# Journey Preflight

> Use before any Butterbase platform-touching action (or when journey-preflight is invoked directly) to verify the user has a Butterbase account, the MCP server is connected, BUTTERBASE_API_KEY is set, and an app_id exists for this project. Re-run automatically if docs/butterbase/03-preflight.md is older than 24h or any required value is null.

- Skill: `butterbase-ai/journey-preflight` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add butterbase-ai/journey-preflight`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/butterbase-ai/journey-preflight/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: AI & ML
- Author: butterbase-ai (https://skillmd.com/u/butterbase-ai)
- Updated: 2026-09-09
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/butterbase-ai/journey-preflight

---


# Butterbase Preflight

Gate that ensures the user can actually talk to the Butterbase platform before any stage tries to. Writes results to `docs/butterbase/03-preflight.md` and stamps `app_id` + `api_base` into `00-state.md`.

## When to use

- Automatically as the first step of any `journey-*` build stage when `03-preflight.md` is missing, older than 24 hours, or `00-state.md`'s `app_id` is null.
- Directly via `/butterbase-skills:journey-preflight` when the user wants to re-verify.

## Procedure

For each check, write a one-line result to `03-preflight.md` (`<check> ✓/✗ <note>`). Ask the user to fix any ✗ before continuing — do not auto-skip failures.

1. **Butterbase account.** Call `mcp__butterbase__list_regions` (cheapest call). Success → ✓. Auth error → ✗ with `"Sign up at https://butterbase.ai, then run npx @butterbase/cli mcp install and complete the OAuth flow in your client (e.g. /mcp in Claude Code)."`. If MCP tool is not visible at all, jump to step 2.

2. **MCP server connected.** Check whether `mcp__butterbase__*` tools are listed in the agent's available tools. Absent → ✗ with `"Install the Butterbase MCP server: npx @butterbase/cli mcp install. See https://butterbase.ai/docs/mcp."`. Present → ✓.

3. **MCP OAuth complete.** Auth for `mcp__butterbase__*` calls is OAuth, not an env var — step 1 already proved it works if `list_regions` succeeded. If step 1 failed with auth error, retry after the user runs `/mcp` (or `claude mcp login butterbase`) and completes browser consent. `BUTTERBASE_API_KEY` (`bb_sk_…`) is still relevant for **runtime app code** (functions, server-side `@butterbase/sdk`) — check separately at deploy time, not here.

4. **App provisioned.** Read `00-state.md` front-matter for `app_id`.
   - Non-null and `mcp__butterbase__manage_app` (action `get_config`) succeeds → ✓.
   - Null → ask the user: `"No app yet. Create one now? (yes/no — if no, you can paste an existing app_id)"`. On yes, call `mcp__butterbase__init_app` (ask for app name and region — recommend `us-east-1` as default). Capture `app_id` and `api_base` from the response. Update `00-state.md` front-matter.
   - User-provided app_id → verify with `manage_app get_config`; on success update `00-state.md`.

5. **CLI installed.** Run `butterbase --version`. If "command not found":
   - Read the Toolchain section of `02-plan.md`. If `CLI usage: yes` (default), prompt: "Install `@butterbase/cli` globally now? (yes / skip)". On yes, run `npm install -g @butterbase/cli`. On skip, note in `03-preflight.md` that the CLI is not installed and which workflows will require dashboard fallback.
   - If `CLI usage: no`, skip this check.

## `03-preflight.md` format

```markdown
# Preflight — <ISO date>

- account        ✓
- mcp_connected  ✓
- api_key        ✓
- app_provisioned ✓  app_id=app_abc123 region=us-east-1

Re-run with /butterbase-skills:journey-preflight.
```

## Outputs

- Writes/overwrites `docs/butterbase/03-preflight.md`.
- Updates `00-state.md` front-matter `app_id`, `api_base`, `last_updated`, and ticks `- [x] preflight`.

## Anti-patterns

- ❌ Echoing the API key value back to the user.
- ❌ Skipping a failed check ("I'll just try anyway"). Stop and ask the user to fix it.
- ❌ Calling `init_app` without confirming with the user — apps cost money on paid plans.