Safe Deploy Pipeline v2

Overview

A deploy without gates is a deploy with hope. Hope is not a strategy.

Core principle: Every project needs a multi-gate deploy pipeline. Code passes through syntax → tests → i18n → build → verify → deploy, with hard stops at each gate. No gate skipping. No "it'll be fine."

[!CAUTION] March 2026 Incident: 572 backend tests passed green while app.js had catastrophic syntax errors → white screen in production. This pipeline exists because test:gate alone was NOT enough.

The Iron Law

NO DEPLOY WITHOUT PASSING ALL GATES.
GATES ARE SEQUENTIAL. EACH MUST PASS BEFORE THE NEXT RUNS.
SYNTAX CHECK IS GATE 1. IF IT FAILS, NOTHING ELSE RUNS.

When to Use

ALWAYS when:

• Setting up a new project's deployment infrastructure
• A project has no test gate before deploy
• Project deploys directly from git push
• After a production incident caused by untested code
• Adding CI/CD to an existing project

The 8-Gate Pipeline

digraph pipeline {
    rankdir=LR;
    gate0 [label="Gate 0\nSecret\nHygiene", shape=box, style=filled, fillcolor="#ffc0cb"];
    gate05 [label="Gate 0.5\nSecurity\nScan", shape=box, style=filled, fillcolor="#f0b3ff"];
    gate1 [label="Gate 1\nSyntax", shape=box, style=filled, fillcolor="#ffcccc"];
    gate2 [label="Gate 2\nTest\nSuite", shape=box, style=filled, fillcolor="#ffe0cc"];
    gate3 [label="Gate 3\ni18n\nParity", shape=box, style=filled, fillcolor="#e0ccff"];
    gate4 [label="Gate 4\nBuild", shape=box, style=filled, fillcolor="#ffffcc"];
    gate5 [label="Gate 5\nDist\nVerify", shape=box, style=filled, fillcolor="#ccffcc"];
    gate6 [label="Gate 6\nDeploy +\nSmoke", shape=box, style=filled, fillcolor="#cce5ff"];
    fail [label="STOP\nFix first", shape=box, style=filled, fillcolor="#ff9999"];

    gate0 -> gate05 [label="pass"];
    gate0 -> fail [label="fail"];
    gate05 -> gate1 [label="pass"];
    gate05 -> fail [label="fail"];
    gate1 -> gate2 [label="pass"];
    gate1 -> fail [label="fail"];
    gate2 -> gate3 [label="pass"];
    gate2 -> fail [label="fail"];
    gate3 -> gate4 [label="pass"];
    gate3 -> fail [label="fail"];
    gate4 -> gate5 [label="pass"];
    gate4 -> fail [label="fail"];
    gate5 -> gate6 [label="pass"];
    gate5 -> fail [label="fail"];
}

---

Gate 0: Secret Hygiene (FASTEST FAIL — < 0.5 seconds)

[!CAUTION] March 2026 Security Incident: SUPABASE_SERVICE_KEY was accidentally committed to wrangler.jsonc. This exposed a service-role key that bypasses Row Level Security in git history. Gate 0 prevents this from ever reaching the remote.

The Rule: Where Each Variable Lives

Variable Type	Correct Location	WRONG Location
Supabase URL (public)	wrangler.jsonc vars section	❌ Hardcoded in code
SUPABASE_SERVICE_KEY	Cloudflare Secret (wrangler secret put)	❌ wrangler.jsonc
SUPABASE_ANON_KEY	Cloudflare Secret	❌ wrangler.jsonc
DB connection strings	Cloudflare Secret	❌ Anywhere in repo
Local dev secrets	.dev.vars (gitignored)	❌ wrangler.jsonc
Build config (non-secret)	wrangler.jsonc	—

Secret Hygiene Check (Enhanced — Repo-Wide):

Calls cm-secret-shield Layer 4 for deep scanning. Below is the essential check:

node -e "
const fs = require('fs');
const { execSync } = require('child_process');

