dbt Doctordbt DoctorStar on GitHub

Getting Started

Static analysis and health checks for dbt projects.
Find missing docs, missing tests, schema drift risks, stale models, DAG maintainability issues, and CI quality gate failures.
No Python No warehouse credentials Works with dbt Core + dbt Fusion
Fast local checks Safe in CI Manifest-aware when available

Quick start

npx dbt-doctor@latest

Why Node instead of Python?

  • dbt Doctor was built on top of the react-doctor architecture.
  • npx gives a very low-friction install/run path.
  • Most developers already have Node installed, so onboarding is faster.

Next actions

  1. Pick your config style: Configuration
  2. Pick your policy level: Presets
  3. Wire it into CI: CI Integration
  4. Browse rule catalog: Rules
  5. Understand scoring: Score Modes
  6. Coming from SQLFluff: Migrating from SQLFluff

60-second setup

1. Add a minimal config

Create .dbt-doctor in repo root:

fail_on=error

preset is optional. If omitted, dbt Doctor uses default.

2. Run lint

npx dbt-doctor@latest
manifest_path=target/manifest.json

If manifest is missing, dbt Doctor still runs file-based rules and warns once.

Choose your rollout

Local developer mode

fail_on=none

PR gate mode

preset=strict
fail_on=warning
diff=main
manifest_path=target/manifest.json

Full governance mode

preset=enterprise
fail_on=warning
score_mode=files
manifest_path=target/manifest.json

What you get

  • SQL linting path compatible with SQLFluff workflows
  • dbt graph and manifest checks without requiring dbt build
  • Rule-level controls for severity, ignores, and options
  • Preset-based rollout from quiet to strict

Continue