PlanetScale CLI commands: branch

Getting Started

Make sure to first set up your PlanetScale developer environment. Once you’ve installed the pscale CLI, you can interact with PlanetScale and manage your databases straight from the command line.

The `branch` command

This command allows you to create, delete, diff, and manage branches. Usage:

pscale branch <SUB-COMMAND> <FLAG>

Available sub-commands

Sub-command	Sub-command flags	Description	Product
`connections <COMMAND>`	`show`, `top`, `kill`, `kill-transaction`	Inspect and act on live branch connections. See the `connections` reference.	Postgres, Vitess
`create <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME>`	`--from <SOURCE_BRANCH>`, `--region <BRANCH_REGION>`, `--restore <BACKUP_NAME>`, `--seed-data`, `--wait`	Create a new branch on the specified database	Postgres, Vitess
`delete <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME>`	`--force`, `--delete-descendants`	Delete the specified branch from a database	Postgres, Vitess
`demote <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME>`		Demote a production branch to development	Vitess
`diff <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME>`	`--web`	Show the diff of the specified branch against the parent branch.	Vitess
`extensions list <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME>`		List the extensions available on a Postgres branch’s cluster image	Postgres
`lint <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME>`		Lint the schema of a branch	Vitess
`list <DATABASE_NAME>`	`--web`	List all branches of a database	Postgres, Vitess
`parameters list <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME>`	`--namespace <NAMESPACE>`, `--extension`, `--internal`	List the configuration parameters of a Postgres branch	Postgres
`promote <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME>`		Promote a database branch to production	Vitess
`query-patterns list <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME>`	`--limit <NUMBER>`, `--starting-after <REPORT_ID>`	List query pattern reports for a branch. See the `query-patterns` reference.	Postgres, Vitess
`query-patterns show <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME> <REPORT_ID>`		Show a query pattern report. See the `query-patterns` reference.	Postgres, Vitess
`query-patterns delete <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME> <REPORT_ID>`	`--force`	Delete a query pattern report. See the `query-patterns` reference.	Postgres, Vitess
`query-patterns download <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME>`	`--output <PATH>`	Generate and download a CSV report of branch query patterns. See the `query-patterns` reference.	Postgres, Vitess
`refresh-schema <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME>`		Refresh the schema for a database branch	Vitess
`resize <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME>`	`--cluster-size <SKU>`, `--replicas <COUNT>`, `--parameters <NAMESPACE.NAME=VALUE>`, `--wait`, `--wait-timeout <DURATION>`	Change a Postgres branch’s cluster size, replica count, or configuration parameters	Postgres
`resize status <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME>`		Show the latest change request for a Postgres branch	Postgres
`resize cancel <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME>`		Cancel the queued change request for a Postgres branch	Postgres
`routing-rules get <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME>`		Show the keyspace routing rules of a branch	Vitess
`routing-rules update <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME>`	`--routing-rules <FILE>`*	Replace the keyspace routing rules of a branch	Vitess
`safe-migrations enable <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME>`		Enables safe migrations for a database branch	Vitess
`safe-migrations disable <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME>`		Disables safe migrations for a database branch	Vitess
`schema <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME>`	`--web`	Show the schema of a branch	Vitess
`show <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME>`	`--web`	Show a specific backup of a branch	Postgres, Vitess
`switch <BRANCH_NAME> --database <DATABASE_NAME>`	`--database <DATABASE_NAME>`*, `--create`, `parent-branch <BRANCH_NAME>`	Switch to the specified branch	Postgres, Vitess
`switchover <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME>`	`--candidate <REPLICA_NAME>`	Move the primary of a Postgres branch to a replica. See Switchovers.	Postgres
`update <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME>`	`--new-name <BRANCH_NAME>`, `--deletion-protected`	Rename a branch or change its deletion protection	Postgres, Vitess
`vtgate show <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME>`		Show the current VTGate configuration for a Vitess branch	Vitess
`vtgate resize <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME>`	`--vtgate-size <SKU>`, `--vtgate-count <COUNT>`, `--vtgate-max-count <COUNT>`, `--vtgate-autoscaling`, `--vtgate-target-cpu-utilization <PERCENT>`	Resize VTGates for a Vitess production branch	Vitess
`vtgate resize status <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME>`		Show the latest VTGate resize request for a Vitess branch	Vitess
`vtgate resize cancel <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME>`		Cancel a queued VTGate resize for a Vitess branch	Vitess

Service token automation: `branch`

Legend: ✅ supported · 🚫 unavailable · 👤 interactive login only. All sub-commands require --org or PLANETSCALE_ORG.

