vercel pull Command Reference

Download project settings and environment variables from Vercel.

vercel pull retrieves a projects settings and environment variables into .vercel so a local or CI build uses the same configuration as the linked Vercel project.

What it does

vercel pull writes the projects build settings and the chosen environments variables into .vercel/.env and project.json. Running it before vercel build ensures the build environment matches the target Vercel environment exactly.

Common flags and usage

--environment=ENV: production, preview, or development
--yes: accept defaults and skip prompts
--token TOKEN: authenticate non-interactively
--git-branch BRANCH: pull env vars scoped to a branch
requires the project to be linked (VERCEL_ORG_ID, VERCEL_PROJECT_ID)

Example

shell

- name: Pull Vercel env
  env:
    VERCEL_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.VERCEL_TOKEN }}
    VERCEL_ORG_ID: ${{ secrets.VERCEL_ORG_ID }}
    VERCEL_PROJECT_ID: ${{ secrets.VERCEL_PROJECT_ID }}
  run: vercel pull --yes --environment=production --token "${VERCEL_TOKEN}"

In CI

Set VERCEL_ORG_ID and VERCEL_PROJECT_ID so the project is linked without an interactive vercel link, then run vercel pull --yes --environment=... before vercel build. Pass --token from secrets, and choose the environment that matches the deployment you are about to make.

Key takeaways

vercel pull syncs project settings and env vars into .vercel before a build.
Set VERCEL_ORG_ID and VERCEL_PROJECT_ID so CI links without prompts.
Match --environment to the deployment target for correct env vars.