te-cli

name

te-cli

description

Expert guidance for the cross-platform Tabular Editor CLI (the `te` binary, currently in preview) that manages Power BI / Analysis Services semantic models from the terminal on macOS, Linux, and Windows. Use when the user mentions the `te` CLI or "Tabular Editor CLI" (not the "2"), or runs a `te <command>` to scaffold, inspect, edit, validate, run BPA on, query, deploy, refresh, test, or migrate a semantic model. Not for the legacy Windows-only `TabularEditor.exe` (TE2).

Tabular Editor CLI (te)

To get the te CLI yourself (as the agent), see references/get-te-cli.md.

The te CLI is a single self-contained binary that loads, edits, validates, deploys, refreshes, and tests semantic models against TMDL/BIM files, Power BI Desktop, and cloud workspaces (Power BI, Fabric, Azure AS, SSAS). It is built on the same TOMWrapper that powers Tabular Editor 3, so model edits behave like the desktop app.

Always pass --output-format json when driving te programmatically. The default text/table output uses tables and ANSI styling that mangle in agent transcripts; JSON is parseable and avoids rendering issues.

Limited public preview. Preview builds stop functioning after 2026-09-30. No license is required during preview. Issues and feedback: https://github.com/TabularEditor/CLI

Not the TE2 CLI. This is a different product from the legacy Windows-only TabularEditor.exe (TE2). If the user invokes TE2 flag syntax (-D, -S, -A, -B, -TMDL, -O, -C, -V, -G), route it through the compat layer or invoke TabularEditor.exe directly. See references/te2-migration.md.

When to use this skill

• The user mentions "te CLI", "the new Tabular Editor CLI", or runs a te <command> in a terminal
• The user wants to scaffold, inspect, edit, validate, deploy, refresh, query, or test a semantic model from the terminal on any OS
• The user wants to convert TMDL, BIM, or PBIP, run BPA, or format DAX from the command line
• The user wants to set up a DAX regression test suite, snapshot baselines, or A/B-compare two deployed models
• The user is building a CI/CD pipeline (GitHub Actions or Azure DevOps) that validates, tests, or deploys a semantic model to Power BI / Fabric
• The user is migrating CI/CD pipelines from TabularEditor.exe (TE2) to te

When NOT to use this skill

• The user explicitly wants to run TabularEditor.exe natively (TE2); use that product directly
• The user asks about Tabular Editor 3 desktop UI features (Preferences.json, MacroActions.json, Layouts.json); consult https://docs.tabulareditor.com/
• The user wants help authoring a C# script body or a BPA rule expression itself rather than running it; use the c-sharp-scripting and bpa-rules skills

Critical general rules

• First use in a session: run te --version and te auth status. If not authenticated, ask the user to run te auth login.
• Run te --help and te <command> --help the first time composing a command; flags are still evolving during preview.
• te connect state is per-shell-session and does NOT survive across separate Bash tool calls (each call is a fresh shell). Pass -m <model> (and -s/-d for remote) on every command, or set TE_SESSION=<name> before the first call to share state.
• MPartition path asymmetry: te add for an M partition uses <Table>/<Partition>, but every other command (te remove, te get, te list, te move, te set) uses <Table>/Partitions/<Partition>.
• Mutations stage in memory by default. te set, te add, te remove, te move, te replace, te format, te script, te macro run, te incremental-refresh set/remove need --save to persist (unless interactiveEditMode is set to save).
• The BPA gate is ON by default for te deploy and te save. Bypass deliberately: --skip-bpa, --fix-bpa, or bpa.onDeploy / bpa.onSave config (keys are nested under bpa., not flat).
• In CI: pass --non-interactive and --force. te deploy prompts with n as the safe default and hangs pipelines without --force.
• Metadata commands (te list, te get, te set, te add, te validate, te bpa run, te format, te script) work on a local model via -m. Commands that execute DAX or touch data (, , , , ) need a deployed model: pass / (or an active connection); alone errors with "No server specified". is the offline exception.

Verb naming (canonical long-form + Unix aliases)

Long-form verbs are canonical: te list, te remove, te move at the root, and list/remove in subgroups (te macro, te bpa rules, te profile, te session, te test, te incremental-refresh). Short Unix-style aliases work everywhere: ls, rm, mv. te move also accepts rename. te config list is the canonical name (previously te config show). te add has no short alias. This skill uses the long forms throughout; the aliases still work if you prefer to type them.

Staging model (--save / --stage / --revert)

Every mutating command runs through a staging dispatcher: edits (set, add, rm, mv, replace), DAX/M (format), TOM (script, macro run), refresh policy, and BPA --fix.

By default edits stage in memory and are discarded on exit. Pass --save to persist. The default is configurable with te config set interactiveEditMode <mode>:

• stage (default): keep changes in memory; persist with explicit --save
• save: auto-persist after each successful mutation
• revert: auto-roll-back after each mutation (safe audit/dry-run style)

Inside te interactive, --save, --stage, and --revert are available per command and mutually exclusive. --save-to <path> writes the mutation to a different location without overwriting the source. --force on te script / te save lets a mutation persist even when it introduces NEW DAX validation errors; the default save gate refuses to persist if the mutation introduces new errors (pre-existing errors do not block).