Sub-command	Env-var auth	`--service-token` flag	Requires `--org`	Postgres / Vitess	`--format json`	API equivalent
`list <database>`	✅	✅	✅	Both	✅	`pscale api organizations/<org>/databases/<database>/branches --format json`
`show <database> <branch>`	✅	✅	✅	Both	✅	`pscale api organizations/<org>/databases/<database>/branches/<branch> --format json`
`create` / `delete`	✅	✅	✅	Both	✅	`POST pscale api organizations/<org>/databases/<database>/branches --format json` · `DELETE pscale api organizations/<org>/databases/<database>/branches/<branch> --format json`
`schema <database> <branch>`	✅	✅	✅	Both	✅	`pscale api organizations/<org>/databases/<database>/branches/<branch>/schema --format json`
`diff` / `promote`	✅	✅	✅	Vitess	✅	`pscale api organizations/<org>/databases/<database>/branches/<branch>/schema/lint --format json` · `POST pscale api organizations/<org>/databases/<database>/branches/<branch>/promote --format json`
`connections`	✅	✅	✅	Both	✅	`pscale branch connections top <database> <branch> --org <org> --format json`

export PLANETSCALE_ORG="<org>"
pscale branch list <database> --format json
pscale branch show <database> <branch> --format json

Setup and commands to avoid: CLI overview · Service tokens

* Flag is required

Sub-command flag descriptions

Some of the sub-commands have additional flags unique to the sub-command. This section covers what each of those does. See the above table for which context.

Sub-command flag	Description	Applicable sub-commands
`--from <SOURCE_BRANCH>`	Parent branch that you want to create a new branch off of	`create`
`--region <BRANCH_REGION>`	Region where database should be created	`create`
`--restore <BACKUP_NAME>`	Create a new branch from a specified backup	`create`
`--seed-data`	Create a new branch and seed data using the Data Branching® feature	`create`
`--web`	Perform the action in your web browser	`create`, `diff`, `list`, `schema`, `show`
`--wait`	Wait until the branch is ready (`create`) or the change request completes (`resize`)	`create`, `resize`
`--major-version`	The major version of the branch (Postgres only). Currently supports `17` or `18`.	`create`
`--database <DATABASE_NAME>`	Specify the database name	`switch`
`--create`	Create a new branch if it does not exist	`switch`
`--parent-branch <BRANCH_NAME>`	If a new branch is being created, use this to specify a parent branch. Default is `main`.	`switch`
`--delete-descendants`	Recursively delete all descendant branches when deleting a branch	`delete`
`--limit <NUMBER>`	Number of query pattern reports to return, up to 100.	`query-patterns list`
`--starting-after <REPORT_ID>`	Fetch the next page of query pattern reports after a report ID.	`query-patterns list`
`--output <PATH>`	Write the query patterns CSV report to a specific file path.	`query-patterns download`
`--candidate <REPLICA_NAME>`	The replica to promote during a switchover, as returned by `pscale branch infra`. Omit to select automatically.	`switchover`
`--new-name <BRANCH_NAME>`	New name for the branch	`update`
`--deletion-protected`	Protect the branch from deletion (`--deletion-protected=false` to disable)	`update`
`--routing-rules <FILE>`	JSON file with the routing rules to set on the branch	`routing-rules update`
`--cluster-size <SKU>`	New cluster size for the branch, as a fully-qualified SKU name (e.g. `PS_10_GCP_X86`). Use `pscale size cluster list --engine postgresql` to see the valid sizes.	`resize`
`--replicas <COUNT>`	Desired number of replicas for the branch	`resize`
`--parameters <NAMESPACE.NAME=VALUE>`	Set a configuration parameter (e.g. `pgconf.max_connections=200`). Repeat the flag to set multiple parameters. Use `pscale branch parameters list` to see available parameters.	`resize`
`--wait-timeout <DURATION>`	Maximum time to wait for the change request to complete with `--wait`. Default is `10m`.	`resize`
`--namespace <NAMESPACE>`	Only show parameters in this namespace (e.g. `pgconf`, `pgbouncer`, `patroni`)	`parameters list`
`--extension`	Only show parameters that configure an extension (`--extension=false` hides them)	`parameters list`
`--internal`	Only show internal (immutable) parameters (`--internal=false` hides them)	`parameters list`
`--vtgate-size <SKU>`	VTGate size SKU (e.g. `VTG_320`, `VTG_1280`). Hyphens are accepted and converted to underscores.	`vtgate resize`
`--vtgate-count <COUNT>`	Number of VTGates per availability zone (minimum when autoscaling is enabled)	`vtgate resize`
`--vtgate-max-count <COUNT>`	Maximum VTGates per availability zone when autoscaling is enabled	`vtgate resize`
`--vtgate-autoscaling`	Enable or disable VTGate autoscaling (`--vtgate-autoscaling=false` to disable)	`vtgate resize`
`--vtgate-target-cpu-utilization <PERCENT>`	Target CPU utilization percent when autoscaling is enabled	`vtgate resize`

