# Start here: which path is this site owner on?

The first check an AI agent runs before installing site apps. It asks or detects whether there is a site, where it is hosted, whether there is a domain and where its DNS is, and whether the owner has a Cloudflare account, GitHub and a terminal, then sends the agent to the right next playbook or straight to the install guide.

- Checked: Cloudflare, GitHub and Claude Code docs checked 2026-11-02

The site apps run inside the owner's own Cloudflare account, on a site hosted on **Cloudflare Pages** or **Workers with static assets**. Many owners aren't there yet. This playbook finds out where they are in a few minutes and sends you to the right next step. Run it before you recommend or install anything.

**How to run it**

- Detect first, ask second. Every question below has a check you can run yourself. Only ask the owner what you couldn't find out, and tell them what you checked.
- Ask one question at a time, in plain words. The owner may not know what DNS or a terminal is: the "ask" lines are written for them.
- Never ask for a password, token or API key in the chat.
- Don't change anything while you run this playbook. It only reads.
- Write down the answers (the getting-started skill keeps them in `.site-apps/onboarding.md` in the project), so a new session doesn't ask again.

## The seven questions

### 1. Can you run commands?

You need a shell to run Wrangler, git and the installer. Check by running something harmless:

```sh
node --version && npx --version && git --version
```

- **It runs:** good. Wrangler supports the Current, Active and Maintenance versions of Node.js ([Install Wrangler](https://developers.cloudflare.com/workers/wrangler/install-and-update/)); if `node --version` is older than that, update Node first.
- **You can't run commands at all** (a chat-only app): stop here and follow [No GitHub and no terminal](/playbooks/no-github-no-terminal).

### 2. Is there a website already?

- **Detect:** are you in a project folder? Look for `package.json`, `index.html`, a framework config (`astro.config.*`, `next.config.*`, `hugo.toml`, `vite.config.*`, `eleventy.config.*`), and `git remote -v`.
- **Ask:** "Do you already have a website? If so, what's its address?"

If there is no site, skip to question 5 and then route to [Start a site on Cloudflare](/playbooks/start-a-site-on-cloudflare).

### 3. Where is the site hosted?

**Detect from the project:**

| You find | Hosted on |
|---|---|
| `wrangler.jsonc`, `wrangler.json` or `wrangler.toml`; `@astrojs/cloudflare` or `@opennextjs/cloudflare` in `package.json` | Cloudflare (Workers, or Pages if the config has `pages_build_output_dir`) |
| `netlify.toml`, or a `_redirects` file and the owner says Netlify | Netlify |
| `vercel.json`, or a `.vercel/` folder | Vercel |
| A `CNAME` file in the published folder, or a GitHub Actions workflow using `actions/deploy-pages` | GitHub Pages |
| No code at all, the site is edited in a browser | A site builder (WordPress.com, Webflow, Squarespace, Wix, Shopify, Framer, Ghost…) |

**Detect from the live site** (hints, not proof; confirm with the owner):

```sh
curl -sI https://example.com | grep -iE '^(server|x-powered-by|cf-ray|x-vercel-id|x-nf-request-id):'
dig +short CNAME www.example.com
```

- `server: cloudflare` with a `cf-ray` header means traffic goes **through** Cloudflare. It does **not** prove the site is hosted on Pages or Workers: a WordPress or Webflow site behind the Cloudflare proxy looks the same. Check the repo or ask.
- `x-vercel-id` points to Vercel, `x-nf-request-id` or `server: Netlify` to Netlify, `server: GitHub.com` to GitHub Pages. A `CNAME` to `*.netlify.app`, `*.vercel-dns.com`, `*.github.io`, `*.pages.dev`, `cdn.webflow.com`, `shops.myshopify.com` or a Squarespace host says the same. These header and host names are common observations, not documented guarantees: *unverified as a complete list*.
- **Ask:** "Where does your site live? For example Cloudflare, Netlify, Vercel, GitHub Pages, WordPress, Webflow, Squarespace, Wix or Shopify."

If you can see it's on Cloudflare, confirm which project: `npx wrangler deployments list` (Workers) or `npx wrangler pages project list` (Pages) once Wrangler is logged in.

### 4. Is there a domain, and where is its DNS?

- **Detect:** the site's address from question 2. If it's `*.workers.dev`, `*.pages.dev`, `*.netlify.app`, `*.vercel.app` or `*.github.io`, there's no custom domain yet.
- **Check where DNS is answered:**

  ```sh
  dig +short NS example.com
  # no dig? The Cloudflare DNS over HTTPS answers the same question:
  curl -s -H 'accept: application/dns-json' 'https://cloudflare-dns.com/dns-query?name=example.com&type=NS'
  ```

  Two names ending in `.ns.cloudflare.com` mean the DNS is on Cloudflare. Anything else (`domaincontrol.com` is GoDaddy, `registrar-servers.com` is Namecheap, and so on) means it's elsewhere.
- **Ask, if there's no domain:** "Do you own a domain name, like yourbusiness.com? Where did you buy it?" A domain is optional to start: a free `workers.dev` address works on day one.

