blink-deploy

MCP Tools

blink_versions_restore — Restore a project to a previously saved version snapshot (use blink_versions_list to find version IDs).

Frontend deployment is done via CLI — blink deploy ./dist --prod. The MCP has no deploy tool because agents deploy using the CLI after building.

Getting Started

# Build your app
npm run build

# Deploy to production — always pass project ID explicitly to avoid "No project context" errors
blink deploy <project_id> ./dist --prod

# OR: link the project first, then deploy without ID
blink link <project_id>
blink deploy ./dist --prod

# That's it — no activation step. Do NOT run `blink hosting activate` or call the
# blink_hosting_activate MCP tool after this (see "Two hosting systems" below) — both
# spellings hit the same endpoint, which rebuilds from the Blink sandbox and overwrites
# what you just deployed.

# Preview deploy — publishes to the project's own blinkusercontent.com URL (no activation
# needed, but this IS the project's default live site, not a throwaway — see below)
blink deploy <project_id> ./dist

# List saved version snapshots
blink versions list

# Restore a version snapshot (version rollback)
blink versions restore <version_id>

Two hosting systems — do NOT mix them

Blink has two separate hosting paths. Never run blink hosting activate or call the blink_hosting_activate MCP tool after blink deploy — both spellings hit the same endpoint.

Path A — CLI deploy (for externally-built apps)

blink deploy <project_id> ./dist --prod
# → live immediately at https://{project_slug}.blinkpowered.com
# → NO further steps needed. Do NOT run `blink hosting activate` or call blink_hosting_activate.

The URL is printed by the CLI after deploy. blink_hosting_status will keep showing inactive permanently for a CLI-deployed project — the deploy route never writes that field, so this isn't a transient lag to wait out. The real cause is the project's billing lifecycle, not deploy state; the site is live regardless. Do not "fix" an inactive status by running hosting activation — see above.

Path B — Blink sandbox activation (for projects built in the Blink AI editor)

blink_hosting_activate  # only for sandbox-based projects
# → triggers a fresh build from the Blink sandbox and deploys

Why you must not mix them:
blink_hosting_activate rebuilds from the Blink sandbox and overwrites the S3 files that blink deploy uploaded. Calling activate after a CLI deploy replaces your app with the Blink AI template.

Summary

Scenario	Command	URL
App built externally (Vite/Next/React)	blink deploy <id> ./dist --prod	{slug}.blinkpowered.com
App built in Blink AI editor	blink_hosting_activate	{slug}.blinkpowered.com
Preview / default URL	blink deploy <id> ./dist (no --prod)	{projectId}.blinkusercontent.com

Deploy Pipeline

1. npm run build          → generates ./dist (or .next, out/, build/)
2. blink deploy ./dist    → uploads to Blink hosting
3. URL printed            → {projectId}.blinkusercontent.com (preview), or {slug}.blinkpowered.com with --prod (or custom domain)

Preview vs Production

Neither flag is a safe/isolated sandbox — both overwrite a real, live URL. A preview deploy publishes to the SAME blinkusercontent.com URL the Blink AI editor's own publish path writes to (and the UI shows as the project's default domain) — running blink deploy ./dist without --prod replaces whatever is live there right now.

Flag	Behavior	URL
(none)	Publishes to the project's default URL — no activation, but not throwaway either	{projectId}.blinkusercontent.com
--prod	Publishes ONLY to the production/custom-domain URL — does NOT also update the default URL above, which stays on whatever was last deployed there	{slug}.blinkpowered.com + custom domains

# Publishes to the project's blinkusercontent.com URL — this replaces what's live there now
blink deploy ./dist
# → https://{projectId}.blinkusercontent.com

# Production — replaces live site
blink deploy ./dist --prod
# → https://{slug}.blinkpowered.com

Framework Build Outputs

Framework	Build Command	Output Dir
React (Vite)	vite build	./dist
Next.js (output: 'export')	next build	./out
Vue	vite build	./dist
Svelte	vite build	./build
Astro	astro build	./dist
Plain HTML/CSS/JS	—	./

For Next.js static export, ensure next.config.ts has output: 'export'.

Backend Deploy

Backend (Hono on CF Workers) has its own deploy command — see blink-backend skill.

blink backend deploy

Full Production Checklist

# 1. Ensure env vars are set
# 2. Build
npm run build

# 3. Deploy frontend
blink deploy ./dist --prod

# 4. Deploy backend (if applicable)
blink backend deploy

# 5. Set up custom domain (optional)
blink domains add myapp.com

Common Issues

Issue	Fix
Empty deploy	Check build output directory exists and has files
404 after deploy	Verify correct output dir (dist/, out/, build/)
Env vars missing	Set secrets in project settings before build
Stale deploy	Ensure --prod flag for production updates. If it's specifically the default blinkusercontent.com URL that's stale after a --prod deploy, that's expected — --prod doesn't touch it (see Preview vs Production); run a plain blink deploy (no flag) to update it too