the self-hosted server. The directory sheet still lists them because it shows the full tool set of the dbt server. Check the tool list Claude displays after connecting to see what you really have on your account.
07Claude or an automation tool for dbt?
They answer different needs, so it depends on the task. Claude works inside a conversation: you ask, it reads lineage, queries a metric or retries a job, and nothing else happens once you stop typing. It does not watch your runs or alert anyone when a job fails at night. For pipelines and alerts that run in the background on a schedule or an event, an automation tool is built for that. For on-demand investigation, the connector fits.