prisma-postgres-setup

# Prisma Postgres Setup Procedural skill that guides you through provisioning a new Prisma Postgres database via the Management API and connecting it to a local project. ## When to Apply Use this skill when: - Setting up a new Prisma Postgres database for a project - Creating a Prisma Postgres project and connecting it locally - Obtaining a connection string for Prisma Postgres - Provisioning a database via the Management API (not the Console UI) Do **not** use this skill when: - Setting up CI/CD preview databases — use `prisma-postgres-cicd` - Building multi-tenant database provisioning into an app — use `prisma-postgres-integrator` - Working with a database that already exists and is connected (schema/migration tasks are standard Prisma CLI) ## Prerequisites - Node.js 18+ - A Prisma Postgres workspace (create one at https://console.prisma.io if needed) - A workspace service token (see `references/auth.md`) ## UX Guidelines When presenting choices to the user (region selection, project deletion, etc.), **use your platform's interactive selection mechanism** (e.g., `ask` tool in Claude Code, structured prompts in other agents). Do not print static tables and ask the user to type a value — present selectable options so the user can pick with minimal effort. ## Workflow Follow these steps in order. Each step includes the API call to make and how to handle the response. ### Step 1: Authenticate You need a service token. Try these methods in order: **1a. Token in the user's prompt** Check if the user included a service token in their initial message (e.g., "Set up Prisma Postgres with token eyJ..."). If so, use it **exactly as provided** — do not truncate, re-encode, or round-trip it through a file. Store it in a shell variable for subsequent calls. **1b. Token in the environment** Check for `PRISMA_SERVICE_TOKEN` in the environment or `.env` file. **1c. Ask the user to create one** If no token is available, instruct the user: > Create a service token in Prisma Console → Workspace Settings → Service Tokens. > Copy the token and paste it here. Read `references/auth.md` for details on service token creation. Once you have a token, store it in a shell variable (`PRISMA_SERVICE_TOKEN`) and use it for all subsequent API calls. ### Step 2: List available regions Fetch the list of available Prisma Postgres regions to let the user choose where to deploy. ```bash curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $PRISMA_SERVICE_TOKEN" \ https://api.prisma.io/v1/regions/postgres ``` The response contains an array of regions with `id`, `name`, and `status`. Only present regions where `status` is `available`. **Present the regions as an interactive menu** — let the user pick from options rather than typing a region ID manually. Read `references/endpoints.md` for the full response shape. ### Step 3: Create a project with a database ```bash curl -s -X POST https://api.prisma.io/v1/projects \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $PRISMA_SERVICE_TOKEN" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "name": "<project-name>", "region": "<region-id>", "createDatabase": true }' ``` Use the current directory name as the project name by default. The response is wrapped in `{ "data": { ... } }`. Extract: - `data.id` — the project ID (prefixed with `proj_`) - `data.database.id` — the database ID (prefixed with `db_`) - `data.database.connections[0].endpoints.direct.connectionString` — the direct PostgreSQL connection string Use the **direct** connection string (`endpoints.direct.connectionString`). Do not use the pooled or accelerate endpoints — those are for legacy Accelerate setups and not needed for new projects. If the response status is `provisioning`, wait a few seconds and poll `GET /v1/databases/<database-id>` until `status` is `ready`. **If creation fails due to a database limit**, list the user's existing projects and present them as an interactive menu for deletion. After the user picks one, delete it and retry. Read `references/endpoints.md` for the full request/response shapes. ### Step 4: Create a named connection (optional) If you need a dedicated connection (e.g., per-developer or per-environment), create one: ```bash curl -s -X POST https://api.prisma.io/v1/databases/<database-id>/connections \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $PRISMA_SERVICE_TOKEN" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "name": "dev" }' ``` Extract the direct connection string from `data.endpoints.direct.connectionString`. ### Step 5: Configure the local project 1. Install dependencies: ```bash npm install prisma @prisma/client @prisma/adapter-pg pg dotenv ``` All five packages are required: - `prisma` — CLI for migrations, schema push, client generation - `@prisma/client` — the generated query client - `@prisma/adapter-pg` — Prisma 7 driver adapter for direct PostgreSQL connections - `pg` — Node.js PostgreSQL driver (used by the adapter) - `dotenv` — loads `.env` variables for `prisma.config.ts` 2. Write the direct connection string to `.env`. **Append** to the file if it already exists — do not overwrite existing entries: ``` DATABASE_URL="<direct-connection-string>" ``` 3. Verify `.gitignore` includes `.env`. Create `.gitignore` if it does not exist. Warn the user if `.env` is not gitignored. 