init Command

Create a new FLUID project with contracts, sample data, and a ready-to-run pipeline.

Syntax

fluid init [name] [options]

Options

Project Mode (mutually exclusive)

Option	Description
`--quickstart`	Create a working example with sample data (recommended)
`--scan`	Import an existing dbt or Terraform project
`--wizard`	Interactive guided setup
`--blank`	Empty project skeleton
`--template <name>`	Start from a named template (e.g. `customer-360`)

Additional Options

Option	Description	Default
`--provider <name>`	Target provider: `local`, `gcp`, `aws`, `snowflake`, `azure`	`local`
`--use-case <type>`	Project type: `data-product`, `ai-agent`, `analytics`, `api`	—
`--no-run`	Don't auto-execute the pipeline after creation	`false`
`--no-dag`	Don't auto-generate an Airflow DAG	`false`
`--dry-run`	Preview what would be created without writing files	`false`
`--yes`, `-y`	Skip confirmation prompts	`false`

What It Creates

fluid init my-project --quickstart creates the my-project/ directory for you and then copies the current quickstart scaffold into it. The default quickstart project looks like:

my-project/
├── README.md              # Template walkthrough and next steps
├── contract.fluid.yaml    # Data product contract
├── data/
│   ├── customers.csv
│   ├── interactions.csv
│   └── orders.csv
└── .fluid/
    └── db.duckdb          # Local DuckDB state created during init

Examples

Quickstart (Recommended)

fluid init bitcoin-tracker --quickstart

Creates the bitcoin-tracker/ directory and fills it with a fully working project you can run immediately:

cd bitcoin-tracker
fluid validate contract.fluid.yaml
fluid apply contract.fluid.yaml --yes

Scan Existing dbt Project

cd existing-dbt-project
fluid init --scan

Auto-detects dbt models and converts them into a FLUID contract.

GCP-Targeted Project

fluid init analytics --provider gcp --quickstart

Generates a contract configured for BigQuery deployment.

Blank Skeleton

fluid init my-project --blank

Creates a minimal project with an empty contract template.

Preview Mode

fluid init my-project --quickstart --dry-run

Shows what files and directories would be created, including the target project directory, without writing anything.

After Initialization

Once your project is created, follow the standard workflow:

# 1. Move into the project directory
cd my-project

# 2. Validate the contract
fluid validate contract.fluid.yaml

# 3. Deploy locally (or to cloud)
fluid apply contract.fluid.yaml --yes