# Ingest a dbt project

> Point Flax at your dbt project in git so your existing dbt models become Flax's semantic model, ingested from the compiled manifest.

*[View this page in the Flax docs](https://flax-analytics.com/docs/connections/dbt-projects)*

If you already model your data in dbt, Flax reuses that work rather than asking you to redefine it. Point Flax at your dbt project in git and your models, columns, and metrics appear as the Flax semantic model. This is the primary onboarding path (ADR-0012).

## How ingest works

Flax ingests a dbt project from a **git repository** and reads its compiled **`manifest.json`** — the artifact `dbt parse` writes to `target/`, which resolves every model to a real warehouse relation. Flax reads the manifest and the project's schema YAML; models are matched to the source connection so compiled queries run against real tables.

Flax understands standard dbt models and columns out of the box. To turn a model into a rich semantic model — with dimensions, measures, and joins — add a `flax:` block to the model's YAML. Plain dbt files without a `flax:` block are recognised but contribute no metrics of their own.

## Getting your models in

1. Ensure your dbt project builds a manifest (`dbt parse` or `dbt build` writes `target/manifest.json`).
2. Connect the git repository that holds the project.
3. Flax parses the manifest and schema files and materialises the semantic model.

Reserved dbt project files such as `dbt_project.yml` are skipped, so Flax can ingest a real dbt project root directly.

> [!NOTE]
> Ingest is manifest-based: Flax does not run Python or execute your dbt SQL. It reads the compiled artifact your dbt workflow already produces.

## After ingest

Once ingested, refine the model in Flax — add measures, define joins, and layer on governance. Edits can be written back to your git repository as pull requests, keeping dbt as the source of truth. See [Write-back](/docs/modeling/write-back).

## Related

- [Modeling overview](/docs/modeling/overview)
- [Write-back](/docs/modeling/write-back)
- [Connecting data](/docs/connections/overview)