Forum Discussion
Question using Fabric-CLI. How to Switch to interactive mode?
Hi,
I have started to use Fabric-CLI. It looks a promising way to admin easily the fabric platform content. I have followed the steps described on the link
But on my case I am unable to obtain the shell after typing the commands described
I am able to execute the fab commands, but not to obtain the shell.
What am I doing wrong?
Thx
Alfons
Hi alfBI,
Thanks for the response, the version you are currently using is 1.0.0 which still does not yet include the interactive shell feature.
The interactive shell (fab:/ >) was officially introduced in version 1.0.6 and above.
Clear pip cache and upgrade to Fabric CLI version 1.0.6 or newer specifically from the new fabri cli package on PyPI that includes the interactive shell.
Uninstall the existing version and install the latest version explicitly:
pip install fabric-cli --upgrade --force-reinstall
Then after Verify the version and run the shell
If this post helps, then please consider Accepting as solution to help the other members find it more quickly, don't forget to give a "Kudos" – I’d truly appreciate it!
Thanks and regards,
Anjan Kumar Chippa
14 Replies
You mean the Python shell that you get when you run "python" from the Windows command line?
Hi alfBI,
Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Fabric Community.
Thank you lbendlin for the prompt response.
As we haven’t heard back from you, we wanted to kindly follow up to check if the solution provided by the super user resolved your issue? or let us know if you need any further assistance.
If our super user response resolved your issue, please mark it as "Accept as solution" and click "Yes" if you found it helpful.Thanks and regards,
Anjan Kumar Chippa
No, i don't mean to access the python shell. I refer to the fab shell that is mentioned on the documentation
Alfons
Hi alfBI,
The interactive shell does not automatically open just by setting the mode to 'interactive, and logging in. The command only sets the CLI behavior to support interactive command once you are inside the shell, but it does not open the interactive shell itself.
We must explicitly start the interactive shell by running “fab”. This will drop you into the Fabric CLI shell with the prompt: fab:/ >. From there you can use interactive commands like ls, cd, help, etc..
If this post helps, then please consider Accepting as solution to help the other members find it more quickly, don't forget to give a "Kudos" – I’d truly appreciate it!
Thanks and regards,
Anjan Kumar Chippa
Hi, Yes, this would be the expected behaviour, but after seting the interactive mode and logging the shell does not open after typing "fab". See below screenshoot. Instead of shell, list of fab options are displayed
Hi alfBI ,
If you're able to run fab commands but not getting into the interactive shell, here are a few things to check:
✅ Steps to Try:
- Ensure Interactive Mode is Enabled
Run:
fab config set web.interactive true
- Use the Correct Login Command
Then run:
fab auth login -i
The -i flag is what triggers the interactive shell after login. If you omit it, you'll stay in standard mode.
- Check CLI Version
Make sure you're using the latest version of Fabric CLI. Older versions may not support interactive mode properly. You can check with:
fab --version
- Try Running fab Alone
After logging in, try just typing:
fab
This should drop you into the interactive shell if everything is configured correctly.
- Environment Conflicts
If you're using a terminal emulator or shell (e.g., PowerShell, zsh), try switching to a basic terminal like cmd or bash to rule out shell-specific issues.
Let me know what happens after trying these steps—happy to help troubleshoot further!
- Ensure Interactive Mode is Enabled
Hey!
Great question—and you're not alone, this part can be a bit confusing at first 😅
Setting the mode to interactive doesn’t automatically open the shell. It just enables interactive behavior once you're inside the shell.
To actually enter the interactive shell, you need to run:
fab
This will drop you into the Fabric CLI shell with the prompt:
fab:/ >
From there, you can use commands like ls, cd, help, etc.
Let us know if that works for you!
If my response resolved your query, kindly mark it as the Accepted Solution to assist others. Additionally, I would be grateful for a 'Kudos' if you found my response helpful.
