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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://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/bookmark.md

Bookmark Authoring

Use report bookmarks to save deterministic report state for storytelling, show/hide panels, chart swaps, reset views, and button-driven navigation. This guide covers report bookmarks stored in PBIR. Personal bookmarks are user/service state and are out of scope.

Contents

  • Required workflow

  • File layout

  • Bookmark index and groups

  • Bookmark state

  • Visibility toggles and chart swaps

  • Current page

  • Filter and slicer state

  • Bookmark buttons

  • Bookmark navigator

  • Validation diagnostics

  • Desktop verification checklist

  • Anti-patterns

Required workflow

  1. Inspect the existing report's page, visual, and filter names.

  2. Copy $schema values from bookmark files in the same report. If the report has no bookmarks, use the schema versions in the templates below and let Desktop upgrade them on save.

  3. Create each definition/bookmarks/<bookmarkName>.bookmark.json.

  4. Add every bookmark to definition/bookmarks/bookmarks.json, directly or as a group child.

  5. Wire any button actions to the bookmark's exact name.

  6. Run powerbi-report-author validate <Report>.Report.

  7. Reload in Desktop and exercise every forward and reverse transition.

Bookmark state contains raw PBIR identifiers, not display names:

  • Page references use page.json → name.

  • Visual references use visual.json → name.

  • Newly authored live filter state starts from the matching filterConfig.filters[] entry.

  • Button targets use the bookmark file's name.

Do not invent or shorten these identifiers.

File layout

definition/
├── bookmarks/
│   ├── bookmarks.json
│   ├── <bookmarkName>.bookmark.json
│   └── <bookmarkName>.bookmark.json
└── pages/

The bookmark file name and its name property must match:

definition/bookmarks/32e6a5dec73817815177.bookmark.json
{
  "name": "32e6a5dec73817815177"
}

The validator reports PBIR_BOOKMARK_NAME_FILE_MISMATCH when they differ.

Bookmark index and groups

bookmarks.json controls the report's bookmark ordering and groups.

Ungrouped bookmark
{
  "$schema": "https://developer.microsoft.com/json-schemas/fabric/item/report/definition/bookmarksMetadata/1.0.0/schema.json",
  "items": [
    {
      "name": "32e6a5dec73817815177"
    }
  ]
}
Bookmark group
{
  "$schema": "https://developer.microsoft.com/json-schemas/fabric/item/report/definition/bookmarksMetadata/1.0.0/schema.json",
  "items": [
    {
      "displayName": "View selector",
      "name": "b95e490160978ca1c3d9",
      "children": [
        "32e6a5dec73817815177",
        "b7082154158c6ccc84be"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Rules:

  • Every child must name an existing .bookmark.json file.

  • A bookmark must appear exactly once in the index.

  • The group name is its own unique ID; it does not need a bookmark file.

  • displayName is user-facing and may contain spaces.

  • An unindexed bookmark file does not appear in the report bookmark list.

Bookmark state

A bookmark has three main sections:

{
  "$schema": "https://developer.microsoft.com/json-schemas/fabric/item/report/definition/bookmark/2.1.0/schema.json",
  "displayName": "Show chart",
  "name": "32e6a5dec73817815177",
  "options": {
    "targetVisualNames": [],
    "suppressData": true,
    "suppressDisplay": false,
    "suppressActiveSection": true,
    "applyOnlyToTargetVisuals": false
  },
  "explorationState": {
    "version": "1.3",
    "activeSection": "fb1f349df66655761237",
    "sections": {}
  }
}
Options mapping

PBIR stores the inverse of several Desktop bookmark checkboxes:

Desktop bookmark optionPBIR fieldEnabled value
DatasuppressDatafalse
DisplaysuppressDisplayfalse
Current pagesuppressActiveSectionfalse
Selected visualsapplyOnlyToTargetVisualstrue

Use these combinations deliberately:

PatternDataDisplayCurrent pageSelected visuals
Show/hide or chart swapOffOnUsually OffUsually Off
Reset filters/slicersOnOptionalOffUsually Off
Story step across pagesAs neededOnOnUsually Off

For a pure visibility toggle, keep Data off (suppressData: true) so clicking the bookmark does not reset slicers or filters.

