Expert-level Kamal deployment guidance for deploying containerized applications to any server. Use this skill when users ask about Kamal, container deployment, zero-downtime deployments, deploying Rails/web apps to VPS/cloud servers, kamal setup, kamal deploy, Docker deployment without Kubernetes, or deploying to Hetzner/DigitalOcean/AWS with Kamal. Also use when users mention DHH's deployment tool, 37signals deployment, or want an alternative to Heroku/Render/Vercel with self-hosted infrastructure.
View on GitHubplugins/basics/skills/kamal-deploy/SKILL.md
February 1, 2026
Select agents to install to:
npx add-skill https://github.com/nityeshaga/claude-code-essentials/blob/main/plugins/basics/skills/kamal-deploy/SKILL.md -a claude-code --skill kamal-deployInstallation paths:
.claude/skills/kamal-deploy/# Kamal Deploy Expert Expert guidance for deploying applications with Kamal - DHH's zero-downtime deployment tool from 37signals. ## Step 1: Fetch Latest Documentation (MANDATORY) **BEFORE answering ANY Kamal question, you MUST use the WebFetch tool to get current documentation.** The docs below may be outdated - always fetch fresh docs first. Execute these WebFetch calls in parallel: 1. `WebFetch(url: "https://kamal-deploy.org/docs/installation/", prompt: "Extract complete installation and setup guide")` 2. `WebFetch(url: "https://kamal-deploy.org/docs/configuration/overview/", prompt: "Extract all configuration options and deploy.yml structure")` 3. `WebFetch(url: "https://kamal-deploy.org/docs/commands/view-all-commands/", prompt: "Extract all Kamal commands and usage")` 4. `WebFetch(url: "https://kamal-deploy.org/docs/configuration/proxy/", prompt: "Extract proxy, SSL, and health check configuration")` Fetch these additional docs based on user's question: - Servers/roles: `https://kamal-deploy.org/docs/configuration/servers/` - Accessories (DB, Redis): `https://kamal-deploy.org/docs/configuration/accessories/` - Environment variables: `https://kamal-deploy.org/docs/configuration/environment-variables/` - Docker build options: `https://kamal-deploy.org/docs/configuration/builders/` - Deployment hooks: `https://kamal-deploy.org/docs/hooks/overview/` - Upgrading v1→v2: `https://kamal-deploy.org/docs/upgrading/overview/` **Only after fetching fresh docs, use the reference material below as supplementary context.** ## What is Kamal? Kamal deploys containerized apps to any server via SSH + Docker. Created by 37signals (DHH's company) to deploy Basecamp, HEY, and other apps. **Core architecture:** - SSHs into servers, installs Docker automatically - Builds app into Docker container - Pushes to registry (Docker Hub, GHCR, etc.) - Pulls and runs on target servers - kamal-proxy handles routing, SSL (Let's Encrypt), zero-downtime **Mental model:** Hetzner/Dig