Skip to main content

D2E CLI Guide

Installation​

Prerequisite:

  • d2e has been installed using npm install -g d2e

Checking your version​

d2e version

Note: version command is available from v0.14 onwards.

FieldDescription
d2e CLI VersionThe installed npm package version
Docker Image TagThe docker image tag that will be pulled and used
Plugins API VersionThe plugin packages version

Expected Output​

Stable release (version 0.12.0):

d2e CLI version:    0.12.0
Docker image tag:   0.12.2-beta
Plugins API version: ~0.12.0

Develop mode (version 0.12.0) (d2e -v develop version):

d2e CLI version:    0.12.0
Docker image tag:   develop
Plugins API version: latest

To also confirm which binary is active:

which d2e

Upgrading d2e​

Run the following to update d2e to the latest version:

npm update -g d2e

In the d2e directory, open the .env file and make these changes:

  • Set DOCKER_TAG_NAME to the docker image tag for the new version.
    • Example: For version 0.12.0, set DOCKER_TAG_NAME=0.12.0-beta. The format is DOCKER_TAG_NAME=<version>-beta.
  • Add PLUGINS_SEED_UPDATE=true to trigger a plugin upgrade on the next startup.

Verify the new version is active:

d2e version

Start d2e:

d2e -e start

In the Admin Portal, navigate to Setup > Plugins and select Configure. Under Version in the Setup Plugins portal, confirm the latest version is listed.

  • Expected result: alt text

Once confirmed, remove PLUGINS_SEED_UPDATE=true from the .env file, then restart d2e:

d2e -e start

This prevents plugins from being re-downloaded on every subsequent restart.

Troubleshooting​

Wrong version after update​

There are two common causes:

Cause 1 — installed without the -g flag

If d2e was installed without -g (e.g. npm install d2e instead of npm install -g d2e), it will be installed locally and may shadow or conflict with any previously installed global binary.

Diagnose:

# Check if it was installed locally instead of globally
npm list d2e

If this shows d2e under a local node_modules directory, you have a local-only install.

Fix:

# Remove the local install
npm uninstall d2e

# Install globally
npm install -g d2e

# Verify
which d2e
d2e version

Cause 2 — multiple Node.js installations

d2e is installed under a different Node.js prefix than your active npm. This happens when you have multiple Node.js installations (e.g. nvm alongside Homebrew).

Diagnose:

# Which d2e binary is active?
which d2e

# What prefix does your active npm use?
npm config get prefix -g

# Is d2e installed under the active prefix?
npm list -g d2e
npm list -g @ohdsi/d2e

If which d2e points to a path that does not start with the npm config get prefix output (e.g. /opt/homebrew/bin/d2e while your active npm uses ~/.nvm/...), the wrong binary is in your PATH.

Fix — uninstall from the old location, install fresh:

# Find where the old binary lives and uninstall from that prefix
# Example: if which d2e returns /opt/homebrew/bin/d2e
npm --prefix /opt/homebrew uninstall -g d2e

# Then install under your active npm
npm install -g d2e

# Verify
which d2e
d2e version

npm list -g shows nothing but d2e still works​

Your active npm and the installed d2e are under different Node.js environments. npm list -g only shows packages for the currently active npm. Use which d2e to locate the actual binary and trace back to its npm prefix.

Getting error d2e: version is not a d2e command​

Your CLI version is older than v0.14, which is when the version command was introduced. Update d2e as described above.