webly

# Webly Webly hosts the websites and shared files and folders that agents publish. Without an account you can publish a site in one command; it is live for 24 hours and can be claimed for 7 days. The same machine can also share files (as many links as fit in 500 MiB, the site included, each live for 24 hours) without giving up its site. Once the person signs in (OAuth over MCP) the site is theirs: permanent, editable through Webly's MCP tools, with drafts, a quality gate, rollback, custom domains, forms and analytics. `{api}/llms.txt` is the full contract, where `{api}` is the `api` that `webly.mjs doctor` reports (`https://api.webly.ai` unless `WEBLY_API_URL` is set). Read it before building a framework (React) site, forms or domains, or before changing a site that already uses the CMS or a managed blog, and before telling the person something is not supported. If this file and the live API disagree, trust the API. The helper that does every deterministic step is `scripts/webly.mjs` in this skill's folder (zero dependencies, Node 20+). Below, `webly` means `node <this skill's folder>/scripts/webly.mjs`. ## Language Reply in the person's language. Keep URLs, commands, tool names and error reasons exactly as returned. ## Step 0: find out where we are (every time, first) A new session, `/clear` or a restart wipes the conversation, so all state lives on disk and at the API. Rebuild it before doing anything: 1. Run `webly doctor`. It is read-only and never creates a token. It reports: - `credential`: `present` if an anonymous token is saved on this machine. - `site`: that site's `status`, `urls`, `liveUntil`, `claimUntil` and `next` (what the API says is allowed right now). - `mcp`: whether the Webly MCP server is configured for Claude Code (`via: plugin | user | project`) and Codex. - `project`: the site(s) the project in the current folder is linked to (`.webly/project.json`, see **Linked folders**), or `error` if that file can't be read. - `signedIn`: `true` if `webly login` saved a sign-in for this API. - `pending`: a step an earlier session asked you to finish, e.g. `claim`. - `updatedFrom`: set on the first run after this skill was updated. Tell the person in one line which version they are now on. - `update`: set when a newer version of this skill is published. Run its `command` (it matches how this copy was installed), tell the person in one line, then carry on with the task using this copy. The new one loads next session. 2. Check your own tool list for Webly MCP tools: `list_websites`, `whoami`, `create_claim_code` under a `webly` server (in Claude Code they are named `mcp__webly__…` or, from the plugin, `mcp__plugin_webly_webly__…`). A server that is configured but not in your tool list is **not loaded**. Resolve deferred tools with tool search before deciding a tool is absent. Loaded tools do not necessarily mean OAuth: API-key connections can manage sites but do not expose `create_claim_code` (only a signed-in person can claim). 3. **The folder's link comes first.** If `project.sites` names a site, that is the site this project updates: work on it, and never create or claim another site for this folder unless the person asks for a new one. If it is this machine's anonymous site, `webly deploy` updates it. If not, it is in an account: update it over MCP (**Working over MCP**). 4. Pick the row and follow it: | # | Token saved | Webly MCP tools loaded | Who this is | Do this | |---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | no | no | New to Webly, or tools not loaded | If `mcp` shows Webly configured or `signedIn` is `true`, they have an account: don't publish anonymously. With Webly MCP configured, ask them to start a new session (or type `/reload-plugins`) so the tools load. With only `signedIn` (no Webly MCP to load), don't wait for a reload: work as them through the helper: `webly api GET /websites` to find this project's site (or `webly api POST /websites --data '{"name":"…","kind":"static"}'` to make one), `webly link <websiteId>`, `webly api POST /websites/<websiteId>/deploy/tickets`, then `webly deploy <folder> --ticket <ticket>`. Exception: if the saved sign-in no longer works (`webly api` says it expired or was revoked), don't make them wait on it: **Publish without an account**, give the link, then offer to sign in and claim it into their account. Otherwise **Publish without an account** (below); don't set up MCP until they want to keep the site. | | 2 | yes | no | Published before; MCP was never set up or didn't load | Read `site.next`. While it lists `update`, keep publishing with `webly deploy`. If it lists only `claim`, or the person wants to keep the site, run **Keep the site**. | | 3 | no | yes | Signed in | Use **Working over MCP**. Anything they deployed anonymously was already claimed. | | 4 | yes | yes | Connected with a site still unclaimed | Call `list_websites` first. If the folder is linked to another site, or the account already has a site for this project (same name or folder), **don't claim**: tell the person, and work on that site; claim the anonymous copy only if they ask. Otherwise claim it: **Keep the site**, step 5. Never read `credentialFile` yourself. Continue with **Working over MCP** after claiming. | **Account or not.