dbt "Runtime Error ... Could not find profile named" in CI

By Daniel Zoghalchali·Latchkey

dbt read the profile: key in dbt_project.yml and looked for a matching block in profiles.yml, but no profile with that name exists where dbt searched. It raises a Runtime Error before any connection.

What this error means

dbt run or dbt debug fails with "Runtime Error ... Could not find profile named 'my_project'". The profiles file is missing on the runner, in the wrong directory, or names a different profile.

Runtime Error
  Could not find profile named 'analytics'

Common causes

No profiles.yml on the runner

profiles.yml lives in ~/.dbt/ locally but was never created in CI, so dbt finds no profiles at all.

The profile name does not match dbt_project.yml

The profile: value in dbt_project.yml does not equal any top-level key in profiles.yml.

How to fix it

Provide a profiles file in CI

1. Commit a CI profiles.yml (with env_var() for secrets) or write it in a step.
2. Point dbt at it with --profiles-dir so it is found.
3. Ensure its top-level key matches profile: in dbt_project.yml.

dbt run --profiles-dir ./ci

Align the profile name

Make the profile: in dbt_project.yml exactly equal a block name in profiles.yml.

# dbt_project.yml
profile: 'analytics'
# profiles.yml must define a top-level 'analytics:' block

How to prevent it

• Keep a CI-specific profiles.yml and pass --profiles-dir.
• Match the profile name in dbt_project.yml to profiles.yml exactly.
• Use env_var() in profiles.yml so secrets stay out of the repo.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

References

• Python documentation
• pip documentation
• GitHub Actions documentation