Deploy and launch · Skill

Deploy a site to Netlify

deploy-site-to-netlify

Deploys a web project to Netlify with the Netlify CLI - check login, link or create the site, confirm build settings in netlify.toml, ship a draft preview, then promote to production. Use when the user wants to host on Netlify, publish a preview deploy, link a repo to Netlify, or fix a Netlify build setting.

Works with: Any AI Not yet model-tested; testing Jan 2027

View raw SKILL.mdInstall

Paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or any AI chat, then tell it about your project. How it works

Install in Claude Code, Cursor or Codex (optional)

Only for AI coding tools that read skill folders. Run one line in a terminal, in your project folder. It downloads this skill's text files from TheSkillVault and nothing else; you can read them first with “View raw SKILL.md”.

Claude Code (all your projects)

curl -fsSL --create-dirs 'https://theskillvault.ai/api/skills/deploy-site-to-netlify/raw' -o ~/'.claude/skills/deploy-site-to-netlify/SKILL.md' && curl -fsSL --create-dirs 'https://theskillvault.ai/api/skills/deploy-site-to-netlify/files/LICENSE.txt' -o ~/'.claude/skills/deploy-site-to-netlify/LICENSE.txt'

Cursor (this project)

curl -fsSL --create-dirs 'https://theskillvault.ai/api/skills/deploy-site-to-netlify/raw' -o '.cursor/skills/deploy-site-to-netlify/SKILL.md' && curl -fsSL --create-dirs 'https://theskillvault.ai/api/skills/deploy-site-to-netlify/files/LICENSE.txt' -o '.cursor/skills/deploy-site-to-netlify/LICENSE.txt'

Codex and other Agent Skills tools (this project)

curl -fsSL --create-dirs 'https://theskillvault.ai/api/skills/deploy-site-to-netlify/raw' -o '.agents/skills/deploy-site-to-netlify/SKILL.md' && curl -fsSL --create-dirs 'https://theskillvault.ai/api/skills/deploy-site-to-netlify/files/LICENSE.txt' -o '.agents/skills/deploy-site-to-netlify/LICENSE.txt'

Or connect the whole library over MCP

Add TheSkillVault to Cursor or add this to your app's MCP settings (read-only; help):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "theskillvault": {
      "url": "https://theskillvault.ai/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Netlify builds your site and hosts it. Ship a draft preview first, check it, then publish.

When to use

  • You want to put a site or front-end app live on Netlify.
  • You need a shareable preview link before publishing.
  • The Netlify build uses the wrong command or folder.

Steps

  1. Build locally (npm run build) so you know the build command and output folder work.
  2. Run npx netlify status. If you are not logged in, run npx netlify login.
  3. Link the folder: npx netlify link for an existing site, or npx netlify init to create one.
  4. Add a netlify.toml so settings live in the repo:
[build]
  command = "npm run build"
  publish = "dist"
  1. Add secrets in the Netlify UI or with npx netlify env:set NAME value. Never commit them.
  2. Ship a draft: npx netlify deploy. Open the draft URL and click through key pages.
  3. Ask before publishing, then run npx netlify deploy --prod.
  4. Report the live URL and the deploy log link.

Gotchas

  • The publish folder differs by tool: dist for Vite and Astro, build for Create React App, out for a static Next.js export.
  • Single-page apps need a catch-all redirect (/* /index.html 200) or deep links return 404.
  • A NETLIFY_AUTH_TOKEN is a password. Keep it in CI secrets only.
  • Environment variables set after a deploy need a fresh deploy to take effect.

Portability

Works with any static or Jamstack framework. If you use Next.js, Netlify's Next.js runtime is added for you; the same preview-then-prod flow applies instead of a manual export.

Example prompt

"Put my Astro site on Netlify. Give me a preview link first, then publish when I say so."

Done when

  • A draft URL was checked, then the production URL loads.
  • netlify.toml holds the build command and publish folder.
  • No tokens or secrets are committed.

---

Modified from "netlify-deploy" in openai/skills (Apache-2.0). Changes by TheSkillVault are listed in the metadata above. See LICENSE.txt.

Bundled files

Licence

Adapted from OpenAI (openai/skills, netlify-deploy) (Copyright (c) OpenAI (openai/skills, netlify-deploy); Apache License 2.0 text in LICENSE.txt), Apache License 2.0. Modified by TheSkillVault on 2026-11-02: rewritten for beginners as preview-first steps with a minimal netlify.toml; removed sandbox notes and long example output; added token safety, gotchas and done-when. Not the original file.

Licence: Apache License 2.0. Attribution when you reuse it: Based on work by OpenAI (openai/skills, netlify-deploy) (Copyright (c) OpenAI (openai/skills, netlify-deploy); Apache License 2.0 text in LICENSE.txt, Apache License 2.0), https://github.com/openai/skills/tree/49f948faa9258a0c61caceaf225e179651397431/skills/.curated/netlify-deploy; adapted by TheSkillVault, https://theskillvault.ai