dbt AmbiguousAliasError: duplicate model name in project

TL;DR

Two models share a name, usually after a copy-paste or a staging/prod folder split. Rename one, or disable the one you dont need with enabled: false in its config. Then dbt ls to confirm each name resolves to exactly one node.

Error

dbt AmbiguousAliasError: duplicate model name in project

Steps

1. Run dbt ls --resource-type model and grep for the duplicated name to find both files. Expected: Two file paths show up for the same model name, e.g. models/staging/stgorders.sql and models/marts/stgorders.sql.

2. Decide which one is canonical. Rename the other file and its references, or add {{ config(enabled=false) }} to the top of the one you want to keep out of the DAG. Expected: Only one enabled model carries the name.

3. Search the project for ref('old_name') calls that pointed at the renamed or disabled model and update them. Expected: No refs point at the old name; grep for it returns nothing.

4. Run dbt ls again and then dbt compile for the full project. Expected: Each model name appears once, compile succeeds with no AmbiguousAliasError.

When to use

• dbt raises AmbiguousAliasError or found two resources with the same name
• you duplicated a model file to try a variant and forgot to rename it
• a merge brought in a second model with the same name

When not to use

• duplicate column names inside a single model's select (that is a SQL error, not this)
• two models with similar but different names
• the error is about sources or seeds, which have their own dedupe rules

Tool compatibility

• dbt-core all versions; node naming rules unchanged
• dbt ls is the fastest way to list every node name
• dbt Cloud IDE shows the same error on compile

Variant phrasings

dbt found two resources with the same name

Same error, older wording. The fix is identical: one name, one enabled node.

duplicate name across packages

Your project and an installed package both define the name. Use enabled: false on the package model via your dbt_project.yml, or rename yours.

Why it happens

dbt addresses models by name in ref(), so names must be unique across the whole project including installed packages. Duplicates usually come from copying a model as a starting point, or from a folder restructure where the old file was not deleted.

Edge cases

• Disabled models still show in dbt ls unless you filter; use dbt ls --exclude to sanity check the live DAG.
• Snapshots and seeds share the namespace too, a seed and a model with the same name triggers the same error.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pstdOI2H3Gr3i6Q2LLJp4oNQ

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pstdOI2H3Gr3i6Q2LLJp4oNQ

Thread query: dbt AmbiguousAliasError: duplicate model name in project

TL;DR: Two models share a name, usually after a copy-paste or a staging/prod folder split. Rename one, or disable the one you dont need with enabled: false in its config. Then dbt ls to confirm each name resolves to exactly one node.