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Powerbi Report CLI

MicrosoftOfficialPublished by Microsoft

  • Skill
  • Tool integration
  • Data and AI
  • MIT
  • Low risk

From the author

Plan, design, author, preview, publish, and manage Power BI reports across requirements, page design, local PBIR/PBIP edits, validation, screenshots, Fabric upload/download, and rebinding. Use for report lifecycle work; use semantic-model-authoring for model or DAX changes and fabriciq for data questions. Triggers: plan Power BI report, design report page, edit PBIR, preview PBIP, publish report, rebind report
— the description by Microsoft

AutoGineer summary

Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author

The powerbi-report-cli skill provides a structured, mode-based framework for managing the entire Power BI report lifecycle. It acts as a dispatcher across four distinct phases: planning (requirements and scope), design (visual and layout strategy), authoring (local PBIR/PBIP file manipulation and validation), and management (Fabric item transport and rebinding). The skill enforces strict boundaries between these modes to ensure quality, requiring explicit approval for new reports and utilizing a dedicated CLI for metadata-driven validation and authoring tasks.

What it does

  • Guides users through report requirements, scope, and page planning.
  • Provides design contracts for visual archetypes, layouts, and branding.
  • Enables local editing, validation, and previewing of PBIR and PBIP files.
  • Handles report item transport to and from Microsoft Fabric.
  • Supports re-theming, conditional formatting, and visual configuration.
  • Enforces a mandatory approval gate for greenfield report development.

When to use it

  • When planning a new Power BI report from a semantic model.
  • When you need to define a professional design brief or layout strategy.
  • When editing local PBIR/PBIP files, including visuals, filters, and themes.
  • When validating report structure and formatting before deployment.
  • When publishing or managing report items within a Fabric workspace.

Advantages

  • Ensures consistent report quality through a structured, multi-mode workflow.
  • Prevents premature publishing by enforcing a mandatory approval barrier.
  • Uses a dedicated CLI to eliminate guesswork in PBIR schema and property editing.
  • Maintains clear separation between design intent and technical implementation.
  • Provides robust validation tools to catch errors before Fabric deployment.

Usage examples

“Create a new executive report from this semantic model.”
The agent enters planning mode, inspects the model, generates a report spec, and requests user approval before proceeding.
“Design an operational page and choose the right charts.”
The agent enters design mode, produces a design brief with page archetypes and chart recommendations.
“Add a KPI page to this PBIP, validate it, and take screenshots.”
The agent enters authoring mode, modifies the local PBIP files, runs validation, and captures screenshots for review.
“Publish this local PBIP to my Fabric workspace and rebind it.”
The agent enters management mode, performs the upload to Fabric, and completes the rebind operation.

Install

  1. Download the skill as a ZIP:

    https://mp-staging.autogineer.com/agent-skills/microsoft/powerbi-report-cli/download
  2. Unzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:

    mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip powerbi-report-cli.zip -d .agents/skills

Documentation by Microsoft

Telemetry — MANDATORY. Every api.fabric.microsoft.com call must carry x-ms-fabric-skill: powerbi-report-cli (az rest: --headers "x-ms-fabric-skill=powerbi-report-cli"), including every LRO poll, fabric_lro and retry. Snippets omit it — add it anyway.

CRITICAL NOTES

  1. To find workspace details, including its ID, from a workspace name: list all workspaces, then use JMESPath filtering.

  2. To find item details, including its ID, from a workspace ID, item type, and item name: list all items of that type in that workspace, then use JMESPath filtering.

  3. Use powerbi-report-cli for the report artifact: requirements, design, PBIR/PBIP page and visual edits, preview, and publishing. Semantic model, measure, and DAX work belongs to a semantic-model skill. Natural-language questions about report data belong to fabriciq.

Power BI Reports - CLI Skill

This skill owns the Power BI report lifecycle end to end: requirements and scope, visual design, local PBIR/PBIP authoring and preview, and report-item transport to and from Microsoft Fabric.

It is a mode dispatcher and intentionally contains no detailed procedures. Select the mode that matches the request, then read the matching mode reference end to end before acting. The mode file holds the required workflow, commands, payloads, templates, and failure rules.

