What causes ModelAccessViolation?

A consuming project's ref() targets a model set to 'protected' access, which cannot be used in cross-project refs. A model's access was downgraded from 'public' to 'protected' after other projects were already referencing it. The consuming project's dependencies.yml targets an older version of the upstream project where the model was public. A CI pipeline tests cross-project refs without the correct dbt Cloud environment linkage

How do I fix ModelAccessViolation?

Step 1: Check the access property of the upstream model in its YAML config file.. Step 2: If the model should be cross-project accessible, set access: public and redeploy the upstream project.. Step 3: If the model should remain protected, update the consuming project to use a different model or move the logic into a shared public model.. Step 4: In dbt Cloud, confirm the upstream project's production environment is marked as the official source for downstream projects.. Step 5: Run 'dbt compile --project-dir ' to validate the fix.

Medium severitycompilation

Power BI Refresh Error:
ModelAccessViolation

What does this error mean?

A dbt project tried to ref a model whose access level does not permit cross-project or cross-group references, causing a compilation error when the access constraint is violated.

Common causes

1A consuming project's ref() targets a model set to 'protected' access, which cannot be used in cross-project refs
2A model's access was downgraded from 'public' to 'protected' after other projects were already referencing it
3The consuming project's dependencies.yml targets an older version of the upstream project where the model was public
4A CI pipeline tests cross-project refs without the correct dbt Cloud environment linkage

How to fix it

1Step 1: Check the access property of the upstream model in its YAML config file.
2Step 2: If the model should be cross-project accessible, set access: public and redeploy the upstream project.
3Step 3: If the model should remain protected, update the consuming project to use a different model or move the logic into a shared public model.
4Step 4: In dbt Cloud, confirm the upstream project's production environment is marked as the official source for downstream projects.
5Step 5: Run 'dbt compile --project-dir <consuming-project>' to validate the fix.

Frequently asked questions

Can I set access level at the folder level instead of per model?

Yes. In dbt_project.yml, you can set access under the models key to apply a default access level to all models in a directory. Individual model YAML files can override the folder-level default.

Does changing a model from public to protected break existing runs immediately?

Yes — all downstream projects with a ref() to that model will fail to compile on their next run. Always coordinate access downgrades across all consuming teams before merging the change.