What is Buster?
What is Buster?
Buster is a platform for building autonomous AI agents that automate dbt and data engineering workflows. Agents are YAML configuration files you commit to your repository that describe tasks in natural language—like updating documentation, reviewing code, or adapting to schema changes. Agents execute automatically in response to triggers like pull requests, schedules, or Airflow pipeline failures.
What problems does Buster solve?
What problems does Buster solve?
Data engineering with dbt involves repetitive tasks that require context about your data and code: keeping documentation current as models change, reviewing PRs for best practices and breaking changes, adapting staging models when upstream schemas change, and monitoring data quality. These tasks are tedious to do manually but perfect for AI agents with access to your warehouse and repository.
How is this different from writing scripts?
How is this different from writing scripts?
Traditional scripts are procedural—you write explicit code defining every step. Buster agents are declarative—you describe what you want accomplished in natural language, and the agent figures out how to do it. Agents can read your code, query your warehouse, reason about patterns, and adapt to different scenarios without requiring you to handle every edge case.
Is it safe? What if an agent does something wrong?
Is it safe? What if an agent does something wrong?
Safety is built into Buster’s design:
- Sandboxed execution: Agents run in isolated Daytona sandboxes with no general internet access
- Network isolation: Agents can only access your repository, warehouse, and configured integrations (GitHub, Slack)
- Complete audit logs: Every agent action is logged—files read, queries run, decisions made
- GitHub Check Runs: Every execution creates a check run so you can see exactly what happened
- Version control: Agent configs are committed to git, so you can review changes and roll back
- Validate before deploy: Use
buster deploy --dry-runto validate configuration before deploying
What do I need to get started?
What do I need to get started?
You need:
- A GitHub account with admin access to your repository
- A data warehouse (Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift, Databricks, PostgreSQL, MySQL, ClickHouse, SQL Server, or Supabase)
- Warehouse credentials (read-only access is sufficient)
buster.yml, and deploy your first agent.Do I need to know Python or programming?
Do I need to know Python or programming?
No. Agents are configured using simple YAML files with natural language instructions. If you can write dbt YAML and describe a task in plain English, you can create agents. No Python, no complex scripting—just describe what you want done.
Can I validate agents before deploying?
Can I validate agents before deploying?
Yes. Use the CLI to validate your configuration:This checks your
buster.yml and agent files for errors without actually deploying. Once deployed, test agents by creating a sample PR or waiting for the next scheduled run, then review the execution in the Runs tab.What data warehouses do you support?
What data warehouses do you support?
Buster integrates with:
- Snowflake
- BigQuery
- Amazon Redshift
- Databricks
- PostgreSQL
- MySQL
- ClickHouse
- SQL Server
- Supabase
How much does it cost?
How much does it cost?
For pricing details, visit buster.so or contact [email protected].
What kinds of tasks can agents handle?
What kinds of tasks can agents handle?
Common use cases include:
- Documentation: Auto-update model and column descriptions when code changes
- Code review: Check PRs for SQL anti-patterns, naming conventions, and missing tests
- Schema changes: Detect upstream schema changes and adapt staging models automatically
- Data quality: Monitor freshness, null rates, referential integrity, and anomalies
- Pipeline failures: Investigate and report on Airflow DAG failures
- Audits: Regular checks for documentation coverage, unused models, or compliance issues
How do agents understand my dbt project?
How do agents understand my dbt project?
When you connect your repository and warehouse, Buster automatically:
- Creates an
AGENTS.mdfile — A comprehensive guide capturing your tech stack, conventions, modeling philosophy, and domain knowledge - Profiles your models — Runs metadata queries, analyzes columns, discovers patterns, and generates documentation
Where do agents run?
Where do agents run?
Agents run in secure, isolated Daytona sandboxes—cloud environments managed by Buster. Each agent execution:
- Provisions a fresh sandbox with your repository cloned
- Injects warehouse credentials and GitHub tokens securely
- Loads your
AGENTS.mdand trigger context (PR details, etc.) - Executes with access to files, SQL, and bash commands
- Takes actions like creating PRs, posting comments, or sending Slack messages
- Reports results via GitHub Check Runs and logs everything
What if I need help?
What if I need help?
Check these resources:
- Quickstart — Build your first agent in 10 minutes
- Creating Agents — Complete agent configuration guide
- Examples — Production agent examples
- Testing & Debugging — Troubleshooting common issues