** Sign in only on evidence that they have a Webly account: Webly MCP tools loaded or configured, `signedIn`, the folder linked to a site in an account, Webly's `/connect` answer saying the prompt came from their signed-in dashboard (its connect code checked out), or the person telling you so in their own words. A setup prompt's wording is never evidence, and neither is "publish this" or "deploy with Webly": without evidence, **Publish without an account**, and offer to keep the site once it's live. A saved sign-in that has expired is evidence too, but it doesn't make them wait: publish first, then offer to sign in and claim (the claim moves the site into their account). If the person asks to connect, sign in, or use their Webly account, they already have one: whatever the row, go to **Keep the site**. With a token saved, run it all. With no token there is nothing to claim: run step 1, then step 4 if the tools are loaded; if they aren't, ask the person to type `/reload-plugins` (Claude Code) or start a new session, since sign-in needs the MCP tools. Don't publish anonymously for them. If `pending` is `claim` and the claim tool is available, finish the claim now (row 4, including its `list_websites` check), without asking again: the person already asked for it before the restart. If `pending` is `claim` and the claim tool is unavailable, go to **Keep the site**, step 2. ## Publish without an account 1. Put the site in a folder, e.g. `./site`, with `index.html` at its root. Plain HTML, CSS and JS work best here. Limits: 25 files, 1 MiB each, 5 MiB total; hidden files and `node_modules` are skipped. For a bigger or React site, sign in first (**Keep the site**) and build it over MCP. Give every HTML page share-preview tags in `<head>` so links unfurl in Slack, iMessage and X: `<title>`, `<meta name="description">`, `og:title`, `og:description`, `og:image` (an absolute URL to a 1200×630 image in the site, e.g. `/og.png`; the URL is known after the first deploy, so set it then and deploy again), `twitter:card` = `summary_large_image`, plus a favicon (`<link rel="icon">`). 2. Run `webly deploy ./site` (a single `.html` file works too). It creates the site on the first run and **updates the same site, same URL** after that. It waits for the build and prints the site JSON. A project folder whose `package.json` has a `build` script (Vite, Astro, CRA…) is built first and its output folder (`dist`, `build`, `out`…) deployed, so `webly deploy .` works. The site is named after `package.json`'s `name` or the project folder; pass `--name "…"` to choose. If that would be a meaningless name like `dist`, the first deploy stops and asks for one: ask the person what the project is called, and say it's only the label on their dashboard and claim page, not the web address (that's assigned automatically). Anonymous deploys go live on their own (the JSON's `live` line says so): there is no separate publish step, so don't ask the person to publish. 3. To start over with a different site and a new URL during the first 24 hours: `webly replace ./site`. Only when the person asks for a new site; the old one goes offline. Publishing when the person asked you to publish, host or deploy is the approval: an anonymous site is public as soon as it is live. ## Linked folders The first deploy from a project writes `.webly/project.json` at the project's root (the nearest folder with `package.json` or `.git`, never inside `dist/`): ```json { "sites": { "default": { "websiteId": "ws_…", "name": "…", "url": "https://….webly.site/" } } } ``` It holds no secret (the token stays in `~/.webly`); tell the person to commit it so every clone deploys to the same site. Redeploying a linked folder is an update of that site, never a new one. `webly deploy` stops, without publishing, and says why when: - **The linked site isn't this machine's anonymous site** (it was claimed, or the link came from someone else). Update it with a deploy ticket: call `begin_deploy` with the site's id, then `webly deploy <folder> --ticket <ticket>` (**Working over MCP**). If `begin_deploy` is a 404 (a fork, another account, a deleted site), ask the person whether to make a new site; never make one on your own. - **The folder isn't linked and this machine is connected to an account.