fix(deploy): respect unattended mode in core-app deploy

`sanity deploy --yes` (or CI) for a core app could still block: the app-target
resolver prompted to pick or name an application, and the custom output-dir
overwrite confirm ignored --yes. Thread `unattended` into findUserApplicationForApp
(error with guidance instead of prompting) and gate the overwrite prompt on --yes.

Also addresses review feedback: patch @sanity/cli in the changeset, and adopt the
vi.mock(import(...)) style for the mocks that spread the original module.

Author: gu-stav

.changeset/refactor-core-app-deploy.md

@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 ---
+"@sanity/cli": patch
 "@sanity/workbench-cli": patch
 ---
 

packages/@sanity/cli/src/actions/deploy/deployApp.ts

@@ -225,9 +225,14 @@ ${styleText(
 
 /** Resolves the app's target application, creating one when none exists. */
 async function resolveAppApplication(options: DeployAppOptions): Promise<UserApplication | null> {
-  const {cliConfig, output} = options
+  const {cliConfig, flags, output} = options
   const organizationId = cliConfig.app?.organizationId ?? ''
-  let application = await findUserApplicationForApp({cliConfig, organizationId, output})
+  let application = await findUserApplicationForApp({
+    cliConfig,
+    organizationId,
+    output,
+    unattended: !!flags.yes,
+  })
   deployDebug('User application found', application)
 
   if (!application) {

packages/@sanity/cli/src/actions/deploy/findUserApplicationForApp.ts

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
  * that turns the resolveAppDeployTarget verdicts into prompts and exits.
  */
 
-import {type CliConfig, type Output} from '@sanity/cli-core'
+import {type CliConfig, exitCodes, type Output} from '@sanity/cli-core'
 import {select, Separator, spinner} from '@sanity/cli-core/ux'
 
 import {type UserApplication} from '../../services/userApplications.js'
@@ -16,12 +16,14 @@ interface FindUserApplicationForAppOptions {
   cliConfig: CliConfig
   organizationId: string
   output: Output
+
+  unattended?: boolean
 }
 
 export async function findUserApplicationForApp(
   options: FindUserApplicationForAppOptions,
 ): Promise<UserApplication | null> {
-  const {cliConfig, organizationId, output} = options
+  const {cliConfig, organizationId, output, unattended = false} = options
 
   const spin = spinner('Checking application info...').start()
 
@@ -54,11 +56,27 @@ export async function findUserApplicationForApp(
       }
       case 'needs-input': {
         spin.info('No application ID configured')
+        // Nobody to prompt in unattended mode — a real deploy would hang otherwise
+        if (unattended) {
+          output.error(
+            'No `deployment.appId` configured. Set it in sanity.cli.ts to deploy without prompting.',
+            {exit: exitCodes.USAGE_ERROR},
+          )
+          return null
+        }
         return promptForExistingApp(resolution.existing)
       }
       // No appId configured and no existing applications — the deploy creates one
       case 'would-create': {
         spin.info('No application ID configured')
+        // Creating one needs an interactive title prompt, which unattended can't answer
+        if (unattended) {
+          output.error(
+            'No application to deploy to. Run `sanity deploy` interactively once to create one.',
+            {exit: exitCodes.USAGE_ERROR},
+          )
+          return null
+        }
         return null
       }
     }

packages/@sanity/cli/src/commands/deploy.ts

@@ -103,17 +103,19 @@ export class DeployCommand extends SanityCommand<typeof DeployCommand> {
         relativeOutput = `./${relativeOutput}`
       }
 
-      const isEmpty = await dirIsEmptyOrNonExistent(sourceDir)
-      // Prompt to delete the directory if it's not empty
-      const shouldProceed =
-        isEmpty ||
-        (await confirm({
-          default: false,
-          message: `"${relativeOutput}" is not empty, do you want to proceed?`,
-        }))
+      // Unattended (--yes) proceeds without the overwrite prompt
+      if (!flags.yes) {
+        const isEmpty = await dirIsEmptyOrNonExistent(sourceDir)
+        const shouldProceed =
+          isEmpty ||
+          (await confirm({
+            default: false,
+            message: `"${relativeOutput}" is not empty, do you want to proceed?`,
+          }))
 
