CLI reference

Experimental

The db-x CLI runs today, but DB-X is an early prototype — don't point it at a database you care about. The @db-x/* packages aren't on npm yet; build from source (see Install).

Commands

Shipped today:

db-x preview <file>            Render JSX, diff against state, print the plan
db-x apply <file>              Render, diff, execute changes, persist state
db-x destroy <file>            Tear down everything in state (reverse order)
db-x describe <file>           Emit the full schema + state as JSON
db-x refresh <file>            Read live drift back into state
db-x state                     Print the contents of .dbx/state.json

On the roadmap, not yet implemented:

db-x preview --shadow <file>   Run the DDL on an ephemeral copy, report locks/timings (v0.2)
db-x snapshot create [--label "..."]                                            (v0.1)
db-x snapshot list
db-x history
db-x diff <revA> <revB>
db-x restore [--to <label|id|rev>]
db-x mcp <file>                MCP server: describe / explain / graph / preview  (v0.3)
db-x types <file>              Emit TypeScript / Drizzle / sqlc types            (v0.4)

Flags

Flag	Description
--yes, -y	Skip confirmation prompts (for CI).
--json	Structured stdout for preview, state, history.
--phase=<phase>	Run only the named phase (setup / monitoring / backup / teardown).

Environment

Variable	Description
DATABASE_URL	Default connection string used by <DatabaseTarget> when no url prop is given.
DEBUG=db-x	Enable debug logging.

Exit codes

Code	Meaning
0	Success.
1	Plan or apply failed.
2	Bad arguments / unknown command.
130	Cancelled (SIGINT).