Auto-deploy on push
Make Openship rebuild and ship your app automatically every time you push to GitHub — from the dashboard or the terminal.
Once your app is deployed, you don't want to click "Deploy" by hand every time you change something. Auto-deploy fixes that: you push your code to GitHub as usual, and Openship rebuilds and ships it for you. Think of it like a doorbell — every time you push, GitHub rings the bell, and Openship answers by shipping the new version.
That doorbell has a name: a webhook. A webhook is just a little message GitHub sends to Openship the instant you push, saying "new code is here" — so Openship can start building without you lifting a finger.
What you need first
- A project that's already linked to a GitHub repository (see Deploy from GitHub).
- A way for GitHub to reach Openship. That's either Openship on a public web address, or a verified domain on the project for direct delivery. More on this below — Openship tells you which one applies.
Turn it on from the dashboard
Open the project's Source tab
Go to your project and open the Source tab. Under Source Repository you'll find the deploy triggers for this repo.
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Flip on Auto Deploy
Find the Auto Deploy card and switch its toggle on. When it's on, the card reads Enabled and "Pushes trigger deployments automatically". When it's off, it reads Disabled and "Deployments must be started manually".
That's the whole thing — from now on, every git push to your deploy branch rebuilds and ships automatically.
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If Openship asks for a webhook endpoint
Sometimes Openship can't be reached from the public internet on its own (for example, you're running it on your laptop or a private network). When that's the case, you'll see an Enable auto-deploy notice telling you to set a webhook endpoint.
The fix is the Webhook Endpoint card. Pick one of your project's verified domains from the "Select domain..." menu. GitHub will then deliver push events straight to that domain. To stop using it later, open the same menu and choose Clear selection.
Don't see the Webhook Endpoint card?
This card only appears once the project has at least one verified domain. If you have none yet, you'll see just the Enable auto-deploy notice — attach and verify a domain first (see Custom domains), then come back and the card will be here. The menu only ever lists domains that belong to this project and are verified.
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Check the status
The Webhook card shows whether GitHub is actually reaching Openship: Active (or Direct, when it's going through your chosen domain) means events are getting through; Inactive means the webhook isn't set up or isn't responding yet. After your next push, this is the card to glance at.
Prefer the terminal?
Everything above works from the CLI too. You'll need the project's ID — run openship project list to find it.
# Turn auto-deploy on
openship project git auto-deploy <project-id> --enable
# Turn it off again
openship project git auto-deploy <project-id> --disable
# Deliver webhooks to a verified project domain (for private instances)
openship project git webhook-domain <project-id> deploy.yourapp.com
# Stop using that domain
openship project git webhook-domain <project-id> --clearHow the webhook gets wired (the short version)
You don't have to think about this, but here's what happens under the hood so nothing feels like magic. Openship picks the simplest delivery route that works for your setup:
- Public Openship — if your Openship API has a public web address, turning on Auto Deploy registers a webhook on your repo that points at
…/api/webhooks/github. GitHub calls it on every push. - Verified domain — if you set a Webhook Endpoint, GitHub delivers instead to
https://<your-domain>/_openship/hooks/github, which routes to Openship. This is the option for private or laptop installs. - Openship Cloud — with the Openship GitHub App installed, push events arrive through the app automatically; there's no per-repo webhook to manage.
In every case, Openship starts a fresh build from the commit you just pushed — the same build you'd get by clicking Deploy.
If something goes wrong
The Auto Deploy toggle won't turn on
You'll see an Enable auto-deploy notice, and the error reads "Set a webhook domain or expose this Openship API on a public URL to enable auto-deploy." GitHub has no way to reach Openship yet. Either put Openship on a public address, or set a Webhook Endpoint domain on the Source tab (see step 3).
“Domain must be verified before it can receive webhooks”
The domain you picked isn't verified yet, so Openship won't route webhooks to it. Verify the domain first (Custom domains), then select it again.
“Could not create webhook”
This means Openship couldn't add the webhook to your repository — usually because your GitHub connection doesn't have admin access to that repo. Reconnect GitHub and make sure the repository is included with full access, then toggle Auto Deploy again.
I pushed, but nothing deployed
Check the Webhook status card on the Source tab. If it says Inactive, delivery isn't reaching Openship — revisit the webhook endpoint above. Also confirm you pushed to the project's deploy branch; pushes to other branches are ignored.