Node.js >=22.13.0
Portable: Windows, macOS, or Linux; no Bash required
Managed Linux: managed Linux runtime with Bash, flock, curl, sha256sum, and GNU timeout
Git is required only for publishing

Sites Lifecycle

The Sites initializer copies the shared starter and selects managed-linux only when SITES_MANAGED_LINUX_CONTAINER=1; otherwise it selects portable. It saves the selection only in ignored .sites-runtime/execution-profile.json. Both profiles copy/configure first, then use the plugin's separate install-dependencies.mjs step to measure installation independently. Edit source under app/ and follow the Sites skill for installation, preview, builds, and publishing.

Whenever reopening or moving a checkout, run node <plugin-root>/scripts/configure-execution-profile.mjs before project commands. Profile changes do not alter tracked source or require reinstalling otherwise-valid dependencies; restart an existing preview to use the new selection. Do not commit or upload .sites-runtime/.

This starter does not use wrangler.jsonc.

install:ci runs npm ci once against the shared lockfile, disables parent-workspace discovery, and includes required dev/optional dependencies despite production/omit settings. Sharp defaults to prebuilt binaries unless explicitly configured otherwise. Do not overlap installers.

Portable: Preserve host HOME, npm cache, registry, proxy, temporary paths, retry/concurrency settings, and lifecycle-script policy. Use --prefer-offline --no-audit --no-fund.
Managed Linux: Use the existing project-local HOME/cache/tmp setup and Linux install lock, tarball preflight, and timeout. Restore the image-seeded npm cache only when its lockfile hash matches; retain network fallback. Builds keep their existing timeout. These helpers are not invoked by the portable profile.

scripts/sites-env.mjs preserves the caller's HOME, npm cache, proxy, XDG, and temporary-directory configuration while defaulting Wrangler and Miniflare state to the checkout. If npm reports an unwritable cache, select a writable path with npm_config_cache for that install. The dev and start scripts also keep Wrangler logs inside the checkout. Generated .sites-runtime/ and .wrangler/ directories are disposable and ignored by Git.

On portable, npm run dev uses vinext dev with HMR, starting at port 5173. Vinext records the running server in ignored .vinext/ state, rejects an ordinary duplicate launch, and recovers stale state after a stopped process; exactly simultaneous starts can race. Pass --port <port> or --hostname <host> after npm run dev -- when needed; keep portable previews on loopback.

On managed Linux, use sites-preview start only for requested browser QA. The project's dev script runs Vite and accepts the supervisor's --host 0.0.0.0 --port 4173 --strictPort arguments. The internal browser uses http://terminal.local:4173/; it is not a user-facing URL. The supervisor owns the preview lifecycle. The ignored local profile survives the supervisor's cleared process environment.

The portable profile simulates ChatGPT sign-in only for loopback development requests. Visit /signin-with-chatgpt?return_to=/ to sign in as local_seedy (seedy@sites.test, display name Seedy) and /signout-with-chatgpt?return_to=/ to sign out. The development cookie preserves that identity across server restarts. Mock auth is disabled in the managed-linux profile and is not included in production builds; hosted authentication remains dispatch-owned.

The Worker uses vinext/server/fetch-handler, including Vinext's config-aware image handling. After building, npm start runs that Worker locally through Wrangler on 127.0.0.1, sharing .wrangler/state with dev preview and local D1 migrations; it does not deploy the site or simulate sign-in. Use the URL printed by the server. Pass npm start -- --port <port> to select a different built-preview port.

Local previews use Miniflare's placeholder Request.cf metadata without a network lookup. Set CLOUDFLARE_CF_FETCH_ENABLED=true to opt into fetching preview metadata; this setting does not change hosted request metadata.

Local tool usage metrics are disabled by default. Set WRANGLER_SEND_METRICS=true to opt in.

Included Shape

edit site code under app/
app/chatgpt-auth.ts provides optional dispatch-owned ChatGPT sign-in helpers
.openai/hosting.json declares optional Sites D1 and R2 bindings
vite.config.ts simulates declared bindings for local development
db/index.ts reads the D1 binding from the Cloudflare Worker environment
db/schema.ts starts intentionally empty
@cloudflare/workers-types provides Worker types; cloudflare-env.d.ts declares optional DB/BUCKET bindings—update these declarations if binding names change
examples/d1/ contains an optional D1 example surface
drizzle.config.ts supports local migration generation when needed

Workspace Auth Headers

Signed-in visitors receive both oai-authenticated-user-id and oai-authenticated-user-email. Private Sites require every visitor to sign in; public Sites may also have anonymous visitors, for whom neither header is present.