The --region flag can not be used with --restore when creating a branch. Branch backups will be restored to their original region.

Available flags

Flag	Description
`-h`, `--help`	View help for auth command
`--org <ORGANIZATION_NAME>`	The organization for the current user

Global flags

Command	Description
`--api-token <TOKEN>`	The API token to use for authenticating against the PlanetScale API.
`--api-url <URL>`	The base URL for the PlanetScale API. Default is `https://api.planetscale.com/`.
`--config <CONFIG_FILE>`	Config file. Default is `$HOME/.config/planetscale/pscale.yml`.
`--debug`	Enable debug mode.
`-f`, `--format <FORMAT>`	Show output in a specific format. Possible values: `human` (default), `json`, `csv`.
`--no-color`	Disable color output.
`--service-token <TOKEN>`	The service token for authenticating.
`--service-token-id <TOKEN_ID>`	The service token ID for authenticating.

Examples

The `connections` sub-command

Command:

pscale branch connections top <database> <branch>

Opens a live view of the branch’s connection activity. It works for Postgres and Vitess branches; for Vitess, pass --keyspace and --shard to target a tablet, or run interactively to select them. See the connections reference, Inspect live Postgres connections, and Inspect live Vitess connections for the full workflow.

The `query-patterns` sub-command

Command:

pscale branch query-patterns list <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME> --org <ORGANIZATION_NAME>
pscale branch query-patterns show <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME> <REPORT_ID> --org <ORGANIZATION_NAME>
pscale branch query-patterns delete <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME> <REPORT_ID> --org <ORGANIZATION_NAME>
pscale branch query-patterns download <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME> --org <ORGANIZATION_NAME>

List, inspect, and delete existing Query Insights reports for a branch. The download command creates a new report, waits for it to finish generating, and downloads the CSV file. See the query-patterns reference for the full workflow.

The `update` sub-command

Command:

pscale branch update <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME> --new-name <NEW_BRANCH_NAME>
pscale branch update <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME> --deletion-protected
pscale branch update <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME> --deletion-protected=false

Renames a branch or changes its deletion protection. Only the flags you pass are sent, and at least one is required.

The `extensions` sub-command

Command:

pscale branch extensions list <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME>

Lists the extensions available on a Postgres branch’s cluster image. This is the catalog the image can load, not the result of CREATE EXTENSION. Preload libraries are configured with pscale branch resize --parameters. See Postgres extensions.

The `switchover` sub-command

Command:

pscale branch switchover <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME> --candidate <REPLICA_NAME>

Moves the primary of a Postgres branch to a replica. With --candidate, the named replica is promoted; without it, an eligible replica is selected automatically. On a branch without replicas, the single instance is restarted in place instead. See Switchovers for the full workflow.

