dagster-expert

Core Dagster Concepts

Brief definitions only (see reference files for detailed examples):

• Asset: Persistent object (table, file, model) produced by your pipeline
• Component: Reusable building block that generates definitions (assets, schedules, sensors, jobs, etc.) relevant to a particular domain.

Integration Workflow

When integrating with ANY external tool or service, read the Integration libraries index. This contains information about which integration libraries exist, and references on how to create new custom integrations for tools that do not have a published library.

Programmatic Access: dg CLI and the Dagster Plus MCP server

There are two ways to interact with Dagster programmatically. Pick by where the work happens:

• The dg CLI — everything in the local project: adding definitions, scaffolding, validating, exploring project structure, and launching runs locally. Installed as part of the dagster-dg-cli package. If a relevant CLI command for a local task exists, always attempt to use it.
• The Dagster Plus MCP server — querying and managing a deployed Dagster Plus organization: runs, assets, deployments, code locations, alert policies, Issues, and insights metrics. When it is connected, prefer its tools over the equivalent dg api commands.

dg api covers the same deployed resources as the MCP server from the command line, and remains the way to reach the parts the server does not expose. Before doing anything against a deployed Dagster Plus environment, read Dagster Plus API: General — it covers how to choose between the two and how to fall back safely.