raise MissingPlusPrefixDeprecation when missing plus-prefix, otherwise skip type-related issues in dbt_project.yml (#11825)

Author: MichelleArk

.changes/unreleased/Fixes-20250714-184131.yaml

@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+kind: Fixes
+body: raise MissingPlusPrefixDeprecation instead of GenericJSONSchemaValidationDeprecation when config missing plus prefix in dbt_project.yml
+time: 2025-07-14T18:41:31.322137-04:00
+custom:
+    Author: michelleark
+    Issue: "11826"

core/dbt/deprecations.py

@@ -210,6 +210,11 @@ class EnvironmentVariableNamespaceDeprecation(DBTDeprecation):
     _event = "EnvironmentVariableNamespaceDeprecation"
 
 
+class MissingPlusPrefixDeprecation(DBTDeprecation):
+    _name = "missing-plus-prefix-in-config-deprecation"
+    _event = "MissingPlusPrefixDeprecation"
+
+
 def renamed_env_var(old_name: str, new_name: str):
     class EnvironmentVariableRenamed(DBTDeprecation):
         _name = f"environment-variable-renamed:{old_name}"
@@ -292,6 +297,7 @@ def show_deprecations_summary() -> None:
     WEOInlcudeExcludeDeprecation(),
     SourceOverrideDeprecation(),
     EnvironmentVariableNamespaceDeprecation(),
+    MissingPlusPrefixDeprecation(),
 ]
 
 deprecations: Dict[str, DBTDeprecation] = {d.name: d for d in deprecations_list}

core/dbt/events/types.py

@@ -733,6 +733,15 @@ def message(self) -> str:
         return line_wrap_message(deprecation_tag(description))
 
 
+class MissingPlusPrefixDeprecation(WarnLevel):
+    def code(self) -> str:
+        return "D037"
+
+    def message(self) -> str:
+        description = f"Missing '+' prefix on `{self.key}` found at `{self.key_path}` in file `{self.file}`. Hierarchical config values without a '+' prefix are deprecated in dbt_project.yml."
+        return line_wrap_message(deprecation_tag(description, self.__class__.__name__))
+
+
 # =======================================================
 # I - Project parsing
 # =======================================================

core/dbt/jsonschemas.py

@@ -24,6 +24,20 @@
     "snowflake",
 }
 
+_HIERARCHICAL_CONFIG_KEYS = {
+    "seeds",
+    "sources",
+    "models",
+    "snapshots",
+    "tests",
+    "exposures",
+    "data_tests",
+    "metrics",
+    "saved_queries",
+    "semantic_models",
+    "unit_tests",
+}
+
 
 def load_json_from_package(jsonschema_type: str, filename: str) -> Dict[str, Any]:
     """Loads a JSON file from within a package."""
@@ -135,24 +149,43 @@ def jsonschema_validate(schema: Dict[str, Any], json: Dict[str, Any], file_path:
                             file=file_path,
                             key_path=key_path,
                         )
+        elif error.validator == "anyOf" and len(error_path) > 0:
+            sub_errors = error.context or []
+            # schema yaml resource configs
+            if error_path[-1] == "config":
+                for sub_error in sub_errors:
+                    if (
+                        isinstance(sub_error, ValidationError)
+                        and sub_error.validator == "additionalProperties"
+                    ):
+                        keys = _additional_properties_violation_keys(sub_error)
+                        key_path = error_path_to_string(error)
+                        for key in keys:
+                            deprecations.warn(
+                                "custom-key-in-config-deprecation",
+                                key=key,
+                                file=file_path,
+                                key_path=key_path,
+                            )
+            # dbt_project.yml configs
+            elif "dbt_project.yml" in file_path and error_path[0] in _HIERARCHICAL_CONFIG_KEYS:
+                for sub_error in sub_errors:
+                    if isinstance(sub_error, ValidationError) and sub_error.validator == "type":
+                        # Only raise type-errors if they are indicating leaf config without a plus prefix
+                        if (
+                            len(sub_error.path) > 0
+                            and isinstance(sub_error.path[-1], str)
+                            and not sub_error.path[-1].startswith("+")
+                        ):
+                            deprecations.warn(
+                                "missing-plus-prefix-in-config-deprecation",
+                                key=sub_error.path[-1],
+                                file=file_path,
+                                key_path=error_path_to_string(sub_error),
+                            )
         elif error.validator == "type":
             # Not deprecating invalid types yet
             pass
-        elif error.validator == "anyOf" and len(error_path) > 0 and error_path[-1] == "config":
-            for sub_error in error.context or []:
-                if (
-                    isinstance(sub_error, ValidationError)
-                    and sub_error.validator == "additionalProperties"
-                ):
-                    keys = _additional_properties_violation_keys(sub_error)
-                    key_path = error_path_to_string(error)
-                    for key in keys:
-                        deprecations.warn(
-                            "custom-key-in-config-deprecation",
-                            key=key,
-                            file=file_path,
-                            key_path=key_path,
-                        )
         else:
             deprecations.warn(
                 "generic-json-schema-validation-deprecation",

core/setup.py

@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@
         # Minor versions for these are expected to be backwards-compatible
         "dbt-common>=1.27.0,<2.0",
         "dbt-adapters>=1.15.2,<2.0",
-        "dbt-protos>=1.0.337,<2.0",
+        "dbt-protos>=1.0.339,<2.0",
         "pydantic<3",
         # ----
         # Expect compatibility with all new versions of these packages, so lower bounds only.

