Skip to main content

​
Overview

This guide will show you how to set up Prisma with Trigger.dev, test and view an example task run.

​
Prerequisites

  • An existing Node.js project with a package.json file
  • Ensure TypeScript is installed
  • A PostgreSQL database server running locally, or accessible via a connection string
  • Prisma ORM installed and initialized in your project
  • A DATABASE_URL environment variable set in your .env file, pointing to your PostgreSQL database (e.g. postgresql://user:password@localhost:5432/dbname)

​
Initial setup (optional)

Follow these steps if you don’t already have Trigger.dev set up in your project.
1

Run the CLI `init` command

The easiest way to get started is to use the CLI. It will add Trigger.dev to your existing project, create a /trigger folder and give you an example task.Run this command in the root of your project to get started:
npx trigger.dev@latest init
It will do a few things:
Our Trigger.dev MCP server gives your AI assistant direct access to Trigger.dev tools; search docs, trigger tasks, deploy projects, and monitor runs. We recommend installing it for the best developer experience.
  1. Ask if you want to install the Trigger.dev MCP server for your AI assistant.
  2. Log you into the CLI if you’re not already logged in.
  3. Ask you to select your project.
  4. Install the required SDK packages.
  5. Ask where you’d like to create the /trigger directory and create it with an example task.
  6. Create a trigger.config.ts file in the root of your project.
Install the “Hello World” example task when prompted. We’ll use this task to test the setup.
2

Run the CLI `dev` command

The CLI dev command runs a server for your tasks. It watches for changes in your /trigger directory and communicates with the Trigger.dev platform to register your tasks, perform runs, and send data back and forth.It can also update your @trigger.dev/* packages to prevent version mismatches and failed deploys. You will always be prompted first.
npx trigger.dev@latest dev
3

Perform a test run using the dashboard

The CLI dev command spits out various useful URLs. Right now we want to visit the Test page.You should see our Example task in the list , select it. Most tasks have a “payload” which you enter in the JSON editor , but our example task doesn’t need any input.You can configure options on the run , view recent payloads , and create run templates .Press the “Run test” button .Test page
4

View your run

Congratulations, you should see the run page which will live reload showing you the current state of the run.Run pageIf you go back to your terminal you’ll see that the dev command also shows the task status and links to the run log.Terminal showing completed run

​
Creating a task using Prisma and deploying it to production

1

Writing the Prisma task

First, create a new task file in your trigger folder.This is a simple task that will add a new user to the database.
For this task to work correctly, you will need to have a user model in your Prisma schema with an id field, a name field, and an email field.
/trigger/prisma-add-new-user.ts
import { PrismaClient } from "@prisma/client";
import { task } from "@trigger.dev/sdk";

// Initialize Prisma client
const prisma = new PrismaClient();

export const addNewUser = task({
  id: "prisma-add-new-user",
  run: async (payload: { name: string; email: string; id: number }) => {
    const { name, email, id } = payload;

    // This will create a new user in the database
    const user = await prisma.user.create({
      data: {
        name: name,
        email: email,
        id: id,
      },
    });

    return {
      message: `New user added successfully: ${user.id}`,
    };
  },
});
2

Configuring the build extension

Next, configure the Prisma build extension in the trigger.config.js file to include the Prisma client in the build.This will ensure that the Prisma client is available when the task runs.
/trigger.config.js
export default defineConfig({
  project: "<project ref>", // Your project reference
  // Your other config settings...
  build: {
    extensions: [
      prismaExtension({
        mode: "legacy", // required
        version: "5.20.0", // optional, we'll automatically detect the version if not provided
        schema: "prisma/schema.prisma", // update this to the path of your Prisma schema file
      }),
    ],
  },
});
The prismaExtension requires a mode parameter. For standard Prisma setups, use "legacy" mode. See the Prisma extension documentation for other modes and full configuration options.
Build extensions allow you to hook into the build system and customize the build process or the resulting bundle and container image (in the case of deploying). You can use pre-built extensions or create your own.
3

Optional: adding Prisma instrumentation

We use OpenTelemetry to instrument our tasks and collect telemetry data.If you want to automatically log all Prisma queries and mutations, you can use the Prisma instrumentation extension.
/trigger.config.js
import { defineConfig } from "@trigger.dev/sdk";
import { PrismaInstrumentation } from "@prisma/instrumentation";
import { OpenAIInstrumentation } from "@traceloop/instrumentation-openai";

export default defineConfig({
  //..other stuff
  instrumentations: [new PrismaInstrumentation(), new OpenAIInstrumentation()],
});
This provides much more detailed information about your tasks with minimal effort.
4

Deploying your task

With the build extension and task configured, you can now deploy your task using the Trigger.dev CLI.
npx trigger.dev@latest deploy
5

Adding your DATABASE_URL environment variable to Trigger.dev

In your Trigger.dev dashboard sidebar click “Environment Variables” , and then the “New environment variable” button .You can add values for your local dev environment, staging and prod. in this case we will add the DATABASE_URL for the production environment.Environment variables page
6

Running your task

To test this task, go to the ‘test’ page in the Trigger.dev dashboard and run the task with the following payload:
{
  "name": "<a-name>", // e.g. "John Doe"
  "email": "<a-email>", // e.g. "john@doe.test"
  "id": <a-number> // e.g. 12345
}
Congratulations! You should now see a new completed run, and a new user with the credentials you provided should be added to your database.

​
Useful next steps

Tasks overview

Learn what tasks are and their options

Writing tasks

Learn how to write your own tasks

Deploy using the CLI

Learn how to deploy your task manually using the CLI

Deploy using GitHub actions

Learn how to deploy your task using GitHub actions