generate

The prisma generate command generates assets like Prisma Client based on the generator and data model blocks defined in your schema.prisma file.

Usage

prisma generate [options]

How it works

1. Inspects the current directory to find a Prisma schema
2. Generates a customized Prisma Client based on your schema into the output directory specified in the generator block

Prerequisites

Add a generator definition in your schema.prisma file:

generator client {
  provider = "prisma-client"
  output   = "./generated"
}

Options

Examples

Generate Prisma Client

npx prisma generate

Output:

✔ Generated Prisma Client to ./node_modules/.prisma/client in 61ms

You can now start using Prisma Client in your code:

import { PrismaClient } from '../prisma/generated/client'

const prisma = new PrismaClient()

Generate with a custom schema path

npx prisma generate --schema=./alternative/schema.prisma

Watch mode

Automatically regenerate when the schema changes:

npx prisma generate --watch

Output:

Watching... /home/prismauser/prisma/schema.prisma

✔ Generated Prisma Client to ./node_modules/.prisma/client in 45ms

Generate specific generators

Run only specific generators:

npx prisma generate --generator client

Multiple generators:

npx prisma generate --generator client --generator zod_schemas

Generated assets

The prisma-client generator creates a customized client for working with your database. You can customize the output folder using the output field in the generator block.