# @postel/cli



`@postel/cli` ships the `postel` binary. It has exactly one command:

## postel migrate [#postel-migrate]

```bash
postel migrate --dialect <postgres|sqlite|mysql> --url <connection-string>
```

| Flag        | Required | Meaning                                                                               |
| ----------- | -------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `--dialect` | yes      | `postgres`, `sqlite`, or `mysql` — selects the adapter whose canonical migrations run |
| `--url`     | yes      | The connection string (for `sqlite`, the database file path)                          |

Runs the target dialect's [canonical forward-only migrations](/docs/storage/schema) — the same ones the adapter's `autoMigrate` runs — and brings the database to the current schema version. It owns its connection (opens it, closes it, exits), is idempotent, and exits non-zero on failure, so a broken migration fails your deploy step rather than your app boot.

The corresponding database driver must be installed alongside (`pg`, `better-sqlite3`, or `mysql2`) — the CLI imports it lazily per dialect.

Any other command exits with an error; more verbs land as the operational surface grows.

## When to use it [#when-to-use-it]

Production deploys where the app boots with `autoMigrate: false` — the full pattern, including the schema-version handshake that backs it, is on [Migrations & postel migrate](/docs/operations/migrations).