Vercel Automation

Core Workflows

1. Monitor and Inspect Deployments

When to use: User wants to list, inspect, or debug deployments

Tool sequence:

1. VERCEL_LIST_ALL_DEPLOYMENTS or VERCEL_GET_DEPLOYMENTS - List deployments with filters [Required]
2. VERCEL_GET_DEPLOYMENT or VERCEL_GET_DEPLOYMENT_DETAILS - Get specific deployment info [Optional]
3. VERCEL_GET_DEPLOYMENT_LOGS or VERCEL_GET_RUNTIME_LOGS - View build/runtime logs [Optional]
4. VERCEL_GET_DEPLOYMENT_EVENTS - Get deployment event timeline [Optional]
5. VERCEL_LIST_DEPLOYMENT_CHECKS - View deployment check results [Optional]

Key parameters:

• projectId: Filter deployments by project
• state: Filter by deployment state (e.g., 'READY', 'ERROR', 'BUILDING')
• limit: Number of deployments to return
• target: Filter by environment ('production', 'preview')
• deploymentId or idOrUrl: Specific deployment identifier

Pitfalls:

• Deployment IDs and URLs are both accepted as identifiers in most endpoints
• Build logs and runtime logs are separate; use the appropriate tool
• VERCEL_GET_DEPLOYMENT_LOGS returns build logs; VERCEL_GET_RUNTIME_LOGS returns serverless function logs
• Deployment events include status transitions and are useful for debugging timing issues

2. Create and Manage Deployments

When to use: User wants to trigger a new deployment

Tool sequence:

1. VERCEL_LIST_PROJECTS - Find the target project [Prerequisite]
2. VERCEL_CREATE_NEW_DEPLOYMENT - Trigger a new deployment [Required]
3. VERCEL_GET_DEPLOYMENT - Monitor deployment progress [Optional]

Key parameters:

• name: Project name for the deployment
• target: Deployment target ('production' or 'preview')
• gitSource: Git repository source with ref/branch info
• files: Array of file objects for file-based deployments

Pitfalls:

• Either gitSource or files must be provided, not both
• Git-based deployments require proper repository integration
• Production deployments update the production domain alias automatically
• Deployment creation is asynchronous; poll with GET_DEPLOYMENT for status

3. Manage Environment Variables

When to use: User wants to add, list, or remove environment variables for a project

Tool sequence:

1. VERCEL_LIST_PROJECTS - Find the project ID [Prerequisite]
2. VERCEL_LIST_ENV_VARIABLES - List existing env vars [Required]
3. VERCEL_ADD_ENVIRONMENT_VARIABLE - Add a new env var [Optional]
4. VERCEL_DELETE_ENVIRONMENT_VARIABLE - Remove an env var [Optional]

Key parameters:

• projectId: Target project identifier
• key: Environment variable name
• value: Environment variable value
• target: Array of environments ('production', 'preview', 'development')
• type: Variable type ('plain', 'secret', 'encrypted', 'sensitive')

Pitfalls:

• Environment variable names must be unique per target environment
• type: 'secret' variables cannot be read back after creation; only the ID is returned
• Deleting an env var requires both projectId and the env var id (not the key name)
• Changes require a new deployment to take effect

4. Manage Domains and DNS

When to use: User wants to configure custom domains or manage DNS records

Tool sequence:

1. VERCEL_GET_DOMAIN - Check domain status and configuration [Required]
2. VERCEL_GET_DOMAIN_CONFIG - Get DNS/SSL configuration details [Optional]
3. VERCEL_LIST_PROJECT_DOMAINS - List domains attached to a project [Optional]
4. VERCEL_GET_DNS_RECORDS - List DNS records for a domain [Optional]
5. VERCEL_CREATE_DNS_RECORD - Add a new DNS record [Optional]
6. VERCEL_UPDATE_DNS_RECORD - Modify an existing DNS record [Optional]

Key parameters:

• domain: Domain name (e.g., 'example.com')
• name: DNS record name/subdomain
• type: DNS record type ('A', 'AAAA', 'CNAME', 'MX', 'TXT', 'SRV')
• value: DNS record value
• ttl: Time-to-live in seconds

Pitfalls:

• Domain must be added to the Vercel account before DNS management
• SSL certificates are auto-provisioned but may take time for new domains
• CNAME records at the apex domain are not supported; use A records instead
• MX records require priority values

5. Manage Projects

When to use: User wants to list, inspect, or update project settings

Tool sequence:

1. VERCEL_LIST_PROJECTS - List all projects [Required]
2. VERCEL_GET_PROJECT - Get detailed project information [Optional]
3. VERCEL_UPDATE_PROJECT - Modify project settings [Optional]

Key parameters:

• idOrName: Project ID or name for lookup
• name: Project name for updates
• framework: Framework preset (e.g., 'nextjs', 'vite', 'remix')
• buildCommand: Custom build command override
• rootDirectory: Root directory if not repo root

Pitfalls:

• Project names are globally unique within a team/account
• Changing framework settings affects subsequent deployments
• rootDirectory is relative to the repository root

6. Team Management

When to use: User wants to view team info or list team members

Tool sequence:

1. VERCEL_LIST_TEAMS - List all teams the user belongs to [Required]
2. VERCEL_GET_TEAM - Get detailed team information [Optional]
3. VERCEL_GET_TEAM_MEMBERS - List members of a specific team [Optional]

Key parameters:

• teamId: Team identifier
• limit: Number of results per page
• role: Filter members by role

Pitfalls:

• Team operations require appropriate team-level permissions
• Personal accounts have no teams; team endpoints return empty results
• Member roles include 'OWNER', 'MEMBER', 'DEVELOPER', 'VIEWER'

Common Patterns

ID Resolution

Project name -> Project ID:

1. Call VERCEL_LIST_PROJECTS
2. Find project by name in response
3. Extract id field for subsequent operations

Domain -> DNS Records:

1. Call VERCEL_GET_DNS_RECORDS with domain name
2. Extract record IDs for update/delete operations

Pagination

• Use limit parameter to control page size
• Check response for pagination tokens or next fields
• Continue fetching until no more pages are indicated

Known Pitfalls

Deployment States:

• States include: INITIALIZING, ANALYZING, BUILDING, DEPLOYING, READY, ERROR, CANCELED, QUEUED
• Only READY deployments are live and serving traffic
• ERROR deployments should be inspected via logs for failure details

Environment Variables:

• Secret type vars are write-only; values cannot be retrieved after creation
• Env vars are scoped to environments (production, preview, development)
• A redeployment is needed for env var changes to take effect

Rate Limits:

• Vercel API has rate limits per endpoint
• Implement backoff on 429 responses
• Batch operations where possible to reduce API calls

Quick Reference

When to Use

This skill is applicable to execute the workflow or actions described in the overview.