CI/CD Automation

Authentication

Use VERCEL_TOKEN env var (not --token — it leaks in process listings). Use --scope if the token has access to multiple teams.

The Standard CI Deploy Pattern

vercel pull --yes --environment=production
vercel build --prod
vercel deploy --prebuilt --prod

For multi-project monorepos, ensure vercel link --repo --yes has been run first.

Separate Build and Deploy Jobs

Use --standalone so build artifacts are self-contained and can be passed between jobs:

jobs:
  build:
    steps:
      - run: vercel pull --yes --environment=production
      - run: vercel build --prod --standalone
      - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
        with:
          name: vercel-build
          path: .vercel/output

  deploy:
    needs: build
    steps:
      - uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
        with:
          name: vercel-build
          path: .vercel/output
      - run: vercel deploy --prebuilt --prod

Without --standalone, the deploy job will fail because artifacts reference files outside .vercel/output/.

Capturing the Deploy URL

URL=$(vercel deploy --prod)   # stdout = URL, stderr = progress

Key Rules

1. Always use --yes to skip prompts
2. Always use VERCEL_TOKEN env var for auth
3. Use --scope if the token has access to multiple teams
4. Use vercel build + vercel deploy --prebuilt for deterministic builds
5. If something goes wrong, check .vercel/ — project.json vs repo.json is the most common issue