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

# Usage

> How to use the SimpleHost skill with your AI agent

## Natural Language

Just tell your agent what to publish. The skill triggers automatically on phrases like:

* "Publish this project"
* "Deploy my dist folder"
* "Give me a live URL for this"
* "Host this HTML file"
* "Make this site live"
* "Share this as a website"
* "Update my site"

## Slash Command

You can also invoke the skill directly:

```
/simplehost ./dist
```

Or without arguments (the skill will auto-detect what to publish):

```
/simplehost
```

## Examples

### Publish a project

```
You: "Publish my project to the web"

Agent: I'll publish the ./dist directory to SimpleHost.
       📦 Scanning files... Found 15 files
       ⬆️  Uploading 15 files...
       ✅ Published!

       🔗 https://bright-canvas-a7k2.simplehost.dev/
```

### Update an existing site

```
You: "Update my site with the latest changes"

Agent: I'll update bright-canvas-a7k2 with the new build.
       📦 Scanning files... Found 15 files
       Skipped 12 files (unchanged)
       ⬆️  Uploading 3 files...
       ✅ Updated!

       🔗 https://bright-canvas-a7k2.simplehost.dev/
```

### First-time publish (no account)

```
You: "Publish this site"

Agent: 📦 Scanning files... Found 15 files
       ⬆️  Uploading 15 files...
       ✅ Published!

       🔗 https://bright-canvas-a7k2.simplehost.dev/

       ⚠️ This link expires in 24 hours. Want me to make it
       permanent? It's free — I just need your email.

You: "yes, use me@example.com"

Agent: Check your email for a code (XXXX-XXXX).

You: "ABCD-1234"

Agent: ✅ Done! Your site is now permanent.
       From now on, all publishes are permanent automatically.
```

### Publish blocked because a private key was found

```text theme={null}
You: "Publish this site"

Agent: I found a private key in your website files. If I publish it like this,
       other people could see it and misuse it.

       I can secure it for you before publishing, and I will not change your
       original project files. Would you like me to do that?

You: "yes"

Agent: Perfect. I’ll first check whether secure browser-side secret handling is
       available on this SimpleHost deployment.

       If it is, I’ll secure the published version and keep your original files
       untouched.
```

### If secure browser-side secret handling is unavailable

```text theme={null}
Agent: I found a private key in your website files, and SimpleHost will not
       publish it publicly in that form.

       This deployment does not currently allow browser-facing secret proxying,
       so I can’t safely publish this project with the secret in place.

       Your original local files are still untouched.
```

### If the user says no

```text theme={null}
Agent: I can’t safely publish this version because it contains private keys
       that would be publicly visible. If you want, I can secure it first and
       then publish it for you.
```

### Ask a product question

```text theme={null}
You: "Where do I manage secrets in the dashboard?"

Agent: Open the Sites page, find your site, click the three dots on the right,
       then choose Manage Secrets.

       That opens the Secrets & Proxy panel for that site, where you can store
       secret values and approve which external hosts the site can connect to.
```

```text theme={null}
You: "Why was my publish blocked?"

Agent: SimpleHost found something in your website files that looks like a
       private key. Because website files are public, it blocked the publish
       to keep that key from being exposed.

       If secure browser-side secret handling is available, I can help secure
       the published version without changing your original local files.
```

## Auto-Detection

When you don't specify a directory, the skill looks for common build outputs:

1. `dist/` — Vite, Rollup, Parcel
2. `build/` — Create React App, Webpack
3. `out/` — Next.js static export
4. `public/` — Static files
5. `.next/out/` — Next.js

If none are found, the agent asks you what to publish.

## Tips

<Tip>
  Set `SIMPLEHOST_API_KEY` in your shell profile so the skill can publish permanently without asking for authentication each time.
</Tip>

* The skill remembers the slug from the last publish in the conversation, so "update my site" works without specifying the slug again
* You can publish single files too — the skill creates a temporary directory automatically
* The skill works with any file type: HTML, images, PDFs, videos, ZIP files, etc.
* If a publish is blocked because a secret was detected, the agent should explain it in plain language and ask permission before securing anything