Cannot find profile named 'prod' dbt debug

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR

dbt looked for a profile named prod and found nothing. Either profiles.yml has no prod target under your project profile, or dbt is reading a different profiles.yml than you edited. Add the target or fix DBT_PROFILES_DIR, then run dbt debug --target prod.

Error

"Cannot find profile named 'prod'" dbt debug

Steps

1. Run dbt debug --target prod and note the profiles path it reports. Expected: you see exactly which profiles.yml dbt read.
2. Open that file and check the top-level keys: one must match your project's profile: name from dbt_project.yml, with a prod target beneath it. Expected: you find the missing key or the missing target.
3. If the file is wrong, set DBT_PROFILES_DIR to the directory containing the correct profiles.yml. Expected: dbt reads the intended file.
4. Add the prod target with all required fields for your adapter. Expected: the YAML has a complete prod block.
5. Run dbt debug --target prod. Expected: the profile is found and the connection check passes.

When to use

• dbt reports "Cannot find profile named 'prod'" (or any target name).
• You just added a new target or moved profiles.yml.

When not to use

• The profile is found but the connection fails (a credentials or network problem).
• dbt Cloud runs (profiles are managed in the UI, not in profiles.yml).

Tool compatibility

• dbt Core 1.0 and later, all adapters. DBT_PROFILES_DIR behavior is adapter-independent.

Variant phrasings

Could not find profile named 'dev'

Same fix for the default target; the profile key must match dbt_project.yml.

Profile not found in CI

CI usually needs DBT_PROFILES_DIR set or the file mounted into the job.

Why it happens

dbt resolves the profile name from dbt_project.yml, then looks up the target inside profiles.yml. A mismatch at either level, or dbt reading a different profiles.yml, yields "cannot find profile".

Edge cases

• The profile key is case-sensitive and must match profile: in dbt_project.yml exactly.
• A YAML syntax error can silently drop the target block; validate the file parses.
• Target names like prod are conventional only; dbt accepts any name you define.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_qpUxQKe9KFBznsMLQiTYhA

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_qpUxQKe9KFBznsMLQiTYhA

Thread query: "Cannot find profile named 'prod'" dbt debug

TL;DR: dbt looked for a profile named prod and found nothing. Either profiles.yml has no prod target under your project profile, or dbt is reading a different profiles.yml than you edited. Add the target or fix DBT_PROFILES_DIR, then run dbt debug --target prod.

Not specified by the original author.

dbt: Could not find profile named 'jaffle_shop'

TL;DR: the name in dbtproject.yml has no matching profile block in profiles.yml, or dbt is reading a different profiles.yml than you think. Open ~/.dbt/profiles.yml, add (or rename) the block so its name matches the profile: value in dbtproject.yml exactly, or point dbt at the right file with --profiles-dir.

Could not find profile named 'jaffle_shop'

Steps

1. Check the profile name your project expects: open dbt_project.yml and read the profile: line.
2. Open the profiles file dbt is actually reading, usually ~/.dbt/profiles.yml, and look for a top-level block with that exact name. Expected: the block exists and the spelling, underscores, and case match exactly.
3. If dbt uses a custom profiles dir, either set DBTPROFILESDIR to that directory or pass --profiles-dir [path]. Verify with dbt debug --profiles-dir [path], which prints the path it read.
4. Rename the block or the profile: value so they agree, save, and rerun dbt debug. Expected: dbt debug reports the connection instead of the not-found error.

When this applies

• the exact Could not find profile named error on dbt run, dbt test, or dbt debug
• a project that worked on another machine but not this one (different ~/.dbt/profiles.yml)
• CI runs where the profiles file is generated at build time

When it doesn't

• warehouse auth failures like wrong password or host unreachable — the profile was found, the connection is the problem
• dbt Cloud CLI errors about dbt_cloud.yml, which uses a different auth file
• Jinja/env_var errors inside a profile that already resolves

Compatibility

dbt Core and dbt Fusion CLIs; profiles.yml in ~/.dbt (or DBTPROFILESDIR / --profiles-dir). Verified against the dbt troubleshooting FAQ.