// 1. Check wrangler config for secrets
const wranglerFiles = ['wrangler.jsonc', 'wrangler.toml', 'wrangler.json'];
const dangerous = ['SERVICE_KEY', 'ANON_KEY', 'DB_PASSWORD', 'SECRET_KEY', 'PRIVATE_KEY', 'API_SECRET'];
let failed = false;

for (const wf of wranglerFiles) {
  if (!fs.existsSync(wf)) continue;
  const src = fs.readFileSync(wf, 'utf-8');
  for (const key of dangerous) {
    // Check for actual values, not just variable names
    const valuePattern = new RegExp(key + '\\\\s*[=:]\\\\s*[\"\'][a-zA-Z0-9/+=]{20,}', 'g');
    if (valuePattern.test(src)) {
      console.error('❌ DANGEROUS: ' + wf + ' contains a ' + key + ' VALUE');
      console.error('  Fix: wrangler secret put ' + key + ' (then remove from ' + wf + ')');
      failed = true;
    }
  }
}

// 2. Check .gitignore has required patterns
if (fs.existsSync('.gitignore')) {
  const gi = fs.readFileSync('.gitignore', 'utf-8');
  const required = ['.env', '.dev.vars'];
  const missing = required.filter(r => !gi.includes(r));
  if (missing.length > 0) {
    console.error('❌ .gitignore missing: ' + missing.join(', '));
    failed = true;
  }
} else {
  console.error('❌ No .gitignore found!');
  failed = true;
}

// 3. Check .env files aren't tracked by git
try {
  const tracked = execSync('git ls-files', { encoding: 'utf-8' });
  const badFiles = ['.env', '.dev.vars', '.env.local', '.env.production'];
  const trackedBad = badFiles.filter(f => tracked.split('\\n').includes(f));
  if (trackedBad.length > 0) {
    console.error('❌ CRITICAL: Secret files tracked by git: ' + trackedBad.join(', '));
    console.error('   Fix: git rm --cached ' + trackedBad.join(' '));
    failed = true;
  }
} catch (e) { /* not a git repo */ }

if (failed) {
  console.error('\\n🛡️ Gate 0 FAILED. Fix issues above before deploying.');
  process.exit(1);
}
console.log('✅ Gate 0 passed: repo-wide secret hygiene verified');
"

Setup .dev.vars for local development:

# .dev.vars — local only, NEVER committed
SUPABASE_URL=https://YOUR_PROJECT.supabase.co
SUPABASE_SERVICE_KEY=YOUR_SERVICE_KEY

# Add to .gitignore:
echo ".dev.vars" >> .gitignore

# Commit the template:
cp .dev.vars .dev.vars.example  # Remove values first
git add .dev.vars.example

If secrets were already committed:

# Remove from git history (URGENT — do before pushing)
git filter-repo --path wrangler.jsonc --invert-paths  # Nuclear option
# OR just remove the value from wrangler.jsonc and add as secret:
wrangler secret put SUPABASE_SERVICE_KEY
# Then rotate the key immediately in Supabase dashboard

---

Gate 0.5: Security Scan (Snyk + Aikido — Parallel)

[!IMPORTANT] CodyMaster internal: This gate is MANDATORY. Both Snyk and Aikido must pass. User projects: This gate is SUGGESTED by default. Becomes MANDATORY if CVEs or risk flags were detected during development.

Run both scanners in parallel:

# Snyk — dependency vulnerabilities
snyk test

# Aikido — SAST + dependencies + secrets + IaC
aikido-api-client scan-release <repo> $(git rev-parse HEAD) \
  --minimum-severity-level="HIGH"

For CodyMaster (maximum strictness):

aikido-api-client scan-release <repo> $(git rev-parse HEAD) \
  --minimum-severity-level="HIGH" \
  --fail-on-sast-scan \
  --fail-on-secrets-scan

Gate decision:

• Both pass → proceed to Gate 1
• Either fails → STOP. Fix before continuing. Invoke cm-security-gate for remediation.

See cm-security-gate for full setup, flag reference, and remediation workflow.

---

Gate 1: Syntax Validation (FAST FAIL)

[!IMPORTANT] This gate runs in < 1 second and catches the EXACT class of errors that caused the March 2026 incident. Run it BEFORE the test suite (which takes 10-30s).

Stack	Command	What it checks
Vanilla JS	node -c path/to/app.js	JavaScript parse errors
TypeScript	npx tsc --noEmit	Type errors + syntax
Python	python -m py_compile app.py	Python syntax
Go	go vet ./...	Go static analysis

For frontend monoliths without TypeScript:

# Ultra-fast syntax check — fails in < 1s if broken
node -c public/static/app.js

Why separate from Gate 2?

