> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://argos-ci.com/docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://argos-ci.com/docs/learn/deployments/use-deployments-in-ci.md).

# Use deployments in CI

Running `argos deploy` from CI is the most common setup: a new deployment is created on every push to a pull request, and the deployment link appears in the PR comment alongside Argos visual tests.

This page walks through a GitHub Actions setup for Storybook. The same pattern works for any static build and any CI provider.

### Prerequisites

* A static build step that produces a directory (for Storybook: `npm run build-storybook` → `storybook-static/`).
* An `ARGOS_TOKEN` available as a CI secret. You can also use [GitHub OIDC](/docs/learn/integrations/github-oidc-authentication.md) or [tokenless authentication](/docs/learn/integrations/github-tokenless-authentication.md) to avoid managing a secret.

### GitHub Actions example

{% code title=".github/workflows/argos-deploy.yml" %}

```yaml
name: Deploy Storybook to Argos

on:
  pull_request:
  push:
    branches:
      - main

jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v6
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v6
      - run: npm ci
      - run: npm run build-storybook
      - run: npx --no-install argos deploy ./storybook-static
        env:
          ARGOS_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.ARGOS_TOKEN }}
```

{% endcode %}

A few notes:

* The workflow listens to both `pull_request` and `push` to `main`. Pull request runs produce **preview** deployments; pushes to `main` produce **production** deployments (because `main` matches the default production branch pattern—see [Environments](/docs/learn/deployments/environments.md)).
* `actions/checkout` gives Argos the commit SHA and branch it needs to associate the deployment with the right pull request.
* The `ARGOS_TOKEN` is the project token from **Settings → General → Token**.

### Force a production deployment

If your production branch differs from your repository's default branch (or if you want to be explicit), pass the `--prod` flag:

```yaml
- run: npx --no-install argos deploy ./storybook-static --prod
  env:
    ARGOS_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.ARGOS_TOKEN }}
```

You can keep the same workflow for both preview and production by branching on the event:

```yaml
- name: Deploy
  run: |
    if [ "${{ github.event_name }}" = "push" ]; then
      npx --no-install argos deploy ./storybook-static --prod
    else
      npx --no-install argos deploy ./storybook-static
    fi
  env:
    ARGOS_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.ARGOS_TOKEN }}
```

### Combine with visual testing

The `deploy` and `upload` commands are independent: you can run both in the same workflow to get a deployment URL **and** Argos visual tests on the same commit.

```yaml
- run: npm run build-storybook
- run: npm run test:visual # Your usual Argos visual test job
  env:
    ARGOS_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.ARGOS_TOKEN }}
- run: npx --no-install argos deploy ./storybook-static
  env:
    ARGOS_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.ARGOS_TOKEN }}
```

Argos posts a single pull request comment that lists both the deployment URLs and the visual build results.

<figure><img src="/files/1c58f2730680577bba3c1fbd6fc7ebf36c94dad2" alt=""><figcaption><p><em>GitHub pull request comment showing both the deployment and the Argos visual build.</em></p></figcaption></figure>

### Status checks

Each deployment registers a commit status named `argos-deploy/<project>`. The status starts as **pending** when the upload begins and becomes **success** when the deployment is ready. You can require it in your branch protection rules if a missing deployment should block a merge.

### Other CI providers

The `argos deploy` command has no GitHub-specific behavior. To run it on another CI provider:

1. Build your static directory in your pipeline.
2. Set `ARGOS_TOKEN` as a secret.
3. Run `argos deploy <directory>` (add `--prod` for production).

Argos automatically detects the commit SHA, branch, and pull request number from the most common CI environment variables.

### Related

* [Deployments overview](/docs/learn/deployments.md)
* [Environments](/docs/learn/deployments/environments.md)
* [GitHub integration](/docs/learn/integrations/github-integration.md)
* [Argos CLI reference](/docs/sdks-reference/argos-command-line-interface-cli.md)


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