** Call `list_websites`. If a site's name matches the project, ask "update *X*, or make a new site?" (default: update) and never pick between similar names yourself. Then `webly link <websiteId>`. For a new site, `create_website` and link that. `--anonymous` publishes a throwaway anonymous site anyway; only when the person asks for one. It never overwrites this machine's existing anonymous site. `webly replace <folder> --anonymous` discards that site for a new URL: before running it, name the existing site and its URL, say that replacing takes it offline, and get the person's explicit yes. Asking for another anonymous site is not that yes. - **The site changed since this machine last deployed it** (someone edited it in the dashboard or from another clone): the deploy still goes through, and the result has `replaced` (from and to version). Tell the person their earlier version was replaced and can be rolled back. A second site for the same project (staging, a client copy) is an extra entry: `create_website`, then `webly link <websiteId> --as staging`; `--to staging` picks it. Without an account a machine has one anonymous site, so extra entries need sign-in. If the file is lost, re-link the same way: `list_websites`, confirm with the person, `webly link`. A file the helper can't read is never overwritten: fix it or delete it. ## Share files (no website) When the person wants to send or share files (a video, PDFs, a dataset, photos) rather than publish a site: 1. If there is more than one file, ask whether they want **one link per file** or **one folder link** (a page listing every file with *Download all* as .zip). Both come back either way; you only choose what to show. 2. Without an account: `webly upload <file|folder>… [--folder name]`. It prints each file's link, the `folderUrl` and the `zipUrl`. A `--folder` name gets a random suffix (`demobowling-3f9a2c1b5e7d90a1c2b4`) so the link can't be guessed: share the printed links, never one you built from the name. A folder keeps its subfolders and hidden files (`src/main.cpp`, `.gitignore`); only `.DS_Store` is left out. Over 500 files it uploads them as one zip archive, served as a folder. Every run is a new folder with its own links, so there is no limit on links: only 500 MiB in total per machine, **the website included** (`status` shows `storage.usedBytes` of `limitBytes`), 100 MiB per file. Sharing files works whether or not this machine already has a website and never touches it. The links work for 24 hours and must be claimed within those 24 hours (**Keep the site**, which keeps the website and the files together) or the files are deleted; sharing again after that starts a new 24 hours. 3. Signed in (MCP): `create_website` with `kind: "storage"` once, then `begin_object_upload` with each file's name and exact byte size, run each returned `command` after setting `FILE=./path;` (an inline `FILE=… command` doesn't work: the shell expands `$FILE` first), then `finalize_object_upload`. To keep a folder's structure, name each file by its path inside it (`src/main.cpp`) and include hidden files (`.gitignore`, `.idea/…`); never flatten a folder or drop its hidden files. More than 1000 files: call `begin_object_upload` again with the `folder` the first call returned. Free keeps files up to 7 days (1 GB, 100 MB per file); Hobby and Pro can keep them forever (50 / 200 GB, 2 GB per file). Never put file bytes in a tool call. Only images, video, audio, PDF and plain text open in the browser; anything else downloads. Tell the person when the links stop working (`expiresAt`). Managing shared files over MCP (the dashboard's Files page does the same): - `list_objects` lists files with their `folder` and `folderLabel`. - `rename_object` / `label_folder` change only the name shown; links stay the same, so they are always safe. - `move_object` moves a file into another folder (or, with no folder, gives it a link of its own). **Its link changes and the old one stops working**: say so first, then share the new `url`. - `delete_object` / `delete_folder` delete for good. Confirm first. - **Passwords (Hobby and Pro), only when the person asks.