1# Deployment
2 
3Guide for deploying MCP servers to production.
4 
5## ⚠️ FIRST: Ensure the User is Logged In
6 
7**Before any deployment command, always verify authentication:**
8 
9```bash
10mcp-use whoami
11```
12 
13If this fails or the user has never logged in, run `mcp-use login` first — it opens a browser for OAuth.
14 
15---
16 
17## Quick Deploy (Manufact Cloud)
18 
19The fastest path to production — one command:
20 
21```bash
22mcp-use deploy
23```
24 
25Or via the npm script (pre-configured in all templates):
26 
27```bash
28npm run deploy
29```
30 
31Your server is live at `https://{slug}.run.mcp-use.com/mcp`.
32 
33---
34 
35## Prerequisites
36 
37Before running `mcp-use deploy`:
38 
391. **Logged in** — run `mcp-use whoami` to verify, or `mcp-use login` if needed
402. **Git repository** — your project must be a git repo
413. **GitHub remote** — the `origin` remote must point to GitHub (SSH or HTTPS)
424. **Changes pushed** — deployment pulls from GitHub, not your local files. Commit and push first.
435. **GitHub App installed** — the mcp-use GitHub App must have access to the repo. The CLI will prompt you to install it if missing.
44 
45---
46 
47## Deploy Options
48 
49```bash
50mcp-use deploy [options]
51```
52 
53| Flag | Description | Default |
54|------|-------------|---------|
55| `--name <name>` | Custom deployment name | `package.json` name or directory name |
56| `--port <port>` | Server port | `3000` |
57| `--runtime <runtime>` | `"node"` or `"python"` | Auto-detected from project files |
58| `--env <KEY=VALUE>` | Set environment variable (repeatable) | — |
59| `--env-file <path>` | Load env vars from a file | — |
60| `--open` | Open deployment in browser after success | `false` |
61| `--new` | Force a fresh deployment (ignore existing link) | `false` |
62 
63### Setting Environment Variables
64 
65```bash
66# Inline
67mcp-use deploy --env API_KEY=sk-xxx --env DATABASE_URL=postgres://...
68 
69# From file
70mcp-use deploy --env-file .env.production
71```
72 
73**NEVER commit secrets to git.** Use `--env` or `--env-file` for API keys, database URLs, and other sensitive values.
74 
75---
76 
77## Common Mistakes
78 
79- ❌ Running `mcp-use deploy` without verifying auth first
80  - ✅ Always run `mcp-use whoami` before deploying — run `mcp-use login` if needed
81- ❌ Running `mcp-use deploy` with uncommitted/unpushed changes
82  - ✅ The cloud builds from GitHub — always `git push` first
83- ❌ Hardcoding secrets in code or committing `.env`
84  - ✅ Use `--env` / `--env-file` flags, or `mcp-use deployments env set`
85- ❌ Forgetting to install the mcp-use GitHub App on the repo
86  - ✅ The CLI will prompt you, but you can also install it at `github.com/apps/mcp-use`
87- ❌ Running `mcp-use start` without `mcp-use build` first
88  - ✅ Always build before starting in production
89