triggerdotdev · matt-aitken · May 2, 2025 · May 1, 2025
diff --git a/.changeset/wet-steaks-reflect.md b/.changeset/wet-steaks-reflect.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"trigger.dev": patch
+---
+
+If you pass a directory when calling deploy we validate it exists and give helpful hints
diff --git a/packages/cli-v3/src/commands/deploy.ts b/packages/cli-v3/src/commands/deploy.ts
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ import { spinner } from "../utilities/windows.js";
 import { login } from "./login.js";
 import { updateTriggerPackages } from "./update.js";
 import { setGithubActionsOutputAndEnvVars } from "../utilities/githubActions.js";
+import { isDirectory } from "../utilities/fileSystem.js";

 const DeployCommandOptions = CommonCommandOptions.extend({
  dryRun: z.boolean().default(false),
@@ -168,7 +169,24 @@ async function _deployCommand(dir: string, options: DeployCommandOptions) {
    await updateTriggerPackages(dir, { ...options }, true, true);
  }

-  const projectPath = resolve(process.cwd(), dir);
+  const cwd = process.cwd();
+  const projectPath = resolve(cwd, dir);
+
+  if (dir !== "." && !isDirectory(projectPath)) {
+    if (dir === "staging" || dir === "prod") {
+      throw new Error(`To deploy to ${dir}, you need to pass "--env ${dir}", not just "${dir}".`);
+    }
+
+    if (dir === "production") {
+      throw new Error(`To deploy to production, you need to pass "--env prod", not "production".`);
+    }
+
+    if (dir === "stg") {
+      throw new Error(`To deploy to staging, you need to pass "--env staging", not "stg".`);
+    }
+
+    throw new Error(`Directory "${dir}" not found at ${projectPath}`);
+  }

  const authorization = await login({
    embedded: true,