Quickstart

te --version && te auth status          # 0. check install + auth
te auth login                           # 1. authenticate (browser); cached
te init ./my-model                      # 2. scaffold (PowerBI mode, TMDL, compat 1702)
te load ./model                         # 3. load + summary; then `te list`, `te list Sales`
te find "Revenue" --in names -m ./model # 4. search (names | expressions | descriptions | all)
te get Sales/Revenue -q expression -m ./model      # 5. read a measure's DAX
te bpa run --fail-on error --ci github -m ./model   # 6. BPA gate
te format --save -m ./model             # 7. format all DAX
te query "EVALUATE TOPN(5, 'Sales')" -s ws -d model    # 8. query (positional or -q)
te save -o ./out --serialization tmdl -m ./model    # 9. save / convert (tmdl|bim|pbip|database.json)
te deploy ./model -s ws -d model --force --ci github      # 10. deploy
te refresh --type full -s ws -d model   # 11. refresh

te connect <ws> <model> sets an active connection for interactive terminals, but it does not persist across separate Bash tool calls. In agentic or scripted use, pass -m/-s/-d explicitly every command (or set TE_SESSION).

Common operations

The highest-frequency tasks in their most concise form. Full flags are in references/command-reference.md; flags are still moving in preview, so confirm with te <command> --help.

1. Summarize a model (most concise): te load ./model prints a model summary. For a structural inventory, te list (tables), te list Measures (every measure across the model), te list Relationships (all relationships). Add --output-format json for a machine-readable dump.
2. Search the model (fastest): te find "<text>" --in names --paths-only -m ./model. Scope --in to names, expressions, descriptions, displayFolders, ...; --in expressions walks every DAX and M expression. --paths-only is the fast, pipeable form. Structural lookups use wildcards (te list "Sales/*Amount"). Relationships are enumerated with te list Relationships (or DAX EVALUATE INFO.VIEW.RELATIONSHIPS() for the friendly view with cross-filter direction and active flag).
3. Query the model (needs a deployed model: -s/-d or an active connection; a local -m path cannot execute DAX):
   • Positional DAX: te query "EVALUATE TOPN(10, Sales)" -s ws -d model (or -q "<dax>"; explicit -q still wins)
   • From a .dax file: te query --file query.dax -s ws -d model
   • Save results (format picked by extension): --output-file out.csv (csv/tsv/json/dax); machine-readable stdout: --output-format json.
4. Make a change (stages in memory; --save persists): te set Sales/Revenue -q expression -i "SUM(Sales[Amount])" --save. Also te add, te remove, te move. Read the current value first with te get Sales/Revenue -q expression.
5. Make bulk changes:
   • Text find/replace across the whole model: te replace "Old" "New" --in expressions --save (previews unless --save).
   • Arbitrary bulk logic in one pass (the model loads once, avoiding ~1-2s per-call startup): te script -S bulk.csx --save, or inline . Predefined macros: .

Global options

Abbreviated; the full table (including --recent, server and database detail) is in references/command-reference.md.

Option	Description
-m, --model <path>	TMDL folder, .bim, or TE folder
-s, --server / -d, --database	Workspace/endpoint and semantic model name
--local	Running Power BI Desktop (Windows only)
--auth <method>	auto | interactive | spn | env | managed-identity
--output-format <fmt>	auto | text | json | csv | tmsl (alias bim) | tmdl; how STDOUT renders
--non-interactive	Disable prompts; fail if input missing (set in CI)
--error-format <fmt>	text (default) | json; how errors/warnings render on stderr
--debug	Debug logs to stderr

Note: --output-format (how stdout renders) and --serialization (how a model is written to disk on init/save) are different flags. Do not conflate them.

Semantic modeling checklist

Driving the CLI correctly is not the same as building a good model. After te add creates an object, apply the modeling decision that makes it correct and usable. The highest-value practices, each with its te command:

Practice	Why	te command
summarizeBy = none on key/ID columns	stops Power BI silently summing keys into meaningless totals	te set Sales/ProductKey -q summarizeBy -i none --save
Hide foreign-key and surrogate-key columns	keys serve relationships, not visuals; keeps the field list clean	te set Sales/ProductKey -q isHidden -i true --save
Mark the date table	unlocks reliable time intelligence	te set Date -q dataCategory -i Time --save
Single cross-filter direction by default	avoids ambiguous filter paths and double counting	list with te list Relationships (or DAX EVALUATE INFO.VIEW.RELATIONSHIPS() for the friendly view), read one with te get Relationships/<name> (the -> shorthand is for te add only); enable bidirectional only for a deliberate bridge
Format string on every measure	unformatted measures render raw floats	te set "_Measures/Revenue" -q formatString -i "#,0.00" --save
Display folder + description on measures	a flat field pane is unusable past a few dozen measures; descriptions feed tooltips and Copilot	te set "_Measures/Revenue" -q displayFolder -i "Revenue" --save
Minimal correct data types; integer surrogate keys	high-cardinality and oversized types bloat VertiPaq	te set Sales/CustomerKey -q dataType -i int64 --save
Prefer measures over calculated columns	calculated columns cost storage and break some DirectQuery/DirectLake paths	te add "_Measures/Margin" -t Measure -i "[Revenue]-[COGS]" --save
Calculation groups over measure sprawl	turns N measures x K variants into N + K objects	see references/semantic-modeling-practices.md
Gate every batch with validate + BPA	catches broken references and antipatterns while the change is fresh	te validate -m ./model && te bpa run --fail-on warning -m ./model