4. Ensure `package.json` has `"type": "module"` set (Prisma 7 generates ESM output). 5. If `prisma/schema.prisma` does not exist, run `npx prisma init` to scaffold the project. This creates both `prisma/schema.prisma` and `prisma.config.ts`. 6. Ensure `schema.prisma` has the `postgresql` provider and **no** `url` or `directUrl` in the datasource block (Prisma 7 manages connection URLs in `prisma.config.ts`, not in the schema): ```prisma datasource db { provider = "postgresql" } ``` 7. Ensure `prisma.config.ts` loads the connection URL from the environment: ```typescript import path from 'node:path' import { defineConfig } from 'prisma/config' import 'dotenv/config' export default defineConfig({ earlyAccess: true, schema: path.join(import.meta.dirname, 'prisma', 'schema.prisma'), datasource: { url: process.env.DATABASE_URL!, }, }) ``` **Important Prisma 7 notes:** - Connection URLs go in `prisma.config.ts`, never in `schema.prisma` - The provider in `schema.prisma` must be `"postgresql"` (not `"prismaPostgres"`) - `dotenv/config` must be imported in `prisma.config.ts` to load `.env` variables ### Step 6: Define schema and push If the schema already has models, skip to pushing. Otherwise, **present these options as an interactive menu**: 1. **"I'll define my schema manually"** — Tell the user to edit `prisma/schema.prisma` and come back when ready. Wait for them before proceeding. 2. **"Give me a starter schema"** — Add a Blog starter schema (User, Post, Comment with relations) to `prisma/schema.prisma`. Show the user what was added and ask if they want to adjust it before pushing. 3. **"I'll describe what I need"** — Ask the user to describe their data model in natural language (e.g., "I'm building a task manager with projects, tasks, and team members"). Generate a schema from the description, show it, and ask for confirmation before pushing. Once the schema has models and the user is ready, create a migration and generate the client: ```bash npx prisma migrate dev --name init ``` This creates migration files in `prisma/migrations/` **and** generates the client in one step. Migration history is essential for CI/CD workflows (`prisma migrate deploy`) and production deployments. Only use `npx prisma db push` if the user explicitly asks for prototyping-only mode (no migration history). In that case, follow it with `npx prisma generate`. ### Step 7: Verify the connection After generating the client, create and run a quick verification script to confirm everything works end-to-end. This is **critical** — do not skip this step. Create a file named `test-connection.ts`: ```typescript import 'dotenv/config' import pg from 'pg' import { PrismaPg } from '@prisma/adapter-pg' import { PrismaClient } from './generated/prisma/client.js' const pool = new pg.Pool({ connectionString: process.env.DATABASE_URL }) const adapter = new PrismaPg(pool) const prisma = new PrismaClient({ adapter }) const result = await prisma.$queryRawUnsafe('SELECT 1 as connected') console.log('Connected to Prisma Postgres:', result) await prisma.$disconnect() await pool.end() ``` Run it: ```bash npx tsx test-connection.ts ``` **Prisma 7 client instantiation rules:** - Import from `./generated/prisma/client.js` (not `./generated/prisma`) - Create a `pg.Pool` with the `DATABASE_URL` connection string - Wrap it in a `PrismaPg` adapter - Pass `{ adapter }` to the `PrismaClient` constructor - Do **not** use `datasourceUrl` — that option does not exist in Prisma 7 - Do **not** use `new PrismaClient()` with no arguments — it will throw After verification succeeds, delete `test-connection.ts`. Then share links for the user to explore their database: - **Prisma Studio (CLI):** `npx prisma studio` — opens a visual data browser locally - **Console:** `https://console.prisma.io/<workspaceId>/<projectId>/<databaseId>/dashboard` — strip the prefixes (`wksp_`, `proj_`, `db_`) from the IDs returned in Step 3 to build this URL Read `references/prisma7-client.md` for the full client instantiation reference. ## Error Handling Read `references/api-basics.md` for the full error reference. Key self-correction patterns: | HTTP Status | Error Code | Action | |---|---|---| | 401 | `authentication-failed` | Service token is invalid or expired. Ask the user to create a new one in Console → Workspace Settings → Service Tokens. | | 404 | `resource-not-found` | Check that the resource ID includes the correct prefix (`proj_`, `db_`, `con_`). | | 422 | `validation-error` | Check request body against the endpoint schema. Common: missing `name`, invalid `region`. | | 429 | `rate-limit-exceeded` | Back off and retry after a few seconds. | ## Reference Files Detailed API and usage information is in: ``` references/auth.md — Service token creation and usage references/api-basics.md — Base URL, envelope, IDs, errors, pagination references/endpoints.md — Endpoint details for projects, databases, connections, regions references/prisma7-client.md — Prisma 7 client instantiation and usage patterns ```