managing-planetscale-cloud

name	managing-planetscale-cloud
description	Use when working with Planetscale Cloud — planetScale managed database platform management via the pscale CLI. Covers databases, branches, deploy requests, connection strings, and schema management. Use when managing PlanetScale databases or reviewing branch workflows.
connection_type	planetscale
preload	false

Managing PlanetScale (Managed)

Manage PlanetScale databases using the pscale CLI.

MANDATORY: Discovery-First Pattern

Always discover available resources before performing analysis.

Phase 1: Discovery

#!/bin/bash

echo "=== Organization ==="
pscale org list --format json 2>/dev/null | jq -r '.[] | "\(.id)\t\(.name)\t\(.plan)\t\(.created_at)"' | head -5

echo ""
echo "=== Databases ==="
pscale database list --format json 2>/dev/null | jq -r '.[] | "\(.id)\t\(.name)\t\(.region.slug)\t\(.state)\t\(.created_at)"' | head -20

echo ""
echo "=== Branches (per database) ==="
for db in $(pscale database list --format json 2>/dev/null | jq -r '.[].name'); do
    echo "--- $db ---"
    pscale branch list "$db" --format json 2>/dev/null | jq -r '.[] | "\(.name)\t\(.production)\t\(.ready)\t\(.created_at)"' | head -10
done

echo ""
echo "=== Deploy Requests ==="
for db in $(pscale database list --format json 2>/dev/null | jq -r '.[].name'); do
    echo "--- $db ---"
    pscale deploy-request list "$db" --format json 2>/dev/null | jq -r '.[] | "\(.number)\t\(.branch)\t\(.state)\t\(.created_at)"' | head -5
done

Phase 2: Analysis

#!/bin/bash

DB_NAME="${1:?Database name required}"

echo "=== Database Details ==="
pscale database show "$DB_NAME" --format json 2>/dev/null | jq '{
    name, state, plan,
    region: .region.slug,
    production_branch: .default_branch,
    created_at, updated_at,
    insights_enabled: .insights_raw_queries
}'

echo ""
echo "=== Branch Status ==="
pscale branch list "$DB_NAME" --format json 2>/dev/null | jq -r '.[] | "\(.name)\t\(.production)\t\(.schema_last_updated_at)\t\(.ready)"' | head -10

echo ""
echo "=== Branch Schema ==="
BRANCH="${2:-main}"
pscale branch schema "$DB_NAME" "$BRANCH" --format json 2>/dev/null | jq -r '.[] | "\(.name)\t\(.raw)"' | head -20

echo ""
echo "=== Open Deploy Requests ==="
pscale deploy-request list "$DB_NAME" --format json 2>/dev/null | jq -r '[.[] | select(.state == "open")] | .[] | "\(.number)\t\(.branch)\t\(.into_branch)\t\(.created_at)"' | head -10

echo ""
echo "=== Audit Log ==="
pscale audit-log list --format json 2>/dev/null | jq -r '.[] | "\(.created_at)\t\(.actor_display_name)\t\(.action)\t\(.auditable_display_name)"' | head -10

Output Format

DATABASE   REGION    STATE    PLAN         CREATED
my-app-db  us-east   ready    scaler_pro   2024-01-15

Safety Rules

• Use read-only commands: list, show, schema
• Never run delete, close, revert without explicit user confirmation
• Use --format json with jq for structured output parsing
• Limit output with | head -N to stay under 50 lines

Anti-Hallucination Rules

1. NEVER assume resource names — always discover via CLI/API in Phase 1 before referencing in Phase 2.
2. NEVER fabricate metric names or dimensions — verify against the service documentation or --help output.
3. NEVER mix CLI commands between service versions — confirm which version/API you are targeting.
4. ALWAYS use the discovery → verify → analyze chain — every resource referenced must have been discovered first.
5. ALWAYS handle empty results gracefully — an empty response is valid data, not an error to retry.

Counter-Rationalizations

Shortcut	Counter	Why
"I'll skip discovery and check known resources"	Always run Phase 1 discovery first	Resource names change, new resources appear — assumed names cause errors
"The user only asked for a quick check"	Follow the full discovery → analysis flow	Quick checks miss critical issues; structured analysis catches silent failures
"Default configuration is probably fine"	Audit configuration explicitly	Defaults often leave logging, security, and optimization features disabled
"Metrics aren't needed for this"	Always check relevant metrics when available	API/CLI responses show current state; metrics reveal trends and intermittent issues
"I don't have access to that"	Try the command and report the actual error	Assumed permission failures prevent useful investigation; actual errors are informative