• node -c takes < 1 second. Test suite takes 10-30 seconds.
• If syntax is broken, 100% of tests will fail anyway — but with confusing error messages.
• A fast syntax check gives you the EXACT line number of the error instantly.

REQUIRED SUB-SKILL: Use cm-quality-gate for parser-based validation inside the test suite (Layer 1).

---

Gate 2: Test Suite

The test suite MUST include:

Test Category	What it validates	Priority
Frontend safety	JS syntax, function integrity, corruption patterns	CRITICAL
Backend API	Routes return correct data	Required
Business logic	Calculations, rules, validation	Required
i18n sync	Translation key parity, orphaned keys	Required for multi-lang
Integration	End-to-end workflows	Recommended

Setup the test:gate script:

{
  "scripts": {
    "test:gate": "vitest run --reporter=verbose"
  }
}

Gate decision:

IF 0 failures → proceed to Gate 3
IF any failures → STOP. Fix before continuing.

REQUIRED SUB-SKILL: Use cm-quality-gate for enforcement discipline.

---

Gate 3: i18n Parity Check (for multi-language projects)

[!NOTE] Skip this gate if the project does not have i18n. For projects with i18n, this gate catches what test suites can miss: key drift between languages that causes blank strings in production.

# All language files must have identical key counts
node -e "
const fs = require('fs');
const path = require('path');
const I18N_DIR = 'public/static/i18n';
const langs = ['vi','en','th','ph'];
const results = {};
let allMatch = true;

for (const lang of langs) {
  const filePath = path.join(I18N_DIR, lang + '.json');
  const data = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(filePath, 'utf-8'));
  const flatKeys = JSON.stringify(data).split('\":').length - 1;
  results[lang] = flatKeys;
  console.log(lang + ': ' + flatKeys + ' keys');
}

const counts = Object.values(results);
if (new Set(counts).size !== 1) {
  console.error('❌ KEY PARITY FAILURE! Counts differ across languages.');
  console.error(JSON.stringify(results));
  process.exit(1);
} else {
  console.log('✅ Key parity: all languages have ' + counts[0] + ' keys');
}

// Check for null/empty values
let nullCount = 0;
for (const lang of langs) {
  const data = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(I18N_DIR, lang + '.json'), 'utf-8'));
  const check = (obj, prefix) => {
    for (const [k, v] of Object.entries(obj)) {
      if (k === '_meta') continue;
      if (typeof v === 'object' && v !== null) { check(v, prefix + '.' + k); continue; }
      if (v === null || v === undefined || v === '') {
        console.error('  ⚠ ' + lang + '.' + prefix + '.' + k + ' is null/empty');
        nullCount++;
      }
    }
  };
  check(data, lang);
}
if (nullCount > 0) {
  console.error('❌ Found ' + nullCount + ' null/empty translation values!');
  process.exit(1);
}
console.log('✅ No null/empty values');
"

What this catches:

• Keys added to vi.json but forgotten in en.json → blank strings for English users
• Null values from bad translation scripts → t() returns key name instead of translation
• Key count drift between languages → inconsistent UX

---

Gate 4: Build Verification

Production build must succeed without errors.

npm run build

What this catches that tests don't:

• Import resolution failures
• Tree-shaking errors
• Missing environment variables
• Asset compilation failures
• Bundle size explosions

Optional: Bundle size guard:

{
  "scripts": {
    "build:verify": "npm run build && node -e \"const s=require('fs').statSync('dist/_worker.js').size; if(s>2e6) {console.error('Bundle too large: '+s); process.exit(1)}\""
  }
}

---

Gate 5: Dist Asset Verification (NEW)

[!IMPORTANT] The build can "succeed" but produce an incomplete dist/ directory. This gate catches missing critical assets.

# Verify critical files exist in dist/
node -e "
const fs = require('fs');
const required = [
  'dist/_worker.js',
  'dist/static/app.js',
  'dist/static/style.css',
  'dist/static/i18n/vi.json',
  'dist/static/i18n/en.json',
  'dist/static/i18n/th.json',
  'dist/static/i18n/ph.json',
];
const missing = required.filter(f => !fs.existsSync(f));
if (missing.length > 0) {
  console.error('❌ Missing files in dist/:');
  missing.forEach(f => console.error('  ' + f));
  process.exit(1);
}
console.log('✅ All ' + required.length + ' critical files present in dist/');
"

Adapt required array to your project. At minimum, verify:

• Worker/server entry point exists
• Frontend JS/CSS files exist
• Translation files are copied
• Critical images/assets are present

---

Gate 6: Deploy + Post-Deploy Smoke Test

Only after Gates 1-5 pass.

