Supabase CLI Skill

Table of Contents

1. Quick Reference
2. Critical: Avoiding Interactive Mode
3. Prerequisites
4. Authentication
5. CLI Decision Tree
6. Essential Commands
7. Local Development Ports
8. Common Workflows
9. Error Handling
10. Auto-Detection Triggers
11. Agent Integration
12. Quick Reference Card
13. Further Reading

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Quick Reference

Supabase CLI enables local development, database migrations, Edge Functions deployment, and project management for Supabase projects.

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Critical: Avoiding Interactive Mode

Supabase CLI can enter interactive mode which will hang Claude Code. Always use flags to bypass prompts:

Command	WRONG (Interactive)	CORRECT (Non-Interactive)
Login	supabase login	Use SUPABASE_ACCESS_TOKEN env var
Link project	supabase link	supabase link --project-ref <ref>
Create project	supabase projects create	supabase projects create <name> --org-id <id> --region <region>
Start local	supabase start	supabase start (non-interactive by default)
Deploy functions	supabase functions deploy	supabase functions deploy <name> --project-ref <ref>

Never use in Claude Code:

• supabase login without token (opens browser)
• Any command without --project-ref when not linked
• Interactive prompts for organization/region selection

Always include:

• SUPABASE_ACCESS_TOKEN environment variable for authentication
• --project-ref flag or pre-linked project
• Explicit flags for all configuration options

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Prerequisites

Installation Verification

supabase --version
# Expected: 2.x.x or higher

Installation Methods

# npm (requires Node.js 20+)
npm install -g supabase

# Homebrew (macOS/Linux)
brew install supabase/tap/supabase

# Scoop (Windows)
scoop bucket add supabase https://github.com/supabase/scoop-bucket.git
scoop install supabase

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Authentication

Environment Variables (CI/CD Required)

Variable	Purpose	Required For
SUPABASE_ACCESS_TOKEN	Personal access token	All remote operations
SUPABASE_DB_PASSWORD	Database password	db push, db pull, link
SUPABASE_PROJECT_ID	Project reference string	Linking without interactive prompt

Token Generation

Generate tokens at: https://supabase.com/dashboard/account/tokens

Authentication Pattern for Claude Code

# Set from project .env file
export SUPABASE_ACCESS_TOKEN="$(grep SUPABASE_ACCESS_TOKEN .env | cut -d= -f2)"
export SUPABASE_DB_PASSWORD="$(grep SUPABASE_DB_PASSWORD .env | cut -d= -f2)"

# All commands will use these automatically
supabase projects list
supabase link --project-ref <ref>

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CLI Decision Tree

What do you need to do?

Project Setup
├── Initialize local project ──────────► supabase init
├── Link to remote project ────────────► supabase link --project-ref <ref>
├── Start local stack ─────────────────► supabase start
├── Stop local stack ──────────────────► supabase stop
└── Check status ──────────────────────► supabase status

Database Operations
├── Create migration ──────────────────► supabase migration new <name>
├── Apply migrations locally ──────────► supabase db reset
├── Push migrations to remote ─────────► supabase db push
├── Pull remote schema ────────────────► supabase db pull
├── Diff local vs remote ──────────────► supabase db diff --linked
└── Lint database schema ──────────────► supabase db lint

Edge Functions
├── Create new function ───────────────► supabase functions new <name>
├── Serve locally ─────────────────────► supabase functions serve
├── Deploy function ───────────────────► supabase functions deploy <name>
├── List deployed functions ───────────► supabase functions list
└── Delete function ───────────────────► supabase functions delete <name>

Secrets Management
├── Set secret ────────────────────────► supabase secrets set NAME=value
├── Set from file ─────────────────────► supabase secrets set --env-file .env
├── List secrets ──────────────────────► supabase secrets list
└── Remove secret ─────────────────────► supabase secrets unset NAME

Type Generation
├── Generate TypeScript types ─────────► supabase gen types typescript --linked
└── Generate from local ───────────────► supabase gen types typescript --local

Debugging
├── View container logs ───────────────► supabase logs (local)
├── Check slow queries ────────────────► supabase inspect db outliers
└── View blocking queries ─────────────► supabase inspect db blocking

For complete command reference including storage, project management, and all inspection commands, see REFERENCE.md.

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Essential Commands

Project Setup

Command	Description	Key Flags
supabase init	Initialize local project	--workdir
supabase start	Start local development stack	-x (exclude services)
supabase stop	Stop local stack	--no-backup
supabase status	Show local container status	-
supabase link	Link to remote project	--project-ref <ref> (required)

Database Commands

Command	Description	Key Flags
supabase db reset	Reset local database	-
supabase db push	Push migrations to remote	--dry-run, --include-seed
supabase db pull	Pull schema from remote	--schema <name>
supabase db diff	Diff schema changes	--linked, --local, -f <name>
supabase db lint	Lint for schema errors	--linked, --level <warning|error>

Migration Commands

Command	Description	Key Flags
supabase migration new	Create new migration	<name> (required)
supabase migration list	List migration history	--db-url <url>
supabase migration up	Apply pending migrations	--local, --linked

Edge Functions Commands

Command	Description	Key Flags
supabase functions new	Create new function	<name> (required)
supabase functions serve	Serve locally	--env-file <path>
supabase functions deploy	Deploy function(s)	--no-verify-jwt, --project-ref
supabase functions delete	Delete function	<name> (required)

Secrets Commands

Command	Description	Key Flags
supabase secrets set	Set secret(s)	NAME=value, --env-file <path>
supabase secrets list	List secrets	--project-ref
supabase secrets unset	Remove secret(s)	<NAME>

For type generation, database inspection, storage, and project management commands, see REFERENCE.md.

