What I Do

I debug the deployment pipeline for this specific repo:

•.github/workflows/build-and-deploy.yml
•GCS buckets: dev.briananderson.xyz, briananderson.xyz
•E2E tests: Playwright on Chromium
•PostHog analytics integration

Pipeline Architecture

code

push to main → build job → deploy-dev → deploy-prod (manual)
                                          ↓
                                    E2E tests (dev)
                                          ↓
                                    smoke tests (prod)

My Debugging Process

1. Quick Check

bash

gh run list --workflow=build-and-deploy.yml --limit=5 --json conclusion,status,displayTitle

2. Identify Failing Job

•build: PostHog secrets, TypeScript check, build, UI tests
•deploy-dev: GCS upload, Playwright E2E tests
•deploy-prod: GCS upload, smoke tests, rollback on failure

3. Job-Specific Debugging

Build Job:

•Check PostHog secrets: gh secret list
•PostHog validation script: site/scripts/test:posthog
•TypeScript errors in build output

Deploy-Dev Job:

•GCS authentication: Check GCP workload identity
•
Playwright issues:
- •Install: npx playwright install chromium
- •Tests: Use PLAYWRIGHT_TEST_BASE_URL env var
- •Skip webServer in CI: process.env.CI
•DNS errors: dev.briananderson.xyz may not resolve

Deploy-Prod Job:

•Manual trigger via GitHub UI
•Approval required
•Auto-rollback on smoke test failure

4. Apply Fix Pattern

PostHog Issues:

bash

# Check secrets
gh secret list

# Add missing secrets via GitHub UI or CLI
gh secret set PUBLIC_POSTHOG_KEY
gh secret set PUBLIC_POSTHOG_HOST

Playwright Issues:

bash

# CLI syntax error - use env var, not --base-url flag
env:
  PLAYWRIGHT_TEST_BASE_URL: https://dev.briananderson.xyz
run: npx playwright test

# Disable webServer in CI (playwright.config.ts)
webServer: process.env.CI ? undefined : { ... }

DNS Resolution:

•Make E2E tests optional with continue-on-error: true
•Or set up DNS for dev/prod domains

5. Push and Monitor

bash

git add .github/workflows/build-and-deploy.yml
git commit -m "fix: <description>"
git push origin main

# Wait for run
sleep 30
gh run list --workflow=build-and-deploy.yml --limit=2

6. Verify Deployment

bash

# Check dev
curl -I https://dev.briananderson.xyz

# Check prod (after manual trigger)
curl -I https://briananderson.xyz

Known Issues & Solutions

Issue	Solution
PostHog secrets missing	Add `PUBLIC_POSTHOG_KEY`, `PUBLIC_POSTHOG_HOST` via GitHub UI
`error: unknown option '--base-url=...'`	Use `PLAYWRIGHT_TEST_BASE_URL` env var instead
`Cannot find package '@playwright/test'`	Install deps in deploy job before running tests
`net::ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED`	Add `continue-on-error: true` to E2E test step
Timeout on Playwright install	Accept ~6 min download time, no fix needed

Testing Locally

bash

cd site
pnpm run validate
pnpm run build
pnpm preview -- --host
npx playwright test --base-url=http://localhost:4173

Manual Deploy to Prod

•Go to: Actions → Build and Deploy workflow
•Click "Run workflow"
•Check "deploy_prod" checkbox
•Approve when prompted

Manual Rollback

•Go to: Actions → Build and Deploy workflow
•Click "Run workflow"
•Check "rollback" checkbox
•Select target: dev or prod

When to Use Me

User asks: "My deployment pipeline is broken" User asks: "The workflow is stuck" User asks: "Tests are failing in CI"

Then load this skill and run through the debugging process.