Create MotherDuck Dives
Use this skill when the user needs a persistent, shareable Dive rather than a one-off chart or a full customer-facing analytics application.
Source Of Truth
- Prefer current MotherDuck Dive docs first.
- If MotherDuck MCP is available, call
get_dive_guidebefore generating, saving, or updating a Dive. - Keep theming, local-preview, code-management, and embedding guidance aligned with the current Dive docs.
Default Posture
- Validate the underlying SQL and schema first with
motherduck-exploreandmotherduck-query. - Keep Dive queries fully qualified and SQL-heavy; let React handle presentation, not data reshaping.
- When a Dive uses shared databases in
REQUIRED_DATABASES, always suffix thealias(e.g._share) so it cannot collide with an existing database name. Never setaliasto conflict with an existing database name. - Start from a named theme direction such as
Corporate Dashboard,Tufte Minimal, orFT Salmoninstead of vague visual prompts. - Prefer one query per visual section rather than one giant cross-purpose query.
- Include loading, empty, and error states for every live query before saving or embedding the Dive.
- Preview locally before saving when the environment supports it.
- Treat embedded Dives as the first-choice path when a product needs a live read-only Dive surface. Move to
motherduck-build-cfa-appwhen the app needs custom backend contracts, writes, non-Dive routing, or richer authorization. - For existing Dives, prefer reading version metadata before overwriting content; MCP
list_divesreturnscurrent_version, andread_divecan fetch historical versions.
Workflow
- Explore the live schema and validate the core SQL first.
- Decide the Dive story, sections, and interaction model.
- Call
get_dive_guideif MCP is available. - Build and preview the Dive locally when possible.
- Save or update the Dive only after the live queries, theme, and loading states are correct.
- If teammates need access, make sure the underlying data is shared appropriately.
Open Next
references/DIVE_DESIGN_GUIDE.mdforuseSQLQuerymechanics, theming prompts, chart-selection rules, loading/error states, layout patterns, and common Dive implementation gotchas
Related Skills
motherduck-explorefor discovering the real tables, views, and dimensions before visualizing themmotherduck-queryfor validating the SQL each Dive section will runmotherduck-build-dashboardwhen the work is really a multi-section dashboard composition problemmotherduck-build-cfa-appwhen the requirement is a fuller product surface with per-customer isolation or backend policy control