Noveum · imshashank · Aug 20, 2026 · Aug 20, 2026 · Aug 20, 2026 · Aug 21, 2026
@@ -27,6 +27,10 @@ jobs:
         run: bun run lint
       - name: No-comment policy
         run: bun run check-comments
+      - name: Source byte policy
+        run: bun run check-bytes
+      - name: No Bun built-ins in shipped server code
+        run: bun run check-bun-imports
       - name: One copy of every overridden dependency
         run: bun run check-deps
       - name: Typecheck

@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+name: Vercel Preview
+
+on:
+  pull_request_target:
+    branches: [main]
+    types: [opened, reopened, ready_for_review, converted_to_draft, labeled, unlabeled, closed]
+  workflow_run:
+    workflows: [CI]
+    types: [completed]
+  repository_dispatch:
+    types: [vercel-preview-reconcile]
+
+permissions:
+  actions: read
+  contents: read
+  pull-requests: read
+
+concurrency:
+  group: vercel-preview-${{ github.event.pull_request.number || github.event.workflow_run.pull_requests[0].number || github.event.client_payload.pull_request || github.event.workflow_run.head_sha || github.run_id }}
+  cancel-in-progress: false
+
+jobs:
+  reconcile:
+    if: >-
+      github.event_name == 'pull_request_target' ||
+      github.event_name == 'repository_dispatch' ||
+      (github.event_name == 'workflow_run' &&
+      github.event.workflow_run.event == 'pull_request' &&
+      github.event.workflow_run.conclusion == 'success')
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    timeout-minutes: 25
+    steps:
+      - name: Check out trusted controller
+        uses: actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1
+        with:
+          repository: ${{ github.repository }}
+          ref: ${{ github.sha }}
+          persist-credentials: false
+          submodules: false
+          lfs: false
+      - name: Set up Bun
+        uses: oven-sh/setup-bun@0c5077e51419868618aeaa5fe8019c62421857d6
+        with:
+          bun-version: "1.3.14"
+      - name: Install trusted controller dependencies
+        run: bun install --frozen-lockfile --ignore-scripts
+      - name: Reconcile Vercel Preview
+        run: bun scripts/vercel-preview-deploy.ts
+        env:
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
+          VERCEL_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.VERCEL_TOKEN }}
+          VERCEL_TEAM_ID: ${{ vars.VERCEL_TEAM_ID }}
+          VERCEL_PROJECT_ID: ${{ vars.VERCEL_PROJECT_ID }}
+          VERCEL_PROJECT_NAME: ${{ vars.VERCEL_PROJECT_NAME }}
@@ -1,6 +1,12 @@
 {
   "$schema": "https://openapi.vercel.sh/vercel.json",
   "installCommand": "rm -rf ../../node_modules node_modules && bun install --frozen-lockfile",
+  "git": {
+    "deploymentEnabled": {
+      "**": false,
+      "main": true
+    }
+  },
   "regions": ["hnd1"],
   "crons": [
     { "path": "/api/cron/analytics-snapshots", "schedule": "0 */6 * * *" },

@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ gated behind a plan.
 | Write or run the tests | [Testing](testing.md) |
 | Fix something that broke | [Troubleshooting](troubleshooting.md) |
 | See what is coming | [Roadmap](roadmap.md) |
+| Operate gated Vercel Preview deployments | [Vercel Preview deployment gate](VERCEL_BUILD_GATE.md) |
 | Contribute | [CONTRIBUTING.md](../CONTRIBUTING.md) |
 
 ## The five minute version

@@ -0,0 +1,182 @@
+# Vercel Preview deployment gate
+
+Orbit creates Vercel Preview deployments only after the exact pull request head
+has passed CI and still satisfies the repository policy. Production deployments
+from `main` remain enabled through the Vercel Git integration.
+
+## Eligibility
+
+The controller evaluates the current pull request from GitHub on every event.
+`no-preview` takes precedence over every other state.
