Safety: Avoid Accidental Remote Imports
Remote drush may default to --yes and auto-confirm cim. Always use safe patterns:
# SAFE — preview only
ssh user@remote "drush cim --no --diff"
ssh user@remote "drush config:get config.name"
ssh user@remote "drush config:status"
# DANGEROUS — may auto-import
ssh user@remote "drush cim --diff"
Import / Export
ddev drush cex # Export active config → YAML files
ddev drush cim # Import YAML files → active config
ddev drush cim --no --diff # Preview only (no import)
ddev drush config:status # Show pending changes (read-only)
Config Splits
Complete vs Partial — CRITICAL distinction
| Type | Behavior | Use for |
|---|---|---|
| Complete | Config exists ONLY in that environment | Modules on/off (devel, stage_file_proxy) |
| Partial | Base config everywhere, different VALUES | API keys, SMTP, search server URLs |
Complete split: config is removed from config/sync/ and lives only in config/{split}/.
Partial split: config stays in config/sync/, overrides live in config/{split}/config_split.patch.*.yml.
Split Commands
ddev drush config-split:status # List splits and active state
ddev drush csex {split-name} # Export specific split
ddev drush csim {split-name} # Import specific split
ddev drush config-split:activate {name}
ddev drush config-split:deactivate {name}
Updating a Split Definition
Changes must be in active config (DB), not just YAML files:
# Edit YAML, then import to activate
ddev drush config:import --partial
# OR set via PHP eval
ddev drush php:eval "\$c = \Drupal::configFactory()->getEditable('config_split.config_split.local'); \$c->set('partial_list', ['config.name']); \$c->save();"
ddev drush cex
Troubleshooting
Config deleted from config/sync/ on export
Root cause: Config is in complete_list instead of partial_list.
# Diagnose
grep -A10 "complete_list:" config/sync/config_split.config_split.local.yml
grep -A10 "partial_list:" config/sync/config_split.config_split.local.yml
Fix: move the item from complete_list to partial_list in the split YAML, then import and re-export.
Config won't import
ddev drush config:import --skip-config=system.site # Skip specific locked config
ddev drush config:import --skip-modules=config_split # Ignore splits
Split not activating
ddev drush config-split:status
ddev drush config-split:activate {split-name}
ddev drush cex
Intent → Command Mapping
| User Intent | Command |
|---|---|
| Preview config changes | drush cim --no --diff |
| Import config | drush cim |
| Export config | drush cex |
Related Commands
Read-only: config:get, config:status
Export: cex / config:export
Import: cim --no --diff (preview), cim (apply)
Splits: config-split:status, csex, csim, config-split:activate
Deep Dive
- full-guide.md — Extended reference on Config Split 2.0, patch files, export/import internals