The user ID is stable for the same user on the same Site and different across Sites. Use it as the durable user key; use email and name for display or contact purposes.

SIWC-authenticated workspace sites may also receive oai-authenticated-user-full-name when the user's SIWC profile has a non-empty name claim. The full-name value is percent-encoded UTF-8 and is accompanied by oai-authenticated-user-full-name-encoding: percent-encoded-utf-8.

Treat the full name as optional and fall back to email when it is absent:

import { headers } from "next/headers";

export default async function Home() {
  const requestHeaders = await headers();
  const userId = requestHeaders.get("oai-authenticated-user-id");
  const email = requestHeaders.get("oai-authenticated-user-email");
  const encodedFullName = requestHeaders.get("oai-authenticated-user-full-name");
  const fullName =
    encodedFullName &&
    requestHeaders.get("oai-authenticated-user-full-name-encoding") ===
      "percent-encoded-utf-8"
      ? decodeURIComponent(encodedFullName)
      : null;

  const displayName = fullName ?? email;
  // ...
}

Import the ready-to-use helpers from app/chatgpt-auth.ts when the site needs optional or required ChatGPT sign-in:

Use getChatGPTUser() for optional signed-in UI.
Use the returned userId as the stable user key for user-owned records; do not use email as a durable identifier.
Use requireChatGPTUser(returnTo) for server-rendered pages that should send anonymous visitors through Sign in with ChatGPT.
In a Server Component, start sign-in with <a href={chatGPTSignInPath(returnTo)} target="_top">. The auth helper module is server-only; do not import it into a Client Component.
Do not use fetch, XHR, a client-side router, or a framework link that can prefetch the sign-in route. SIWC must start as a top-level navigation.
Never request the AuthAPI authorization endpoint directly. The dispatch-owned /signin-with-chatgpt route must start the SIWC flow.
Use chatGPTSignOutPath(returnTo) for browser sign-out links or actions.
Pass a same-origin relative returnTo path for the destination after sign-in or sign-out. The helper validates and safely encodes it.
Mark protected pages with export const dynamic = "force-dynamic" because they depend on per-request identity headers.

Dispatch owns /signin-with-chatgpt, /signout-with-chatgpt, /callback, the OAuth cookies, and identity header injection. Do not implement app routes for those reserved paths. Routes that do not import and call the helper remain anonymous-compatible.

SIWC establishes identity only; it does not prove workspace membership. Use the Sites hosting platform's access policy controls for workspace-wide restrictions, or enforce explicit server-side membership or allowlist checks.

Use SIWC for account pages, user-specific dashboards, saved records, and write actions tied to the current ChatGPT user. Leave public content anonymous.

Local D1 migrations

For a D1-backed local preview, generate SQL with npm run db:generate. Build once through the Sites skill's build entrypoint (or npm run build for standalone use) to generate dist/server/wrangler.json, rebuilding if bindings change. From the project root, apply each pending migration in order:

node --import ./scripts/sites-env.mjs ./node_modules/wrangler/bin/wrangler.js d1 execute DB --local --config dist/server/wrangler.json --persist-to .wrangler/state --file drizzle/0000_example.sql

Replace the filename with the pending migration and DB with your D1 binding name if different. Use .wrangler/state, not .wrangler/state/v3; Wrangler adds the versioned directories. Do not replay migrations already applied locally. This updates only the preview database; publishing applies production migrations separately.

Diagnostic Commands

npm run install:ci: perform the one locked dependency install
npm run dev: start the Vite/Vinext development server
npm run build: build the deployable Sites artifact
npm run start: preview the built Worker locally with D1/R2 support
npm run db:generate: generate Drizzle migrations after schema changes

When using the Sites plugin, follow its skill instructions for installation, builds, and publishing. These npm commands remain available for standalone use.

The portable build runs Vinext directly without a host timeout command. The managed-linux build uses scripts/build-verified.sh and its existing SITES_BUILD_TIMEOUT setting.

README.md

vinext-starter

Prerequisites

Sites Lifecycle

Included Shape

Workspace Auth Headers

Optional Dispatch-Owned ChatGPT Sign-In

Local D1 migrations

Diagnostic Commands

Learn More