Working with Power BI reports using pbir

CLI for exploring, building, managing, formatting Power BI reports. All commands use pbir.

IMPORTANT: ALWAYS use pbir CLI commands to inspect and modify reports. NEVER write, replace, copy, or patch report JSON files directly. If the CLI does not expose a required mutation, stop and report the missing capability; do not fall back to file editing. Reading JSON through pbir cat, pbir get, or read-only examples is allowed.

IMPORTANT: FIRST Read and adhere to the mental model in MENTAL-MODEL.md.

Keeping the Fabric CLI current

When publishing to Fabric (pbir publish) alongside the fabric-cli plugin, check the installed Fabric CLI (fab) if publishing reports a compatibility problem. Upgrade with uv tool upgrade ms-fabric-cli only when required or requested, and honor any user-pinned version.

Learning from Mistakes

Log learnings about the pbir CLI in the project's memory file: gotchas, unexpected behavior, user expectations, and design preferences. Use the agent-appropriate path:

• Claude Code: .claude/rules/pbir-cli.md
• Cursor: .cursor/rules/pbir-cli.mdc
• GitHub Copilot: .github/instructions/pbir-cli.instructions.md