Mode Selection

ModeUse when the request...Existing route examplesRead first
planningcreates a new report/dashboard and needs requirements, model/dependency inspection, scope, a page plan, and approval before implementationcreate a report, build a dashboard, create from a semantic model, plan then implement, walk me through creating a reportreferences/planning.md, then references/planning-part-02.md
designdecides what a report should look like: tone, signature, page archetype, chart type, layout, color, typography, theme direction, accessibility, brand application, redesign, or critiquedesign a Power BI report, make the dashboard professional, choose a chart, apply a brand, redesign the report, create a design briefreferences/design.md
authoringreads or edits local PBIR/PBIP files, validates them, previews the report, or captures screenshotsedit PBIR, create/add a report page or visual, format a visual, add filters/slicers/bookmarks/themes, validate PBIR, preview/reload/screenshot in Desktop or servicereferences/authoring.md
managementmoves a report definition to or from Fabric or manages the workspace report itempublish/upload/download PBIR or PBIP, list reports, get/update/delete a report, rebind a reportreferences/management.md

Mode Boundary Rules

  • Classify by intent, not by which file or tool is already open.

  • design decides what the report should look like; authoring writes the PBIR that realizes it. Choosing a chart type is design; encoding it into visual.json is authoring.

  • Restyling or reformatting an existing local report is authoring, even when the request uses design language. Use design when the user wants advice or a design contract rather than a file change.

  • authoring changes local files and performs preview/validation. It does not publish to Fabric.

  • management transports definitions and manages Fabric report items. It does not invent or directly author PBIR content.

  • planning owns the guided requirements-to-approval flow for a new report. A focused edit to an existing report goes directly to authoring.

A greenfield request can span modes in this order:

planning -> design -> authoring -> management

Handle one mode at a time. Announce each switch and read the new mode reference before starting that part. The planning approval gate is a turn boundary: never build or publish until the user explicitly approves the locked spec in a later reply.

GREENFIELD APPROVAL BARRIER — MANDATORY. When a new-report request asks to plan, build, and/or publish but the user has not approved a locked spec in a prior reply, set the current phase to approval_pending and keep planning as the only active mode. In this phase, do not load authoring or management, edit/scaffold PBIR or semantic-model files, generate synthetic data, call Fabric write APIs, or publish. Persist _brief/report-spec.md, ask for explicit approval, and end the turn. The build/publish wording in the original request is desired future scope, not approval to cross this barrier.

Required Deliverable by Mode

ModeCompletion requirement
planningPersist _brief/report-spec.md or the user-named equivalent, ask for explicit approval, and stop before implementation.
designProduce the complete Design Brief: contract, including design_identity and a page archetype/layout contract for every page. Do not edit PBIR or call Fabric APIs.
authoringPersist the requested PBIR/PBIP changes, validate each logical batch, then complete the selected preview and screenshot-review workflow required by the authoring reference. Do not publish.
managementComplete the requested Fabric report operation, including LRO polling and documented readback verification.

Rules

MUST
  • Select the narrowest mode that fully covers the current request.

  • Read references/<mode>.md end to end before the first command or file edit in that mode. When an already-loaded mode explicitly routes one narrow cross-mode operation to a named topic reference, treat that topic reference as the complete handoff; do not load the target mode's umbrella file unless the work expands beyond that operation.

  • In planning mode, also read references/planning-part-02.md before producing _brief/report-spec.md; it contains the required canonical design contract and approval checks.

  • Across a multi-turn task, retain a compact working state containing resolved workspace/item/model IDs, local and downloaded paths, and references already read. Reuse it in later turns unless the user explicitly requests a fresh query or the preceding operation invalidated a value.

  • Preserve every argument and safety boundary documented by the selected mode.

  • Announce and perform an explicit mode switch when the request crosses a boundary.

  • Use the powerbi-report-author CLI metadata and validation surfaces instead of guessing PBIR schemas, roles, formatting properties, selectors, or enum values.

  • Keep local edits local unless the user explicitly requests publishing.

  • Resolve Fabric workspace and item IDs by listing and filtering rather than guessing identifiers.

  • Produce the artifact the user requested; reading or summarizing a reference is not task completion.

PREFER
  • Infer facts already present in the prompt, semantic model, existing PBIP, or prior approved spec instead of asking again.

  • Load only the selected mode and its directly relevant topic references.

  • Reuse reference guidance already loaded in the current task. Open a new reference only when the requested operation or an observed mismatch requires it.

  • Preserve the user's existing project structure, schemas, host, operation, binding, and delivery target unless the selected mode explicitly requires a change.