+
+| Pull request state | Labels | Result after exact-head CI succeeds |
+| --- | --- | --- |
+| Ready for review | neither managed label | eligible |
+| Ready for review | `preview` | eligible |
+| Ready for review | `no-preview`, with or without `preview` | ineligible |
+| Draft | `preview` without `no-preview` | eligible |
+| Draft | neither managed label | ineligible |
+| Draft | `no-preview`, with or without `preview` | ineligible |
+| Closed | any labels | ineligible |
+| Fork | any state or labels | never eligible for an automatic Preview |
+
+An eligible pull request must also target `main`, come from the same repository,
+and change at least one web-impacting path:
+
+- `apps/web/**`
+- `packages/**`
+- `package.json`
+- `bun.lock`
+- `tsconfig.base.json`
+
+For a renamed file, either the current filename or GitHub's validated
+`previous_filename` can make the change web-impacting. Moving code out of
+`apps/web/**` or `packages/**` therefore still requires a Preview.
+
+Ready status or the `preview` label does not establish trust. The controller
+also proves that the newest `CI` run belongs to the current head SHA, is
+associated with the same pull request and current `main`, and completed
+successfully. A state event can create a Preview immediately when that proof
+already exists. Otherwise the successful `workflow_run` event reconciles the
+pull request after CI finishes. A later non-green run blocks an older success.
+Before Create, the controller repeats the CI proof and then refetches the pull
+request once more. Any head, identity, state, draft, or label change during that
+proof prevents the POST.
+
+## Trust boundary
+
+`Vercel Preview` is a privileged default-branch workflow. It checks out
+`${{ github.sha }}`, which is the trusted base or default-branch commit for its
+three event types. It never selects, fetches, installs, caches, downloads an
+artifact from, builds, or executes pull request code. Dependency lifecycle
+scripts are disabled. The only operational command is
+`bun scripts/vercel-preview-deploy.ts`, and `VERCEL_TOKEN` exists only on that
+step.
+
+Only the trusted GitHub controller is isolated from pull request code. The
+API-created Vercel Preview still builds same-repository pull request code with
+the project Preview environment scope. Git Fork Protection must remain enabled,
+and forks are rejected by the controller, but maintainers must still treat the
+Preview environment as available to same-repository pull request code.
+
+The `git.deploymentEnabled` map in `apps/web/vercel.json` disables automatic Git
+deployments for `**` and enables them for `main`. This is a repository-controlled
+cost policy, not a security boundary. A repository change can alter that policy,
+so security depends on the trusted workflow and controller validation.
+
+Each API create remains a Vercel deployment. Canceled attempts and reused
+deployments can remain visible in Vercel deployment history and counts. The gate
+reduces unnecessary creation, but it does not promise that an ignored or
+canceled attempt is free.
+
+## Reconciliation and Vercel API behavior
+
+The controller uses one deployment path:
+
+1. Vercel v7 lists Preview deployments by team, project, branch, and, when
+   creating, exact head SHA.
+2. Vercel v13 creates or reads a deployment with the same-repository GitHub
+   repository ID, head ref, exact head SHA, and Orbit metadata. It omits a
+   target so Vercel uses the project's Preview environment.
+3. Vercel v12 cancels matching active deployments.
+
+Deployment IDs are accepted only when they contain ASCII letters, digits,
+underscores, and hyphens within the controller's fixed bound. The controller
+checks IDs and URLs against both tokens before they can enter a result, and URL
+encodes every deployment ID used as an API path segment.
+
+`QUEUED`, `INITIALIZING`, and `BUILDING` deployments are active. Making a pull
+request ineligible by closing it, converting it to draft without `preview`,
+removing `preview` from an otherwise ineligible draft, or adding `no-preview`
+cancels matching active Preview work. A deployment that is already `READY` is
+not canceled, so its ready URL remains available.