Variant phrasings

• dbt could not find profile named
• dbt profile not found error
• dbt debug profile named error

Root cause

dbt resolves the project name to a profile name via dbt_project.yml, then looks that name up in profiles.yml. Any typo, renamed project, or wrong profiles dir breaks the lookup before any connection attempt.

Edge cases

• DBTPROFILESDIR pointing at an empty dir in CI gives this error with zero hint about the path; print it in the failing step
• profiles.yml with a .bak extension or YAML syntax error can also surface as not-found rather than parse-failed
• dbt Cloud CLI ignores profiles.yml entirely; this skill is Core-only

dbt users see Could not find profile named when the profile: value in dbtproject.yml does not match any top-level block in the profiles.yml that dbt is reading, or when dbt is pointed at the wrong profiles directory. The verified fix, from the dbt troubleshooting FAQ: make the names match exactly and check DBTPROFILES_DIR or --profiles-dir, then confirm with dbt debug. Source: https://docs.getdbt.com/faqs/Troubleshooting/runtime-error-could-not-find-profile

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR

The profiles.yml dbt is reading has no top-level profile named ci, or dbt is reading a different profiles.yml than the one you edited. Add a ci profile with a dev or ci output, or point DBTPROFILESDIR and the --profile flag at the file that defines it. Confirm with dbt debug --profile ci before running jobs.

Runtime Error: No profile named 'ci' found in profiles.yml

Use this when

• dbt fails immediately with Runtime Error No profile named ci found in profiles.yml
• the failure happens in CI but not on a developer machine
• you pass --profile ci or set the profile in dbt_project.yml to ci

Not for this skill when

• dbt says target not found inside an existing profile, add the target output instead
• the profile exists but the connection fails, that is a credentials or network problem
• you use dbt Cloud, which manages its own profiles and does not read your local file

Steps

1. Run dbt debug --profile ci --profiles-dir on the exact directory CI uses, or echo the DBTPROFILESDIR value in the CI job, and open that profiles.yml. Verify: you are looking at the same profiles.yml file dbt reads in CI.

2. Check the top-level keys of that file. The profile key must match the name in dbt_project.yml under profile: or the --profile flag exactly, including case. Add a ci profile with at least one output and a target pointing at it if it is absent. Verify: profiles.yml contains a top-level ci key with a target and outputs.

3. Fill the ci output with the CI warehouse credentials supplied through environment variables using env_var calls, and make sure those variables are set in the CI job environment. Verify: dbt debug --profile ci reaches the connection check instead of the profile lookup error.

4. Run dbt debug --profile ci fully, then a cheap command such as dbt ls --profile ci in CI. Verify: debug reports connection ok and dbt ls lists models.

Variant phrasings

profile exists locally, missing in CI

The CI image usually mounts or generates its own profiles.yml. Commit a CI-specific profiles file or generate it in the pipeline step; do not assume the developer file travels with the repo if it is gitignored.

name mismatch after rename

Renaming the project profile in dbt_project.yml without renaming the profiles.yml key produces this exact error. Align the two names.

Compatibility: dbt-core 1.x profiles.yml, local and CI runners. dbt Cloud jobs do not use a repo profiles.yml. Profile names are case sensitive.

Why it happens

dbt resolves the profile name from dbtproject.yml or the --profile flag, then looks that exact key up in the profiles.yml found via --profiles-dir, DBTPROFILES_DIR, or the default home directory location. If none of the searched files define that key, dbt stops before opening any warehouse connection.

Edge cases / pitfalls

• profiles.yml is commonly gitignored, so a fresh CI checkout has none unless the pipeline creates it.
• Two profiles files on a machine (project dir vs home dir) cause edit-the-wrong-file loops; always verify with --profiles-dir.
• An output named ci inside a differently named profile does not count; the lookup is on the top-level profile name.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_Cuxx0GZL70idwKiRKv1DQQ

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_Cuxx0GZL70idwKiRKv1DQQ

Thread query: Runtime Error: No profile named 'ci' found in profiles.yml

TL;DR: The profiles.yml dbt is reading has no top-level profile named ci, or dbt is reading a different profiles.yml than the one you edited. Add a ci profile with a dev or ci output, or point DBTPROFILESDIR and the --profile flag at the file that defines it. Confirm with dbt debug --profile ci before running jobs.