prisma-8

Prisma 8 (Prisma 8)

Edit your data contract. Prisma handles the rest.

Prisma 8 moves fast, and your training data about it is very likely outdated. This skill ships inside the installed Prisma packages, so it describes the exact version this project has — treat it and its reference files as the source of truth, over anything you remember about Prisma.

Pre-conditions

Check these before acting on anything below. Halt on the first one that fails and tell the user what is missing.

1. The project is on Prisma 8. prisma.config.ts exports definePrismaConfig({ orm: ... }), and package.json depends on @prisma/orm-postgres, @prisma/orm-sqlite, or @prisma/orm-mongo. A project with schema.prisma and @prisma/client is Prisma 7 or earlier; this skill does not apply to it, and its instructions will break such a project.
2. The skill matches the installed version. Compare metadata.library_version in this file's frontmatter with the installed @prisma/orm-* version in package.json. If they differ, run prisma skills sync and re-read this file before continuing.
3. The contract artefacts exist. contract.json and contract.d.ts sit next to the contract source named by prisma.config.ts. If they are missing or older than the source, run prisma contract emit first; every query and migration instruction below assumes current artefacts.

Import paths in the references. The reference files spell façade imports as @internal/<target>/<subpath> and @internal/extension-<name>/<subpath>. In an application those packages are published as @prisma/orm-<target>/<subpath> (@prisma/orm-postgres/runtime, @prisma/orm-mongo/config, @prisma/orm-sqlite/runtime) and @prisma/orm-extension-<name>/<subpath> (@prisma/orm-extension-pgvector/control). Write the @prisma/orm-* name in user code; the two spellings are the same package. Paths already written as @prisma/orm-* in the references are exact. The metadata.library_version in this file's frontmatter is the version it was published with; if it does not match the project's installed Prisma packages, run prisma skills sync and re-read.

Prisma 8 is a contract-first data layer. This skill routes every Prisma 8 task to the right reference file — open the reference before writing code; do not answer from this file alone.

The canonical model (one paragraph)

You author a data contract (a contract.prisma file, or a TypeScript builder). The framework emits machine-readable artifacts (contract.json, contract.d.ts) and gives you two runtime surfaces on SQL targets: a typed SQL query builder (db.sql.<ns>.<table>) and a typed ORM client (db.orm.<ns>.<Model>). On MongoDB targets only the ORM lane exists, and its keys are collection storage names (db.orm.users) rather than PSL model names — references/queries.md § MongoDB ORM addressing covers the rule. Migrations are planned from the contract diff; you review them, optionally edit the migration.ts for data transforms, and apply.

Three steps the user does:

1. Edit your data contract. (references/contract.md)
2. The system plans the migrations for you. (references/migrations.md)
3. If you need data migrations, you edit migration.ts and execute it. (references/migrations.md)

Everything else — queries, runtime wiring, build integration, debugging, feedback — sits on top of those three.

One cross-cutting migration fact: migration plan does not chain from the newest migration on disk. Its origin is --from, else the db ref, else an empty database — so a project with no ref keeps planning from scratch. Over existing migrations the CLI refuses that (MIGRATION.PLAN_ORIGIN_UNKNOWN) instead of writing a full-create package; choose the exit that matches your intent rather than reflexively passing --from @empty. references/migration-model.md § The trap explains which to choose.

Routing table

Open the reference whose triggers match the task. If more than one matches, open each — they are written to compose.

Routing rules

If the task clearly matches a row, open that reference directly without asking.

For a vague prompt, ask one disambiguating question. Pick from:

• "Are you new to Prisma 8 and asking what you can do with it, or where to start?" → references/quickstart.md (first-touch orientation path).
• "Do you want to set up a new Prisma 8 project, or wire it into an existing database?" → references/quickstart.md.
• "Do you want to edit your data contract (add a model / field / relation), or work with the database (migrations, queries)?" → references/contract.md vs the others.
• "Is this about authoring a migration, or about reviewing what's going to run on deploy?" → references/migrations.md vs references/migration-review.md. If it's about where a plan starts, refs, or an unexpected from-scratch plan → references/migration-model.md.
• "Is this about wiring Prisma 8 into your build tool (Vite / Next.js / …), or about wiring db.ts and middleware at runtime?" → references/build.md vs references/runtime.md.
• "What error or symptom are you seeing?" → references/debug.md.
• "Do you want to report this as a bug to the Prisma 8 team, or is this a feature request?" → references/feedback.md.
• "Is the project you want to upgrade an application, or a Prisma extension package?" → references/upgrade-app.md vs references/upgrade-extension.md.

If you still can't tell which reference applies, ask the user what they want to do. Do not guess.

Checklist

• If the task matches a routing-table row, open that reference before writing code.
• If the prompt is vague, ask one disambiguating question.
• Do not attempt to answer from this file alone — the references carry the verified tool surface.
• If the user describes a missing feature or a misbehaviour they want fixed, open references/feedback.md.