dbt Cloud API Configuration

This guide shows you how to integrate dbt Cloud with OpenMetadata using the dbt Cloud API.

This guide is ONLY for dbt Cloud users. If you’re using dbt Core, see dbt Core Configuration for storage setup options.

Prerequisites Checklist

Requirement	Details	How to Verify
dbt Cloud Account	Active subscription	Can log in to cloud.getdbt.com
dbt Cloud Jobs	At least one successful job run	Check job run history
API Access	Account Viewer permission minimum	Can create API tokens
Database Service	Data warehouse already ingested	Check Settings → Services

Step 1: Get dbt Cloud API Token

1.1 Create API Token

Log in to dbt Cloud (cloud.getdbt.com)
Click your profile icon (top right)
Go to Account Settings
Click API Access in the left sidebar
Click + Create Token
Configure the token:
- Description: OpenMetadata Integration
- Permission: Account Viewer
Click Save
Copy the token immediately - you won’t see it again!

Expected token format:

dbt_cloud_abc123def456ghi789jkl...

Save this token securely. You’ll need it for OpenMetadata configuration.

1.2 Find Your Account ID

Method A: From URL (Easiest) When logged into dbt Cloud, look at the browser URL:

https://cloud.getdbt.com/accounts/12345/projects/...
                                 ^^^^^
                         This is your Account ID

Method B: Via API

export DBT_CLOUD_TOKEN="your-token-here"

curl -H "Authorization: Token ${DBT_CLOUD_TOKEN}" \
     https://cloud.getdbt.com/api/v2/accounts/ | jq '.data[].id'

1.3 Identify Your dbt Cloud Region

dbt Cloud has regional deployments:

Region	URL	Use If
North America	`https://cloud.getdbt.com`	Default (most common)
EMEA	`https://emea.dbt.com`	European accounts
APAC	`https://au.dbt.com`	Asia-Pacific accounts

How to check: Look at your dbt Cloud login URL.

1.4 (Optional) Get Project/Job IDs

By default, OpenMetadata will use the most recent successful run from any project/job. To filter to a specific project or job, you’ll need their IDs. Get IDs from dbt Cloud UI:

Account ID: In URL: https://cloud.getdbt.com/#/accounts/{ACCOUNT_ID}/...
Project ID: Go to Account Settings → Projects, click a project, ID is in the URL
Job ID: Go to Deploy → Jobs, click a job, ID is in the URL

Or retrieve via API: List Projects:

export ACCOUNT_ID="12345"

curl -H "Authorization: Token ${DBT_CLOUD_TOKEN}" \
     https://cloud.getdbt.com/api/v2/accounts/${ACCOUNT_ID}/projects/ | \
     jq '.data[] | {id, name}'

Example output:

{
  "id": 98765,
  "name": "analytics"
}

List Jobs:

curl -H "Authorization: Token ${DBT_CLOUD_TOKEN}" \
     https://cloud.getdbt.com/api/v2/accounts/${ACCOUNT_ID}/jobs/ | \
     jq '.data[] | {id, name, project_id}'

Example output:

{
  "id": 54321,
  "name": "Daily Production Run",
  "project_id": 98765
}

Step 2: Configure OpenMetadata

Configuration

Go to Settings → Services → Database Services
Click on your database service (e.g., “production-snowflake”)
- Important: Must match the database dbt connects to
Go to the Ingestion tab
Click Add Ingestion
Select dbt from the dropdown

Configure dbt Source (dbt Cloud):

Field	Value	Notes
dbt Configuration Source	`dbt Cloud`	Select from dropdown
dbt Cloud Auth Token	`dbt_cloud_abc123...`	Your API token from Step 1.1
dbt Cloud Account ID	`12345`	Your account ID from Step 1.2
dbt Cloud URL	`https://cloud.getdbt.com`	Or your regional URL
dbt Cloud Project ID	(optional)	Leave empty to use latest run from any project
dbt Cloud Job ID	(optional)	Leave empty to use latest run from any job

How filtering works:

Both empty: Uses most recent successful run from any job in the account
Project ID provided: Uses most recent run from that specific project
Both provided: Uses most recent run from that specific job

Configure dbt Options:

Field	Recommended Value
Update Descriptions	`Enabled`
Update Owners	`Enabled`
Include Tags	`Enabled`
Classification Name	`dbtTags`

Match your schedule to dbt Cloud job frequency. If jobs run every 6 hours, schedule OpenMetadata ingestion every 6 hours.