Deploy command varies by platform:

Platform	Command
Cloudflare Pages	npx wrangler pages deploy dist/
Vercel	npx vercel --prod
Netlify	npx netlify deploy --prod

Post-deploy verification:

# Smoke test the deployed URL — must return 200
STATUS=$(curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" https://your-app.pages.dev)
if [ "$STATUS" != "200" ]; then
  echo "❌ POST-DEPLOY SMOKE TEST FAILED! Status: $STATUS"
  echo "⚠ Consider immediate rollback."
  exit 1
fi
echo "✅ Smoke test passed (HTTP $STATUS)"

---

Composing the Deploy Script

package.json (Recommended)

{
  "scripts": {
    "predeploy:syntax": "node -c public/static/app.js",
    "predeploy:i18n": "node scripts/check-i18n-parity.js",
    "predeploy:dist": "node scripts/verify-dist.js",
    "deploy": "npm run predeploy:syntax && npm run test:gate && npm run predeploy:i18n && npm run build && npm run predeploy:dist && YOUR_DEPLOY_COMMAND"
  }
}

Key insight: Chain gates with &&. If any gate fails, the chain stops immediately.

---

Rollback Protocol

When a deployment causes issues:

Severity	Action	Command
White screen (syntax)	Revert last commit, redeploy	git revert HEAD && npm run deploy
Broken translations	Revert JSON files, redeploy	git checkout HEAD~1 -- public/static/i18n/*.json && npm run deploy
API error	Revert server code, redeploy	git revert HEAD && npm run deploy
Partial breakage	Cherry-pick fix, deploy	Fix → test → deploy

Cloudflare Pages specific:

# Rollback to previous deployment
wrangler pages deployments list --project-name prms
wrangler pages deployment rollback <deployment-id> --project-name prms

---

Setting Up for a New Project

Step 1: Create test infrastructure

npm install -D vitest acorn

Step 2: Create package.json scripts

{
  "scripts": {
    "test:gate": "vitest run --reporter=verbose",
    "build": "YOUR_BUILD_COMMAND",
    "deploy": "node -c public/static/app.js && npm run test:gate && npm run build && YOUR_DEPLOY_COMMAND"
  }
}

Step 3: Add frontend safety tests

REQUIRED SUB-SKILL: Follow cm-quality-gate to create test file with all layers.

Step 4: Create deploy workflow

Create .agents/workflows/deploy.md.

---

Red Flags — STOP

• ❌ Deploying without running test:gate
• ❌ Skipping syntax check ("tests will catch it")
• ❌ Skipping build step ("tests passed so it'll build")
• ❌ Running tests and deploy in parallel
• ❌ "Tests passed last time" (run them NOW)
• ❌ "Only changed one file" (test everything)
• ❌ No frontend safety tests for JS projects
• ❌ No dist/ verification after build
• ❌ No post-deploy smoke test
• ❌ No i18n parity check for multi-language apps

Rationalization Table

Excuse	Reality
"Tests passed earlier"	Code changed since then. Run fresh.
"Build always works"	Until it doesn't. 30 seconds to verify.
"It's a one-line change"	One line broke 600 lines of app.js. Test it.
"CI will catch it"	CI runs AFTER push. Catch BEFORE push.
"Just a hotfix"	Hotfixes need MORE testing, not less.
"Syntax check is redundant"	node -c takes 0.5s and prevented the March 2026 disaster.
"i18n parity is overkill"	Missing keys → blank strings in production.
"dist/ is always complete"	Build tools can silently skip assets. Check.

Integration with Other Skills

Skill	When
cm-quality-gate	Setting up Gate 2 frontend tests and Test Gate
cm-secret-shield	Gate 0 calls Secret Shield Layer 4 for deep scanning
cm-safe-i18n	Adding i18n-specific gates
cm-terminal	Monitoring gate commands
cm-identity-guard	Gate 0 verifies deploy identity

The Bottom Line

6 gates. Sequential. Each must pass. No exceptions.

Syntax → Tests → i18n → Build → Dist Verify → Deploy + Smoke.

This is non-negotiable.