Deploy from AI code generation tool

To deploy your project from an AI code generation tool, such as Bolt, Lovable, or Cursor, follow these steps and best practices. This doc is for people who have already built their project using an AI site or app builder. If you’re not sure which method to use, we recommend starting with the Drag and Drop method of deploying.

Before you begin

We recommend you create a Netlify account but you can also deploy your project first and then claim your deployment later. Creating an account first allows Netlify to help you troubleshoot deployment issues.

Need tips building your project?

If you need help building your project, check out our Build with AI docs.

Choose your deployment method

You can deploy to Netlify from any AI code generation tool by either using the Drag and Drop publisher, by sharing Netlify context with your AI tool, or by using the Netlify CLI directly.

Deployment method	Description	Optimized for
Drag and drop	Download your code files into a project folder, then drag and drop that folder into the Netlify Drop publisher.	Deploying from a local folder on your computer
Share Netlify context	Share Netlify context with your AI tool and then prompt your tool to deploy with Netlify or use the Netlify CLI directly.	Deploying from an AI code generation tool or the terminal
Netlify CLI	Use the CLI to create a project from a prompt or deploy without an account.	AI agents and automated workflows

Method 1: Drag and drop

1. If you haven’t already, create a Netlify account and stay signed into your Netlify team.
2. Download your code files from your AI code generation tool. You can ask your AI tool how to do this, or if that doesn’t help, look up their documentation.
3. Create a project folder for your code files if needed and move your code files into that folder.
4. Drag and drop that folder into the Netlify Drop.

Next time you want to deploy, you can drag and drop the same folder into the Netlify Drop Publisher to start a new manual deployment.

Have more questions? Check out the Drag and drop docs.

Method 2: Share Netlify context

1. Share Netlify deployment context with your AI tool. We recommend sharing both if they are both supported.

   • Share Netlify’s llms.txt URL at https://docs.netlify.com/llms.txt
   • Install the Netlify MCP Server

2. Once you’ve shared Netlify context, prompt your AI tool to deploy to Netlify. You can also use the Netlify CLI commands directly.

   Example deploy prompt:

   Deploy this project to Netlify. Ask me questions if you need more details.
   To help reduce complexity, explain as if I'm new to web development but
   still use the technical terms I'd need to understand for debugging,
   troubleshooting, and looking up more information.

Have more questions? Check out the Build with AI docs.

Checkpoint

Your AI tool should deploy your project to Netlify and share a Deploy Preview link and/or a link to your Netlify dashboard.

If your project is not deploying as expected, get help in these ways:

• Fix a failed deploy
• Build troubleshooting tips
• Ask Netlify AI

Method 3: Netlify CLI

The Netlify CLI offers commands designed for AI agents and automated workflows.

Create a project from a prompt

Use netlify create to generate, deploy, and download a new project from a natural language description:

netlify create "a landing page for a SaaS product with a waitlist signup"

This command uses Agent Runners to build the project, deploy it to a live URL, and download the code to your local machine.

Deploy without an account

Use the --allow-anonymous flag to deploy without logging in or creating a Netlify account:

netlify deploy --allow-anonymous

This creates a project with a live URL. You have one hour to claim ownership by logging in or creating a Netlify account. This is useful for AI agents that need to create temporary projects without requiring credentials. Note though that sites or app that use serverless functions or edge functions will require an account.

Learn more about these features in the Netlify CLI docs.

Next steps

Need help refining your project? See our Build with AI and Prototyping best practices guides.