Target visuals

For deterministic display snapshots, list the exact visual IDs, include state entries only for those visuals, and default applyOnlyToTargetVisuals to false:

"options": {
  "targetVisualNames": [
    "f0b7a9e5317ef5d3cb16",
    "9f489283587461417621"
  ],
  "suppressData": true,
  "suppressDisplay": false,
  "suppressActiveSection": true,
  "applyOnlyToTargetVisuals": false
}

Every targeted visual should also have a state entry in the relevant page's visualContainers. Avoid targeting only the visual that becomes visible: include both sides of a toggle so the reverse transition is deterministic.

Use applyOnlyToTargetVisuals: true only when the user explicitly requests Desktop's Selected visuals bookmark option. Physically verify that state: some Desktop builds accept the PBIR but ignore authored display or filter state when this flag is enabled.

Visibility toggles and chart swaps

Visibility is stored in:

explorationState.sections.<pageName>.visualContainers.<visualName>

A visible visual can use an empty state:

"f0b7a9e5317ef5d3cb16": {
  "singleVisual": {}
}

A hidden visual uses display.mode: "hidden":

"9f489283587461417621": {
  "singleVisual": {
    "display": {
      "mode": "hidden"
    }
  }
}

Complete two-bookmark chart/table toggle:

{
  "displayName": "Show chart",
  "name": "32e6a5dec73817815177",
  "options": {
    "targetVisualNames": [
      "f0b7a9e5317ef5d3cb16",
      "9f489283587461417621"
    ],
    "suppressData": true,
    "suppressDisplay": false,
    "suppressActiveSection": true,
    "applyOnlyToTargetVisuals": false
  },
  "explorationState": {
    "version": "1.3",
    "activeSection": "fb1f349df66655761237",
    "sections": {
      "fb1f349df66655761237": {
        "visualContainers": {
          "f0b7a9e5317ef5d3cb16": {
            "singleVisual": {}
          },
          "9f489283587461417621": {
            "singleVisual": {
              "display": {
                "mode": "hidden"
              }
            }
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

The paired "Show table" bookmark must store the inverse state for both visuals. The same pattern applies to detail panels: include the panel shape, text, controls, and close button in both the show and hide bookmarks.

Current page

To save and apply a page:

"options": {
  "suppressActiveSection": false
},
"explorationState": {
  "activeSection": "fb1f349df66655761237"
}

To keep the user on the current page, use suppressActiveSection: true. The activeSection value may still be present as captured metadata, but it is not applied.

Every key under explorationState.sections must also be an existing page ID.

Filter and slicer state

Data-enabled bookmarks can restore filters at all three filter scopes. Current Desktop-authored PBIR stores them in byExpr arrays:

Filter scopeBookmark state path
ReportexplorationState.filters.byExpr[]
PageexplorationState.sections.<pageId>.filters.byExpr[]
VisualexplorationState.sections.<pageId>.visualContainers.<visualId>.filters.byExpr[]

Use the same filter name, type, expression, and predicate as the matching filterConfig.filters[] entry at that scope when authoring a bookmark for a current live filter. Desktop-authored snapshots can legitimately retain saved filter entries after the corresponding live filter card is removed, so do not reject an existing snapshot solely because its name is absent from the current filterConfig. A verified categorical entry is:

"filters": {
  "byExpr": [
    {
      "name": "Filter4f088dcd17c3495bb785",
      "type": "Categorical",
      "filter": {
        "Version": 2,
        "From": [
          {
            "Name": "c",
            "Entity": "Company",
            "Type": 0
          }
        ],
        "Where": [
          {
            "Condition": {
              "In": {
                "Expressions": [
                  {
                    "Column": {
                      "Expression": {
                        "SourceRef": {
                          "Source": "c"
                        }
                      },
                      "Property": "Company"
                    }
                  }
                ],
                "Values": [
                  [
                    {
                      "Literal": {
                        "Value": "'Contoso'"
                      }
                    }
                  ]
                ]
              }
            }
          }
        ]
      },
      "expression": {
        "Column": {
          "Expression": {
            "SourceRef": {
              "Entity": "Company"
            }
          },
          "Property": "Company"
        }
      },
      "howCreated": 1
    }
  ]
}

The top-level expression uses SourceRef.Entity, while expressions inside filter.Where use SourceRef.Source with the alias from filter.From. howCreated: 1 identifies the user-created filter card. Desktop may also capture generated visual field cards with howCreated: 0; preserve them when copying Desktop-authored state, but do not mistake them for authored filter predicates.

