Prisma ORM setup
This skill owns ORM version selection for setup and connection work. Preserve the application's ORM version and intended database. A connection repair does not require a major upgrade.
New applications default to Prisma ORM 8. Detailed Prisma 8 configuration, queries, migrations, and runtime code belong to the versioned prisma-8 skill shipped with the ORM package.
1. Detect the starting point
Read the package manifest, lockfile, Prisma configuration, schema, and application imports. Identify the ORM version, database provider, and runtime. The CLI version alone does not identify the application's version: a Prisma 8 CLI can coexist with a legacy client, so inspect @prisma/client, @prisma/prisma7, and the schema and configuration.
| Starting point | Path |
|---|---|
| Prisma 8 application | Step 4, without reinitializing |
| New application without a version choice | Step 3 |
| Prisma 6 or 7 application, or an explicit earlier major | Step 5 |
For a new application, check the selected Prisma 8 release's provider support and runtime requirements before installing. If the provider is unsupported, explain the limitation and offer an explicitly selected earlier version. Keep the requested database; do not silently fall back or invent a supported target.
Use an existing database when supplied. Load prisma-postgres-setup only when Prisma Postgres is needed and no connection has been selected yet; return here once connected.
2. Handle requested major upgrades separately
When the user requests a major upgrade, load a workflow that supports the source version and provider. For PostgreSQL 7-to-8, use the Prisma migration guide; for MongoDB 6-to-8, use prisma-mongodb-upgrade. Other providers need an explicitly supported migration path. prisma-upgrade-v7 covers 6 to 7; the package-owned prisma-8 upgrade reference covers updates within 8.
3. Bootstrap a new Prisma 8 application
Check the selected release's runtime requirements and initialization guide. Resolve and pin a published Prisma CLI 8 release, including its prerelease suffix if needed; verify its version before initialization. Do not rely on a floating latest remaining version 8.
Use the project's package manager to run the installed CLI. For PostgreSQL and Prisma schema language authoring:
bashprisma orm init --yes --target postgres --authoring psl
Use the supported target for the selected provider. Preserve existing application files and connection configuration; do not let setup provision an unrelated database. Verify that the resolved ORM package is version 8 before proceeding.
4. Load the installed Prisma 8 guidance
Run the installed CLI through the project's package manager:
bashprisma skills sync
Then read the synced prisma-8/SKILL.md, for example .agents/skills/prisma-8/SKILL.md, and follow its preconditions and selected references. Syncing alone does not load the instructions. If the package-owned guidance cannot be loaded, report the blocker. Continue with step 6.
5. Set up or repair an earlier version
For a new setup that explicitly selects an earlier version, pin packages to that major and use its runtime requirements. Keep the CLI, client, and SQL adapter releases compatible. Existing dependencies need not change for a connection repair.
- Prisma 7 SQL: use the provider reference below and client setup.
- Prisma 6 MongoDB: use MongoDB setup. SQL driver adapters do not apply.
- Prisma 6 SQL: preserve its generator, schema URL, and client initialization. Use the provider's connection details below and the Prisma 6 documentation; do not copy the Prisma 7 configuration or adapter examples into it.
| Database | Reference |
|---|---|
| PostgreSQL | PostgreSQL |
| MySQL / MariaDB / PlanetScale | MySQL |
| SQLite / Turso | SQLite |
| Microsoft SQL Server / Azure SQL | SQL Server |
| CockroachDB | CockroachDB |
| MongoDB / Atlas on Prisma 6 | MongoDB |
| Prisma Postgres with Prisma 7 | Prisma Postgres |
The Prisma 7 SQL examples were verified with Prisma 7.10.0; the MongoDB examples with Prisma 6.19.3.
6. Connect and verify
The CLI and the application can load different environment files. Load the intended environment for each without printing secrets, and keep credentials in ignored environment files or the host's secret configuration. For SQL adapters, make the adapter's runtime options address the same database as the CLI connection URL.
For an existing app, preserve schema, migrations, and generator configuration unless the requested work requires changes. Diagnose the connection before running schema-changing commands.
Run the project's relevant checks and a read-only query through the application's client against the intended database. Report the ORM version, the loaded prisma-8 skill version where applicable, and the query result. Package installation or a successful skill sync alone is not a completed setup.
