> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.mdcms.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# CI/CD Integration

> Automating schema sync and content deployment in pipelines

The MDCMS CLI is designed for headless operation in CI/CD pipelines. All commands accept configuration via environment variables, and interactive prompts are automatically skipped in non-TTY environments.

## Environment variables

Set these in your CI provider's secret management:

| Variable            | Description                                         |
| ------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- |
| `MDCMS_API_KEY`     | API key for authentication (replaces `mdcms login`) |
| `MDCMS_PROJECT`     | Target project slug                                 |
| `MDCMS_ENVIRONMENT` | Target environment name                             |
| `MDCMS_SERVER_URL`  | MDCMS server URL (overrides `mdcms.config.ts`)      |

The CLI also auto-loads `.env*` files before reading `mdcms.config.ts`. In CI, shell-exported variables from the `env:` block override values from files. Add `--no-env-file` to CLI commands, or set `MDCMS_DOTENV=0`, when the pipeline should rely only on CI-provided variables.

<Note>
  `NODE_ENV` only selects dotenv filenames such as `.env.production`. It is
  separate from `MDCMS_ENVIRONMENT`, which selects the MDCMS content environment
  targeted by schema sync, push, pull, and status commands.
</Note>

<Tip>
  Create a dedicated API key with minimal scopes for CI use. Schema sync
  requires `schema:read` and `schema:write`. Content push requires
  `content:write` and `content:read:draft`.
</Tip>

## GitHub Actions: Schema sync

Automatically sync the schema to the server whenever `mdcms.config.ts` changes on the main branch.

```yaml .github/workflows/mdcms-schema-sync.yml theme={null}
name: MDCMS Schema Sync

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
    paths:
      - "mdcms.config.ts"

jobs:
  schema-sync:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout repository
        uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Setup Bun
        uses: oven-sh/setup-bun@v2
        with:
          bun-version: latest

      - name: Install dependencies
        run: bun install --frozen-lockfile

      - name: Sync schema
        run: bunx mdcms schema sync
        env:
          MDCMS_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.MDCMS_API_KEY }}
          MDCMS_PROJECT: ${{ vars.MDCMS_PROJECT }}
          MDCMS_ENVIRONMENT: ${{ vars.MDCMS_ENVIRONMENT }}
          MDCMS_SERVER_URL: ${{ vars.MDCMS_SERVER_URL }}
```

## GitHub Actions: Content push

Push content changes to the server on every merge to main. The `--force` flag skips interactive prompts.

```yaml .github/workflows/mdcms-content-push.yml theme={null}
name: MDCMS Content Push

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
    paths:
      - "content/**"

jobs:
  content-push:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout repository
        uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Setup Bun
        uses: oven-sh/setup-bun@v2
        with:
          bun-version: latest

      - name: Install dependencies
        run: bun install --frozen-lockfile

      - name: Sync schema
        run: bunx mdcms schema sync
        env:
          MDCMS_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.MDCMS_API_KEY }}
          MDCMS_PROJECT: ${{ vars.MDCMS_PROJECT }}
          MDCMS_ENVIRONMENT: ${{ vars.MDCMS_ENVIRONMENT }}
          MDCMS_SERVER_URL: ${{ vars.MDCMS_SERVER_URL }}

      - name: Push content
        run: bunx mdcms push --force
        env:
          MDCMS_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.MDCMS_API_KEY }}
          MDCMS_PROJECT: ${{ vars.MDCMS_PROJECT }}
          MDCMS_ENVIRONMENT: ${{ vars.MDCMS_ENVIRONMENT }}
          MDCMS_SERVER_URL: ${{ vars.MDCMS_SERVER_URL }}
```

<Note>
  Schema sync runs before content push to ensure the schema hash is available.
  Push requires a valid schema hash from a prior sync.
</Note>

## Status check

Use `mdcms status` as a CI gate. The command exits with code `1` when drift is detected, making it suitable for blocking deployments.

```yaml theme={null}
- name: Check sync status
  run: bunx mdcms status
  env:
    MDCMS_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.MDCMS_API_KEY }}
    MDCMS_PROJECT: ${{ vars.MDCMS_PROJECT }}
    MDCMS_ENVIRONMENT: ${{ vars.MDCMS_ENVIRONMENT }}
    MDCMS_SERVER_URL: ${{ vars.MDCMS_SERVER_URL }}
```

This step fails the workflow if local content or schema is out of sync with the server.

## Schema drift detection

Prevent deployments when the local schema definition has diverged from the server. This is useful as a pull request check to ensure schema changes are synced before merging.

```yaml .github/workflows/mdcms-drift-check.yml theme={null}
name: MDCMS Drift Check

on:
  pull_request:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  drift-check:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout repository
        uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Setup Bun
        uses: oven-sh/setup-bun@v2
        with:
          bun-version: latest

      - name: Install dependencies
        run: bun install --frozen-lockfile

      - name: Check for drift
        run: bunx mdcms status
        env:
          MDCMS_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.MDCMS_API_KEY }}
          MDCMS_PROJECT: ${{ vars.MDCMS_PROJECT }}
          MDCMS_ENVIRONMENT: ${{ vars.MDCMS_ENVIRONMENT }}
          MDCMS_SERVER_URL: ${{ vars.MDCMS_SERVER_URL }}
```

<Warning>
  If `mdcms status` reports drift on a pull request, the author should run
  `mdcms schema sync` and `mdcms push` locally before merging, or include the
  schema sync step in the merge workflow.
</Warning>