Using SQLFluff as a CLI Application

The SQLFluff CLI is a Python application which depends on your host Python environment — see the installation guide for setup instructions.

Exit Codes

The exit code returned by SQLFluff is designed to be useful in deployment pipelines and CI/CD scripts.

Exit code	Meaning
0	Operation succeeded, no issues found.
1	Operation succeeded, issues found. For example, a linting violation was found, or one file could not be parsed.
2	Operation failed — an error occurred and could not be completed. For example, a configuration error or an internal SQLFluff error.

This means a git push hook or CI step can simply check for a non-zero exit code to know whether SQLFluff found anything, while still being able to distinguish between "issues found" (1) and "SQLFluff itself broke" (2) when needed.

For the full list of commands and options, see the CLI Reference.