vercel cli with tokens

Skill

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".

Files1
  • @skills/vercel-cli-with-tokens/SKILL.md

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

bash
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

bash
grep '^VERCEL_TOKEN=' .env 2>/dev/null
If found, export it:
bash
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_):
bash
grep -i 'vercel' .env 2>/dev/null
Inspect the output to identify which variable holds the token, then export it as VERCEL_TOKEN:
bash
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.
bash
# 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.
bash
# 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:
bash
# 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:
bash
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:
bash
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:
bash
vercel deploy -y --no-wait
With a team scope (either via VERCEL_ORG_ID or --scope):
bash
vercel deploy --scope <team-slug> -y --no-wait
Production (only when explicitly requested):
bash
vercel deploy --prod --scope <team-slug> -y --no-wait
Check status:
bash
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

bash
# 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):
bash
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:
bash
vercel link --scope <team-slug> -y
Creates .vercel/project.json.
Link to a specific project by name:
bash
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:
    bash
    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:
    bash
    sleep 5
vercel ls --format json --scope <team-slug>
    Find the latest entry in the deployments array.
B) CLI Deploy — no git remote
bash
vercel deploy --scope <team-slug> -y --no-wait
Check status:
bash
vercel inspect <deployment-url>

Deploying from a Remote Repository (code not cloned locally)

  1. Clone the repository:
    bash
    git clone <repo-url>
cd <repo-name>
  2. Link to Vercel:
    bash
    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 environment.
Do NOT run vercel project inspect or vercel link in an unlinked directory to detect state — they will interactively prompt or silently link as a side-effect. vercel ls is safe (in an unlinked directory it defaults to showing all deployments for the scope). vercel whoami is safe anywhere.

Managing Environment Variables

bash
# Set for all environments
echo "value" | vercel env add VAR_NAME --scope <team-slug>

# Set for a specific environment (production, preview, development)
echo "value" | vercel env add VAR_NAME production --scope <team-slug>

# List environment variables
vercel env ls --scope <team-slug>

# Pull env vars to local .env.local file
vercel env pull --scope <team-slug>

# Remove a variable
vercel env rm VAR_NAME --scope <team-slug> -y

Inspecting Deployments

bash
# List recent deployments
vercel ls --format json --scope <team-slug>

# Inspect a specific deployment
vercel inspect <deployment-url>

# View build logs (requires Vercel CLI v35+)
vercel inspect <deployment-url> --logs

# View runtime request logs (follows live by default; add --no-follow for a one-shot snapshot)
vercel logs <deployment-url>

Managing Domains

bash
# List domains
vercel domains ls --scope <team-slug>

# Add a domain to the project — linked or env-linked directory (1 arg)
vercel domains add <domain> --scope <team-slug>

# Add a domain — unlinked directory (requires <project> positional)
vercel domains add <domain> <project> --scope <team-slug>

Stripe Projects Plan Changes

If this project is managed by Stripe Projects. Ask the user before running any paid or destructive plan change — upgrades bill a real card, downgrades remove seats.
First run stripe projects status --json to confirm the Vercel resource's local name. The examples below assume the default (vercel-plan); substitute the actual name if it was renamed at stripe projects add time.
  • Upgrade to Pro: stripe projects add vercel/pro (or stripe projects upgrade vercel-plan pro)
  • Downgrade to Hobby: stripe projects downgrade vercel-plan hobby

What Pro gives you

  • $20/month platform fee, includes $20/month of usage credit.
  • Turbo build machines (30 vCPUs, 60 GB memory) by default for new projects — significantly faster builds than Hobby.
  • 1 deploying seat + unlimited free Viewer seats (read-only collaborators, preview comments).
  • Higher included allocations (1 TB Fast Data Transfer, 10M Edge Requests per month).
  • Paid add-ons available: SAML SSO, HIPAA BAA, Flags Explorer, Observability Plus, Speed Insights, Web Analytics Plus.
Full details: https://vercel.com/docs/plans/pro-plan

Working Agreement

  • Never pass VERCEL_TOKEN as a --token flag. Export it as an environment variable and let the CLI read it natively.
  • Check the environment for tokens before asking the user. Look in the current env and .env files first.
  • Default to preview deployments. Only deploy to production when explicitly asked.
  • Ask before pushing to git. Never push commits without the user's approval.
  • Do not modify .vercel/ files directly. The CLI manages this directory. Reading them (e.g. to verify orgId) is fine.
  • Do not curl/fetch deployed URLs to verify. Just return the link to the user.
  • Use --format json when structured output will help with follow-up steps.
  • Use -y on commands that prompt for confirmation to avoid interactive blocking.

Troubleshooting

Token not found

Check the environment and any .env files present:
bash
printenv | grep -i vercel
grep -i vercel .env 2>/dev/null

Authentication error

If the CLI fails with Authentication required:
  • The token may be expired or invalid.
  • Verify: vercel whoami (uses VERCEL_TOKEN from environment).
  • Ask the user for a fresh token.

Wrong team

Verify the scope is correct:
bash
vercel whoami --scope <team-slug>

Build failure

Check the build logs:
bash
vercel inspect <deployment-url> --logs
Common causes:
  • Missing dependencies — ensure package.json is complete and committed.
  • Missing environment variables — add with vercel env add.
  • Framework misconfiguration — check vercel.json. Vercel auto-detects frameworks (Next.js, Remix, Vite, etc.) from package.json; override with vercel.json if detection is wrong.

CLI not installed

bash
npm install -g vercel
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