The `list` sub-command with `--web` flag

Command:

pscale branch list <DATABASE_NAME> --web

Output: Opens the Branches page, <https://app.planetscale.com/org/database/branches>, in browser.

The `parameters` sub-command

Command:

pscale branch parameters list <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME> --namespace pgconf

Lists the configuration parameters of a Postgres branch, including their current values, defaults, allowed ranges, and whether changing them requires a restart. Use --namespace to limit the output to a single namespace such as pgconf, pgbouncer, or patroni.

The `resize` sub-command

Command:

pscale branch resize <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME> --parameters pgconf.max_connections=200 --parameters pgconf.work_mem=8MB --wait

Creates a change request for a Postgres branch. A single change request can update the cluster size (--cluster-size), the number of replicas (--replicas), and configuration parameters (--parameters, repeatable) together. With --wait, the command polls until the change request completes; without it, the command returns immediately and you can follow up with resize status. Some parameters require a database restart to take effect; the command tells you which ones before the change is applied. Command:

pscale branch resize status <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME>

Shows the latest change request for the branch, including its state (queued, pending, resizing, completed, or canceled) and what it changes. Command:

pscale branch resize cancel <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME>

Cancels the queued change request for the branch. Only change requests that have not started being applied can be canceled.

The `vtgate` sub-command

Command:

pscale branch vtgate show <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME>

Shows the current VTGate size, count, and autoscaling settings for a Vitess branch. Command:

pscale branch vtgate resize <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME> \
  --vtgate-size VTG_320 \
  --vtgate-autoscaling \
  --vtgate-count 2 \
  --vtgate-max-count 8 \
  --vtgate-target-cpu-utilization 50

Queues a VTGate resize for a Vitess production branch. Pass at least one of --vtgate-size, --vtgate-count, --vtgate-max-count, --vtgate-autoscaling, or --vtgate-target-cpu-utilization. Development branches cannot be resized. See the VTGate documentation for size defaults, autoscaling limits, and pricing. Command:

pscale branch vtgate resize status <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME>

Shows the latest VTGate resize request for the branch. Command:

pscale branch vtgate resize cancel <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME>

Cancels a queued VTGate resize. Only resize requests that have not started being applied can be canceled.

The `diff` sub-command

Command:

pscale branch diff <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME>

Output:

-- users --
+CREATE TABLE `users` (
+  `id` bigint unsigned NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
+  `name` varchar(255) COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci NOT NULL,
+  PRIMARY KEY (`id`)
+) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4 COLLATE=utf8mb4_unicode_ci;

This will return the diff against the parent branch.

Need help?

Get help from the PlanetScale Support team, or join our Discord community to see how others are using PlanetScale.

Introduction

Using the pscale CLI

CLI command reference

PlanetScale CLI commands: branch

Getting Started

The `branch` command

Available sub-commands

Service token automation: `branch`

Sub-command flag descriptions

Available flags

Global flags

Examples

The `connections` sub-command

The `query-patterns` sub-command

The `update` sub-command

The `extensions` sub-command

The `switchover` sub-command

The `list` sub-command with `--web` flag

The `parameters` sub-command

The `resize` sub-command

The `vtgate` sub-command

The `diff` sub-command

Need help?

​Getting Started

​The branch command

​Available sub-commands

​Service token automation: branch

​Sub-command flag descriptions

​Available flags

​Global flags

​Examples

​The connections sub-command

​The query-patterns sub-command

​The update sub-command

​The extensions sub-command

​The switchover sub-command

​The list sub-command with --web flag

​The parameters sub-command

​The resize sub-command

​The vtgate sub-command

​The diff sub-command

​Need help?

Getting Started

The `branch` command

Available sub-commands

Service token automation: `branch`

Sub-command flag descriptions

Available flags

Global flags

Examples

The `connections` sub-command

The `query-patterns` sub-command

The `update` sub-command

The `extensions` sub-command

The `switchover` sub-command

The `list` sub-command with `--web` flag

The `parameters` sub-command

The `resize` sub-command

The `vtgate` sub-command

The `diff` sub-command

Need help?