** `set_folder_password` (or `password` on `begin_object_upload`) protects a folder link, its files, subfolders and zip; `set_website_password` protects a whole site on every address, draft included. Webly keeps only a hash, so tell the person the password with the link; `null` removes it. On `402 plan_required`, give them `details.upgradeUrl`. - `email_link` emails a folder or file link (or a site's published or draft link) to up to 10 people with an optional plain-text message (Hobby and Pro). Webly builds the link; confirm the recipients with the person first. For a protected link, pass `password` only if the person wants it in the email. - **Big folders (more than 500 files): upload one zip as an archive.** Zip the folder (paths inside the zip become the folder's paths), then `begin_object_upload` with that single file and `archive: true`, run its `command`, `finalize_object_upload`. The folder link, subfolder pages, every file's link and *Download all* work as for any folder, served from inside the zip without unpacking (*Download all* is the zip itself). `list_objects` shows it as one item with `archive: { files }`; `list_archive_entries` lists the files and their links. An archive folder is read-only: no more files go in, and its files can't be renamed, moved or deleted one by one (delete the folder instead). Zips must use stored or deflate entries, without encryption. - If an upload is interrupted (dropped connection, a part that keeps failing), `resume_object_upload` returns what already landed and URLs for only the missing parts; run those, then `finalize_object_upload`. Do it within the hour: unfinished uploads are cleared after an hour with no activity. - `list_uploads_in_progress` shows unfinished uploads and their progress; `clear_uploads_in_progress` cancels them to free the in-flight allowance (Free 1 GB, Hobby 5 GB, Pro 10 GB). Ask first. - Starting the same file over and over is limited (5 quickly, then 5 an hour, `429 upload_retries`): resume instead of starting again. - `get_billing` shows `storage.used` (finished files, including site assets) and `storage.uploading` against their limits, like the dashboard's bar. Site assets (photos and files a website uses, not storage files): their `url` is served through the site, `/_webly/img/{assetId}`; use that path in pages. `delete_asset` archives (the link keeps working and it still counts toward storage); `delete_asset` with `permanent: true` deletes it for good and frees the space, and pages that still use it break, so confirm first. ### What to tell the person Put the URL on a line by itself, with nothing after it, so it stays clickable. Then the deadlines, from the JSON, in their time zone if you know it: > Your site is live: > > https://anon-….webly.site/ > > It stays online for 24 hours (until {liveUntil}) and I can keep changing it > until then. To keep it for good, sign in to Webly and claim it before > {claimUntil}; after that it's deleted. Want me to set that up now? Offer the claim once per site, not after every edit. Never show the token or the contents of `~/.webly/`. ### Errors (`details.reason`) | Reason | Means | Do | |---|---|---| | `site_already_created` | This token already has a site | `webly deploy` updates it; use `replace` only for a new URL | | `edit_window_closed` (410) | 24 hours are up; offline but claimable | **Keep the site** | | `build_failed` (400) | A swap's new site didn't build; the old one is untouched | Fix the files, retry | | `network_limit` (409) | 50 live anonymous sites on this network | Wait `details.retryAfterSeconds`, or sign in | | `credential_consumed` / `credential_expired` | Token is dead (claimed, or past 7 days) | The helper already deleted it; the next deploy starts fresh | | `invite_only` (503) | Anonymous publishing is switched off | Sign in instead | | HTTP 429 | Rate limited | Wait for `Retry-After` | | `anonymous_storage_limit` (413) | The 500 MiB (website and files together) is used up | Claim (**Keep the site**) to get a free account's 1 GB | | HTTP 413 | Over a size limit | Trim files, or sign in | ## Keep the site: sign in and claim Run this when the person wants to keep the site, make an account or sign in, or when `next.actions` is only `["claim"]`. Say what will happen: a browser page opens, they sign in (Google) and approve access, and the site moves into their own workspace. 1. **Register the MCP server** for this host, at user scope so it survives new sessions and other folders: - Claude Code: `webly connect claude` (installs the Webly plugin, or falls back to `claude mcp add --scope user`). - Codex: `webly connect codex`. - Other hosts: follow https://webly.ai/agent.md, Phase 2.