Do not use filters.byName for newly authored bookmark filter state. It can schema-validate while Desktop silently restores the filter as (All).

Data-on bookmarks restore the complete captured data state, not one isolated filter scope. A bookmark intended to demonstrate a report, page, or visual filter should explicitly capture the other scopes as selected values or (All). Do not promise that separate filter-scope bookmarks compose independently; switching bookmarks can reset unspecified scopes.

Slicer selections remain under the slicer's singleVisual.objects.merge.general[].properties.filter.filter state. See filters.md (see filters.md) and slicers.md (see slicers.md).

For visibility-only bookmarks, omit filter state and set suppressData: true.

Bookmark buttons

Wire an actionButton through visual.visualContainerObjects.visualLink:

"visualContainerObjects": {
  "visualLink": [
    {
      "properties": {
        "show": {
          "expr": {
            "Literal": {
              "Value": "true"
            }
          }
        },
        "type": {
          "expr": {
            "Literal": {
              "Value": "'Bookmark'"
            }
          }
        },
        "bookmark": {
          "expr": {
            "Literal": {
              "Value": "'32e6a5dec73817815177'"
            }
          }
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}

The target is the bookmark name, not its displayName. The validator reports:

  • PBIR_BOOKMARK_ACTION_TARGET_MISSING when the target property is absent.

  • PBIR_BOOKMARK_ACTION_REF_MISSING when the named bookmark does not exist.

See button.md (see button.md) for complete button structure and state formatting.

Bookmark navigator

bookmarkNavigator is a no-data-role visual that renders report bookmarks. Its bookmark-group binding is not a plain string literal in all Desktop versions. Until the CLI exposes a typed encoder for that property:

  • Preserve an existing Desktop-authored bookmark navigator.

  • Copy a known-good navigator only within the same report and group structure.

  • Do not guess the bookmarks.bookmarkGroup expression shape.

  • Prefer explicit actionButton bookmark actions for deterministic new authoring.

Validation diagnostics

powerbi-report-author validate reports broken bookmark semantics with stable codes:

CodeMeaning
PBIR_BOOKMARKS_METADATA_MISSINGBookmark files exist without bookmarks.json
PBIR_BOOKMARK_NAME_FILE_MISMATCHBookmark name differs from its file name
PBIR_BOOKMARK_NAME_DUPLICATEMultiple files declare the same bookmark name
PBIR_BOOKMARK_INDEX_REF_MISSINGIndex/group references a missing bookmark
PBIR_BOOKMARK_INDEX_DUPLICATE_REFERENCEBookmark appears more than once in the index
PBIR_BOOKMARK_FILE_NOT_INDEXEDBookmark file is not present in the index
PBIR_BOOKMARK_PAGE_REF_MISSINGSaved state references a missing page
PBIR_BOOKMARK_VISUAL_REF_MISSINGTarget or section references a missing visual
PBIR_BOOKMARK_ACTION_TARGET_MISSINGBookmark action has no target
PBIR_BOOKMARK_ACTION_REF_MISSINGBookmark action targets a missing bookmark

Desktop verification checklist

After validation succeeds:

  1. Reload the report in Desktop.

  2. Confirm all bookmarks appear in the expected order/group.

  3. Exercise each bookmark from a neutral state.

  4. Exercise every pair in both directions: A → B → A.

  5. Change slicers before a visibility bookmark and confirm they remain changed.

  6. Confirm show/hide groups include every panel component.

  7. Confirm Current page behavior matches the intended navigation.

  8. Click every bookmark button and check that it is enabled.

  9. Save, reload, and repeat the cycle to catch Desktop normalization issues.

Anti-patterns

Anti-patternResultFix
File name and bookmark name differBroken identity and index referencesUse one exact ID in both places
Bookmark file omitted from bookmarks.jsonBookmark is not exposed in the reportAdd it directly or as a group child
Visibility bookmark has Data enabledSlicers and filters unexpectedly resetSet suppressData: true
Toggle saves only the visual being shownReverse transition leaves both visuals visible/hiddenSave explicit state for both sides
Using page or visual display namesReferences do not resolveUse raw PBIR name IDs
Button targets bookmark displayNameButton is disabledTarget bookmark name
Guessing navigator group encodingNavigator may ignore the group or fail schema validationPreserve a Desktop-authored navigator

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
Also distributed in
microsoft/skills-for-fabric

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Download ZIP

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