| name | deploy |
| description | Build then deploy hosts to remote machines via deploy-rs. Use when user runs /deploy, says "deploy <host>", "deploy the servers", or "roll out to all". |
| argument-hint | [boot|switch] <host|group ...> |
| disable-model-invocation | true |
/deploy: build, then deploy-rs
Args required; no default host. Read .claude/skills/build/SKILL.md first for the host
registry, groups, build procedure, and debug loop.
Activation mode
Optional first arg boot or switch forces that mode for all targets. Otherwise
per-host default:
servers hosts (download-server-1, home-kvm-hypervisor-1, home-storage-server-1,
home-k8s-master-1) → boot, because many server changes don't apply cleanly live;
config takes effect on next reboot.- everything else (ali-desktop, laptops, ali-steam-deck) → switch (live activation).
After boot-mode deploys: do NOT reboot hosts. List them under "pending reboot" in the
final report; user reboots when convenient (k8s drain, storage quiesce, etc.).
Validate targets
A target is deployable iff it has a node in flake-modules/deploy.nix (currently the 9
"deploy node: yes" hosts). That file is ground truth, so grep it if unsure. Reject anything
else by name with the reason:
- darwin hosts (ali-mba, Alisons-MacBook-Pro): not deploy-rs nodes; user activates on
the Mac with
just switch.
- home configs, dev-vm, installer-iso, home-vpn-gateway-*, home-k8s-server-1: no node.
/deploy ali-desktop IS sanctioned for the local machine: node is root@100.127.142.30
(tailscale), activates without local sudo. deploy-rs magic-rollback covers a bad
activation.
Phase 1: build everything first
Run the /build procedure for ALL targets (background builds, debug loop, 5-iteration
cap, git add for new files, no commits). Do not start any deploy until phase 1 is done,
because deploying while another host's fix is in flight risks shipping broken shared
modules.
Phase 2: deploy green hosts only
Sequential, one node at a time:
just deploy ".#<node>" "-s" # switch mode (live activation)
just deploy ".#<node>" "-s" "--boot" # boot mode (activates on next reboot)
-s = --skip-checks: skips nix flake check (this flake's checks include
ami/hetzner/emulation test VMs, far too heavy). Safe: phase 1 already built the exact
closure, so deploy is copy + activate.- switch mode: deploy-rs auto-rollback + magic-rollback are on by default, so a deploy
that breaks ssh rolls itself back. Boot mode: nothing changes live, so rollback
protection doesn't apply; bad config surfaces at next reboot.
- NEVER deploy a host whose build failed. Skip it, say so.
Deploy failures:
- unreachable / ssh timeout → retry once, then mark SKIPPED-unreachable. Don't debug
the network.
- activation failure (rolled back) → read deploy-rs output, fix config, rebuild that
host, redeploy. Counts toward the same 5-iteration cap.
Hard rules: never git commit/git push. Never sudo. Leave fixes uncommitted.
Final report
| host | build | deploy | mode | notes |
Then Pending reboot: boot-mode hosts that deployed OK; config applies on next
reboot, user reboots them.
Then Fixes made (file → one-liner) + reminder that changes are uncommitted.