AVOID
  • Acting from this dispatcher without reading the selected mode reference.

  • Reloading this dispatcher, a mode file, or a topic reference already read in the current task solely because the conversation advanced to a later turn.

  • Loading a retired sibling skill name; planning, design, authoring, and management are modes of this skill.

  • Editing PBIR or calling Fabric APIs in planning or design.

  • Publishing from authoring, or authoring PBIR content from management.

  • Bypassing the planning approval gate because the original request also asked to build or publish.

<!-- BEGIN GENERATED REFERENCE INDEX -->

Complete Reference Index

Open every relevant reference directly from this index. Files named part-XX continue the named topic.

Authoring
Design
Mode Guides

<!-- END GENERATED REFERENCE INDEX -->

Examples

User requestMode
"Create a new executive report from this semantic model."planning
"Design an operational page and choose the right charts."design
"Add a KPI page to this PBIP, validate it, and take screenshots."authoring
"Publish this local PBIP to my Fabric workspace and rebind it."management

Route Compatibility

The merged skill preserves the four previous route surfaces. Treat the following phrases as explicit aliases for the corresponding mode:

ModePreserved route phrases
planningcreate a report; build a report; create a dashboard; create a new report from scratch; create a report from a semantic model or dataset link; build a report for this model; make me a dashboard; plan then implement; walk me through creating a report
designdesign Power BI report; make dashboard look professional; choose chart type; apply brand to report; redesign report; create design brief; Power BI report design archetype
authoringedit PBIR; create Power BI report page; add visual to PBIP; format report visual; validate Power BI report; preview Power BI report; Power BI Desktop preview status; preview report in service; preview report in browser; screenshot report page; screenshot all report pages; list preview hosts; implement dashboard in PBIP; add dashboard visuals to report; implement an approved PBIP report spec; edit PBIR pages/visuals; edit a Power BI report
managementupload PBIR report definition; upload Power BI report; download PBIR definition; publish PBIR definition; publish Power BI report to Fabric; manage Power BI reports; list workspace reports

Files

references/authoring/expressions.md

Expressions — Semantic Query Trees

Contents

  • Expression Tree Templates

    • Entity Source Expression

    • Column Expression

    • Measure Expression

    • NativeVisualCalculation Expression

    • NativeMeasure Expression

    • Hierarchy Level Expression

    • Aggregation Expression

    • ScopedEval Expression

    • Comparison Expression

    • Not Expression

    • Contains/StartsWith Expression

    • In Expression

    • Visual Query Projection

    • Sort Definition

    • Expansion state

  • Filters

Referenced from SKILL.md. Read this for expression tree templates used in visual queries (queryState) and sort definitions. For filter templates (Categorical, Range, etc.), see references/authoring/filters.md § Add a Filter.

Expression Tree Templates

All data field references in queryState, filterConfig, and sortDefinition use the Semantic Query expression tree format. These are the canonical patterns.

Entity Source Expression

Expression references a table(entity) in the semantic model:

{
  "Name": "<alias>",
  "Entity": "<Table>",
  "Type": 0
}
Column Expression

Expression references a column from a table (entity) in the semantic model:

{
  "Column": {
    "Expression": {
      "SourceRef": { "Entity": "<TableName>" }
    },
    "Property": "<ColumnName>"
  }
}
Measure Expression

Expression references a measure defined in the semantic model:

{
  "Measure": {
    "Expression": {
      "SourceRef": { "Entity": "<TableName>" }
    },
    "Property": "<MeasureName>"
  }
}
NativeVisualCalculation Expression

A visual calculation is DAX embedded directly in one visual's query. It exists only on that visual and can be customized without creating a semantic-model measure.

Add the calculation as another projection in the same query role as its input:

"Y": {
  "projections": [
    {
      "field": {
        "Measure": {
          "Expression": {
            "SourceRef": {
              "Entity": "Expenditure Statistics"
            }
          },
          "Property": "Arrivals per month"
        }
      },
      "queryRef": "Expenditure Statistics.Arrivals per month",
      "nativeQueryRef": "Arrivals per month"
    },
    {
      "field": {
        "NativeVisualCalculation": {
          "Language": "dax",
          "Expression": "MOVINGAVERAGE([Arrivals per month], 3)",
          "Name": "Moving average"
        }
      },
      "queryRef": "select",
      "nativeQueryRef": "Moving average"
    }
  ]
}

Power BI Desktop visual-calculation functions include:

  • RUNNINGSUM()

  • MOVINGAVERAGE()

  • PREVIOUS()

  • NEXT()

  • FIRST()

  • LAST()

  • RANGE()

  • EXPAND()

  • COLLAPSE()

Rules:

  • Language must be "dax".