Sources: [Cloudflare full setup: check nameservers](https://developers.cloudflare.com/dns/zone-setups/full-setup/setup/), [DNS over HTTPS JSON API](https://developers.cloudflare.com/1.1.1.1/encryption/dns-over-https/make-api-requests/dns-json/).

### 5. Is there a Cloudflare account, and can you use it?

```sh
npx wrangler whoami
```

- "You are logged in…" with an account: done.
- "You are not authenticated": ask "Do you have a Cloudflare account?" If not, or if you can't log in from here, follow [Create a Cloudflare account and connect Wrangler](/playbooks/create-cloudflare-account-connect-wrangler).
- An MCP server or connector with Cloudflare tools in your session also counts. Check what it can do; the install guide's step 1 lists the capabilities.

### 6. Is there GitHub (or GitLab)?

```sh
git remote -v
gh auth status   # if the GitHub CLI is installed
```

- A remote on github.com and `Logged in to github.com` is everything you need for git deploys.
- No GitHub is fine. Sites can deploy straight from this computer with Wrangler; git deploys can come later. Ask only if you're about to set up git deploys: "Do you have a GitHub account? It's free and lets your site update every time you save a change, but you don't need it to start."

### 7. Who deploys today?

- **Detect:** a GitHub Actions workflow, Workers Builds or Pages Git integration (the Cloudflare dashboard shows "Connected to GitHub"), or nothing (deployed by hand).
- This decides whether the install ends with a `git push` or a `wrangler deploy`. The install guide covers both.

## Route

Pick the first row that matches and tell the owner, in one or two sentences, what happens next and roughly how long it takes.

| Situation | Next step | Owner's time (estimate) |
|---|---|---|
| Can't run commands | [No GitHub and no terminal](/playbooks/no-github-no-terminal) | 10–20 min to get a coding agent |
| No Cloudflare account, or Wrangler can't log in | [Create a Cloudflare account and connect Wrangler](/playbooks/create-cloudflare-account-connect-wrangler), then come back here | 3–5 min |
| No site yet | [Start a site on Cloudflare](/playbooks/start-a-site-on-cloudflare) | 5–15 min |
| Static site on Netlify, Vercel or GitHub Pages | [Move a static site to Cloudflare](/playbooks/move-static-site-to-cloudflare) (only if they want to move) | 15–45 min |
| WordPress, Webflow, Shopify, Squarespace, Wix, Ghost, Framer or similar | [Site on WordPress, Webflow, Shopify, Squarespace or Wix](/playbooks/site-apps-on-other-hosts): honest about what works today | 2 min to read |
| On Cloudflare Pages or Workers | The install guide (`site-apps/INSTALL.md` in the download, also at `/install-guide.md` on the store). Start at step 0. | 10–30 min |

**The domain runs in parallel, never in front.** If the owner has a domain whose DNS isn't on Cloudflare, start the site on its free `workers.dev` address first and do [Move your domain's DNS to Cloudflare](/playbooks/move-domain-dns-to-cloudflare) alongside. The nameserver change can take up to 24 hours; nothing else has to wait for it. The license treats `*.workers.dev` and `*.pages.dev` as free test addresses.

**One special case on Cloudflare:** a Pages project whose build contains its own `_worker.js` isn't supported yet. The install guide's step 0 says what to tell the owner.

## Say it plainly

Good: "Your site is on Webflow. The apps can't run on Webflow sites yet; that's planned. Today I can show you free how-tos, or help you move to Cloudflare if you ever want to. Nothing changes unless you say so."

Good: "You don't have a Cloudflare account yet. It's free and takes about 3 minutes; I'll walk you through it and tell you exactly what to click."

Never: push a move to another host, say an app "works with" a host it doesn't, start a checkout before the site can run the app, or block the whole setup on the DNS wait.

## Sources

- [Cloudflare full setup (nameservers, `dig ns`, up to 24 hours)](https://developers.cloudflare.com/dns/zone-setups/full-setup/setup/)
- [Wrangler `login` and `whoami`](https://developers.cloudflare.com/workers/wrangler/commands/general/)
- [`workers.dev` addresses](https://developers.cloudflare.com/workers/configuration/routing/workers-dev/)
- [GitHub CLI `gh auth`](https://cli.github.com/manual/gh_auth_login)
- Hosts and proxying: the research note behind these playbooks lists each host's official guidance.


## Or let an app do this

- [Forms](/apps/forms.md) (beta): Contact, signup and quote forms that look like your site: build them in the admin or in your own code, get every submission in an inbox and by email, with spam protection that needs no setup. (Cloudflare free plan; Free)
- [Site Health](/apps/health.md) (beta): A free, drop-in admin page for the health of your site and apps: every app's self-test with the fix, security headers, today's usage against the Cloudflare free limits, your Cloudflare setup at a glance, and optional uptime monitoring with email alerts and a public status page. (Cloudflare free plan; Free)