PlanetScale CLI Skills

Comprehensive PlanetScale CLI (pscale) command reference and workflows for database management via terminal. Use when user mentions PlanetScale CLI, pscale commands, database branches, deploy requests, schema migrations, SQL queries, Cloudflare D1 imports, or any PlanetScale terminal operations. Routes to specialized sub-skills for auth, branches, deploy requests, SQL, D1 imports, databases, backups, and other pscale commands. Triggers on pscale, PlanetScale CLI, database branch, deploy request, schema migration, pscale sql, pscale import d1, Cloudflare D1 migration, PlanetScale automation.

Comprehensive pscale command reference and workflows for managing PlanetScale databases via terminal.

Overview

The PlanetScale CLI brings database branches, deploy requests, and schema migrations to your fingertips. This skill provides command references, automation scripts, and decision trees for all pscale operations.

Sub-Skills

Command	Skill	Use When
auth	pscale-auth	Login, logout, service tokens, authentication management
branch	pscale-branch	Create, delete, promote, diff, list branches, inspect branch infra, download/query-stream query pattern reports, manage Vitess MoveTables workflows
deploy-request	pscale-deploy-request	Create, review, deploy, revert schema changes
database	pscale-database	Create, list, show, delete databases
sql	pscale-sql	Run non-interactive SQL queries with JSON output and ephemeral credentials
import d1	pscale-import-d1	Import Cloudflare D1 SQLite exports into PlanetScale Postgres
backup	pscale-backup	Create, list, show, delete branch backups
password	pscale-password	Create, list, delete connection passwords
org	pscale-org	List, show, switch organizations
service-token	pscale-service-token	Create, manage CI/CD service tokens

Decision Trees

Should I use a branch or deploy request?

text

What's your goal?
├─ Experimenting with schema changes → Create branch (pscale-branch)
├─ Testing schema in isolation → Create branch (pscale-branch)
├─ Ready to deploy schema to production → Create deploy request (pscale-deploy-request)
└─ Reviewing schema changes before production → Review deploy request (pscale-deploy-request)

Service token vs password?

text

What's your use case?
├─ CI/CD pipeline → Service token (pscale-service-token)
├─ Local development → Password (pscale-password)
├─ Production application → Service token (rotatable, secure)
└─ One-off admin task → Password (temporary)

Direct promotion vs deploy request?

text

Production readiness?
├─ Immediate promotion (dangerous) → pscale branch promote (pscale-branch)
├─ Review + approval workflow → pscale deploy-request create (pscale-deploy-request)
└─ Safe production deployment → Always use deploy requests

Common Workflows

Schema Migration Workflow

Complete workflow from branch creation to production deployment:

bash

# 1. Create development branch
pscale branch create <database> <branch-name>

# 2. Make schema changes (via shell, ORM, or direct SQL)
pscale shell <database> <branch-name>

# 3. View schema diff
pscale branch diff <database> <branch-name>

# 4. Create deploy request
pscale deploy-request create <database> <branch-name>

# 5. Review and deploy
pscale deploy-request deploy <database> <deploy-request-number>

# 6. Verify deployment
pscale deploy-request show <database> <deploy-request-number>

See scripts/ directory for automation.

Branch Development Workflow

bash

# Create branch from main
pscale branch create <database> <feature-branch> --from main

# Work on schema changes
pscale shell <database> <feature-branch>

# Check diff before deploying
pscale branch diff <database> <feature-branch>

# Create deploy request when ready
pscale deploy-request create <database> <feature-branch>

CI/CD Integration

bash

# Create service token for CI/CD
pscale service-token create --org <org>

# Use in CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, etc.)
export PLANETSCALE_SERVICE_TOKEN_ID=<token-id>
export PLANETSCALE_SERVICE_TOKEN=<token>

# Deploy via CI/CD
pscale deploy-request create <database> <branch> --auto-approve

Cloudflare D1 to PlanetScale Postgres import

bash

# Lint and dry-run first; review the JSON migration ID and warnings
pscale import d1 lint --input ./d1-export.sql --format json
pscale import d1 start <database> <branch> --input ./d1-export.sql --dry-run --format json

# After explicit confirmation, run and verify the import
pscale import d1 start <database> <branch> --input ./d1-export.sql --migration-id <id> --format json
pscale import d1 verify <database> <branch> --migration-id <id> --input ./d1-export.sql --format json

Quick Reference

Most Common Commands

bash

# Authentication
pscale auth login
pscale auth logout

# Branch management
pscale branch create <database> <branch> [--from <source-branch>]
pscale branch list <database>
pscale branch delete <database> <branch>

# Deploy requests
pscale deploy-request create <database> <branch>
pscale deploy-request list <database>
pscale deploy-request deploy <database> <number>

# Database operations
pscale database create <database> --org <org>
pscale database list
pscale shell <database> <branch>

# Non-interactive read query for agents/scripts
pscale sql <database> <branch> --org <org> --format json --query "SELECT 1"

# Cloudflare D1 import dry-run
pscale import d1 start <database> <branch> --input ./d1-export.sql --dry-run --format json

Related Skills

• drizzle-kit - ORM schema management and migrations
• gitlab-cli-skills - GitLab MR workflow integration
• github - GitHub PR and CI/CD integration

Automation Scripts

See scripts/ directory for token-efficient automation:

• create-branch-for-mr.sh - Create PlanetScale branch matching your MR/PR branch name
• deploy-schema-change.sh - Complete schema migration workflow
• sync-branch-with-main.sh - Sync development branch with main

Scripts execute without loading into context (~90% token savings).

Resources

• Official docs: https://planetscale.com/docs/reference/planetscale-cli
• GitHub: https://github.com/planetscale/cli
• Community: https://github.com/planetscale/discussion