/vercel-cli-with-tokens

name: vercel-cli-with-tokens
description: Deploy and manage projects on Vercel using token-based authentication. Use when working with Vercel CLI using access tokens rather than interactive login — e.g. "deploy to vercel", "set up vercel", "add environment variables to vercel".
metadata:
  author: vercel
  version: "1.0.0"

Vercel CLI with Tokens

Deploy and manage projects on Vercel using the CLI with token-based authentication, without relying on `vercel login`.

Step 1: Locate the Vercel Token

Before running any Vercel CLI commands, identify where the token is coming from. Work through these scenarios in order:

A) `VERCEL_TOKEN` is already set in the environment

printenv VERCEL_TOKEN

If this returns a value, you're ready. Skip to Step 2.

B) Token is in a `.env` file under `VERCEL_TOKEN`

grep '^VERCEL_TOKEN=' .env 2>/dev/null

If found, export it:

export VERCEL_TOKEN=$(grep '^VERCEL_TOKEN=' .env | cut -d= -f2-)

C) Token is in a `.env` file under a different name

Look for any variable that looks like a Vercel token (Vercel tokens typically start with `vca_`):

grep -i 'vercel' .env 2>/dev/null

Inspect the output to identify which variable holds the token, then export it as `VERCEL_TOKEN`:

export VERCEL_TOKEN=$(grep '^<VARIABLE_NAME>=' .env | cut -d= -f2-)

D) No token found — ask the user

If none of the above yield a token, ask the user to provide one. They can create a Vercel access token at vercel.com/account/tokens.

---

**Important:** Once `VERCEL_TOKEN` is exported as an environment variable, the Vercel CLI reads it natively — **do not pass it as a `--token` flag**. Putting secrets in command-line arguments exposes them in shell history and process listings.

# Bad — token visible in shell history and process listings
vercel deploy --token "vca_abc123"

# Good — CLI reads VERCEL_TOKEN from the environment
export VERCEL_TOKEN="vca_abc123"
vercel deploy

Step 2: Locate the Project and Team

Similarly, check for the project ID and team scope. These let the CLI target the right project without needing `vercel link`.

# Check environment
printenv VERCEL_PROJECT_ID
printenv VERCEL_ORG_ID

# Or check .env
grep -i 'vercel' .env 2>/dev/null

**If you have a project URL** (e.g. `https://vercel.com/my-team/my-project`), extract the team slug:

# e.g. "my-team" from "https://vercel.com/my-team/my-project"
echo "$PROJECT_URL" | sed 's|https://vercel.com/||' | cut -d/ -f1

**If you have both `VERCEL_ORG_ID` and `VERCEL_PROJECT_ID` in your environment**, export them — the CLI will use these automatically and skip any `.vercel/` directory:

export VERCEL_ORG_ID="<org-id>"
export VERCEL_PROJECT_ID="<project-id>"

Note: `VERCEL_ORG_ID` and `VERCEL_PROJECT_ID` must be set together — setting only one causes an error.

CLI Setup

Ensure the Vercel CLI is installed and up to date:

npm install -g vercel
vercel --version

Deploying a Project

Always deploy as **preview** unless the user explicitly requests production. Choose a method based on what you have available.

Quick Deploy (have project ID — no linking needed)

When `VERCEL_TOKEN` and `VERCEL_PROJECT_ID` are set in the environment, deploy directly:

vercel deploy -y --no-wait

With a team scope (either via `VERCEL_ORG_ID` or `--scope`):

vercel deploy --scope <team-slug> -y --no-wait

Production (only when explicitly requested):

vercel deploy --prod --scope <team-slug> -y --no-wait

Check status:

vercel inspect <deployment-url>

Full Deploy Flow (no project ID — need to link)

Use this when you have a token and team but no pre-existing project ID.

Check project state first

# Does the project have a git remote?
git remote get-url origin 2>/dev/null

# Is it already linked to a Vercel project?
cat .vercel/project.json 2>/dev/null || cat .vercel/repo.json 2>/dev/null

Link the project

**With git remote (preferred):**

vercel link --repo --scope <team-slug> -y

Reads the git remote and connects to the matching Vercel project. Creates `.vercel/repo.json`. More reliable than plain `vercel link`, which matches by directory name.

**Without git remote:**

vercel link --scope <team-slug> -y

Creates `.vercel/project.json`.

**Link to a specific project by name:**

vercel link --project <project-name> --scope <team-slug> -y

If the project is already linked, check `orgId` in `.vercel/project.json` or `.vercel/repo.json` to verify it matches the intended team.

Deploy after linking

**A) Git Push Deploy — has git remote (preferred)**

Git pushes trigger automatic Vercel deployments.

1. **Ask the user before pushing.** Never push without explicit approval. 2. Commit and push:

   git add .
   git commit -m "deploy: <description of changes>"
   git push

3. Vercel builds automatically. Non-production branches get preview deployments. 4. Retrieve the deployment URL:

   sleep 5
   vercel ls --format json --scope <team-slug>

Find the latest entry in the `deployments` array.

**B) CLI Deploy — no git remote**

vercel deploy --scope <team-slug> -y --no-wait

Check status:

vercel inspect <deployment-url>

Deploying from a Remote Repository (code not cloned locally)

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone <repo-url>
   cd <repo-name>

2. Link to Vercel:

   vercel link --repo --scope <team-slug> -y

3. Deploy via git push (if you have push access) or CLI deploy.

About `.vercel/` Directory

A linked project has either:

• `.vercel/project.json` — from `vercel link`. Contains `projectId` and `orgId`.
• `.vercel/repo.json` — from `vercel link --repo`. Contains `orgId`, `remoteName`, and a `projects` map.

Not needed when `VERCEL_ORG_ID` + `VERCEL_PROJECT_ID` are both set in the