> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.streambuild.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Direct Mode

> The default rebuild workflow without staged views or a publish step.

Direct mode is StreamBuild's default operational model. It rebuilds selected model tables and
materialized views at their ordinary names, then replays retained source history into them.

```toml theme={null}
# streambuild_project.toml
name = "analytics"
default_target = "prod"

[targets.prod]
database = "analytics"
```

No mode setting is required. An explicit value is equivalent:

```toml theme={null}
[settings]
virtual_environments = false
```

## Plan behavior

```bash theme={null}
stb plan
stb plan --select orders
stb plan --select pipeline:order_events
```

Direct plans are intentionally conservative:

* no selector rebuilds every model
* a selector includes the selected model or pipeline and all downstream models
* upstream prerequisites outside the execution closure are preserved
* matching warehouse state does not prune a requested rebuild
* plans show destructive drop and create actions but make no modifications

`--full-refresh` and `--start-time` are virtual-environment controls and are rejected in direct
mode.

## Build behavior

```bash theme={null}
stb build
stb build --select orders
stb build --auto-approve
```

One build:

1. validates adopted sources and preserves managed Kafka landing resources
2. rejects incompatible managed-source drift
3. verifies retained history can satisfy the rebuild
4. drops selected materialized views and model tables in reverse dependency order
5. recreates model tables and views in dependency order
6. captures inclusive replay watermarks and replays retained history
7. runs applicable SQL audits against the rebuilt direct tables

Direct model names are unsuffixed:

```text theme={null}
tbl__orders
mv__orders
```

There are no deployment-specific model branches, stable logical views, or publish command.

## Delivery guarantee

Replay is at least once around the inclusive cutoff. Rows arriving near boundary capture may be
delivered by both the live materialized view and replay. Duplicate delivery is preferred over a
missing interval.

Use deduplicating engines, stable keys, or aggregate-idempotent model design when duplicate
contribution would be incorrect.

## Failure and rerun

Direct builds are destructive and do not roll back. If a build fails after teardown, rerun
`stb build` after correcting the cause. StreamBuild persists required replay coverage and refuses
to silently use a shorter history window when source retention no longer covers it.

An error-severity audit makes the command fail after the new resources are live; it does not revert
the rebuild.

## Mode ownership

Automatic conversion between direct and virtual-environment layouts is not supported. Use separate
target databases for different modes and do not switch an existing managed target between modes.