From 6933097afd048ad9ad77882debd11fe1f4832f86 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: ryanadmin <info@goryan.io>
Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2026 18:00:48 +0000
Subject: [PATCH] Add SAAC_DEPLOYMENT.md - deployment rules for AI agents

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 SAAC_DEPLOYMENT.md | 141 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 141 insertions(+)
 create mode 100644 SAAC_DEPLOYMENT.md

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+# SAAC Deployment — How Your App Gets Built
+
+> **READ THIS FIRST.** This file explains exactly how SAAC deploys your app.
+> Understanding this will save you hours of debugging.
+
+## The Build Process
+
+When you run `saac deploy`, the daemon executes these exact commands in your repo:
+
+```bash
+docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.saac.yml build
+docker compose -p saac-{uuid} -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.saac.yml up -d
+```
+
+**Your `docker-compose.yml` and `Dockerfile` ARE used.** The auto-generated `docker-compose.saac.yml` overlay ADDS labels, networks, and restart policy — it never replaces your config.
+
+## Required Files
+
+Your repo MUST have:
+1. `docker-compose.yml` — defines services (app, postgres, redis)
+2. `Dockerfile` — referenced by the build directive in compose
+
+## The 5 Rules
+
+### Rule 1: Use `expose`, NEVER `ports`
+
+Traefik reverse proxy handles all external routing. Host port bindings conflict with other apps.
+
+```yaml
+# WRONG — will conflict with other apps on the server
+ports:
+  - "3000:3000"
+
+# CORRECT — Traefik routes traffic to this port
+expose:
+  - "3000"
+```
+
+### Rule 2: Database host = service name, NOT localhost
+
+In Docker Compose, services talk to each other by service name.
+
+```yaml
+# WRONG — localhost means "inside this container" in Docker
+DATABASE_URL: postgresql://postgres:postgres@localhost:5432/mydb
+
+# CORRECT — "postgres" is the service name in docker-compose.yml
+DATABASE_URL: postgresql://postgres:postgres@postgres:5432/mydb
+
+# ALSO CORRECT — if using shared org database
+DATABASE_URL: postgresql://postgres:postgres@postgres.internal:5432/mydb
+```
+
+### Rule 3: Dockerfile must produce a running container
+
+```dockerfile
+FROM node:20-alpine
+WORKDIR /app
+COPY package*.json ./
+RUN npm install
+COPY . .
+# If TypeScript: RUN npm run build
+CMD ["node", "server.js"]
+```
+
+Key points:
+- `npm install` happens INSIDE the container (not on host)
+- `COPY . .` copies your source into the container
+- `CMD` must start your app
+- For TypeScript: add `RUN npm run build` before CMD, use `CMD ["node", "dist/server.js"]`
+
+### Rule 4: Keep it simple — iterate incrementally
+
+**Start with the working template, then add features one at a time.**
+
+DO NOT:
+- Replace Express with a full TypeScript/Prisma/monorepo stack in one commit
+- Create complex multi-stage Dockerfiles before the basic app works
+- Add workspace configurations before single-service works
+- Change the directory structure before deploying successfully once
+
+DO:
+- Get the template deploying first (`saac deploy`, verify with `saac logs`)
+- Add one feature, deploy, verify
+- Add the next feature, deploy, verify
+
+### Rule 5: .dockerignore should NOT exclude build outputs
+
+```
+# Good .dockerignore
+node_modules
+.git
+.env
+```
+
+Do NOT add `dist/` or `build/` — those are generated INSIDE the container by `RUN npm run build`. The .dockerignore only affects what gets COPIED into the build context.
+
+## Environment Variables
+
+Env vars set via `saac env set KEY=VALUE` are written to `.env` in your repo directory before build. Reference them in docker-compose.yml:
+
+```yaml
+environment:
+  - DATABASE_URL=${DATABASE_URL}
+```
+
+Or use `env_file: .env` on your service.
+
+## Two Containers Per App
+
+Every app gets:
+- **Production** (`yourapp.startanaicompany.com`) — immutable image, rebuilt on `saac deploy`
+- **Hot-reload** (`yourapp-hot.startanaicompany.com`) — volume-mounted source, auto-updates on `git push`
+
+## Debugging Commands
+
+```bash
+saac logs                              # Runtime logs
+saac logs --type build                 # Build/deploy logs
+saac exec "ls -la"                     # Run command in container
+saac exec "cat package.json"           # Check what's actually in the container
+saac db sql "SELECT * FROM users LIMIT 5"  # Query database
+saac db containers                     # List database containers
+```
+
+## Common Mistakes and Fixes
+
+| Mistake | Fix |
+|---------|-----|
+| `ports: "3000:3000"` | Change to `expose: ["3000"]` |
+| `DB_HOST=localhost` | Change to `DB_HOST=postgres` (service name) |
+| No Dockerfile | Create one (see Rule 3) |
+| TypeScript not compiling | Add `RUN npm run build` in Dockerfile |
+| `.dockerignore` has `dist/` | Remove it — dist is built inside container |
+| `npm start` undefined | Add `"start": "node server.js"` to package.json scripts |
+| Container exits immediately | Check `saac logs` — usually a missing env var or import error |
+| "ECONNREFUSED 127.0.0.1" | You're using localhost — change to the Docker service name |
+
+## Do NOT Add Traefik Labels
+
+The SAAC daemon handles Traefik routing automatically via file provider. Traefik Docker labels in your docker-compose.yml are **ignored**. You can remove them.