MCPInstall

deploy-open-harness

by vercel-labs OfficialDevOps & Cloud

Guides a user through collecting the credentials needed to deploy their own copy of Open Harness, deploying this repo on Vercel, and completing first-run setup. Use for requests about deploying, self-hosting, configuring credentials, or getting started with a fork of this app.

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Install

Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.

npx skills add https://github.com/vercel-labs/open-agents --skill deploy-open-harness
  1. 01

    Install

    Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.

  2. 02

    Describe the task

    Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads deploy-open-harness automatically when relevant.

  3. 03

    Review the result

    The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.

SKILL.md

The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.

You are helping a user deploy their own copy of Open Harness.

Base your guidance on the current codebase, not on older Harness-era setup assumptions.

First rule: verify current requirements from the repo

Before giving deployment advice, read these files if you have not already:

  • README.md
  • apps/web/.env.example
  • apps/web/lib/db/client.ts
  • apps/web/lib/jwe/encrypt.ts
  • apps/web/lib/crypto.ts
  • apps/web/app/api/auth/signin/vercel/route.ts
  • apps/web/app/api/auth/vercel/callback/route.ts
  • apps/web/app/api/github/app/install/route.ts
  • apps/web/app/api/github/app/callback/route.ts
  • apps/web/lib/github/app-auth.ts
  • apps/web/lib/redis.ts
  • apps/web/lib/sandbox/config.ts

If the code and the docs disagree, trust the code and say so.

Do not rely on scripts/setup.sh.

Goals

Help the user:

  1. Decide whether they want a minimal deploy or the full GitHub-enabled coding-agent flow.
  2. Collect only the credentials actually required for that scope.
  3. Understand where to obtain each credential.
  4. Deploy this repo on Vercel.
  5. Complete first-run verification.
  6. Leave with a short next-steps checklist.

Safety rules

  • Never ask the user to paste secrets into chat.
  • Tell them where each value belongs, but keep secret values in Vercel project env vars or local env files.
  • Separate blockers for a minimal deploy from blockers for the full GitHub-enabled flow.
  • Be explicit when something is optional.

Scope the deployment first

Start by determining which path the user wants:

1) Minimal deploy

A working hosted app where the user can deploy it, sign in with Vercel, and use the product without GitHub repo access.

2) Full deploy

Everything in the minimal deploy, plus GitHub account linking, GitHub App installation, private repo access, pushes, and PR creation.

If the user is unsure, recommend minimal deploy first, then layer on GitHub.

Credential checklist

Use this checklist when guiding the user.

Required for the app to run

  • POSTGRES_URL
  • JWE_SECRET

Required for a usable hosted deployment

  • ENCRYPTION_KEY
  • NEXT_PUBLIC_VERCEL_APP_CLIENT_ID
  • VERCEL_APP_CLIENT_SECRET

Required for GitHub-enabled repo flows

  • NEXT_PUBLIC_GITHUB_CLIENT_ID
  • GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET
  • GITHUB_APP_ID
  • GITHUB_APP_PRIVATE_KEY
  • NEXT_PUBLIC_GITHUB_APP_SLUG
  • GITHUB_WEBHOOK_SECRET

Optional

  • REDIS_URL or KV_URL
  • VERCEL_PROJECT_PRODUCTION_URL
  • NEXT_PUBLIC_VERCEL_PROJECT_PRODUCTION_URL
  • VERCEL_SANDBOX_BASE_SNAPSHOT_ID
  • ELEVENLABS_API_KEY

How to explain each credential

PostgreSQL

Tell the user to create a Postgres database and copy the connection string into POSTGRES_URL.

JWE secret

Explain that this is required for session encryption.

Recommended generation command:

openssl rand -base64 32 | tr '+/' '-_' | tr -d '=\n'

Encryption key

Explain that provider tokens are encrypted at rest and the value must be a 64-character hex string.

