/journey-preflight

name: journey-preflight
description: Use before any Butterbase platform-touching action (or when journey-preflight is invoked directly) to verify the user has a Butterbase account, the MCP server is connected, BUTTERBASE_API_KEY is set, and an app_id exists for this project. Re-run automatically if docs/butterbase/03-preflight.md is older than 24h or any required value is null.

Butterbase Preflight

Gate that ensures the user can actually talk to the Butterbase platform before any stage tries to. Writes results to `docs/butterbase/03-preflight.md` and stamps `app_id` + `api_base` into `00-state.md`.

When to use

• Automatically as the first step of any `journey-*` build stage when `03-preflight.md` is missing, older than 24 hours, or `00-state.md`'s `app_id` is null.
• Directly via `/butterbase-skills:journey-preflight` when the user wants to re-verify.

Procedure

For each check, write a one-line result to `03-preflight.md` (`<check> ✓/✗ <note>`). Ask the user to fix any ✗ before continuing — do not auto-skip failures.

1. **Butterbase account.** Call `mcp__butterbase__list_regions` (cheapest call). Success → ✓. Auth error → ✗ with `"Sign up at https://butterbase.ai, then run npx @butterbase/cli mcp install and complete the OAuth flow in your client (e.g. /mcp in Claude Code)."`. If MCP tool is not visible at all, jump to step 2.

2. **MCP server connected.** Check whether `mcp__butterbase__*` tools are listed in the agent's available tools. Absent → ✗ with `"Install the Butterbase MCP server: npx @butterbase/cli mcp install. See https://butterbase.ai/docs/mcp."`. Present → ✓.

3. **MCP OAuth complete.** Auth for `mcp__butterbase__*` calls is OAuth, not an env var — step 1 already proved it works if `list_regions` succeeded. If step 1 failed with auth error, retry after the user runs `/mcp` (or `claude mcp login butterbase`) and completes browser consent. `BUTTERBASE_API_KEY` (`bb_sk_…`) is still relevant for **runtime app code** (functions, server-side `@butterbase/sdk`) — check separately at deploy time, not here.

4. **App provisioned.** Read `00-state.md` front-matter for `app_id`.

• Non-null and `mcp__butterbase__manage_app` (action `get_config`) succeeds → ✓.
• Null → ask the user: `"No app yet. Create one now? (yes/no — if no, you can paste an existing app_id)"`. On yes, call `mcp__butterbase__init_app` (ask for app name and region — recommend `us-east-1` as default). Capture `app_id` and `api_base` from the response. Update `00-state.md` front-matter.
• User-provided app_id → verify with `manage_app get_config`; on success update `00-state.md`.

5. **CLI installed.** Run `butterbase --version`. If "command not found":

• Read the Toolchain section of `02-plan.md`. If `CLI usage: yes` (default), prompt: "Install `@butterbase/cli` globally now? (yes / skip)". On yes, run `npm install -g @butterbase/cli`. On skip, note in `03-preflight.md` that the CLI is not installed and which workflows will require dashboard fallback.
• If `CLI usage: no`, skip this check.

`03-preflight.md` format

# Preflight — <ISO date>

- account        ✓
- mcp_connected  ✓
- api_key        ✓
- app_provisioned ✓  app_id=app_abc123 region=us-east-1

Re-run with /butterbase-skills:journey-preflight.

Outputs

• Writes/overwrites `docs/butterbase/03-preflight.md`.
• Updates `00-state.md` front-matter `app_id`, `api_base`, `last_updated`, and ticks `- [x] preflight`.

Anti-patterns

• ❌ Echoing the API key value back to the user.
• ❌ Skipping a failed check ("I'll just try anyway"). Stop and ask the user to fix it.
• ❌ Calling `init_app` without confirming with the user — apps cost money on paid plans.