/vercel-cli

name: vercel-cli
description: Vercel CLI expert guidance. Use when deploying, managing environment variables, linking projects, viewing logs, querying metrics, managing domains, managing feature flags with vercel flags, or interacting with the Vercel platform from the command line.
metadata:
  priority: 4
  docs:
    - "https://vercel.com/docs/cli"
  sitemap: "https://vercel.com/sitemap.xml"
  pathPatterns:
    - 'vercel.json'
    - 'vercel.ts'
    - '.vercel/**'
    - '.vercelignore'
    - 'now.json'
  bashPatterns:
    - '^\s*vercel(?:\s|$)'
    - '^\s*vc(?:\s|$)'
    - '\bnpx\s+vercel\b'
    - '\bpnpm\s+dlx\s+vercel\b'
    - '\bbunx\s+vercel\b'
    - '\byarn\s+dlx\s+vercel\b'
    - '\bnpx\s+@vercel/config\b'
  promptSignals:
    phrases:
      - "check deployment"
      - "check deploy"
      - "deployment status"
      - "deploy status"
      - "vercel logs"
      - "vercel metrics"
      - "deployment logs"
      - "deploy logs"
      - "vercel inspect"
      - "is it deployed"
      - "deploy failing"
      - "deploy failed"
      - "deployment error"
      - "check vercel"
      - "vercel status"
    allOf:
      - [check, deployment]
      - [check, deploy]
      - [vercel, status]
      - [vercel, logs]
      - [vercel, metrics]
      - [deploy, error]
      - [deploy, failed]
      - [deploy, stuck]
    anyOf:
      - "deployment"
      - "deploy"
      - "vercel"
      - "production"
    noneOf:
      - "terraform"
      - "aws deploy"
      - "heroku"
    minScore: 6
retrieval:
  aliases:
    - vercel command line
    - vc cli
    - deploy command
    - vercel terminal
  intents:
    - deploy from cli
    - link project
    - manage domains
    - view logs from terminal
  entities:
    - vercel CLI
    - vercel deploy
    - vercel env
    - vercel link
    - vercel logs
    - vercel metrics
chainTo:
  -
    pattern: '"functions"\s*:\s*\{|"maxDuration"\s*:|"memory"\s*:'
    targetSkill: vercel-functions
    message: 'Functions configuration detected in vercel.json — loading Vercel Functions guidance for runtime options, streaming, and Fluid Compute.'
    skipIfFileContains: '"crons"\s*:'
  -
    pattern: '"redirects"\s*:\s*\[|"rewrites"\s*:\s*\[|"headers"\s*:\s*\['
    targetSkill: routing-middleware
    message: 'Routing rules in vercel.json — loading Routing Middleware guidance for platform-level request interception patterns.'

Vercel CLI Skill

The Vercel CLI (`vercel` or `vc`) deploys, manages, and develops projects on the Vercel platform from the command line. Use `vercel <command> --help` for full flag details on any command.

The installed CLI help is the source of truth for obscure or newly added flags. If a command example here is not enough, check `vercel <command> --help` before acting instead of guessing.

Parse only stdout for URLs and JSON. Warnings, progress, and `--help` print to stderr; merge streams only when searching help text. Some help commands exit 2 after printing usage, so treat printed usage as a successful help read.

In agent/non-interactive mode, many commands report errors and required confirmations as a single JSON object on stdout with `status`, `reason`, `hint`, and `next` (runnable follow-up commands). Prefer a suggested `next` command over composing a retry only after confirming that it preserves the user's intended target and authorization; do not automatically run linking, authentication, or mutation follow-ups. Read commands such as `list`, `logs`, `inspect`, and `api` keep their normal output shape.

Critical: Project Linking

Project context depends on the command's working directory. Before a consequential read or mutation, run `vercel project inspect --non-interactive` from the intended directory and confirm the reported owner and project. This command resolves only existing context in non-interactive mode; stop on `link_required` or a target mismatch instead of linking automatically.

Many project-aware commands also accept `--project <name-or-id>` with `--scope <team>` for an explicit, one-command target. Confirm that target and scope preserve the user's intent before using them.

• **`<cwd>/.vercel/project.json`**: Created by `vercel link`. This exact working-directory link wins over a repository link. The CLI does not generally inherit a root `project.json` when run from an arbitrary subdirectory.
• **`<repo-root>/.vercel/repo.json`**: Created by `vercel link --repo`. The CLI selects the deepest project directory that contains the working directory.
• **Unmatched repository path**: If no repo mapping contains the working directory, interactive repo resolution prompts among the configured projects. Non-interactive repo resolution currently selects the only configured project or remains unresolved when multiple choices exist. Commands that set up projects may then enter a linking flow, so non-interactive mode is not generally fail-closed.

Being inside an app directory is not proof that the intended project was selected. Check the resolved project explicitly, especially when a repo mapping does not cover that directory.

`vercel whoami --format json` identifies the authenticated user and effective team; plain non-TTY `vercel whoami` prints only the username. Neither verifies the linked project. Read-only project commands can still require login or team SAML re-authentication and open a browser/device flow. Ask the user to complete that flow deliberately before continuing.

Quick Start

npm i -g vercel
vercel login
vercel link              # single project
# OR
vercel link --repo       # monorepo
vercel pull
vercel dev        # local development
vercel deploy     # preview deployment
vercel --prod     # production deployment

Decision Tree

Use this to route to the correct reference file:

• **Deploy, redeploy, forced builds, no-cache builds, or deployment source/provenance** → `references/deployment.md`
• **Rolling releases, deploy hooks, cron jobs, cache, git connection, Edge Config, redirects, custom