| name | designtools-deploy |
| description | Deploy and share MxM projects on Vercel. Use when a designer wants a link, wants to share or show the project, mentions deploying or publishing, or at the end of a working session. Handles first-time project linking, preview versus production, and shareable URLs. |
Deploy and share
Vercel hosts everything. Two kinds of URL: previews (one per push, safe to experiment) and production (the stable link, from main).
First time for a project
The project has a local git history but no remote yet (designtools-start defers that). The simplest deploy needs no GitHub at all: Vercel ships the local build directly.
Prefer the Vercel MCP tools when connected (deploy_to_vercel, list_projects, get_deployment). Otherwise the CLI:
vercel link --yes from the project root, choosing the VERCEL_TEAM scope.- Deploy the local files:
vercel --prod. The Vite preset builds static output with no configuration.
That is enough for a shareable link. Add GitHub only if the designer wants push-to-deploy previews or is moving to the web surface:
gh repo create GITHUB_ORG/<name> --private --source . --push to create the remote and push the existing history.vercel git connect so every future push deploys itself. From then on, deploys are automatic and the web surface works.
Day to day
- Desktop:
vercel --prod ships the current local build. If git was connected, pushing deploys automatically too.
- Web: push, then fetch the branch's preview URL (MCP get_deployment or list_deployments, or
vercel ls).
- Going live: merge or push to main; that is production. If the current production link has already been shared with a client, confirm before replacing it.
Sharing
Hand over the URL with one line about what changed. If the deployment is protected (Vercel Authentication on team projects), either turn protection off for the project in the dashboard (fine for projects, which contain invented data by design) or mint a bypass link with the MCP tool get_access_to_vercel_url. Check the link in a private browser window before telling the designer it is shareable; nothing burns trust like a client hitting a login wall.
Rules
- No environment variables or secrets; projects have none by design (designtools-data). If a deploy appears to need one, the project has crossed the suite's boundary. Say so.
- The URL is the deliverable. End every session by making sure the latest good state is pushed and deployed, and that PROJECT.md records the production link.
