Hasura Docker CLI Skill

This skill guides you through using Hasura CLI in a self-hosted Docker Compose environment where the Hasura CLI runs inside a container.

When This Skill Activates

Claude automatically uses this skill when you:

• Need to run Hasura CLI commands in self-hosted Docker environment
• Want to access Hasura console for schema changes
• Are managing database migrations via Hasura CLI
• Need to apply or rollback migrations
• Want to export or apply Hasura metadata
• Are troubleshooting Hasura configuration issues

Self-Hosted Docker Architecture

In a self-hosted setup, the Hasura CLI runs inside a Docker container rather than on your host machine.

Self-Hosted Docker Stack:
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ console service (hasura/graphql-engine)          │
│ • Runs hasura-cli console command               │
│ • Port 9695: Hasura Console UI                  │
│ • Has hasura-cli installed                      │
│ • Working dir: /app (mounted nhost/ directory)  │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ graphql service (hasura/graphql-engine)         │
│ • Main Hasura GraphQL Engine                    │
│ • Port 8080: GraphQL API                        │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

CRITICAL: Use Docker Exec for CLI Commands

❌ TRADITIONAL HASURA CLI DOES NOT WORK DIRECTLY:

# ❌ These fail because CLI is inside container
hasura-cli migrate status
hasura-cli metadata export

✅ INSTEAD, USE DOCKER EXEC:

# ✅ Correct way to access Hasura CLI in Docker
docker exec {console-container-name} hasura-cli [command]

# Example:
docker exec backend-console-1 hasura-cli version
docker exec backend-console-1 hasura-cli migrate status

Finding Your Console Container Name

# List all containers to find the console
docker ps | grep console

# Common naming patterns:
# - backend-console-1
# - nhost-console-1
# - hasura-console-1
# - {project}-console-1

Hasura Console Access

Method 1: Web Browser (Recommended)

The Hasura Console is typically already running when your Docker stack is up:

# Console URL (configure in docker-compose.yaml)
http://localhost:9695

# Or via environment variable:
https://${CONSOLE_URL}

Docker Compose Configuration:

services:
  console:
    image: hasura/graphql-engine:{version}
    entrypoint: ["hasura-cli"]
    command: ["console", "--no-browser", "--endpoint=http://graphql:8080"]
    ports:
      - "9695:9695"
    volumes:
      - ./nhost:/app  # Mount nhost directory
    working_dir: /app

This means:

• ✅ Console is always running when Docker stack is up
• ✅ Automatically tracks schema changes as migrations
• ✅ Accessible via browser at port 9695

Method 2: Direct CLI Access

# Access the console container shell
docker exec -it {console-container-name} bash

# Inside container, run hasura-cli commands directly
hasura-cli migrate status
hasura-cli metadata export

Common Hasura CLI Commands

All commands must be prefixed with docker exec {container-name}:

Migration Management

# Set your container name as environment variable for convenience
export CONSOLE_CONTAINER={your-console-container-name}
export HASURA_ADMIN_SECRET={your-admin-secret}

# Check migration status
docker exec $CONSOLE_CONTAINER hasura-cli migrate status \
  --database-name default \
  --endpoint http://graphql:8080 \
  --admin-secret $HASURA_ADMIN_SECRET

# Apply pending migrations
docker exec $CONSOLE_CONTAINER hasura-cli migrate apply \
  --database-name default \
  --endpoint http://graphql:8080 \
  --admin-secret $HASURA_ADMIN_SECRET

# Create new migration
docker exec $CONSOLE_CONTAINER hasura-cli migrate create "add_users_table" \
  --database-name default \
  --endpoint http://graphql:8080 \
  --admin-secret $HASURA_ADMIN_SECRET

# Rollback last migration
docker exec $CONSOLE_CONTAINER hasura-cli migrate apply \
  --down 1 \
  --database-name default \
  --endpoint http://graphql:8080 \
  --admin-secret $HASURA_ADMIN_SECRET

# Rollback to specific version
docker exec $CONSOLE_CONTAINER hasura-cli migrate apply \
  --version {timestamp} \
  --database-name default \
  --endpoint http://graphql:8080 \
  --admin-secret $HASURA_ADMIN_SECRET

Metadata Management

# Export metadata
docker exec $CONSOLE_CONTAINER hasura-cli metadata export \
  --endpoint http://graphql:8080 \
  --admin-secret $HASURA_ADMIN_SECRET

# Apply metadata
docker exec $CONSOLE_CONTAINER hasura-cli metadata apply \
  --endpoint http://graphql:8080 \
  --admin-secret $HASURA_ADMIN_SECRET

# Reload metadata (refresh GraphQL schema)
docker exec $CONSOLE_CONTAINER hasura-cli metadata reload \
  --endpoint http://graphql:8080 \
  --admin-secret $HASURA_ADMIN_SECRET

# Check metadata inconsistencies
docker exec $CONSOLE_CONTAINER hasura-cli metadata inconsistency list \
  --endpoint http://graphql:8080 \
  --admin-secret $HASURA_ADMIN_SECRET

Seed Data Management

# Apply seed data
docker exec $CONSOLE_CONTAINER hasura-cli seed apply \
  --database-name default \
  --endpoint http://graphql:8080 \
  --admin-secret $HASURA_ADMIN_SECRET

# Apply specific seed file
docker exec $CONSOLE_CONTAINER hasura-cli seed apply \
  --file seeds/default/1234_initial_data.sql \
  --database-name default \
  --endpoint http://graphql:8080 \
  --admin-secret $HASURA_ADMIN_SECRET

Environment Variables

The Hasura CLI typically needs these environment variables:

