Create a permission target with jf rt permission-target-create

Create a new permission target in the JFrog Platform from a template file.

Synopsis

jf rt permission-target-create <template-path> [options]

Aliases: rt ptc

Arguments

Argument	Required	Description
`<template-path>`	Yes	Local file system path to the template file. Create it with `jf rt ptt`

Options

Flag	Default	Description
`--access-token`	—	JFrog access token
`--client-cert-key-path`	—	Private key file for the client certificate in PEM format
`--client-cert-path`	—	Client certificate file in PEM format
`--password`	—	JFrog password
`--server-id`	—	Server ID configured using the `jf config` command
`--ssh-key-path`	—	SSH key file path
`--ssh-passphrase`	—	SSH key passphrase
`--url`	—	JFrog Artifactory URL (example: `https://acme.jfrog.io/artifactory`)
`--user`	—	JFrog username
`--vars`	—	Semicolon-separated variables in the form `"key1=value1;key2=value2"`. In the template, use `${key1}` placeholder syntax. Variable substitution is single-value only — to include multiple repositories or groups, list them directly in the template rather than passing them through `--vars`.

Template Format

The template is a JSON file that describes the full permission target definition. Generate one interactively with jf rt ptt, or write one manually using the format below.

📘
Note
jf rt ptt is an interactive command that requires a TTY. It cannot be run in CI/CD pipelines or non-interactive shells. In those environments, create the template JSON file manually.

{
  "name": "my-permission-target",
  "repo": {
    "repositories": "libs-release",
    "actions": {
      "users": {
        "alice": ["read", "write"]
      },
      "groups": {
        "developers": ["read", "write", "annotate", "delete", "manage"]
      }
    }
  },
  "build": {
    "repositories": "artifactory-build-info",
    "actions": {
      "groups": {
        "developers": ["read", "manage"]
      }
    }
  }
}

Key schema notes:

repositories must be a string (a single repository key), not a JSON array.
Supported permission values: read, write, annotate, delete, manage, managedXrayMeta, distribute.
The build section is optional. Omit any top-level section (repo, build, releaseBundle) if it is not needed.
To use variable substitution, replace any value with ${variableName} and pass the variable via --vars.

Examples

Create a permission target from a template file

To create a permission target from a template file:

Run:

jf rt permission-target-create <template-path>

Where:

<template-path> — path to the JSON template (see Arguments).

Full example:

jf rt permission-target-create ./my-permission-target.json

Expected output:

[Info] Creating permission target...

A clean exit with this message confirms the permission target was created successfully.

Create with variable substitution

Use --vars to inject values into ${placeholder} fields in your template at runtime. This is useful for reusing a single template to create multiple permission targets or deploying across environments.

To create a permission target with variable substitution:

Run:

jf rt permission-target-create <template-path> --vars "<key1>=<value1>;<key2>=<value2>"

Where:

<template-path> — path to the template JSON.
<key1>=<value1>;... — semicolon-separated substitutions matching ${key1} placeholders in the file.

Full example:

jf rt permission-target-create ./template.json --vars "groupName=developers;repoName=libs-release"

Given a template containing "repositories": "${repoName}" and "${groupName}": [...], this command substitutes the values before submitting. Expected output:

[Info] Creating permission target...

View command usage

To view command usage:

Run:

jf rt permission-target-create --help

Important Notes

Requires admin privileges on the Artifactory instance.
The name field in the template becomes the permission target's identifier. If a permission target with that name already exists, the command fails with a 409 Conflict error — use jf rt permission-target-update to update an existing target instead.
Use jf rt ptt to generate your initial template interactively, ensuring the correct schema. See the Template Format section above for the manual format.

Troubleshooting

Error	Cause	Fix
`open <path>: no such file or directory`	The template file path is wrong or the file does not exist	Verify the path and confirm the file exists
`json: cannot unmarshal array into Go struct field PermissionSectionAnswer.repositories of type string`	The `repositories` field in the template is a JSON array instead of a string	Change `["repo-name"]` to `"repo-name"` in the template
`server response: 409`	A permission target with this name already exists	Use `jf rt permission-target-update` to update it, or choose a different name
`server response: 401`	Authentication failed	Re-run `jf config add` to refresh credentials, or check that your access token has not expired
`Wrong number of arguments (0)`	The required `<template-path>` argument was not provided	Provide the path to your template file as the first argument

Related Commands

Command	Description
jf rt permission-target-template (`rt ptt`)	Create a JSON template interactively for use with create or update
jf rt permission-target-update (`rt ptu`)	Replace an existing permission target from a template file
jf rt permission-target-delete (`rt ptdel`)	Permanently delete a permission target