Setting Up v0 Team-Template (Once + Per Center)

Goal: New center website project in a few minutes — without copying dashboard URL, revalidation secret, and register route each time. Fail-safe: Incorrect token or slug will be rejected by the cockpit.

Overview

Level	What	How often
Vercel Team	Shared Environment Variables	Once (you already have this)
v0 Team	Golden Project → Team-Template	Maintain once
Vercel Project	COCKPIT_REGISTER_TOKEN + COCKPIT_CENTER_SLUG	Per Center

Shared Env (Team, all projects):

Variable	Example
COCKPIT_DASHBOARD_URL	https://dashboard.cockpit-os.de
REVALIDATION_SECRET	as in Cockpit
COCKPIT_FRONTEND_CHANNEL	website

Per Project (only these two — the rest comes from the team):

Variable	Source
COCKPIT_REGISTER_TOKEN	Cockpit → Website Management → Frontend Channels (v0) → Generate Token
COCKPIT_CENTER_SLUG	Center slug in Cockpit (e.g., allen-center-trier) — must match the token

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Step 1 — Golden Project (Reference Project)

A v0/Vercel project that contains everything that every center needs:

1. Route app/api/cockpit-register/route.ts (from monorepo: apps/center-website/app/api/cockpit-register/route.ts)

2. Route app/api/revalidate/route.ts (for auto-update after publish)

3. Script scripts/cockpit-register-after-deploy.mjs (from apps/center-website/scripts/…)

4. In package.json:

   "prebuild": "node scripts/generate-fallback-json.mjs",
   "postbuild": "node scripts/cockpit-register-after-deploy.mjs"

   generate-fallback-json.mjs: Cockpit API → public/fallback/shops.json etc. (see Instruction Cockpit E).

5. v0 Instructions (Cockpit API, MCP) as in v0-Website A–Z

Deploy the golden project to Production once and test:

curl -X POST "https://<golden>.vercel.app/api/cockpit-register"

Expectation: JSON with success: true (if test token + test slug are set).

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Step 2 — Create v0 Team-Template

In v0 (Team Workspace):

1. Open the Golden Project (ready layout + routes + postbuild).
2. Menu ⋯ / Project settings → Publish / Save as team template (label in v0 may vary slightly).
3. Name for example Cockpit Center Website (Standard).
4. Save — from now on: New project → From team template.

Important: Template updates only affect new projects from the template, not automatically old deployments. Maintain the golden project and republish the template for major changes.

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Step 3 — New Center (Checklist)

1. Cockpit: Create center, note Slug.

2. v0: New project from Team Template.

3. Vercel: Link project (GitHub sawmuedev or similar) — link Shared Env (see below).

4. Vercel Project → Environment Variables (only project-specific):

   NEXT_PUBLIC_DASHBOARD_URL=https://dashboard.cockpit-os.de
   COCKPIT_REGISTER_TOKEN=frt_…
   COCKPIT_CENTER_SLUG=<slug-from-cockpit>

   This is in v0 Instructions Part A, Part C, Part J.

5. Production deploy — postbuild notifies the cockpit of the URL.

6. Cockpit → Frontend Channels (v0): Test connection; editorial work continues only in v0.

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Existing Vercel Projects (Retroactively)

The shared env from the team does not automatically apply to old projects.

1. Vercel → Project → Settings → Environment Variables
2. Link Shared Environment Variables → check COCKPIT_DASHBOARD_URL, REVALIDATION_SECRET, COCKPIT_FRONTEND_CHANNEL
3. Check project env: Are COCKPIT_REGISTER_TOKEN, COCKPIT_CENTER_SLUG, NEXT_PUBLIC_DASHBOARD_URL set?
4. Remove duplicate COCKPIT_DASHBOARD_URL / REVALIDATION_SECRET at project level (otherwise they overwrite Shared)
5. Production redeploy
6. v0: Re-copy Instructions Part A / C / J from the documentation (Env distribution)

Signage/Companion: If channel ≠ website, set COCKPIT_FRONTEND_CHANNEL project-specific (overwrites Shared).

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Fail-safe (What Can Go Wrong)

Error	Cause	Fix
COCKPIT_CENTER_SLUG missing	Slug not in Vercel	Enter slug from Cockpit
Token belongs to “X”, not to “Y”	Slug doesn't match the token center	Correct slug or token
Invalid register token	Token rotated/incorrect	Generate a new token, set it in Vercel, redeploy
Register OK, Revalidate missing	Route/Secret	revalidate route + REVALIDATION_SECRET (Team Shared linked)
API/Register despite Shared “missing”	Shared not linked or no redeploy	Link Shared + redeploy; check project token/slug

Token and slug are checked together — a token from Center A cannot accidentally overwrite Center B.

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Editorial (No IT Stress)

After step 3: Build in v0, transfer content to Cockpit via MCP. Go live: in v0 chat e.g. “Website ready, go live” (MCP publish_website_live) — see Go-Live.

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See Also

• v0-Website A–Z — F3 Deploy-Register
• v0 Deploy to Cockpit
• Go-Live DNS / Vercel / UD