Setting Up Vercel
Vercel turns the code in your GitHub repo into a live website. You'll connect Vercel to GitHub, point it at your ARK repo, paste in the two Supabase values from the previous page, and click Deploy.
Two minutes.
Before you start
Make sure you have:
- A Vercel account (vercel.com) — sign up with GitHub for the smoothest setup.
- Accepted your GitHub repo invitation. Check your inbox for an email from GitHub titled "You've been invited to collaborate on arkteams/...". Click View invitation and click Accept invitation. Until you accept, Vercel can't see the repo.
- The Project URL and anon key from the Supabase page saved in your notes.
1. Sign in to Vercel with GitHub
If you signed up with GitHub already, skip this step.
- Go to vercel.com.
- Click Sign Up (or Log In if you have an account).
- Choose Continue with GitHub.
- GitHub will ask you to authorize Vercel. Click Authorize Vercel.
2. Import your ARK repo
- From your Vercel dashboard, click Add New... in the top right, then Project.
- You'll see a list titled Import Git Repository. Find your ARK
repo (e.g.,
arkteams/track-a1b2c3). - If you don't see it: click Adjust GitHub App Permissions (at the top of the list). GitHub opens in a new tab. Under Repository access, choose All repositories or Only select repositories and add your ARK repo. Click Save. Go back to Vercel — your repo will now appear.
- Click Import next to your repo.
3. Configure the project
Vercel shows a Configure Project screen.
- Project Name: Vercel suggests one based on the repo. Change it
if you want — this becomes your Vercel URL
(
my-crm.vercel.app). - Framework Preset: Vercel auto-detects this. It should say Next.js. If it doesn't, set it to Next.js manually.
- Root Directory: leave as
./(the default). - Build and Output Settings: leave as defaults.
4. Add environment variables
This is the most important step. Vercel needs to know your Supabase URL, your Supabase anon key, and your ARK license key.
Click Environment Variables to expand that section.
For each variable below, type the Name in the left field and paste the Value in the right field, then click Add.
| Name | Value |
|---|---|
VITE_SUPABASE_URL | Your Supabase Project URL (e.g., https://abcdefghijklmnop.supabase.co) |
VITE_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY | Your Supabase anon public key (the long eyJ... string) |
VITE_ARK_LICENSE_KEY | Your license key from the purchase email (e.g., ARK-A1B2-C3D4-E5F6-G7H8) |
If the product needs additional variables (e.g., a Slack token for Pulse, or a Resend key for Comms), the product's specific Installation page lists them. For the basic ARK setup, the three above are enough.
See Environment Variables for the full reference.
5. Deploy
Click the big Deploy button at the bottom.
Vercel installs dependencies, builds the site, and deploys it. This usually takes 1–2 minutes. You'll see a build log scrolling. When it finishes, you'll see fireworks and a screenshot of your live site.
Click Visit (or Continue to Dashboard then Visit) to open the site.
6. Note your live URL
You'll see a URL like https://my-crm.vercel.app (or
https://my-crm-corey-12345.vercel.app if Vercel added a suffix).
Save this URL. You need it for two things:
- To add it as the Site URL in Supabase (see the Supabase page).
- To bind your license key — your license activates against this domain on first load.
Optional: connect a custom domain
If you own a domain (e.g., crm.acme.com):
- In Vercel, go to your project → Settings → Domains.
- Click Add Domain, type your domain, click Add.
- Vercel shows you DNS records to add at your registrar (a CNAME or A record). Add them, save, wait a few minutes for DNS to propagate.
- Once verified, your site is live at the custom domain too.
What you should have now
- A live Vercel deployment at a
*.vercel.appURL - Three environment variables set in Vercel
- The site loads (even if it shows a "missing tables" error — that's the next page)