Guide · Framework
Deploy a plain HTML site
No build. Put index.html in a folder and run npx novence deploy .
The smallest Novence site is a directory with index.html plus CSS, JS, and images. No bundler required. This is also what agents should emit when they are not using an SSG.
Files
The upload root must contain /index.html or the API rejects the deploy. Relative URLs (./styles.css, /about/index.html) are enough; there is no HTML preprocessor on the host.
Multi-page sites: add about/index.html so /about/ resolves. A lone about.html is only reachable as /about.html. There is no SPA fallback to index.html for unknown paths.
Build
Skip this step unless you use a bundler. If you do, deploy the built folder (dist, build, …), not the source tree.
Deploy
npx novence deploy .
From the folder that contains index.html: npx novence deploy .. Do not rely on auto-detect — that looks for named output dirs, not ..
. is not in the CLI auto-detect list. Pass it every time. Full CLI: /cli.
Caveats
- Allowlisted extensions only (HTML, CSS, JS, images, fonts, json, xml, webmanifest; video on Pro/Scale).
- Never embed
nv_keys in HTML. - Widgets (Cal.com, Snipcart, GA) paste in as script or iframe. See /site-data.
FAQ
Can I use a single-page app without a build?
You can ship one index.html plus JS, but other paths 404 on refresh. Prefer a real HTML file per URL or hash routing.
What is the minimum?
A directory with index.html. Then npx novence deploy .
How do forms work?
POST to /__forms/{formId} (Novence Forms) or a third-party action. See /forms.
Agents ship. Novence hosts.
Copy Prompt or get a key. Then npx novence deploy ..