| name | drizzle-output-modes |
| description | Choose and interpret drizzle-kit `--output text` vs `--output json`, reason about interactivity in non-TTY contexts, and read the human-readable missing-decisions text report. Load when deciding which `--output` mode to pass, when a drizzle-kit run in a non-TTY context needs to stay non-interactive, or when parsing a `missing_hints: N unresolved decisions` text report. |
| metadata | {"version":"1.0.0"} |
Drizzle output modes
If the drizzle skill has not been loaded yet this session, load it first — it carries the staleness check and the MCP-vs-CLI surface-selection rule that govern every drizzle-kit invocation.
Drizzle Kit generate / push / check render results in one of two output modes, selected with --output. Output format and interactivity are separate axes: the output mode controls how results are rendered; interactivity controls whether the CLI may prompt.
--output text (the default) renders human-readable progress and results on stdout, with typed errors on stderr. When a command has unresolved decisions and cannot prompt, it writes the missing-decisions report (below) to stdout and exits with code 2.--output json emits a single machine-readable JSON envelope on stdout for every status (including errors), and is always non-interactive.
check --output json rides the same plumbing: it is a no-hint, non-interactive gate that emits an ok envelope when the migrations folder is valid and a check_error envelope for snapshot-integrity problems or unreported branch conflicts. It never reaches the missing-decisions path. The drizzle-responses-and-errors skill decodes the check_error envelope.
Interactivity
A command is interactive only when it is rendering text and stdin is a TTY:
interactive = output === 'text' && !!process.stdin.isTTY
--output json is therefore always non-interactive, regardless of whether stdin is a TTY. Under --output text, interactivity is determined solely by whether stdin is a TTY (!process.stdin.isTTY means non-interactive).
When the CLI is non-interactive and reaches a decision it cannot resolve from your --hints / --hints-file, it does not prompt. Under --output json it returns a missing_hints envelope; under --output text it prints the missing-decisions report below. The drizzle-hints skill covers building the reply that resolves those decisions.
Missing-decisions text report
Under --output text, when the CLI is non-interactive (stdin is not a TTY) and at least one decision is still unresolved, it prints a human-readable report to stdout and exits with code 2. rename_or_create decisions are listed first (discovery order), then confirm_data_loss decisions (discovery order), with a continuous 1-based index across both groups. Each item shows an Add to --hints: block with the snippet(s) to supply; rename_or_create items show both a rename and a create snippet joined by OR.
The from placeholders are intentionally invalid JSON — replace the angle-bracket segments with the real identifier of the entity being renamed before re-running. The report only suggests the inline --hints '<json-array>' form, never --hints-file. A two-item run renders like this:
missing_hints: 2 unresolved decisions
1. Rename or create — table public.users_v2
Add to --hints:
{ "type": "rename", "kind": "table", "from": ["<schema>", "<old_name>"], "to": ["public", "users_v2"] }
OR
{ "type": "create", "kind": "table", "entity": ["public", "users_v2"] }
2. Confirm data loss — table public.legacy_audit (reason: non_empty)
Add to --hints:
{ "type": "confirm_data_loss", "kind": "table", "entity": ["public", "legacy_audit"] }
Re-run with --hints '<json-array>'. Exit code 2.