tests/functional/deprecations/test_deprecations.py

@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
     DuplicateYAMLKeysDeprecation,
     EnvironmentVariableNamespaceDeprecation,
     GenericJSONSchemaValidationDeprecation,
+    MissingPlusPrefixDeprecation,
     ModelParamUsageDeprecation,
     PackageRedirectDeprecation,
     WEOIncludeExcludeDeprecation,
@@ -614,6 +615,61 @@ def test_environment_variable_namespace_deprecation(self):
         )
 
 
+class TestMissingPlusPrefixDeprecation:
+    @pytest.fixture(scope="class")
+    def project_config_update(self):
+        return {"seeds": {"path": {"enabled": True}}}
+
+    @mock.patch.dict(os.environ, {"DBT_ENV_PRIVATE_RUN_JSONSCHEMA_VALIDATIONS": "True"})
+    @mock.patch("dbt.jsonschemas._JSONSCHEMA_SUPPORTED_ADAPTERS", {"postgres"})
+    def test_missing_plus_prefix_deprecation(self, project):
+        event_catcher = EventCatcher(MissingPlusPrefixDeprecation)
+        run_dbt(["parse", "--no-partial-parse"], callbacks=[event_catcher.catch])
+        assert len(event_catcher.caught_events) == 1
+        assert "Missing '+' prefix on `enabled`" in event_catcher.caught_events[0].info.msg
+
+
+class TestMissingPlusPrefixDeprecationSubPath:
+    @pytest.fixture(scope="class")
+    def project_config_update(self):
+        return {"seeds": {"path": {"+enabled": True, "sub_path": {"enabled": True}}}}
+
+    @mock.patch.dict(os.environ, {"DBT_ENV_PRIVATE_RUN_JSONSCHEMA_VALIDATIONS": "True"})
+    @mock.patch("dbt.jsonschemas._JSONSCHEMA_SUPPORTED_ADAPTERS", {"postgres"})
+    def test_missing_plus_prefix_deprecation_sub_path(self, project):
+        event_catcher = EventCatcher(MissingPlusPrefixDeprecation)
+        run_dbt(["parse", "--no-partial-parse"], callbacks=[event_catcher.catch])
+        assert len(event_catcher.caught_events) == 1
+        assert "Missing '+' prefix on `enabled`" in event_catcher.caught_events[0].info.msg
+
+
+class TestMissingPlusPrefixDeprecationCustomConfig:
+    @pytest.fixture(scope="class")
+    def project_config_update(self):
+        return {"seeds": {"path": {"custom_config": True, "sub_path": {"+enabled": True}}}}
+
+    @mock.patch.dict(os.environ, {"DBT_ENV_PRIVATE_RUN_JSONSCHEMA_VALIDATIONS": "True"})
+    @mock.patch("dbt.jsonschemas._JSONSCHEMA_SUPPORTED_ADAPTERS", {"postgres"})
+    def test_missing_plus_prefix_deprecation_sub_path(self, project):
+        event_catcher = EventCatcher(MissingPlusPrefixDeprecation)
+        run_dbt(["parse", "--no-partial-parse"], callbacks=[event_catcher.catch])
+        assert len(event_catcher.caught_events) == 1
+        assert "Missing '+' prefix on `custom_config`" in event_catcher.caught_events[0].info.msg
+
+
+class TestCustomConfigInDbtProjectYmlNoDeprecation:
+    @pytest.fixture(scope="class")
+    def project_config_update(self):
+        return {"seeds": {"path": {"+custom_config": True}}}
+
+    @mock.patch.dict(os.environ, {"DBT_ENV_PRIVATE_RUN_JSONSCHEMA_VALIDATIONS": "True"})
+    @mock.patch("dbt.jsonschemas._JSONSCHEMA_SUPPORTED_ADAPTERS", {"postgres"})
+    def test_missing_plus_prefix_deprecation_sub_path(self, project):
+        note_catcher = EventCatcher(Note)
+        run_dbt(["parse", "--no-partial-parse"], callbacks=[note_catcher.catch])
+        assert len(note_catcher.caught_events) == 0
+
+
 class TestJsonSchemaValidationGating:
     @pytest.fixture(scope="class")
     def models(self):

tests/unit/test_events.py

@@ -172,6 +172,7 @@ def test_event_codes(self):
     core_types.WEOIncludeExcludeDeprecation(found_include=True, found_exclude=True),
     core_types.ModelParamUsageDeprecation(),
     core_types.EnvironmentVariableNamespaceDeprecation(env_var="", reserved_prefix=""),
+    core_types.MissingPlusPrefixDeprecation(key="", key_path="", file=""),
     # E - DB Adapter ======================
     adapter_types.AdapterEventDebug(),
     adapter_types.AdapterEventInfo(),