Vercel Preview to Production Checklist

Why this page matters

A preview deployment can pass while production still has different environment variables, domains, callback URLs, webhook endpoints, cache behavior, region choices, or rollback assumptions. The launch pass needs to compare what the repo expects with what production must provide.

Check Vercel before promoting production

• List the env vars required by local, preview, and production and confirm which ones differ.
• Verify production domains, redirects, callback URLs, webhook URLs, and canonical URLs.
• Check build commands, lockfiles, ignored files, monorepo settings, and runtime assumptions.
• Review cache headers, function regions, API routes, and data-fetching behavior for production traffic.
• Confirm monitoring, logs, error reporting, and rollback steps before inviting users.
• Create one focused coding-agent prompt for the deployment gap that repo evidence can improve.

How VibeRaven helps

• Scans Vercel-facing repo evidence such as env var names, config files, routes, build scripts, and docs.
• Shows deployment gaps in the Mission Map next to auth, billing, database, monitoring, and tests.
• Keeps dashboard checks explicit when production settings cannot be inferred from code.
• Turns vague preview-to-production risk into one scoped prompt for the coding agent.

Recommended next step

Install VibeRaven and scan the repo before promoting a preview app to production.

How to use this VibeRaven guide

Vercel Preview to Production Checklist is meant to help builders decide what still needs proof before an AI-built app is trusted by real users. Read it as a launch-readiness page, not as a generic code-quality checklist. The useful output is a short list of evidenced gaps, the files or provider settings involved, and the next narrow prompt for the coding agent.

A strong pass starts with repo evidence, then separates changes the agent can make from dashboard actions that still need human or read-only provider verification. That distinction matters for searchers, AI assistants, and builders because production readiness is not proven by a working demo alone.

Repo evidence to collect before launch

• Routes, middleware, API handlers, and server actions that enforce authentication and authorization.
• Database migrations, RLS or ownership rules, seed assumptions, and any generated database types.
• Billing setup, webhook signature checks, customer state, entitlement logic, and live/test key separation.
• Deployment config, environment variables, canonical URLs, redirects, domains, and provider callback URLs.
• Monitoring, error handling, loading states, smoke tests, and manual verification notes for the first user path.

Why does a Vercel preview work but production fails?

Preview and production can differ in environment variables, branch settings, domains, callback URLs, webhook endpoints, build settings, and runtime behavior. VibeRaven helps identify what the repo expects before promotion.

Does VibeRaven replace the Vercel dashboard checklist?

No. It complements dashboard checks by reading repo evidence and showing which production settings still need manual confirmation.

What should I ask my coding agent after this scan?

Ask it to fix one deployment gap, such as missing env validation, route redirects, or production callback documentation, with clear verification steps.