TiDB Prisma Integration

Comprehensive Prisma ORM setup for TiDB with guided workflows.

When to use this skill

• Set up Prisma in a new Node.js/TypeScript project
• Add Prisma to an existing project
• Define/modify models and run migrations
• Configure TiDB Cloud TLS correctly via DATABASE_URL
• Troubleshoot Prisma connection or migration issues

Prisma vs drivers

Prisma is an ORM (models + migrations + typed client). If you only need a low-level MySQL driver, use:

• tidbx-javascript-mysql2 (promise-native)
• tidbx-javascript-mysqljs (callback-based)

Available guides

• guides/quickstart.md -- new project: install -> init -> migrate -> run TS quickstart
• guides/troubleshooting.md -- common TLS/connection/client-generation issues

I'll pick the smallest guide that matches your request, then use templates/scripts as needed.

Quick examples

• "Add Prisma to my existing Node API and connect to TiDB Cloud" -> follow quickstart, then integrate client
• "My TiDB Cloud public endpoint fails with TLS errors" -> fix DATABASE_URL TLS params
• "Create tables from my Prisma models" -> run prisma migrate dev

Reference: datasource config

In prisma/schema.prisma, use the MySQL connector and read DATABASE_URL:

generator client {
  provider = "prisma-client-js"
}

datasource db {
  provider = "mysql"
  url      = env("DATABASE_URL")
}

TLS notes for TiDB Cloud public endpoints

For TiDB Cloud public endpoints, configure TLS via query params in DATABASE_URL:

• Serverless/Starter/Essential (public endpoint): append ?sslaccept=strict
• Dedicated (public endpoint with downloaded CA): append ?sslaccept=strict&sslcert=/absolute/path/to/ca.pem

Examples:

DATABASE_URL='mysql://USER:PASSWORD@HOST:4000/DATABASE?sslaccept=strict'
DATABASE_URL='mysql://USER:PASSWORD@HOST:4000/DATABASE?sslaccept=strict&sslcert=/absolute/path/to/ca.pem'

Install (TypeScript)

npm i @prisma/client
npm i -D prisma typescript ts-node @types/node

Core patterns

Create client and disconnect (always)

import { PrismaClient } from '@prisma/client'

const prisma = new PrismaClient()
try {
  // ... queries ...
} finally {
  await prisma.$disconnect()
}

Safe raw SQL (parameterized)

• Prefer Prisma query builder when possible.
• When you need raw SQL, prefer $queryRaw with template literals (parameterized).
• Avoid $queryRawUnsafe unless you fully control the SQL.

const rows = await prisma.$queryRaw`SELECT VERSION() AS version`

Templates & scripts

• templates/schema.prisma -- example schema (Player/Profile) mapped to TiDB tables
• templates/quickstart.ts -- minimal Prisma app: connect -> version -> CRUD (run with ts-node)
• scripts/validate_connection.ts -- connects and prints SELECT VERSION() (run with ts-node)

Related skills

• tidbx-nextjs -- Next.js App Router integration patterns (route handlers, runtimes, deployment)
• tidbx-kysely -- typed query builder alternative to Prisma
• tidbx-javascript-mysql2 -- low-level driver (promise API)
• tidbx-javascript-mysqljs -- low-level driver (callback API)

Workflow

I will:

1. Confirm your runtime (Node) and project language (TypeScript)
2. Confirm your TiDB deployment (TiDB Cloud vs self-managed) and endpoint type
3. Choose a guide (guides/quickstart.md or guides/troubleshooting.md)
4. Generate the minimal Prisma files/commands to get you unblocked