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).
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).
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 directly. See .
TabularEditor.exe
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 (te query, te vertipaq, te refresh, te test run, te test snapshot) need a deployed model: pass -s/-d (or an active connection); -m alone errors with "No server specified". te vertipaq --import <file.vpax> is the offline exception.
Never put secrets on the command line (visible in ps and shell history). Use --auth env with AZURE_CLIENT_ID/AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET/AZURE_TENANT_ID, stdin (-), or --auth managed-identity.
Avoid destructive operations without explicit direction: te remove, te move, te deploy --create-only, te save --force, te connect --clear. If a command is blocked by permissions, stop and ask.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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 echo '<C# foreach over Model.AllMeasures>' | te script -e - --save. Predefined macros: te macro run "<name>" --on "Sales/A,Sales/B" --save.
AI metadata CRUD: use scripts/manage-ai-metadata.csx for non-interactive CustomInstructions and Copilot schema Entities management; use scripts/edit-ai-instructions-interactive.csx or scripts/edit-ai-schema-interactive.csx inside TE3 Desktop.
Validate and optimize:
Validate DAX, schema, and relationships: te validate -m ./model --errors-only.
Best-practice gate: te bpa run --fail-on warning -m ./model (--fix auto-applies fixes); format DAX with te format --save -m ./model.
Size and storage: te vertipaq --columns --detail --top 20 -s ws -d model surfaces the largest columns first (VertiPaq stats live in the deployed database; for offline analysis use --import stats.vpax); references/semantic-modeling-practices.md covers what to do about them.
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
