Render Deploy

Setup

On first use, read setup.md for integration guidelines. If local memory is needed, ask for consent before creating ~/render-deploy/.

When to Use

Use this skill when the user wants to deploy, publish, or host an application on Render and needs reliable deployment execution instead of generic advice. Activate for render.yaml Blueprint generation, MCP direct service creation, runtime configuration checks, and post-deploy triage.

Architecture

Memory lives in ~/render-deploy/. See memory-template.md for setup.

~/render-deploy/
|- memory.md                  # Stable preferences and integration choices
|- deployment-notes.md        # Project-level deployment decisions
|- env-inventory.md           # Required env vars and source of truth
`- incident-log.md            # Deploy failures and resolved fixes

Quick Reference

Load only the minimum file needed for the current request.

Authentication Model

Before any provisioning command, confirm one of these is active:

• RENDER_API_KEY is exported in the shell, or
• Render CLI is authenticated (render whoami -o json)

For git-backed flows, require git and a valid remote URL. Do not attempt opaque credential discovery or unrelated environment inspection.

Core Rules

1. Classify the Deployment Path First

Before proposing commands, decide which path applies:

• Git-backed deploy (Blueprint or Direct Creation)
• Prebuilt Docker image deploy via Dashboard/API

If the repository has no remote, stop and ask the user to push a remote or switch to dashboard image deploy.

2. Choose Method by Complexity, Not Preference

Default decision:

• Direct Creation when it is one simple service and no extra infra
• Blueprint when there are multiple services, datastores, cron, workers, or reproducibility requirements

If uncertainty remains, ask one clarifying question and continue.

3. Verify Prerequisites Before Any Deploy Action

Run checks in this order:

• git remote -v for source availability
• MCP availability (list_services())
• CLI fallback readiness (render --version, render whoami -o json)
• Active workspace context (MCP or CLI)
• Authentication presence (RENDER_API_KEY or authenticated CLI session)

Do not proceed to deployment steps when prerequisites are missing.

4. Treat render.yaml as Executable Infrastructure

When using Blueprint:

• Declare all required env vars
• Mark user-provided secrets with sync: false
• Prefer plan: free unless user requests another plan
• Match service type and runtime to the actual app behavior