  • Expression contains the visual-calculation DAX.

  • Name is the calculation's display name and should match nativeQueryRef.

  • The calculation can reference only columns, measures, or calculations already projected on the same visual.

  • It cannot be reused by another visual or referenced by semantic-model measures.

  • Relationship-dependent functions such as RELATED, RELATEDTABLE, and USERELATIONSHIP are not supported.

NativeMeasure Expression

An inline DAX expression embedded directly in the report query. Unlike Measure, it does not reference an existing semantic-model measure.

{
  "NativeMeasure": {
    "Language": "dax",
    "Expression": "\"Sales for \" & SELECTEDVALUE('Date'[Year])",
    "DataType": 1,
    "ProposedName": "Dynamic Title"
  }
}

Rules:

  • Language must be "dax".

  • Expression contains the DAX expression.

  • DataType declares the expected result type.

  • Use a text-returning expression for title.text.

  • Support depends on the host/query pipeline; referencing a model Measure is generally safer.

Hierarchy Level Expression
{
  "HierarchyLevel": {
    "Expression": {
      "Hierarchy": {
        "Expression": {
          "SourceRef": { "Entity": "<TableName>" }
        },
        "Hierarchy": "<HierarchyName>"
      }
    },
    "Level": "<LevelName>"
  }
}
Aggregation Expression

Wraps a column with an aggregation function:

{
  "Aggregation": {
    "Expression": {
      "Column": {
        "Expression": {
          "SourceRef": { "Entity": "<TableName>" }
        },
        "Property": "<ColumnName>"
      }
    },
    "Function": 0
  }
}

Aggregation Function values: 0=Sum, 1=Avg, 2=Count, 3=Min, 4=Max, 5=CountNonNull, 6=Median, 7=StdDev, 8=Var

ScopedEval Expression

Evaluates an expression at a specific grouping scope rather than the visual's default scope.

{
  "ScopedEval": {
    "Expression": {
      "Measure": {
        "Expression": {
          "SourceRef": {
            "Entity": "Sales"
          }
        },
        "Property": "Dynamic Title"
      }
    },
    "Scope": [
      {
        "Column": {
          "Expression": {
            "SourceRef": {
              "Entity": "Geography"
            }
          },
          "Property": "Region"
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

Rules:

  • Expression is the value being evaluated.

  • Scope is a non-empty array of column expressions only.

  • The scope columns must be available to the visual query.

  • It is mainly useful for matrix/grouped data and conditional formatting.

  • For an ordinary dynamic visual title, use a model Measure; use ScopedEval only when evaluation at a particular grouping level is required.

Comparison Expression

Expression compares between two values

{
  "Comparison": {
    "ComparisonKind": 0,
    "Left": {
      /* column/hierarchy/measure expression */
    },
    "Right": {
      "Literal": {
        "Value": "<Value>" /* "null" for blank value, "''" for empty text only value */
      }
    }
  }
}

ComparisonKind values: 0=Equal, 1=GreaterThan, 2=GreaterThanOrEqual, 3=LessThan, 4=LessThanOrEqual

Not Expression
{
  "Not": {
    "Expression": {
      /* Comparison/Contains/StartsWith/In expression */
    }
  }
}

"Not" with "GreaterThan" equals "LessThanOrEqual"

Contains/StartsWith Expression
{
  "Contains": { /* StartsWith for StartsWith Expression */
    "Left": {
      /* column/hierarchy/measure expression */
    },
    "Right": {
      "Literal": {
        "Value": "<Value>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Only available for text value

In Expression
{
  "In": {
    "Expressions": [
      {
        "Column": {
          "Expression": { "SourceRef": { "Source": "<alias>" } },
          "Property": "<Column>"
        }
      }
    ],
    "Values": [
      [{ "Literal": { "Value": "'<value>'" } }],
      [{ "Literal": { "Value": "'<value2>'" } }]
    ]
  }
}
Visual Query Projection

Each field well role contains an array of projections. Each projection binds a data field to the visual:

{
  "field": { /* Column/Measure/Aggregation/Hierarchy expression from above */ },
  "queryRef": "<Entity>.<Property>",
  "nativeQueryRef": "<Property>",
  "active": true
}
  • queryRef: Unique per visual. Format: Entity.Property for simple refs. For aggregated columns: CountNonNull(Entity.Property) etc.

