Cursor
integration
Vercel and Netlify Build Errors on Cursor-Generated Projects
Your Cursor-generated project builds and runs perfectly locally with npm run dev, but deploying to Vercel or Netlify fails with build errors. The platform's build log shows module resolution failures, SSR compatibility errors, missing dependencies, or Next.js/Nuxt-specific issues that didn't appear during development.
Vercel and Netlify run production builds in a clean environment, which exposes issues hidden by your local development setup. Hot module replacement (HMR) and development-mode error recovery mask problems that surface in production builds. Additionally, these platforms have specific requirements for server-side rendering, API routes, and static generation that differ from local development servers.
Each failed deploy means another round of pushing a fix and waiting 1-3 minutes for the build to run, making the feedback loop painfully slow compared to local development.
Error Messages You Might See
Build error: Module not found: Can't resolve 'package-name'
ReferenceError: window is not defined
Error: Failed to collect page data for /
Build exceeded maximum allowed duration (45 minutes)
Error: Environment variable not found: NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL
Export encountered errors on following paths: /dynamic-page
Common Causes
- Dependencies in devDependencies instead of dependencies — Cursor installed packages as devDependencies that are needed at build time. Vercel/Netlify may not install devDependencies in production builds
- Server-side code using browser APIs — Cursor generated code that references window, document, or localStorage in components that run during SSR, causing ReferenceError on the server
- Missing build-time environment variables — Environment variables used during the build (like API URLs, public keys) aren't configured in the Vercel/Netlify dashboard
- Node.js version mismatch — The platform uses a different Node.js version than your local machine. Cursor may have used syntax or APIs from a newer Node version
- Dynamic imports not handled for static generation — Pages that use dynamic data are configured for static export but can't be pre-rendered without the data source
- Monorepo or workspace configuration issues — The platform can't find the correct root directory or build command in a monorepo setup
How to Fix It
- Check the build logs carefully — The exact error message and the file/line it points to are your best debugging tools. Most build failures have a specific, fixable cause in the logs
- Guard browser API usage — Wrap browser-only code in checks:
if (typeof window !== 'undefined') { /* browser code */ }or use Next.js dynamic imports with{ ssr: false } - Configure environment variables on the platform — Add all required env vars in the Vercel/Netlify dashboard. For build-time vars in Next.js, prefix with NEXT_PUBLIC_
- Pin the Node.js version — Add
"engines": { "node": ">=18" }to package.json, or set the NODE_VERSION environment variable on the platform - Run the production build locally first — Execute
npm run buildlocally to catch the same errors before deploying. This replicates what the platform does - Move build-time packages to dependencies — If a package is used during build or SSR, it must be in
dependencies, notdevDependencies
Real developers can help you.
Sage Fulcher
Hey I'm Sage! Im a Boston area software engineer who grew up in South Florida. Ive worked at a ton of cool places like a telehealth kidney care startup that took part in a billion dollar merger (Cricket health/Interwell health), a boutique design agency where I got to work on a ton of exciting startups including a photography education app, a collegiate Esports league and more (Philosophie), a data analytics as a service startup in Cambridge (MA) as well as at Phillips and MIT Lincoln Lab where I designed and developed novel network security visualizations and analytics. I've been writing code and furiously devoted to using computers to make people’s lives easier for about 17 years. My degree is in making computers make pretty lights and sounds. Outside of work I love hip hop, the Celtics, professional wrestling, magic the gathering, photography, drumming, and guitars (both making and playing them)
PawelPloszaj
I'm fronted developer with 10+ years of experience with big projects. I have small backend background too
prajwalfullstack
Hi Im a full stack developer, a vibe coded MVP to Market ready product, I'm here to help
Costea Adrian
Embedded Engineer specilizing in perception systems. Latest project was a adas camera calibration system.
Tejas Chokhawala
Full-stack engineer with 5 years experience building production web apps using React, Next.js and TypeScript.
Focused on performance, clean architecture and shipping fast.
Experienced with Supabase/Postgres backends, Stripe billing, and building AI-assisted developer tools.
Jacek Rozanski
Senior PHP/Symfony developer and DevOps engineer with 20+ years of professional experience, running opcode.pl (web development agency, est. 2004).
Day job: I'm the sole backend developer at merketing company where I own and maintain 11 PHP/Symfony microservices on AWS (ECS Fargate, RDS, S3, CloudFront), handle the full CI/CD pipeline (Bitbucket Pipelines, Docker), and manage monitoring with Sentry and CloudWatch. These services handle high request volumes in production every month.
What I bring to AI-built apps:
- I audit and fix security issues (OWASP methodology), performance bottlenecks, and architectural problems in codebases generated by Cursor, Claude Code, Lovable, Bolt, and v0
- I refactor AI-generated prototypes into production-grade applications with proper error handling, testing, and clean architecture (SOLID, DDD, hexagonal architecture)
- I set up the infrastructure AI tools don't touch: AWS hosting, CI/CD pipelines, automated deployments, database optimization, monitoring, and alerting
- I integrate external services: payment providers, email systems, partner APIs, SSO/auth
Tech stack: PHP 8.x, Symfony, React, Next.js, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Docker, AWS (ECS, RDS, S3, SQS/SNS, CloudFront), Terraform, Supabase. I also use AI tools daily (Claude Code, Cursor) in my own workflow, so I understand both the strengths and the gaps in AI-generated code.
Based in Poland (CET timezone). Available for async work and calls during EU/US business hours.
Victor Denisov
Developer
Anthony Akpan
Developer with 8 years of experience building softwares fro startups
Rudra Bhikadiya
I build and fix web apps across Next.js, Node.js, and DBs.
Comfortable jumping into messy code, broken APIs, and mysterious bugs.
If your project works in theory but not in reality, I help close that gap.
Franck Plazanet
I am a Strategic Engineering Leader with over 8 years of experience building high-availability enterprise systems and scaling high-performing technical teams. My focus is on bridging the gap between complex technology and business growth.
Core Expertise:
🚀 Leadership: Managing and coaching teams of 15+ engineers, fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
🏗️ Architecture: Enterprise Core Systems, Multi-system Integration (ERP/API/ETL), and Core Database Structure.
☁️ Cloud & Scale: AWS Expert; architected systems handling 10B+ monthly requests and managing 100k+ SKUs.
📈 Business Impact: Aligning tech strategy with P&L goals to drive $70k+ in monthly recurring revenue.
I thrive on "out-of-the-box" thinking to solve complex technical bottlenecks and am always looking for ways to use automation to improve business productivity.
You don't need to be technical. Just describe what's wrong and a verified developer will handle the rest.
Get HelpFrequently Asked Questions
Why does my app work with npm run dev but fail on Vercel?
npm run dev uses a development server with hot reloading that's more forgiving. The production build (npm run build) runs static analysis, tree shaking, and SSR that expose issues hidden in development. Always test with npm run build locally before deploying.
How do I fix 'window is not defined' on Vercel?
This happens when server-side rendering (SSR) tries to run browser-only code. Wrap browser API usage in if (typeof window !== 'undefined') checks, or use Next.js dynamic() with ssr: false for components that require the browser environment.