clockworklabs/SpacetimeDB · error · anyhow::Error

No database target matches

Error message

No database target matches '{}'. Available databases: {}

What it means

When a spacetime.json is loaded and you pass a database name on the CLI, the name is treated as a glob pattern matched against the `database` field of every configured target. With two or more targets and zero matches, publish aborts and lists the available database names. (With exactly one target there is a fallback: its settings are reused and the CLI name overrides the database.)

Solutions

1. Publish using one of the names printed in the error's Available databases list
2. Add or fix the target's `database` field in spacetime.json so the CLI name matches
3. Quote the argument in your shell so glob metacharacters reach the CLI intact, or escape them intentionally
4. Temporarily bypass config selection with --no-config if you want pure CLI-args publishing

Example fix

# before
spacetime publish mydb
# error: No database target matches 'mydb'. Available databases: mydb-3f9k, other
# after
spacetime publish "mydb-3f9k"

# derive the database list from config and assert your name matches one
jq -r '.targets[].database // empty' spacetime.json | grep -qx "$DB" || { echo "no target for $DB"; exit 1; }

match publish(db).await {
    Err(e) if e.to_string().starts_with("No database target matches") => {
        // parse the 'Available databases:' suffix and surface a picker
    }
    rest => rest,
}

When it happens

Trigger: `spacetime publish foo` where spacetime.json defines targets `mydb-dev` and `mydb-prod`; typos in the name; unquoted shell glob characters (`*`, `?`, `[`) in the database name altering the match; renaming the database in spacetime.json but not in scripts.

Common situations: Multi-environment configs (dev/staging/prod targets); `spacetime init` generating a random-suffixed name while scripts hardcode the plain name; names containing glob metacharacters.

Related errors

• No matching target found in spacetime.json for the provided…
• database is a required field in publish config
• Aborted.
• Aborting because major version upgrade was not accepted.
• Cannot use generate-entry-specific arguments

AI-assisted analysis of clockworklabs/SpacetimeDB@eddf9f5014 (2026-08-20). Data as JSON: /api/errors/9c6b457c44ca5d9e. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at crates/cli/src/subcommands/publish.rs:163

                    .get("database")
                    .and_then(|v| v.as_str())
                    .is_some_and(|db| pattern.matches(db))
            })
            .collect();

        if matched.is_empty() {
            // When there is exactly one target in the config and the CLI-provided
            // database name doesn't match it, use that target's settings (e.g.
            // native-aot, module-path, build-options) and let CommandConfig merge
            // the CLI database name on top.  This handles the common case where
            // `spacetime init` generated a random database suffix that differs
            // from the name the user passes on the CLI, while still picking up
            // module-specific config.
            let all_targets = spacetime_config.collect_all_targets_with_inheritance();
            if all_targets.len() == 1 {
                all_targets
            } else {
                anyhow::bail!(
                    "No database target matches '{}'. Available databases: {}",
                    cli_database,
                    all_targets
                        .iter()
                        .filter_map(|t| t.fields.get("database").and_then(|v| v.as_str()))
                        .collect::<Vec<_>>()
                        .join(", ")
                );
            }
        } else {
            matched
        }
    } else {
        all_targets
    };

    // Build CommandConfig for each target
    let configs: Vec<CommandConfig> = filtered_targets

View on GitHub (pinned to eddf9f5014)