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Local Development Ports

Service	Port	URL
API Gateway	54321	http://localhost:54321
Database	54322	postgresql://postgres:postgres@localhost:54322/postgres
Studio	54323	http://localhost:54323
Inbucket (Email)	54324	http://localhost:54324

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Common Workflows

1. Initialize New Project

# Create local project structure
supabase init

# Link to existing remote project
export SUPABASE_ACCESS_TOKEN="your-token"
supabase link --project-ref <project-ref>

# Start local development
supabase start

2. Create and Apply Migrations

# Create new migration
supabase migration new add_users_table

# Edit migration file at supabase/migrations/<timestamp>_add_users_table.sql

# Apply locally
supabase db reset

# Push to remote
supabase db push

3. Pull Remote Schema Changes

# Link project first
supabase link --project-ref <ref>

# Pull all schema changes
supabase db pull

# Or create migration from remote changes
supabase db pull --schema public

4. Deploy Edge Functions

# Create new function
supabase functions new hello-world

# Edit supabase/functions/hello-world/index.ts

# Test locally
supabase functions serve

# Deploy to production
supabase functions deploy hello-world

# Deploy without JWT verification (for webhooks)
supabase functions deploy hello-world --no-verify-jwt

5. Manage Secrets

# Set individual secret
supabase secrets set STRIPE_KEY=sk_test_xxx

# Set from .env file
supabase secrets set --env-file .env.production

# List current secrets
supabase secrets list

# Remove secret
supabase secrets unset STRIPE_KEY

6. Generate TypeScript Types

# From remote database
supabase gen types typescript --linked > src/types/database.ts

# From local database
supabase gen types typescript --local > src/types/database.ts

7. Debug Database Performance

# Find slow queries
supabase inspect db outliers

# Check for blocking queries
supabase inspect db blocking

# Check cache hit ratios
supabase inspect db cache-hit

For advanced workflows including CI/CD integration and migration strategies, see REFERENCE.md.

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Error Handling

Common Errors and Solutions

Error	Cause	Solution
Error: You need to be logged in	Missing access token	Set SUPABASE_ACCESS_TOKEN env var
Error: Project ref is required	No project linked	Use --project-ref or run supabase link
Error: Cannot connect to Docker	Docker not running	Start Docker Desktop
Error: Port 54321 already in use	Previous instance running	Run supabase stop first
Error: Migration failed	SQL syntax error	Check migration file syntax

Docker Issues

# Check if Docker is running
docker info

# Clean up Supabase containers
supabase stop --no-backup
docker system prune -f

# Restart with fresh state
supabase start

Migration Conflicts

# View migration status
supabase migration list

# Repair migration history
supabase migration repair --status reverted <version>

# Squash migrations if needed
supabase migration squash --version <timestamp>

For complete troubleshooting guide including permission issues and advanced debugging, see REFERENCE.md.

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Auto-Detection Triggers

This skill auto-loads when Supabase context is detected:

File-based triggers:

• supabase/config.toml in project
• supabase/ directory present
• SUPABASE_ACCESS_TOKEN in .env file

Context-based triggers:

• User mentions "Supabase"
• User runs supabase CLI commands
• Database migration discussions
• Edge Functions deployment

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Agent Integration

Compatible Agents

Agent	Use Case
deployment-orchestrator	Automated deployments, CI/CD
infrastructure-developer	Database provisioning
deep-debugger	Query analysis, performance debugging
backend-developer	Database schema, Edge Functions
postgresql-specialist	Advanced database operations

Handoff Patterns

To Deep-Debugger: Slow query investigation, migration failures, Edge Function runtime errors

From Deep-Debugger: Schema problems requiring migrations, environment variable changes

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Quick Reference Card

# Authentication (NEVER use supabase login in Claude Code)
export SUPABASE_ACCESS_TOKEN="xxx"

# Project setup
supabase init
supabase link --project-ref <ref>
supabase start
supabase stop

# Database
supabase migration new <name>
supabase db reset
supabase db push
supabase db pull
supabase db diff --linked

# Edge Functions
supabase functions new <name>
supabase functions serve
supabase functions deploy <name>

# Secrets
supabase secrets set KEY=value
supabase secrets list
supabase secrets unset KEY

# Types
supabase gen types typescript --linked > types.ts

# Debugging
supabase inspect db outliers
supabase inspect db blocking

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Further Reading

• REFERENCE.md - Complete command reference, regions, CI/CD integration, advanced patterns
• Supabase CLI Docs
• Local Development Guide