Fabric CLI Core
This skill defines safe, consistent defaults for an AI agent helping users operate Microsoft Fabric via the Fabric CLI (fab).
1 - Fabric CLI mental model (paths and entities)
Automation Scripts
Ready-to-use Python scripts for core CLI tasks. Run any script with --help for full options.
| Script | Purpose | Usage |
|---|---|---|
health_check.py | Verify CLI installation, auth status, and connectivity | python scripts/health_check.py [--workspace WS] |
Scripts are located in the scripts/ folder of this skill.
Paths and Entities
- Treat Fabric as a filesystem-like hierarchy with consistent dot (.) entity suffixes in paths (e.g.,
.Workspace,.Folder,.SemanticModel). - The hierarchy structure is:
- Tenant: The top-level container for everything. - Workspace: Personal or team workspace holding folders, items, and workspace-level elements. - Folder: Container for organizing items within a workspace (supports ~10 levels of nesting). - Item: Individual resource within a workspace or folder (e.g., Notebook, SemanticModel, Lakehouse). - OneLakeItem: OneLake storage item residing within a Lakehouse (tables, files, etc.).
- Prefer and generate paths like:
- /Workspace1.Workspace/Notebook1.Notebook - /Workspace1.Workspace/FolderA.Folder/SemanticModel1.SemanticModel - /Workspace1.Workspace/FolderA.Folder/lh1.Lakehouse/Tables (OneLakeItem)
- When a user provides an ambiguous identifier, ask for the full path (or infer with stated assumptions).
2 - Modes (interactive vs command line)
- Be explicit about which mode a user is in:
- Interactive mode behaves like a REPL and runs commands without the fab prefix. - Command line mode runs one command per invocation and is best for scripts/automation.
- The selected mode is preserved between sessions. If a user exits and logs back in, the CLI resumes in the same mode last used.
- When you provide instructions, show commands in command line mode unless the user says they're in interactive mode.
3 - Authentication (public-safe guidance)
- Prefer these auth patterns and do not invent new flows:
1. Interactive user: fab auth login (browser/WAM where supported). 2. Service principal (secret/cert): use environment variables / secure mechanisms; avoid embedding secrets in files. 3. Service principal (federated credential): use the federated token environment variable (FAB_SPN_FEDERATED_TOKEN) and do not persist the raw token. 4. Managed identity: supported for Azure-hosted workloads; no credentials required.
- Never ask users to paste secrets into chat or print them back.
4 - Sensitive data handling (strict)
- Never log or output tokens, passwords, client secrets, or raw federated tokens.
- Validate all user inputs that could affect security:
- Paths: Sanitize file paths and API parameters. - GUIDs: Validate resource identifiers before use. - JSON: Validate JSON inputs for proper format.
- If a user shares sensitive strings, advise rotating/regenerating them and moving to secure storage.
5 - Hidden entities and discovery
- Hidden entities are special resources not normally visible, following a dot-prefixed naming convention (similar to UNIX hidden files).
- Tenant-level hidden entities (accessed from root):
- .capacities — fab ls.capacities / fab get.capacities/<name>.Capacity - .gateways — fab ls.gateways / fab get.gateways/<name>.Gateway - .connections — fab ls.connections / fab get.connections/<name>.Connection - .domains — fab ls.domains / fab get.domains/<name>.Domain
- Workspace-level hidden entities (accessed within a workspace):
- .managedidentities — fab ls ws1.Workspace/.managedidentities - .managedprivateendpoints — fab ls ws1.Workspace/.managedprivateendpoints - .externaldatashares — fab ls ws1.Workspace/.externaldatashares - .sparkpools — fab ls ws1.Workspace/.sparkpools
- To show hidden resources, recommend
ls -a/ls --all.
6 - Errors and troubleshooting guidance
- When describing failures, include:
- What the command was trying to do - The likely cause - The next actionable step
- If the CLI surfaces an error code/message, keep it intact and do not paraphrase away the key identifiers. (Fabric CLI emphasizes stable error codes/messages.)
- Include request IDs for API errors to aid debugging when available.
7 - Output conventions for the agent
- Default to concise, runnable steps.
- When recommending commands, include:
- Preconditions (auth, correct workspace/path) - Expected result - How to verify (e.g., follow-up fab ls / fab get)
8 - Safety defaults
- Ask before suggesting commands that delete, overwrite, or change access/permissions.
- If the user explicitly confirms, proceed with a clear rollback note when possible.
9 - Platform and troubleshooting reference
- Supported platforms: Windows, Linux, macOS.
- Supported shells: zsh, bash, PowerShell, cmd (Windows command prompt).
- Python versions: 3.10, 3.11, 3.12, 3.13.
- CLI file storage (useful for troubleshooting):
- Config files are stored in ~/.config/fab/: - cache.bin — encrypted auth token cache - config.json — non-sensitive CLI settings - auth.json — non-sensitive auth info - context-<session_id> — path context for command-line mode sessions - Debug logs are written to: - Windows: %AppData%/fabcli_debug.log - macOS: ~/Library/Logs/fabcli_debug.log - Linux: ~/.local/state/fabcli_debug.log
10 - Critical operational rules
- First run: Always run
fab auth statusto verify authentication before executing commands. If not authenticated, ask the user to runfab auth login. - Learn before executing: Always use
fab --helpandfab <command> --helpthe first time you use a command to understand its syntax. - Start simple: Try the basic
fabcommand alone first before piping or chaining. - Non-interactive mode: Use
fabin command-line mode when working with coding agents. Interactive mode doesn't work with automation. - Force flag: Use
-fwhen executing commands if the flag is available to run non-interactively (skips confirmation prompts). - Verify before acting: If workspace or item name is unclear, ask the user first, then verify with
fab lsorfab existsbefore proceeding. - Permission errors: If a command is blocked by permissions, stop and ask the user for clarification; never try to circumvent it.
11 - Common item types
| Extension | Description |
|---|---|
.Workspace | Workspace container |
.Folder | Folder within workspace |
.SemanticModel | Power BI dataset/semantic model |
.Report | Power BI report |
.Dashboard | Power BI dashboard |
.Notebook | Fabric notebook |
.Lakehouse | Lakehouse |
.Warehouse | Data warehouse |
.DataPipeline | Data pipeline |
.SparkJobDefinition | Spark job definition |
.Eventstream | Real-time event stream |
.KQLDatabase | KQL database |
.MLModel | ML model |
.MLExperiment | ML experiment |
.Capacity | Fabric capacity (hidden) |
.Gateway | Data gateway (hidden) |
.Connection | Connection (hidden) |
Use fab desc.<ItemType> to explore any item type.
12 - Command references
For detailed command syntax and working examples, see:
- Quick Start Guide — Copy-paste examples for common tasks
- Full Command Reference — All commands with flags and patterns
- Semantic Models — TMDL, DAX queries, refresh, storage modes
- Notebooks — Job execution, parameters, scheduling
- Reports — Export, import, rebind to models
- Workspaces — Create, manage, permissions
- Querying Data — DAX and lakehouse table queries
- API Reference — Direct REST API access patterns
- Create Workspaces — Workspace creation workflows