CLI: projects created via the CLI never appear in the desktop sidebar
Author: infra-akshay-gulatiCreated Sep 17, 2026Updated Sep 17, 2026
Summary
- Projects created with
superset projects createnever show up in the desktop sidebar, though they appear immediately in Settings > Projects - The CLI reports success and
superset projects listconfirms the project, so nothing signals that a further step is needed - The missing step is
superset ws open <mainWorkspaceId>, which is not mentioned in the create output or inprojects --help - Reproduced on 7 projects;
ws openfixed all 7
Steps to reproduce
- Create a project from an existing local clone:
Returnssuperset projects create --local --name <name> --import <repo path>{"projectId": "...", "mainWorkspaceId": "...", "created": true} - Open the desktop app and look at the sidebar — the project is absent
- Open Settings > Projects — the project is listed
- Run:
Returnssuperset ws open <mainWorkspaceId>{"url": "superset://v2-workspace/<id>"} - The project now appears in the sidebar
Expected
A successfully created project appears in the sidebar, or the CLI says what else is required.
Actual
The project is absent from the sidebar until ws open fires its superset://v2-workspace/<id> deep link. Settings > Projects shows it the whole time.
What I ruled out
- Version skew — CLI, desktop app and host service all on 1.29.0; auto-updater confirms that is latest
- Stale app process — full quit and relaunch; app log shows a clean start with no errors
superset update— no-op by design, the CLI is bundled with the desktop app- Host state — in the host service DB, a sidebar-visible (app-created) project and a hidden (CLI-created) one are identical across every non-identity column (
repo_provider,repo_owner,remote_name,worktree_base_dir,branch_prefix_mode,branch_prefix_custom,icon,sparse_checkout_paths,naming_instructions,color). Onlyid,name,repo_name,repo_url,repo_path,created_at,updated_atdiffer local.db— an empty legacy v1 store (0 rows in every table, has av1_migration_statetable), so not the sidebar source- Renderer Local Storage — no project UUIDs present
- Tags/folders —
workspace_tagsandtag_folder_settingsboth empty - Open/terminal history — created a terminal in a hidden project's workspace; no effect (terminal disposed afterwards)
Hypothesis
projects create / projects setup write host-service state only and never perform the app-side registration step. ws open is currently the only CLI command that talks to the desktop app rather than the host service.
Related
This looks like the project-level analog of an already-documented family:
- #5329 — CLI-created workspaces never appear in the sidebar. Closed as completed, and describes the same mechanism: "the in-app create path performs a GUI-side registration step that the CLI create path skips… the gap is at the GUI state-management layer, not the database layer." The project create path still shows this behaviour on 1.29.0.
- #7366 — CLI-created remote workspaces never appear (open)
- #5103 — CLI-created terminals not visible in the desktop UI
Suggested fix
Have projects create / projects setup perform the app-side registration, or print a next-step hint pointing at ws open.
Environment
Superset 1.29.0 (CLI, desktop app, host service), macOS arm64
Source: superset-sh/superset