Recommended generation command:

openssl rand -hex 32

Vercel OAuth app

Tell the user to create a Vercel OAuth app and set:

  • Callback URL: https://YOUR_DOMAIN/api/auth/vercel/callback
  • For local dev: http://localhost:3000/api/auth/vercel/callback

Store the credentials as:

  • NEXT_PUBLIC_VERCEL_APP_CLIENT_ID
  • VERCEL_APP_CLIENT_SECRET

GitHub App

Tell the user they do not need a separate GitHub OAuth app. Open Harness uses the GitHub App's user authorization flow.

Tell the user to create a GitHub App and set:

  • Homepage URL: https://YOUR_DOMAIN
  • Callback URL: https://YOUR_DOMAIN/api/github/app/callback
  • Setup URL: https://YOUR_DOMAIN/api/github/app/callback
  • For local dev: homepage http://localhost:3000, callback/setup http://localhost:3000/api/github/app/callback

Also tell them to:

  • enable "Request user authorization (OAuth) during installation"
  • use the GitHub App Client ID and Client Secret for NEXT_PUBLIC_GITHUB_CLIENT_ID and GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET
  • make the app public if they want org installs to work cleanly
  • generate a webhook secret
  • download/generate the private key

Store the values as:

  • NEXT_PUBLIC_GITHUB_CLIENT_ID
  • GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET
  • GITHUB_APP_ID
  • GITHUB_APP_PRIVATE_KEY
  • NEXT_PUBLIC_GITHUB_APP_SLUG
  • GITHUB_WEBHOOK_SECRET

Mention that GITHUB_APP_PRIVATE_KEY can be stored either as PEM contents with escaped newlines or as a base64-encoded PEM.

Redis / KV

Explain that Redis is optional. It improves resumable streams, stop signaling, and caching, but it is not required for the first deploy.

Deployment flow

Guide the user through this sequence:

  1. Fork the repo.
  2. Import it into Vercel at the repo root.
  3. Add the baseline env vars:
    • POSTGRES_URL
    • JWE_SECRET
    • ENCRYPTION_KEY
  4. Deploy once to get a stable production URL.
  5. Create the Vercel OAuth app using that production URL.
  6. Add NEXT_PUBLIC_VERCEL_APP_CLIENT_ID and VERCEL_APP_CLIENT_SECRET.
  7. Redeploy.
  8. If the user wants the full GitHub flow, create the GitHub App using the production URL, add the GitHub env vars, and redeploy again.
  9. Optionally add Redis/KV and the production URL vars.

If the user already has a custom domain ready, it is fine to use that domain from the start instead of the default vercel.app production URL.

First-run verification

For a minimal deploy, walk the user through:

  1. Open the production site.
  2. Sign in with Vercel.
  3. Confirm they land in the app successfully.
  4. Create a session and confirm the basic UI loads.

For the full deploy, also verify:

  1. GitHub account linking works.
  2. GitHub App installation completes.
  3. Installations or repos appear in the UI.
  4. A repo-backed session can start.
  5. The sandbox starts and the agent can work in the repo.

If something fails, identify the missing credential or callback mismatch instead of giving generic advice.

Response format

When helping a user, prefer this structure:

  1. Target scope — minimal or full.
  2. Credential checklist — grouped into required now vs optional later.
  3. How to get each missing credential — short, concrete instructions.
  4. Deploy steps — only the next actions the user should take.
  5. Verification — what to click/test after deploy.
  6. Next upgrades — Redis, GitHub, voice, custom domain, snapshot override, only if relevant.

Be concise. Keep the user moving toward the next unblocker.

FAQ

What does the deploy-open-harness skill do?

Guides a user through collecting the credentials needed to deploy their own copy of Open Harness, deploying this repo on Vercel, and completing first-run setup. Use for requests about deploying, self-hosting, configuring credentials, or getting started with a fork of this app.

How do I install deploy-open-harness?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/vercel-labs/open-agents --skill deploy-open-harness in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/deploy-open-harness/ (personal) or .claude/skills/deploy-open-harness/ (project).

Which AI agents can use deploy-open-harness?

Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.

Is deploy-open-harness safe to install?

No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.

Who maintains deploy-open-harness?

It is published by vercel-labs in vercel-labs/open-agents, and it is an official skill from the maker of the technology it covers. It has 152 recorded installs.

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