Cosmos + dbt Core: Implementation Checklist

Execute steps in order. Prefer the simplest configuration that meets the user's constraints.

Version note: This skill targets Cosmos 1.11+ and Airflow 3.x. If the user is on Airflow 2.x, adjust imports accordingly (see Appendix A).

Reference: Latest stable: https://pypi.org/project/astronomer-cosmos/

Before starting, confirm: (1) dbt engine = Core (not Fusion → use cosmos-dbt-fusion), (2) warehouse type, (3) Airflow version, (4) execution environment (Airflow env / venv / container), (5) DbtDag vs DbtTaskGroup vs individual operators, (6) manifest availability.

1. Configure Project (ProjectConfig)

from cosmos import ProjectConfig

_project_config = ProjectConfig(
    dbt_project_path="/path/to/dbt/project",
    # manifest_path="/path/to/manifest.json",  # for dbt_manifest load mode
    # project_name="my_project",  # if using manifest_path without dbt_project_path
    # install_dbt_deps=False,  # if deps precomputed in CI
)

2. Choose Parsing Strategy (RenderConfig)

Pick ONE load mode based on constraints:

CRITICAL: Containerized execution (DOCKER/KUBERNETES/etc.)

from cosmos import RenderConfig, LoadMode

_render_config = RenderConfig(
    load_method=LoadMode.DBT_MANIFEST,  # or DBT_LS, DBT_LS_FILE, AUTOMATIC
)

3. Choose Execution Mode (ExecutionConfig)

Reference: See reference/cosmos-config.md for detailed configuration examples per mode.

Pick ONE execution mode:

from cosmos import ExecutionConfig, ExecutionMode

_execution_config = ExecutionConfig(
    execution_mode=ExecutionMode.WATCHER,  # or LOCAL, VIRTUALENV, AIRFLOW_ASYNC, KUBERNETES, etc.
)

4. Configure Warehouse Connection (ProfileConfig)

Reference: See reference/cosmos-config.md for detailed ProfileConfig options and all ProfileMapping classes.

Option A: Airflow Connection + ProfileMapping (Recommended)

from cosmos import ProfileConfig
from cosmos.profiles import SnowflakeUserPasswordProfileMapping

_profile_config = ProfileConfig(
    profile_name="default",
    target_name="dev",
    profile_mapping=SnowflakeUserPasswordProfileMapping(
        conn_id="snowflake_default",
        profile_args={"schema": "my_schema"},
    ),
)

Option B: Existing profiles.yml

CRITICAL: Do not hardcode secrets; use environment variables.

from cosmos import ProfileConfig

_profile_config = ProfileConfig(
    profile_name="my_profile",
    target_name="dev",
    profiles_yml_filepath="/path/to/profiles.yml",
)

5. Configure Testing Behavior (RenderConfig)

Reference: See reference/cosmos-config.md for detailed testing options.

from cosmos import RenderConfig, TestBehavior

_render_config = RenderConfig(
    test_behavior=TestBehavior.AFTER_EACH,
)

6. Configure operator_args

Reference: See reference/cosmos-config.md for detailed operator_args options.

_operator_args = {
    # BaseOperator params
    "retries": 3,

    # Cosmos-specific params
    "install_deps": False,
    "full_refresh": False,
    "quiet": True,

    # Runtime dbt vars (XCom / params)
    "vars": '{"my_var": "{{ ti.xcom_pull(task_ids=\'pre_dbt\') }}"}',
}

7. Assemble DAG / TaskGroup

Option A: DbtDag (Standalone)

from cosmos import DbtDag, ProjectConfig, ProfileConfig, ExecutionConfig, RenderConfig
from cosmos.profiles import SnowflakeUserPasswordProfileMapping
from pendulum import datetime

_project_config = ProjectConfig(
    dbt_project_path="/usr/local/airflow/dbt/my_project",
)

_profile_config = ProfileConfig(
    profile_name="default",
    target_name="dev",
    profile_mapping=SnowflakeUserPasswordProfileMapping(
        conn_id="snowflake_default",
    ),
)

_execution_config = ExecutionConfig()
_render_config = RenderConfig()

my_cosmos_dag = DbtDag(
    dag_id="my_cosmos_dag",
    project_config=_project_config,
    profile_config=_profile_config,
    execution_config=_execution_config,
    render_config=_render_config,
    operator_args={},
    start_date=datetime(2025, 1, 1),
    schedule="@daily",
)

Option B: DbtTaskGroup (Inside Existing DAG)

from airflow.sdk import dag, task  # Airflow 3.x
# from airflow.decorators import dag, task  # Airflow 2.x
from airflow.models.baseoperator import chain
from cosmos import DbtTaskGroup, ProjectConfig, ProfileConfig, ExecutionConfig, RenderConfig
from pendulum import datetime

_project_config = ProjectConfig(dbt_project_path="/usr/local/airflow/dbt/my_project")
_profile_config = ProfileConfig(profile_name="default", target_name="dev")
_execution_config = ExecutionConfig()
_render_config = RenderConfig()

@dag(start_date=datetime(2025, 1, 1), schedule="@daily")
def my_dag():
    @task
    def pre_dbt():
        return "some_value"

    dbt = DbtTaskGroup(
        group_id="dbt_project",
        project_config=_project_config,
        profile_config=_profile_config,
        execution_config=_execution_config,
        render_config=_render_config,
    )

    @task
    def post_dbt():
        pass

    chain(pre_dbt(), dbt, post_dbt(