Test & Deploy:

Click Test Connection
- Should show: ✓ API connectivity, ✓ Account access, ✓ Recent run found
If successful, click Deploy
Click Run to trigger immediately

Verification

Verification Checklist

Check	How to Verify	Expected Result
dbt Cloud run exists	Check dbt Cloud job history	Recent successful run visible
Ingestion completed	OpenMetadata UI → Service → Ingestion tab	Green status, no errors
Lineage appears	Click on a dbt model → Lineage tab	Upstream/downstream connections
Descriptions synced	Click on a table → Schema tab	dbt descriptions visible
Test results visible	Click on a table → Data Quality tab	dbt test results shown

Best Practices

Ensure Jobs Generate All Artifacts

Your dbt Cloud job must include these commands:

dbt run           # Generates manifest.json
dbt test          # Generates run_results.json with test results
dbt docs generate # Generates catalog.json with column descriptions

How to verify:

Go to dbt Cloud → Jobs
Click on your job
Go to Settings → Commands
Confirm all three commands are present

Schedule Alignment

dbt Cloud Job Frequency	Recommended OpenMetadata Schedule
Hourly	`0 * * * *` (Every hour)
Every 6 hours	`0 /6 * *` (Every 6 hours)
Daily (6 AM)	`0 7 * * *` (Daily at 7 AM)
On-demand only	`0 /3 * *` (Every 3 hours)

API Rate Limits

dbt Cloud API has rate limits:

100 requests per minute per API token

OpenMetadata makes ~3-5 API calls per ingestion. Don’t schedule more frequently than every 15 minutes.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Symptom	Cause	Solution
Invalid Token	”401 Unauthorized”	Token expired or wrong	Regenerate API token in dbt Cloud
No Runs Found	”No recent successful runs”	No completed jobs	Run a dbt Cloud job and wait for completion
Wrong Account	”403 Forbidden”	Account ID incorrect	Verify Account ID from URL or API
Missing catalog.json	No column descriptions	Job didn’t run `dbt docs generate`	Add docs generation to job commands
Wrong Database Service	No lineage appears	Service name mismatch	Ensure OpenMetadata service name matches dbt target
Stale data	Old metadata showing	Ingestion not running	Check ingestion schedule and logs

Debug Commands

# Test API connectivity
curl -H "Authorization: Token ${DBT_CLOUD_TOKEN}" \
     https://cloud.getdbt.com/api/v2/accounts/${ACCOUNT_ID}/ | jq '.'

# Get most recent successful run (what OpenMetadata will use)
curl -H "Authorization: Token ${DBT_CLOUD_TOKEN}" \
     "https://cloud.getdbt.com/api/v2/accounts/${ACCOUNT_ID}/runs/?status=10&order_by=-finished_at&limit=1" | \
     jq '.data[0] | {id, job_id, finished_at, status_humanized}'

# Download manifest from run
curl -H "Authorization: Token ${DBT_CLOUD_TOKEN}" \
     "https://cloud.getdbt.com/api/v2/accounts/${ACCOUNT_ID}/runs/${RUN_ID}/artifacts/manifest.json" | \
     jq '.metadata.dbt_version'

Next Steps

Questions? See the main dbt Overview or visit our documentation.

​dbt Cloud API Configuration

​Prerequisites Checklist

​Step 1: Get dbt Cloud API Token

​1.1 Create API Token

​1.2 Find Your Account ID

​1.3 Identify Your dbt Cloud Region

​1.4 (Optional) Get Project/Job IDs

​Step 2: Configure OpenMetadata

​Configuration

​Verification

​Verification Checklist

​Best Practices

​Ensure Jobs Generate All Artifacts

​Schedule Alignment

​API Rate Limits

​Troubleshooting

​Debug Commands

​Next Steps

dbt Cloud API Configuration

Prerequisites Checklist

Step 1: Get dbt Cloud API Token

1.1 Create API Token

1.2 Find Your Account ID

1.3 Identify Your dbt Cloud Region

1.4 (Optional) Get Project/Job IDs

Step 2: Configure OpenMetadata

Configuration

Verification

Verification Checklist

Best Practices

Ensure Jobs Generate All Artifacts

Schedule Alignment

API Rate Limits

Troubleshooting

Debug Commands

Next Steps