Full rationale, citations, and worked workflows (RLS roles, calculation groups, date tables, VertiPaq tuning): references/semantic-modeling-practices.md.

Command index

Ten command families. Full flags and examples in references/command-reference.md.

• Model I/O: te load, te save, te open, te init
• Editing: te set, te add, te remove, te move, te replace
• Inspection: te list, te get, te find, te diff, te deps
• Analysis & quality: te validate, te bpa run, te vertipaq, te format
• Execution: te query, te script, te macro
• Deploy & refresh: te deploy, te refresh, te incremental-refresh
• Testing: te test (run, init, list, spec, use, snapshot, compare); suite authoring in references/testing.md
• Connection & auth: te connect, te auth, te profile, te session
• Configuration: te config, te migrate, te completion
• Shell: te interactive (model-aware REPL; subcommands work without the te prefix)

The authoring loop

Run quality gates continuously, not only at deploy:

te validate -m ./model --errors-only           # after each batch of edits
te bpa run --fail-on warning -m ./model         # antipattern gate during development
te format --save -m ./model                     # consistent DAX layout before commit

For build scripts that issue many te calls, set te config set bpa.onSave false first (skip the per-save BPA pass), run BPA once at the end, and set te config set spinner false for cleaner logs. Each invocation has ~1-2s of startup; prefer one te script with a C# loop over N te set calls for bulk edits.

Using te with other Power BI CLIs

te owns the semantic model. Two sibling CLIs own the layers around it, and the highest-value workflows cross the boundary:

• pbir (the Power BI report layer): renaming or moving a model object leaves the report bound to the old Table.Field. te move cascades DAX references inside the model, but it cannot see report JSON; repair the report bindings separately (pbir fields replace, pbir validate --fields). See references/pbir-cli-tandem.md.
• fab (the Fabric / Power BI service): export a model from a workspace, edit and gate it locally with te, then deploy over XMLA (te deploy) or import it back (fab import). See references/fabric-cli-tandem.md.

Gate any cross-tool refactor with te validate before touching the report or the service, and remember every te mutation stages in memory until --save.

Bundled scripts

• scripts/manage-ai-metadata.csx - non-interactive te script CRUD for semantic model AI instructions (CustomInstructions) and AI schema (Entities) stored in culture linguistic metadata.
• scripts/edit-ai-instructions-interactive.csx - TE3 Desktop GUI editor for semantic model AI instructions.
• scripts/edit-ai-schema-interactive.csx - TE3 Desktop GUI editor for semantic model AI schema.
• scripts/manage-ai-metadata-interactive.csx - original combined TE3 Desktop editor prototype.

References

Bundled (load as needed):

• references/get-te-cli.md - agent self-service install of the te binary from the public CDN
• references/command-reference.md - object path grammar, global options, all 10 command families, authentication, connections/profiles/sessions
• references/testing.md - authoring .test.yaml suites (assertions, tolerance, tags, matrix), snapshot regression, A/B compare across workspaces
• references/semantic-modeling-practices.md - modeling best practices tied to te commands, with sources
• references/workflows.md - multi-step recipes (table + M partition, format conversions, deploy, refresh, perspectives, translations, incremental refresh, field parameters)
• references/gotchas.md - path/property asymmetries, output shapes, behavior traps
• references/config-cicd-env.md - config keys, speed knobs, CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, Fabric practices), output formats, exit codes, environment variables
• references/te2-migration.md - TE2 compat activation and full flag mapping
• references/pbir-cli-tandem.md - using te with the pbir CLI (rename and refactor propagation, thin reports, validation pairing)
• references/fabric-cli-tandem.md - using te with the fab CLI (export/edit/deploy round-trip, discovery, refresh, promotion)

Authoritative docs:

• Command reference: https://docs.tabulareditor.com/en/features/te-cli/te-cli-commands.html
• Overview: https://docs.tabulareditor.com/en/features/te-cli/te-cli.html
• CI/CD: https://docs.tabulareditor.com/en/features/te-cli/te-cli-cicd.html
• Known limitations: https://docs.tabulareditor.com/en/features/te-cli/te-cli-limitations.html
• GitHub (issues, releases): https://github.com/TabularEditor/CLI