Managing Xata
Manage Xata serverless databases using the xata CLI and Xata REST API.
MANDATORY: Discovery-First Pattern
Always discover available resources before performing analysis.
Phase 1: Discovery
#!/bin/bash
echo "=== Workspaces ==="
curl -s "https://api.xata.io/workspaces" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $XATA_API_KEY" | jq -r '.workspaces[] | "\(.id)\t\(.name)\t\(.plan)\t\(.memberCount)"' | head -10
echo ""
echo "=== Databases ==="
WORKSPACE="${XATA_WORKSPACE:-$(curl -s 'https://api.xata.io/workspaces' -H "Authorization: Bearer $XATA_API_KEY" | jq -r '.workspaces[0].id')}"
curl -s "https://api.xata.io/workspaces/$WORKSPACE/dbs" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $XATA_API_KEY" | jq -r '.databases[] | "\(.name)\t\(.region)\t\(.createdAt)"' | head -20
echo ""
echo "=== Database Branches ==="
for db in $(curl -s "https://api.xata.io/workspaces/$WORKSPACE/dbs" -H "Authorization: Bearer $XATA_API_KEY" | jq -r '.databases[].name'); do
echo "--- $db ---"
curl -s "https://$WORKSPACE.xata.sh/dbs/$db" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $XATA_API_KEY" | jq -r '.branches[] | "\(.name)\t\(.createdAt)"' 2>/dev/null | head -5
done
Phase 2: Analysis
#!/bin/bash
WORKSPACE="${XATA_WORKSPACE:?Set XATA_WORKSPACE}"
DB_NAME="${1:?Database name required}"
BRANCH="${2:-main}"
echo "=== Database Schema ==="
curl -s "https://$WORKSPACE.xata.sh/db/$DB_NAME:$BRANCH" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $XATA_API_KEY" | jq '{
tables: [.schema.tables[] | {
name: .name,
columns: [.columns[] | {name: .name, type: .type}]
}]
}' | head -30
echo ""
echo "=== Table List ==="
curl -s "https://$WORKSPACE.xata.sh/db/$DB_NAME:$BRANCH/tables" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $XATA_API_KEY" | jq -r '.tables[] | "\(.name)"' | head -20
echo ""
echo "=== Migration History ==="
curl -s "https://$WORKSPACE.xata.sh/db/$DB_NAME:$BRANCH/migrations/history" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $XATA_API_KEY" | jq -r '.migrations[] | "\(.id)\t\(.status)\t\(.createdAt)"' | head -10
echo ""
echo "=== Branch Comparison ==="
curl -s "https://$WORKSPACE.xata.sh/db/$DB_NAME:$BRANCH/compare/main" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $XATA_API_KEY" | jq '{
edits: [.edits[] | {table: .table, operation: .operation}]
}' 2>/dev/null | head -15
echo ""
echo "=== Record Counts ==="
for table in $(curl -s "https://$WORKSPACE.xata.sh/db/$DB_NAME:$BRANCH/tables" -H "Authorization: Bearer $XATA_API_KEY" | jq -r '.tables[].name' 2>/dev/null); do
count=$(curl -s "https://$WORKSPACE.xata.sh/db/$DB_NAME:$BRANCH/tables/$table/summarize" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $XATA_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"summaries":{"count":"*"}}' 2>/dev/null | jq '.summaries[0].count // 0')
echo "$table: $count records"
done | head -20
Output Format
DATABASE BRANCH REGION TABLES CREATED
my-app main us-east-1 8 2024-01-15
my-app staging us-east-1 8 2024-02-01
Safety Rules
- Use read-only GET API calls and SELECT queries only
- Never run DELETE, PATCH schema changes without explicit user confirmation
- Use jq for structured output parsing
- Limit output with
| head -Nto stay under 50 lines
Anti-Hallucination Rules
- NEVER assume resource names — always discover via CLI/API in Phase 1 before referencing in Phase 2.
- NEVER fabricate metric names or dimensions — verify against the service documentation or
--helpoutput. - NEVER mix CLI commands between service versions — confirm which version/API you are targeting.
- ALWAYS use the discovery → verify → analyze chain — every resource referenced must have been discovered first.
- ALWAYS handle empty results gracefully — an empty response is valid data, not an error to retry.
Counter-Rationalizations
| Shortcut | Counter | Why |
|---|---|---|
| "I'll skip discovery and check known resources" | Always run Phase 1 discovery first | Resource names change, new resources appear — assumed names cause errors |
| "The user only asked for a quick check" | Follow the full discovery → analysis flow | Quick checks miss critical issues; structured analysis catches silent failures |
| "Default configuration is probably fine" | Audit configuration explicitly | Defaults often leave logging, security, and optimization features disabled |
| "Metrics aren't needed for this" | Always check relevant metrics when available | API/CLI responses show current state; metrics reveal trends and intermittent issues |
| "I don't have access to that" | Try the command and report the actual error | Assumed permission failures prevent useful investigation; actual errors are informative |