Implementation:Dagster io Dagster Create Dagster CLI

Property	Value
Type	Implementation
Category	Data_Engineering, Developer_Tools
Repository	Dagster_io_Dagster
Implements	Principle:Dagster_io_Dagster_Project_Scaffolding

Overview

Concrete CLI tool for scaffolding new Dagster projects with standard structure and configuration provided by the create-dagster package.

Description

The create-dagster CLI and the dg CLI together provide project scaffolding and component management for Dagster projects. The create-dagster project command generates a complete project skeleton with source layout, configuration, and virtual environment. The dg CLI adds component scaffolding (dg scaffold defs) and a development server (dg dev).

Usage

Run create-dagster project my_project to generate a new project, then use dg dev to start the development server. Use dg scaffold defs to add components to an existing project.

Code Reference

Source Location

CLI tools (create-dagster, dg)
python_modules/dagster/dagster/components/definitions.py:L50

Signature/Pattern

Create a new project:

# Create new project
create-dagster project my_project

# Start development server
cd my_project
dg dev

# Scaffold a component
dg scaffold defs dagster_dbt.DbtProjectComponent --project-path ../analytics

# Scaffold a definitions folder
dg scaffold defs dagster.DefsFolderComponent --name my_defs

Generated project structure:

my_project/
├── pyproject.toml
├── src/
│   └── my_project/
│       ├── __init__.py
│       ├── definitions.py     # @definitions entry point
│       └── defs/              # Auto-discovered definitions folder
│           └── __init__.py
└── .venv/

Import

N/A -- This is a CLI tool, not imported in Python code.

Prerequisites

Python >= 3.10
uv package manager

I/O Contract

Direction	Name	Type	Description
Input	project name	str (positional argument)	Name for the new project (used for directory and package naming)
Input	component type	str (for scaffold)	Fully qualified component class name (e.g., `dagster_dbt.DbtProjectComponent`)
Output	project directory	filesystem	Scaffolded project directory with standard structure
Output	development server	HTTP	Running webserver on `http://127.0.0.1:3000` (via `dg dev`)

Usage Examples

Creating a new project from scratch:

# Step 1: Create the project
create-dagster project my_data_pipeline

# Step 2: Enter the project directory
cd my_data_pipeline

# Step 3: Start the development server
dg dev
# Server starts at http://127.0.0.1:3000

Adding a dbt component to an existing project:

# Scaffold a dbt project component
dg scaffold defs dagster_dbt.DbtProjectComponent --project-path ../my_dbt_project

# Scaffold an additional definitions folder for custom assets
dg scaffold defs dagster.DefsFolderComponent --name custom_assets

Generated definitions.py entry point:

import dagster as dg

@dg.definitions
def defs():
    # Auto-discovers assets and other definitions from the defs/ directory
    return dg.Definitions(
        assets=dg.load_assets_from_modules([defs]),
    )

Related Pages

Principle:Dagster_io_Dagster_Project_Scaffolding

Requires Environment

Uses Heuristic

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