-      if (!shouldProceed) {
-        this.output.error('Cancelled.', {exit: 1})
+        if (!shouldProceed) {
+          this.output.error('Cancelled.', {exit: 1})
+        }
       }
 
       this.output.log(`Building to ${relativeOutput}\n`)

packages/@sanity/cli/test/integration/commands/deploy.app.test.ts

@@ -32,27 +32,25 @@ vi.mock('../../../src/actions/deploy/checkDir.js', () => ({
 
 // `getWorkbench`/`assertDeployable` stay real — pure config the no-interfaces
 // test exercises; only the fs-touching `checkBuiltOutput` is stubbed.
-vi.mock('@sanity/workbench-cli/deploy', async (importOriginal) => ({
-  ...(await importOriginal<typeof import('@sanity/workbench-cli/deploy')>()),
+vi.mock(import('@sanity/workbench-cli/deploy'), async (importOriginal) => ({
+  ...(await importOriginal()),
   checkBuiltOutput: mockCheckBuiltOutput,
 }))
 
-vi.mock('../../../src/actions/manifest/extractCoreAppManifest.js', async (importOriginal) => ({
-  ...(await importOriginal<
-    typeof import('../../../src/actions/manifest/extractCoreAppManifest.js')
-  >()),
-  extractCoreAppManifest: vi.fn(),
-}))
+vi.mock(
+  import('../../../src/actions/manifest/extractCoreAppManifest.js'),
+  async (importOriginal) => ({
+    ...(await importOriginal()),
+    extractCoreAppManifest: vi.fn(),
+  }),
+)
 
-vi.mock('@sanity/cli-core/ux', async () => {
-  const actual = await vi.importActual<typeof import('@sanity/cli-core/ux')>('@sanity/cli-core/ux')
-  return {
-    ...actual,
-    confirm: vi.fn(),
-    input: vi.fn(),
-    select: vi.fn(),
-  }
-})
+vi.mock(import('@sanity/cli-core/ux'), async (importOriginal) => ({
+  ...(await importOriginal()),
+  confirm: vi.fn(),
+  input: vi.fn(),
+  select: vi.fn(),
+}))
 
 vi.mock('../../../src/util/dirIsEmptyOrNonExistent.js', () => ({
   dirIsEmptyOrNonExistent: vi.fn(() => true),
@@ -502,6 +500,58 @@ describe('#deploy app', () => {
     expect(stderr).toContain('No application ID configured')
   })
 
+  test('--yes errors instead of prompting to pick an existing application', async () => {
+    const cwd = await testFixture('basic-app')
+    process.cwd = () => cwd
+
+    // Existing apps but no configured appId → needs-input; unattended can't pick one.
+    mockApi({
+      apiVersion: USER_APPLICATIONS_API_VERSION,
+      query: {appType: 'coreApp', organizationId},
+      uri: `/user-applications`,
+    }).reply(200, [
+      {
+        appHost: 'existing-host',
+        createdAt: '2024-01-01T00:00:00Z',
+        id: 'existing-app-id',
+        organizationId,
+        projectId: null,
+        title: 'Existing App',
+        type: 'coreApp',
+        updatedAt: '2024-01-01T00:00:00Z',
+        urlType: 'internal',
+      },
+    ])
+
+    const {error} = await testCommand(DeployCommand, ['--yes'], {
+      config: {root: cwd},
+      mocks: {cliConfig: {app: {organizationId}}},
+    })
+
+    expect(error).toBeInstanceOf(Error)
+    expect(mockSelect).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+  })
+
+  test('--yes errors instead of prompting for a new application title', async () => {
+    const cwd = await testFixture('basic-app')
+    process.cwd = () => cwd
+
+    // No existing apps and no appId → would-create; unattended can't prompt for a title.
+    mockApi({
+      apiVersion: USER_APPLICATIONS_API_VERSION,
+      query: {appType: 'coreApp', organizationId},
+      uri: `/user-applications`,
+    }).reply(200, [])
+
+    const {error} = await testCommand(DeployCommand, ['--yes'], {
+      config: {root: cwd},
+      mocks: {cliConfig: {app: {organizationId}}},
+    })
+
+    expect(error).toBeInstanceOf(Error)
+    expect(mockInput).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+  })
+
   test('should skip build when --no-build flag is used', async () => {
     const cwd = await testFixture('basic-app')
     process.cwd = () => cwd