Ash Framework

---
name: ash-framework
description: "Ash Framework — resources, actions, policies, aggregates, calculations, AshPhoenix.Form, LiveView, migrations. Use when generating resources via mix ash.codegen, editing changes, checks, types, validations, or domain code interfaces."
effort: medium
user-invocable: false
---

# Ash Framework Reference

Reference for Ash Framework in Phoenix/LiveView projects.
Ash complements Phoenix/Ecto — LiveView, security, and OTP Iron Laws still apply.
Only data access patterns shift toward Ash actions and domain code interfaces.

## Iron Laws

1. **USE DOMAIN CODE INTERFACES** — Never call `Ash.create/Ash.read` directly in LiveViews or Controllers; use domain code interfaces: `MyApp.Accounts.register_user()` not `Ash.create(User, attrs)`
2. **SET ACTOR/SCOPE AT QUERY PREP, NOT EXECUTION** — Pass `actor:` or `scope:` to
   `for_read/for_create/for_action` (prep), NOT to `Ash.read!/Ash.create!` (execution);
   execution-level actor bypasses row-level policy evaluation. If project uses `Ash.Scope`,
   pass `scope:` consistently instead of bare `actor:` — do not mix styles
3. **GENERATORS FIRST** — Before writing Ash code manually, run `mix ash.gen.resource` or `mix ash.gen.domain` with `--yes`; check `mix help ash.gen.<task>` for options
4. **CODEGEN AFTER RESOURCE CHANGES** — Always run `mix ash.codegen` after modifying resources; this generates migrations from resource snapshots — never write AshPostgres migrations by hand
5. **ACTIONS OVER FUNCTIONS** — Put business logic in named actions, not domain functions; expose via code interfaces defined on the domain
6. **NEVER EDIT RESOURCE SNAPSHOTS** — `priv/resource_snapshots/` is owned exclusively by `mix ash.codegen`; manual edits corrupt migration tracking
7. **NO DIRECT `Repo.*` IN ASH PROJECTS** — `Repo.all/get/insert` bypass Ash policies and notifications; use domain code interfaces. Any `Repo` call in an Ash project is an escape hatch and must be documented… install to load the full skill