  • nativeQueryRef: Usually the Property name. If duplicated across roles, append a number (e.g. Sales1).

  • active: Only used in drill hierarchies. The currently active level is true.

Sort Definition

sortDefinition is a property of the query object (visual.query.sortDefinition). Supported in all schema versions (2.2.0+). Use it to sort bar charts by value descending so "Top N" charts display correctly.

// Add inside: visual.query (sibling of queryState)
"sortDefinition": {
  "sort": [
    {
      "field": { /* Column or Measure expression */ },
      "direction": "Descending"
    }
  ],
  "isDefaultSort": false
}
  • Direction values: "Ascending" or "Descending".

  • isDefaultSort: When false, Power BI treats this as user-explicit and won't auto-override it. When true or omitted, Power BI may change the sort to match the visual type's default.

Known Limitations:

  • sortDefinition controls sort order of the measure values, not the category axis order. Text-based categories (e.g., Month Name, Quarter Name) always sort alphabetically regardless of sortDefinition. "April" comes before "January" because "A" < "J".

  • To get chronological order on a time axis, use a Date column or numeric column (Month Number, Quarter Number) as the Category — never text month/quarter names.

  • If the semantic model has sortByColumn configured on a text column (e.g., Month Name sorted by Month Number), PBI respects that. But sortDefinition in PBIR cannot create or override sortByColumn — it must exist in the TMDL model definition.


Expansion state

Expansion state describes which nodes in a hierarchy are expanded or collapsed. It is only used when a visual has hierarchy structure (e.g., a matrix with Row or Column hierarchies, or a hierarchy slicer). If the visual has no hierarchy structure, omit expansionStates entirely.

  • roles — which query roles contain the hierarchy (e.g., ["Rows"] for a matrix, ["Values"] for a slicer)

  • levels — one entry per hierarchy level; queryRefs must match a queryRef in the visual's query; identityKeys reference the field expressions; isCollapsed / isPinned control the default UI state

  • root.children — records which specific data values the user has toggled open; each child has identityValues (literal values identifying the node) and isToggled: true; nested children represent deeper expansions

{
  "expansionStates": [ // Defines the specific data points that are expanded
    {
      "roles": [
        "Values"
      ],
      "levels": [
        {
          "queryRefs": [ // Which fields in the query does this relate to - must match a queryRef in the query above
            "Brand.BrandName"
          ],
          "isCollapsed": true,
          "identityKeys": [
            {
              /* Hierarchy level/Column/Measure/Aggregation expressions from the expression in the query above*/
            }
          ],
          "isPinned": true
        },
      ],
      "root": { // Defines the specific values that are expanded for each field in the hierarchy
        "children": [
          {
            "identityValues": [
              {
                "Literal": {
                  "Value": "'A. Datum'"
                }
              }
            ],
            "isToggled": true,
            "children": [
              {
                "identityValues": [
                  {
                    "Literal": {
                      "Value": "'N'"
                    }
                  }
                ],
                "isToggled": true
              }
            ]
          },
          {
            "identityValues": [
              {
                "Literal": {
                  "Value": "null"
                }
              }
            ],
            "isToggled": true,
            "children": [
              {
                "identityValues": [
                  {
                    "Literal": {
                      "Value": "null"
                    }
                  }
                ],
                "isToggled": true
              }
            ]
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  ]
}

Filters

Filter templates (Categorical, Range, Inverted, TopN, etc.) are in references/authoring/filters.md § Add a Filter. Expression trees above (Column, Measure, Aggregation) are used inside filter field and Where conditions.

Requirements and compatibility

Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta

“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.

Security

What our scanner noticed· Low risk

  • Phrasing that asks for actions without confirmation
  • Instructions that use the network

A static scan is not a guarantee. Skills are third-party content: review a skill before you let an agent use it.

Attribution and licence

Published by
Microsoft
Publisher
Microsoft (Official)
Source
microsoft/skills-for-fabric · skills/powerbi-report-cli · commit f8fac11
Licence
MIT License (redistribution allowed)
  • LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
  • ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
Synced
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microsoft/skills-for-fabric

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