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prisma format

Format your Prisma schema file(s) for consistent style and readability.

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Usage

prisma format [options]

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Options

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--help
boolean
Display help message.Alias: -h
prisma format --help
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--config
string
Custom path to your Prisma config file.
prisma format --config=./custom/prisma.config.ts
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--schema
string
Custom path to your Prisma schema.
prisma format --schema=./prisma/schema.prisma
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--check
boolean
Check if the schema is formatted without modifying it. Exits with error if formatting is needed.
prisma format --check

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Examples

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Basic formatting

prisma format
Output: 
Prisma schema loaded from prisma/schema.prisma
Formatted prisma/schema.prisma in 23ms 🚀

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Check if formatted

prisma format --check
Output (already formatted): 
All files are formatted correctly!
Output (needs formatting): 
! There are unformatted files. Run prisma format to format them.
Exits with code 1 when files need formatting.

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Format custom schema

prisma format --schema=./database/schema.prisma
Output: 
Prisma schema loaded from database/schema.prisma
Formatted database/schema.prisma in 18ms 🚀

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What Gets Formatted

The formatter applies consistent styling to:

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1. Indentation

Before: 
model User {
id Int @id
name String
}
After: 
model User {
  id   Int    @id
  name String
}

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2. Field Alignment

Before: 
model User {
  id Int @id @default(autoincrement())
  email String @unique
  name String?
  createdAt DateTime @default(now())
}
After: 
model User {
  id        Int      @id @default(autoincrement())
  email     String   @unique
  name      String?
  createdAt DateTime @default(now())
}

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3. Block Spacing

Before: 
model User {
  id Int @id
}
model Post {
  id Int @id
}
After: 
model User {
  id Int @id
}

model Post {
  id Int @id
}

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4. Comment Preservation

Before: 
model User {
  id Int @id // User ID
  email String @unique     // User email address
}
After: 
model User {
  id    Int    @id @default(autoincrement()) // User ID
  email String @unique                        // User email address
}
Comments are preserved and properly aligned.

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5. Attribute Ordering

Before: 
model User {
  id Int @default(autoincrement()) @id
}
After: 
model User {
  id Int @id @default(autoincrement())
}
Attributes are reordered for consistency (e.g., @id before @default).

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Multi-File Schema Formatting

When using multi-file schemas, all files are formatted: 
prisma format
Output: 
Prisma schemas loaded from prisma/base.prisma, prisma/user.prisma, prisma/post.prisma
Formatted prisma/base.prisma in 12ms 🚀
Formatted prisma/user.prisma in 8ms 🚀
Formatted prisma/post.prisma in 6ms 🚀

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Integration with Development Workflow

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Pre-commit Hook

Format schema files before committing: 
// package.json
{
  "scripts": {
    "precommit": "prisma format"
  }
}

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CI/CD Pipeline

Check formatting in CI: 
# .github/workflows/format.yml
name: Check Formatting

on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  format:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v3
      - run: npm install
      - run: npx prisma format --check
The --check flag causes the command to fail if files aren’t formatted.

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VS Code Integration

The Prisma VS Code extension can format on save: 
// .vscode/settings.json
{
  "[prisma]": {
    "editor.formatOnSave": true
  }
}

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Format on Generate

The schema is automatically formatted when you run: 
prisma generate
You don’t need to manually format before generating.

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Error Handling

If the schema has syntax errors, formatting will fail: 
prisma format
Output: 
Error: 
  --> schema.prisma:10
   | 
 9 | model User {
10 |   id Int @id @default(autoincrement()
   |                                      ^
Expected ")"
Fix the syntax errors first, then format: 
prisma validate
prisma format

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Formatting Rules

The Prisma formatter follows these rules:
  1. 2-space indentation for nested blocks
  2. Align field types in models and enums
  3. Align attributes on the same line
  4. Single blank line between top-level blocks
  5. No trailing whitespace
  6. Consistent spacing around operators and keywords
  7. Preserve comments with proper alignment
  8. Sort attributes by priority (e.g., @id before @default)

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Exit Codes

  • 0 - Formatting successful (or already formatted with --check)
  • 1 - Formatting failed or files need formatting (with --check)