What causes Runtime Error: profile not found?

The profile name in dbt_project.yml (the `profile:` key) does not match any profile defined in profiles.yml. Profiles.yml is located in the wrong directory — dbt looks in `~/.dbt/` by default. A CI/CD environment is missing the profiles.yml file because it is not committed to version control (correctly excluded via .gitignore) but also not injected into the environment. The project was cloned to a new machine and profiles.yml was not recreated. A typo in the profile name in dbt_project.yml

How do I fix Runtime Error: profile not found?

Check the `profile:` value in dbt_project.yml — it must exactly match a top-level key in profiles.yml.. Verify profiles.yml exists at `~/.dbt/profiles.yml` (or at the path specified by the `--profiles-dir` flag).. Run `dbt debug` to see which profiles.yml path dbt is reading and which profile it's looking for.. In CI/CD, inject profiles.yml as a secret or use environment variables with dbt's env_var() macro — never commit credentials.. For dbt Cloud, profiles are managed in the dbt Cloud UI (connection settings) — you do not need a local profiles.yml.

High severitydbt

Power BI Refresh Error:
Runtime Error: profile not found

What does this error mean?

dbt could not find the profile named in dbt_project.yml in profiles.yml. This prevents dbt from connecting to any database and blocks all runs.

Common causes

1The profile name in dbt_project.yml (the `profile:` key) does not match any profile defined in profiles.yml
2Profiles.yml is located in the wrong directory — dbt looks in `~/.dbt/` by default
3A CI/CD environment is missing the profiles.yml file because it is not committed to version control (correctly excluded via .gitignore) but also not injected into the environment
4The project was cloned to a new machine and profiles.yml was not recreated
5A typo in the profile name in dbt_project.yml

How to fix it

1Check the `profile:` value in dbt_project.yml — it must exactly match a top-level key in profiles.yml.
2Verify profiles.yml exists at `~/.dbt/profiles.yml` (or at the path specified by the `--profiles-dir` flag).
3Run `dbt debug` to see which profiles.yml path dbt is reading and which profile it's looking for.
4In CI/CD, inject profiles.yml as a secret or use environment variables with dbt's env_var() macro — never commit credentials.
5For dbt Cloud, profiles are managed in the dbt Cloud UI (connection settings) — you do not need a local profiles.yml.

Frequently asked questions

How do I set up profiles.yml for a CI/CD pipeline?

Use dbt's environment variable support: define credentials as env vars (e.g., DBT_USER, DBT_PASSWORD) and reference them in profiles.yml with `{{ env_var('DBT_USER') }}`. Store the template in the repo and inject secrets via CI/CD.

Official documentation: dbt-docs