# Inside the console container (configured in docker-compose.yaml)
HASURA_GRAPHQL_ADMIN_SECRET=${GRAPHQL_ADMIN_SECRET}
HASURA_GRAPHQL_DATABASE_URL=postgres://${PGUSER}:${PGPASSWORD}@${PGHOST}:${PGPORT}/${PGDATABASE}

Working Directory

The console container should mount your project directory:

# In docker-compose.yaml
volumes:
  - ./nhost:/app
working_dir: /app

This means the CLI can find:

• /app/config.yaml - Hasura config
• /app/migrations/ - Migration files
• /app/metadata/ - Metadata files
• /app/seeds/ - Seed files

Simplified Helper Aliases (Optional)

Create shell aliases for convenience:

# Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc
export CONSOLE_CONTAINER={your-container-name}
export HASURA_ADMIN_SECRET=${GRAPHQL_ADMIN_SECRET}

alias hasura='docker exec $CONSOLE_CONTAINER hasura-cli'

# Then use like:
hasura migrate status --database-name default
hasura metadata export

Complete Migration Workflow

Scenario: Add a new database table

# 1. Open Hasura Console in browser
open http://localhost:9695

# 2. Make schema changes via UI
#    - Go to DATA tab
#    - Click "Create Table"
#    - Define columns, constraints, relationships
#    - Save

# 3. Console automatically creates migration files in:
#    nhost/migrations/default/{timestamp}_{operation}/
#    ├── up.sql    (forward migration)
#    └── down.sql  (rollback migration)

# 4. Check migration status
docker exec $CONSOLE_CONTAINER hasura-cli migrate status \
  --database-name default \
  --endpoint http://graphql:8080

# 5. If needed, manually apply migrations
docker exec $CONSOLE_CONTAINER hasura-cli migrate apply \
  --database-name default \
  --endpoint http://graphql:8080

# 6. Export metadata to sync permissions
docker exec $CONSOLE_CONTAINER hasura-cli metadata export \
  --endpoint http://graphql:8080

# 7. Reload Hasura metadata
docker exec $CONSOLE_CONTAINER hasura-cli metadata reload \
  --endpoint http://graphql:8080

# 8. Commit migration files
git add nhost/migrations/
git add nhost/metadata/
git commit -m "feat(db): add users table"

Troubleshooting

Issue: Cannot connect to Hasura

Symptoms:

• docker exec commands fail
• "No such container" error

Solutions:

# 1. Check if console container is running
docker ps | grep console

# 2. If not running, start Docker stack
docker compose up -d

# 3. Wait for services to be healthy
docker compose ps

# 4. Check console logs
docker logs {console-container-name}

Issue: Admin secret authentication failed

Symptoms:

• "admin secret not provided" error
• "access denied" messages

Solutions:

# 1. Check admin secret in .env file
grep HASURA_ADMIN_SECRET .env

# 2. Pass admin secret explicitly
docker exec $CONSOLE_CONTAINER hasura-cli migrate status \
  --admin-secret "your-actual-secret-here" \
  --database-name default

# 3. Or set environment variable
export HASURA_GRAPHQL_ADMIN_SECRET=$(grep HASURA_ADMIN_SECRET .env | cut -d '=' -f2)

Issue: Migration files not found

Symptoms:

• "no migrations found" error
• Migration commands don't see files

Solutions:

# 1. Verify migration files exist
ls -la nhost/migrations/default/

# 2. Check docker volume mount
docker inspect {console-container-name} | grep -A 10 Mounts

# 3. Verify working directory in container
docker exec $CONSOLE_CONTAINER pwd
# Should output: /app

# 4. List files in container
docker exec $CONSOLE_CONTAINER ls -la /app/migrations/default/

Issue: Console not accessible in browser

Symptoms:

• Cannot access http://localhost:9695
• Console URL returns 404 or connection refused

Solutions:

# 1. Check if console service is running
docker ps | grep console

# 2. Check console service health
docker compose ps console

# 3. Check console logs for errors
docker logs {console-container-name} -f

# 4. Verify port mapping
docker port {console-container-name}

# 5. Try accessing via environment URL
echo "https://${CONSOLE_URL}"

Key Differences from Managed Services

Feature	Managed (Nhost Cloud/Hasura Cloud)	Self-Hosted Docker
Console access	nhost dev hasura	Browser: http://localhost:9695
CLI commands	hasura-cli [cmd]	docker exec {container} hasura-cli
Migration apply	Auto-applied	Manual via CLI or auto on startup
Console startup	On-demand	Always running with Docker stack
Endpoint	Managed by service	http://graphql:8080 (internal)
Admin secret	Auto-configured	From .env file
Working directory	Auto-detected	/app in container

Best Practices

1. Use Console UI for schema changes - Automatically creates migration files
2. Commit migration files immediately - Track schema changes in version control
3. Test migrations in development first - Before applying to production
4. Always export metadata after schema changes - Keep metadata in sync
5. Use explicit database-name flag - --database-name default for clarity
6. Keep admin secret secure - Never commit to version control
7. Back up database before rollbacks - Prevent data loss

Quick Reference

Task	Command
Check CLI version	docker exec $CONSOLE_CONTAINER hasura-cli version
Migration status	docker exec $CONSOLE_CONTAINER hasura-cli migrate status --database-name default
Apply migrations	docker exec $CONSOLE_CONTAINER hasura-cli migrate apply --database-name default
Export metadata	docker exec $CONSOLE_CONTAINER hasura-cli metadata export
Reload metadata	docker exec $CONSOLE_CONTAINER hasura-cli metadata reload
Access console	Open browser to http://localhost:9695 or https://${CONSOLE_URL}

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Remember: In self-hosted Docker environments, the Hasura CLI runs inside a container. Always use docker exec {container-name} hasura-cli to run CLI commands, and access the console via web browser.