dbt Helper

A JetBrains IDE plugin that brings lineage visualization, code intelligence, and command runner for dbt projects.

Works with IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, DataSpell, and other JetBrains IDEs (2025.1+).

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Features

• Lineage graph — interactive DAG of your dbt models with click-to-explore navigation. Single click previews a model and its dependencies; double click refocuses the graph and opens the file.
• Docs sidebar — columns, tests, SQL, and metadata for the selected model, side-by-side with the graph.
• Code intelligence — autocomplete and go-to-definition for ref(), source(), and macro(); hover for column info; warnings on unresolved references. Works in .sql and Jinja files.
• Runner — run, test, compile, preview, and regenerate docs without leaving the IDE. Target selector and live output log.
• Copy & paste helpers — copy SQL with refs resolved to db.schema.table, or paste SQL with table names converted back into ref() / source() calls.

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Installation

From Disk (Development Build)

1. Download the latest dbt-helper-x.x.x.zip from Releases
2. In your IDE: Settings → Plugins → ⚙️ → Install Plugin from Disk...
3. Select the ZIP file and restart the IDE

Requirements

• JetBrains IDE 2025.1 or later
• A dbt project with manifest.json (run dbt compile or dbt docs generate first)
• dbt CLI installed and accessible

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Setup

1. Open a project containing dbt_project.yml
2. The plugin auto-detects your dbt project root and parses target/manifest.json
3. Open the dbt Helper tool window (bottom panel)

Settings

Settings → Tools → dbt Helper

Setting	Description	Default
dbt executable path	Path to dbt CLI binary	dbt (auto-detected)
Project root override	Manual dbt project root	auto-detect
Active target	Target from profiles.yml	default target
Upstream/Downstream depth	Lineage graph depth	5 / 5
Edge style	Lineage edge rendering	round-taxi
Layout direction	Graph orientation	Left → Right
Preview row limit	Max rows for dbt show	10
Show exposures	Display exposures in lineage	on
System notifications	Native OS notifications	on

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Keyboard Shortcuts

Action	macOS	Windows/Linux
Copy for Target DB	Cmd+Shift+C	Ctrl+Shift+C
Paste as dbt Refs	Cmd+Shift+V	Ctrl+Shift+V

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Building from Source

git clone https://github.com/Endiruslan/dbt-helper.git
cd dbt-helper
./gradlew buildPlugin

The plugin ZIP will be at build/distributions/dbt-helper-x.x.x.zip.

To run a development instance:

./gradlew runIde

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License

MIT

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This plugin is not affiliated with or endorsed by dbt Labs.