+
+Per-pull-request workflow runs remain serialized with in-progress cancellation
+disabled. While the owner polls a queued, initializing, or building deployment,
+it refetches the current pull request after every active detail response. If the
+same exact head becomes closed or ineligible, that owner cancels only its exact
+deployment and returns a canceled result. If the head or repository identity
+changed, the old owner stops without canceling the different head. The queued
+state event then reconciles the latest state.
+
+Events for stale heads cannot create or cancel work for the current head. An
+existing exact ready or active deployment is reused. Terminal deployment
+history can cause one forced create for the exact head, using the same v13
+endpoint rather than an alternate build path.
+
+## Repository and Vercel setup
+
+The GitHub repository must provide:
+
+- Secret `VERCEL_TOKEN`
+- Variable `VERCEL_TEAM_ID`
+- Variable `VERCEL_PROJECT_ID`
+- Variable `VERCEL_PROJECT_NAME`
+
+Keep Vercel Git Fork Protection enabled. Synchronize the managed `preview` and
+`no-preview` labels with the rest of the repository labels:
+
+```bash
+bun run labels:sync
+bun run labels:sync --apply
+```
+
+The first command is a dry run. Review its plan before applying it.
+
+After `.github/workflows/vercel-preview.yml` is present on `main`, remove these
+legacy Vercel environment values:
+
+- `BUILD_GATE_GITHUB_TOKEN`
+- `BUILD_GATE_WATCH_PATHS`
+- `BUILD_GATE_READY_LABEL`
+- `BUILD_GATE_BLOCK_LABEL`
+
+They belonged to the removed Ignored Build Step and are not read by the trusted
+controller.
+
+## Manual recovery
+
+A maintainer can reconcile a positive numeric pull request number with an
+authenticated repository dispatch:
+
+```bash
+gh api repos/Noveum/orbit/dispatches \
+  --method POST \
+  -f event_type=vercel-preview-reconcile \
+  -F 'client_payload[pull_request]=341'
+```
+
+The event type must be `vercel-preview-reconcile`, and
+`client_payload.pull_request` must be a positive number. The event shares the
+same per-pull-request concurrency group as state and CI events. Malformed input
+can form an unused group but is rejected before any Vercel call.
+
+Do not add or use `workflow_dispatch` for recovery. A caller can select a
+non-default ref for that trigger. GitHub runs `repository_dispatch` from the
+last commit on the default branch, preserving the controller trust boundary.
+
+## Post-merge canary
+
+Run this procedure only after the workflow exists on `main`:
+
+1. Confirm Vercel Git Fork Protection is enabled. Configure `VERCEL_TOKEN` and
+   the `VERCEL_TEAM_ID`, `VERCEL_PROJECT_ID`, and `VERCEL_PROJECT_NAME`
+   repository variables.
+2. Remove the four legacy values only after the workflow is on `main`.
+3. Open a same-repository, web-impacting draft at head A. Confirm it gets no
+   Preview, apply `preview`, let CI succeed for exact head A, and wait for its
+   deployment to reach `READY`. Record and retain head A's ready URL.
+4. Keep `preview` applied and push a web-impacting head B. Let exact-head CI
+   succeed and wait until B's deployment is `QUEUED`, `INITIALIZING`, or
+   `BUILDING`. Apply `no-preview`. Confirm the polling owner observes the new
+   live state and cancels the deployment whose metadata names head B before it
+   reaches `READY`, while head A's recorded ready URL remains available.
+5. Keep `no-preview` applied, make the pull request ready for review, and push a
+   web-impacting head C. Let exact-head CI succeed and confirm no deployment is
+   created for C while the label remains. Remove `no-preview`, then confirm a
+   deployment is created for exact head C. Confirm no new deployment is created
+   for head B and no SHA other than C is selected by this reconciliation.
+6. Open a ready same-repository pull request with only a docs change, let its
+   exact-head CI succeed, and confirm it receives no automatic Preview.
+7. Open a ready fork pull request with a web-impacting change, let its exact-head
+   CI succeed, and confirm it receives no automatic Preview.