> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://developer.celigo.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://developer.celigo.com/cli/commands/metadata.md).

# metadata

Connection metadata introspection — record types, sObjects, tables, and field/column definitions fetched live from the remote system through a configured Celigo connection.

**REST API**: no dedicated spec — metadata hits adaptor-specific paths under `/v1/netsuite/metadata/…`, `/v1/salesforce/metadata/…`, and the generic `PUT /v1/connections/{_id}/metadata` RDBMS bridge. See the specs index and `connection.yml` for the underlying connection shape.

```
celigo metadata <subcommand> <connectionId> [entityType] [flags]
```

Supports all [global flags](/cli/getting-started/global-flags.md). Auto-detects the adaptor from the connection's `type` — only `netsuite`, `salesforce`, and `rdbms` connections are supported.

***

## Subcommands

| Subcommand                           | Purpose                                                                                                                |
| ------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `types <connectionId>`               | List entity types on a connection (NetSuite record types + saved searches, Salesforce sObject types, or RDBMS tables). |
| `fields <connectionId> <entityType>` | List fields/columns for a single entity (NetSuite record type, Salesforce sObject, or RDBMS table).                    |

***

## `celigo metadata types <connectionId>`

List the entity types available on a live connection. The CLI first `GET`s the connection, reads its `type`, and then dispatches to the correct adaptor endpoint.

**Signature**

```bash
celigo metadata types <connectionId> [--refresh]
```

**Arguments**

| Argument         | Type   | Required | Description                                                                                       |
| ---------------- | ------ | -------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `<connectionId>` | string | Yes      | Connection ID. Must resolve to a connection whose `type` is `netsuite`, `salesforce`, or `rdbms`. |

**Flags**

| Flag        | Type    | Default | Description                                                                                                                                                                                       |
| ----------- | ------- | ------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `--refresh` | boolean | `false` | Bypass the server-side metadata cache and fetch fresh data from the remote system. Applied as `?refreshCache=true` for NetSuite/Salesforce and as `refreshCache: true` in the PUT body for RDBMS. |

**Example**

```bash
# NetSuite — record types + saved searches, merged into one list
celigo metadata types 5f83a9b2c7d3e8f1a2b3c4d5

# Salesforce — sObject types
celigo metadata types 5f83a9b2c7d3e8f1a2b3c4d5 --format json

# RDBMS — tables (force a fresh pull)
celigo metadata types 5f83a9b2c7d3e8f1a2b3c4d5 --refresh
```

**Corresponds to** (dispatched by connection `type`):

* NetSuite: `GET /v1/netsuite/metadata/suitescript/connections/{connectionId}/recordTypes` and `GET /v1/netsuite/metadata/suitescript/connections/{connectionId}/savedSearches`
* Salesforce: `GET /v1/salesforce/metadata/connections/{connectionId}/sObjectTypes`
* RDBMS: `PUT /v1/connections/{connectionId}/metadata` with body `{ "rdbms": { "type": "tables", "tables": "" }, "refreshCache": <bool> }`

***

## `celigo metadata fields <connectionId> <entityType>`

List fields (or columns) for a single entity. For Salesforce, the response includes related record types alongside the fields.

**Signature**

```bash
celigo metadata fields <connectionId> <entityType> [--refresh]
```

**Arguments**

| Argument         | Type   | Required | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
| ---------------- | ------ | -------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `<connectionId>` | string | Yes      | Connection ID (`netsuite`, `salesforce`, or `rdbms`).                                                                                                                                                          |
| `<entityType>`   | string | Yes      | The entity to inspect. NetSuite: record-type id (e.g. `customer`, `salesorder`). Salesforce: sObject API name (e.g. `Account`, `Contact`). RDBMS: fully qualified table name (e.g. `analytics.public.orders`). |

**Flags**

| Flag        | Type    | Default | Description                                      |
| ----------- | ------- | ------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| `--refresh` | boolean | `false` | Bypass the cache and fetch fresh field metadata. |

**Example**

```bash
# NetSuite record type
celigo metadata fields 5f83a9b2c7d3e8f1a2b3c4d5 customer

# Salesforce sObject
celigo metadata fields 5f83a9b2c7d3e8f1a2b3c4d5 Account --format json

# RDBMS (Snowflake) — must be fully qualified
celigo metadata fields 5f83a9b2c7d3e8f1a2b3c4d5 analytics.public.orders --refresh
```

**Corresponds to** (dispatched by connection `type`):

* NetSuite: `GET /v1/netsuite/metadata/suitescript/connections/{connectionId}/recordTypes/{entityType}`
* Salesforce: `GET /v1/salesforce/metadata/connections/{connectionId}/sObjectTypes/{entityType}`
* RDBMS: `PUT /v1/connections/{connectionId}/metadata` with body `{ "rdbms": { "type": "columns", "tables": "<entityType>" }, "refreshCache": <bool> }`

***

## Gotchas

* **Only three connection types are supported.** The CLI pre-flights with `GET /v1/connections/{id}` and rejects anything that isn't `netsuite`, `salesforce`, or `rdbms` with: `Connection <id> has type "<type>" — metadata is only supported for netsuite, salesforce, rdbms connections.`
* **`--refresh` invalidates the cached metadata.** Without it you get whatever the server cached on the last introspection. Pass it after a schema change in the remote system (new NetSuite custom field, new Salesforce custom object, new RDBMS column) to avoid stale pickers.
* **NetSuite `types` merges two endpoints.** Record types and saved searches come back as a single list with a synthesized `_metaType` column (`recordType` or `savedSearch`) so you can tell them apart.
* **Salesforce `fields` returns fields and record types together.** The response is an object with both — don't expect a flat array.
* **RDBMS goes through the generic connection metadata bridge.** NetSuite and Salesforce have dedicated `GET` endpoints; RDBMS is a `PUT /v1/connections/{id}/metadata` with a `rdbms.type` of `tables` or `columns`. The verb is `PUT` by design, not a typo.
* **RDBMS tables must be fully qualified.** For Snowflake/BigQuery/Postgres the entity name must be `database.schema.table` (or whatever the connection's default schema expects). If the call returns an empty column list, the CLI prints a yellow hint pointing at qualification and column-metadata permissions (e.g. BigQuery `bigquery.tables.get` on the dataset).
* **The connection must be reachable.** Metadata is fetched live — an offline or failing connection will return an error from the remote system, not an empty list. Run `celigo connections ping <id>` first when in doubt.

## Related

* [connections](/cli/commands/connections.md) — the `<connectionId>` argument; also where you configure the credentials the metadata calls ride on.
* [imports](/cli/commands/imports.md) — field pickers in import mappings consume the same metadata.
* [exports](/cli/commands/exports.md) — export field selection (NetSuite record-type fields, Salesforce sObject columns, RDBMS table columns) mirrors what `metadata fields` returns.


---

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