# Prompt to Create a GitHub Actions Deploy Workflow

> AI agent prompt to generate a production GitHub Actions CI/CD workflow for a Next.js app with type-check, test, build, and deploy steps.

**Type:** Prompt  
**Tools:** Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, Windsurf  
**Stack:** Next.js, TypeScript, Cloudflare  
**Difficulty:** medium  
**Updated:** 2026-06-08

---

Give this prompt to your agent to generate a battle-tested GitHub Actions workflow file
that runs type-checking, tests, and a production build before deploying — without
committing secrets or using deprecated action versions.

## Main Prompt

```txt title="Main Prompt"
You are working in a Next.js 15 project that uses TypeScript and Bun as the package manager.
Deployments go to Cloudflare Pages.

Task: create a GitHub Actions CI/CD workflow at `.github/workflows/deploy.yml`.

Requirements:
- Trigger on: `push` to `main` and `pull_request` targeting `main`.
- On pull_request: run only the `ci` job (lint, typecheck, build).
- On push to main: run `ci` then `deploy` (deploy only if ci passes).
- `ci` job:
  - Runner: `ubuntu-latest`.
  - Steps: checkout, setup Bun (`oven-sh/setup-bun@v2`), `bun install --frozen-lockfile`,
    `bun run typecheck`, `bun run build`.
  - Cache: use `actions/cache@v4` to cache `node_modules` keyed on `bun.lock` hash.
- `deploy` job:
  - needs: [ci]
  - if: `github.event_name == 'push'`
  - Deploy to Cloudflare Pages using `cloudflare/wrangler-action@v3`.
  - Secrets used: `CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN` and `CLOUDFLARE_ACCOUNT_ID` (from GitHub secrets — do NOT
    hard-code values).
  - Set `command: pages deploy .next --project-name=my-app --branch=main`.
- Add a concurrency group to cancel in-progress runs on the same branch.
- Do NOT pin to `@v1` of any action — use the versions specified above.
- Do NOT store any secret value in the YAML file.

Stop and show the complete workflow YAML before writing the file.
```

## Implementation Notes

- `oven-sh/setup-bun@v2` installs the Bun version from `.bun-version` or `package.json#engines.bun`
  if present — make sure one of those files exists or pin with `bun-version: '1.x'`.
- `--frozen-lockfile` prevents the CI from silently upgrading deps; failing here means `bun.lock`
  is out of sync locally.
- Cloudflare Pages with `wrangler-action@v3` requires the project to exist in the Cloudflare
  dashboard first — document this prerequisite in a comment inside the YAML.
- Concurrency: use `group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.ref }}` with `cancel-in-progress: true`.

## Expected File Changes

```txt
.github/workflows/deploy.yml    (new)
```

## Acceptance Criteria

- A PR to `main` triggers only the `ci` job and posts a status check.
- Merging to `main` triggers `ci` then `deploy`, in order.
- No secrets appear in the YAML file.
- A second push to the same branch cancels the previous in-progress run.

## Test Commands

```bash
# validate YAML syntax locally
bun x @actions/validator .github/workflows/deploy.yml || true
# or use actionlint
docker run --rm -v "$(pwd):/repo" rhysd/actionlint:latest /repo/.github/workflows/deploy.yml
```

## Common AI Mistakes

- Hard-coding `CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN` value instead of using `${{ secrets.CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN }}`.
- Using deprecated `actions/checkout@v2` or `actions/cache@v2` instead of v4.
- Running the deploy job on pull_request events, deploying from forks.
- Missing `needs: [ci]` on the deploy job, allowing deploys even if tests fail.

## Fix Prompt

```txt title="Fix Prompt"
The workflow deploys even when CI fails, or secrets are exposed. Fix in order:
1. Add `needs: [ci]` to the `deploy` job.
2. Add `if: github.event_name == 'push' && github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'` to the deploy job.
3. Replace any hard-coded token values with `${{ secrets.CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN }}`.
4. Upgrade any @v1/@v2 action references to the versions specified in the original prompt.
Show only the corrected YAML diff.
```