Deploy Drops

Command reference for deploying ZIP archives with skytells drops deploy, including options, build paths, and JSON output.

Overview

skytells drops deploy uploads a ZIP archive as a Drop. A successful deployment receives a stable managed domain at https://<slug>.drops.skytells.app.

The command streams the archive from disk, waits for Skytells to inspect it, and returns after the deployment is accepted.

A Drop has a separate archive-first command and Console menu, but it shares Skytells app capabilities. The accepted upload appears in Workspace Deployments across accessible projects and as an app in Workspace Resources. See How Drops inherit the app architecture for the complete capability map.

Before running the command, have the destination project's UUID and a file whose name ends in .zip. See CLI authentication to configure a user session, project access key, or CI environment variables.

`skytells drops deploy`

Syntax

skytells drops deploy <zip> --project <uuid> --slug <slug> [options]

Example

skytells drops deploy ./dist/product-docs.zip \
  --project 550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000 \
  --slug product-docs

Arguments and options

Argument or option	Required	Description
`zip`	Yes	Path to a ZIP archive. The filename must end in `.zip`.
`--project <uuid>`	Yes	UUID of the project that owns the Drop.
`--slug <slug>`	Yes	Globally unique DNS label used for the Drop domain.
`--build-path <path>`	No	Directory inside the archive to serve. Defaults to the archive root.
`--upload-id <uuid>`	No	Correlation UUID. Generated automatically when omitted.
`--name <name>`	No	Display name, up to 100 characters. Defaults to the slug.
`--json`	No	Print the accepted deployment as JSON.

Slugs must contain 2–63 lowercase letters, digits, or internal hyphens. Build paths cannot contain a .. segment.

Select a build path

By default, Skytells serves the archive root. Use --build-path when the deployable files are in a subdirectory:

skytells drops deploy ./site.zip \
  --project 550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000 \
  --slug company-site \
  --build-path dist

An empty build path also selects the archive root:

skytells drops deploy ./site.zip \
  --project 550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000 \
  --slug company-site \
  --build-path ""

JSON and CI

Use --json for scripts and CI pipelines:

skytells drops deploy ./site.zip \
  --project "$SKYTELLS_PROJECT_ID" \
  --slug product-docs \
  --json

The accepted deployment has this shape:

{
  "drop_id": "62cf59ce-66d9-4aca-9137-dde606f356f2",
  "drop_slug": "product-docs",
  "domain_url": "https://product-docs.drops.skytells.app",
  "deployment_id": "dd6e1148-614d-4719-b96e-075a8c60d7d1",
  "status": "building"
}

An accepted response with status: "building" means the archive passed pre-deployment checks and the build was accepted. It does not mean the managed domain is ready to serve traffic yet.

Returned field	How to use it
`drop_id`	Identify the Drop under Project > Drops
`deployment_id`	Correlate the build with Workspace Deployments or the Drop's own deployment history
`domain_url`	Test the site after the deployment reaches a ready state
`status`	Decide whether to wait, inspect logs, or handle a terminal failure

Limits and ongoing operations

Drop ZIP limits are 12 MB on Hobby, 50 MB on Pro, and 100 MB on Enterprise. Free plans cannot deploy Drops. Standard app count, deployment quota, concurrent build, size, and billing checks also apply because Drops inherit the app architecture.

Use the Drops Console guide for replacement uploads, redeploy, cache purge, rollback, domains, environment variables, logs, and monitoring. Those controls become available after the first ZIP deployment is accepted.

Console: Drops — create and operate Drops and understand the app architecture they inherit.
Workspace Deployments — find the resulting deployment among app deployments from all accessible projects.
Workspace Resources — find the resulting Drop as an app in the all-project resource inventory.
CLI authentication — configure the user or project credential required by drops deploy.
Apps commands — manage standard app lifecycles; use drops deploy when the source is a ZIP archive.

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