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Deploy on Vercel

Securely run Stagehand on Browserbase inside a Vercel Function. This guide shows a minimal, production-safe HTTP endpoint you can call directly or on a schedule.

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1. Install Vercel CLI

To download and install Vercel CLI, run one of the following commands: 
pnpm i -g vercel

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2. Project layout

your-project/  api/  run.ts  package.json  tsconfig.json  vercel.json
Create the structure with: 
mkdir -p api touch api/run.ts package.json vercel.json tsconfig.json

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3. api/run.ts (Node.js runtime)

// api/run.ts import type { VercelRequest, VercelResponse } from "@vercel/node"; import { Stagehand } from "@browserbasehq/stagehand"; import { z } from "zod/v3";  export default async function handler(req: VercelRequest, res: VercelResponse): Promise<void> {  try {  const stagehand = new Stagehand({  env: "BROWSERBASE",  apiKey: process.env.BROWSERBASE_API_KEY!,  projectId: process.env.BROWSERBASE_PROJECT_ID!,  disablePino: true,  model: {  modelName: "google/gemini-2.5-flash",  apiKey: process.env.GOOGLE_API_KEY!,  },  // optional session params  browserbaseSessionCreateParams: {  projectId: process.env.BROWSERBASE_PROJECT_ID!,  region: "us-west-2",  browserSettings: {  blockAds: true,  },  },  });   await stagehand.init();  const page = stagehand.context.pages()[0];   await page.goto("https://www.stagehand.dev/");  await stagehand.act("click the evals button");   const fastestModel = await stagehand.extract("extract the fastest model", z.string());   await stagehand.close();   res.status(200).json({ ok: true, data: fastestModel });  } catch (err: unknown) {  const msg = err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err);  res.status(500).json({ ok: false, error: msg });  } }

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4. package.json

{  "name": "bb-stagehand-on-vercel",  "private": true,  "type": "module",  "engines": { "node": ">=18" },  "dependencies": {  "@browserbasehq/stagehand": "^3.0.0"  },  "devDependencies": {  "@types/node": "^20.12.12",  "@vercel/node": "^3.2.20",  "typescript": "^5.2.2"  } }

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5. tsconfig.json

{  "compilerOptions": {  "target": "ES2022",  "module": "ES2022",  "moduleResolution": "node",  "outDir": ".vercel/output/functions",  "strict": true,  "esModuleInterop": true,  "skipLibCheck": true,  "types": ["node"]  },  "include": ["api/**/*.ts"] }

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6. vercel.json

{  "$schema": "https://openapi.vercel.sh/vercel.json",  "functions": {  "api/run.ts": {  "maxDuration": 60  }  } }
See Vercel’s configuring functions docs for more details. Link your local folder to a Vercel project before configuring environment variables: 
# authenticate if needed vercel login  # link the current directory to a Vercel project (interactive) vercel link

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8. Environment variables

Do not commit .env in production. Add variables via Vercel CLI: 
vercel env add BROWSERBASE_API_KEY vercel env add BROWSERBASE_PROJECT_ID # (and your model key if needed) vercel env add GOOGLE_API_KEY
See also: Browser Environment for details on required variables.

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9. Test locally

Replicate the Vercel environment locally to exercise your Function before deploying. Run from the project root. 
# ensure dependencies are installed npm install  # start the local Vercel dev server vercel dev --listen 5005

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10. Deploy

vercel vercel --prod

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Execute the function

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Configure Protection Bypass for Automation

Before invoking the production URL, create a Protection Bypass for Automation:
  1. Generate a 32-character secret (you can use openssl rand -hex 16)
  2. Go to your project in Vercel
  3. Navigate to Settings → Deployment Protection
  4. Add the secret to “Protection Bypass for Automation”
Then invoke the function with the bypass header: 
curl -X POST \  -H "x-vercel-protection-bypass: <your-32-character-secret>" \  https://<your-deployment>/api/run

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Optional: Cron on Vercel

Hit the same endpoint on a schedule by extending vercel.json: 
{  "$schema": "https://openapi.vercel.sh/vercel.json",  "functions": {  "api/run.ts": {  "maxDuration": 60  }  }  },  "crons": [  { "path": "/api/run", "schedule": "0 * * * *" }  ] }

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Features

  • No local browsers needed with env: "BROWSERBASE". Browserbase provides the browsers.
  • Fast functionality: Offload browser work to Browserbase and return JSON promptly.
  • Long-running tasks: Raise maxDuration and/or consider Edge runtime limits depending on plan.