zscripts Token Savers

Public repository (MIT license): github.com/kellymichels/zscripts-token-savers

When an AI coding agent orchestrates your infrastructure — starting dev servers, deploying to EC2, diagnosing 502s — it spends hundreds to thousands of tokens per operation on SSH plumbing, Docker output, and retry logic. Those tokens should go to code.

Token Savers gives you short, one-word commands to run those parts yourself: zdeploy myapp, zrepair myapp, zstart myapp. You handle the deterministic infrastructure; your agent handles code. Running these scripts manually instead of asking your agent to orchestrate them keeps measured script output out of your agent's context window — ~26,500 tokens per active development day at a typical run cadence. Per-run figures are measured; the daily total applies typical run counts. See Token savings for the numbers and method.

Every command is a tiny PowerShell script driven by a single JSON config file. The project key you define in that config is the command argument — add myapp to the config and zstart myapp, zdeploy myapp, zbackup myapp all just work, no script edits needed.

Requirements: Windows, PowerShell 5.1+, OpenSSH client (ssh/scp, ships with Windows 10/11), and Docker + docker compose on the remote host for the deploy scripts.

Guides

Guide	What it covers
Token savings	Measured per-run token cost, methodology, and the daily/monthly savings math

---

Install

No installer. Clone the repo and add the folder to your PATH:

git clone https://github.com/kellymichels/zscripts-token-savers.git C:\tools\zscripts

# Add to your user PATH (new terminals pick it up automatically)
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable(
    "Path",
    [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable("Path", "User") + ";C:\tools\zscripts",
    "User"
)

Open a new terminal and every command below works from any directory. The .cmd wrappers invoke PowerShell with -ExecutionPolicy Bypass, so no execution-policy changes are needed — zstart myapp just works from cmd, PowerShell, or a VS Code terminal.

---

Configure

All machine-specific values (server IP, SSH user and key, folder paths, project definitions) live in one file: zconfig.json. It is gitignored — your secrets never leave your machine.

cd C:\tools\zscripts
copy zconfig.example.json zconfig.json
notepad zconfig.json

The example config ships with sample projects named by their kind — pyapp, viteapp, nextapp, edge, analytics. Rename the keys to your own project names; the key is what you type as the command argument. Add as many projects as you like — no script edits ever needed.

Set the ZCONFIG environment variable to point at a config somewhere else — handy for a second machine profile, or for running against a scratch config without touching your real one.

Config reference

{
  "ec2": {
    "ip":        "203.0.113.10",                      // your server's public IP
    "user":      "youruser",                          // SSH user on the server
    "pemKey":    "C:\\Users\\You\\.ssh\\key.pem",     // path to your SSH private key
    "stackRoot": "/home/youruser/stack"               // parent dir for all deployed projects
  },
  "paths": {
    "temp":            "C:\\dev\\temp",               // deploy zips staged here (auto-deleted)
    "backupsLocal":    "C:\\dev\\backups\\projects",  // zbackup output
    "backupsEc2":      "C:\\dev\\backups\\ec2",       // zbackup_ec2 output
    "scriptsRoot":     "C:\\tools\\zscripts",         // this folder
    "oneDriveBackups": ""                             // zsync destination ("" disables)
  },
  "projects": {
    "myapp": {
      "label":       "My App",                        // display name in output
      "kind":        "python",                        // python | vite | nextjs | edge | docker
      "localRoot":   "C:\\dev\\myapp",                // project folder on this machine
      "startModule": "myapp.main",                    // python kind: runs "python -m myapp.main"
      "ports":       { "dev": 8080, "prod": 3000 },   // local dev port / direct server port
      "domain":      "www.myapp.com",                 // public domain (health checks + verification)
      "start": {                                      // optional zstart pre-steps
        "gitPull": true,                              //   git pull --ff-only before starting
        "env":     { "MYAPP_DEBUG": "1" }             //   env vars for the dev server process
      },
      "db":          { "user": "dbuser", "name": "dbname" },  // optional: enables db dump/wait steps
      "migrations":  "prisma",                        // optional: run prisma migrate on deploy
      "remote": {
        "path":       "/home/youruser/stack/myapp",   // deploy target on the server
        "composeDir": "/home/youruser/stack/myapp/docker",  // optional: if compose isn't at path root
        "appService": "app",                          // optional: compose service name override
        "containerName": "myapp"                      // optional (vite): container to read build-version from
      },
      "deploy": {
        "zipName": "MyAppDeploy.zip",                 // optional: defaults to <key>Deploy.zip
        "gitPull": true,                              // optional: git pull --ff-only before zipping
        "exclude": ["docs", "big-data-folder"]        // optional: extra top-level dirs/files to skip
      }
    }
  }
}

Optional blocks do real work:

• start — pre-start steps for zstart: gitPull: true runs git pull --ff-only in the project root first (never starts a stale checkout), and env sets environment variables for the dev-server process (feature flags, reload switches).
• db — deploys wait for pg_isready and zbackup_ec2 pulls a pg_dump, both against the compose service named db. Omit it and those steps are skipped cleanly.
• deploy.gitPull — git pull --ff-only in the project root before zipping, so a merged PR actually ships. Since zdeploy zips your working tree, a checkout left behind origin would otherwise deploy stale code and still bump the build number — a silent no-op that looks like success. A failed pull (dirty tree that conflicts, diverged history) aborts the deploy rather than shipping uncertain code.
• migrations": "prisma" — runs npx prisma migrate deploy inside the app container after each deploy.
• Compose service-name conventions — handlers assume the app service is named app (python) or web (nextjs) and the database service db. Override the app service with remote.appService.
• Edge extras — an edge-kind project can set proxyContainer (the nginx container's name, used for reloads and stale-container cleanup) and certsSource (a host path with TLS certs, mounted read-only when validating nginx.conf).

---

Commands

The .cmd wrappers are the everyday interface. Every command takes one or more project keys from your config; several also accept all. A leading dash is tolerated (zdeploy -myapp works the same as zdeploy myapp) for anyone with switch-style muscle memory.

Command	What it does
zstart <key> ...	Start local dev server(s)
zstartd <key> ...	Same, detached (new window, returns immediately)
zkill <key> ... | all	Kill local dev server(s) by port
zrestart <key> ...	Kill + start in one step
zrestartd <key> ...	Kill + start detached
zdeploy <key> ... | all	Zip → upload → rebuild → verify a project on the server
zec2 [<key> ...]	Quick reachability check (TCP + HTTP + live build version)
zec2online [<key> ...]	Deep health check; auto-starts downed stacks, streams diagnostics
zrepair <key> ...	Audit + repair compose/proxy state on the server
zbackup <key> ... | all	Zip local project sources (+ DB dump) to the backups folder
zbackup_ec2 [<key> ...]	Pull DB dumps + server-side data files down from the server
zsync [<key>]	Copy new backups offsite (or build + mirror a vite dist)
zstart_docker	Run a local docker compose stack from scriptsRoot\docker\

Local development

zstart — start dev servers

zstart <project> [<project> ...] [-Port N] [-BindHost <host>] [-Detached]

Starts each project's dev server using the handler for its kind: python runs python -m <startModule> (preferring the project's .venv), vite runs npm run dev -- --host --port, nextjs runs npm run dev with PORT set. Runs npm install automatically if node_modules is missing. A project's optional start config block runs first — gitPull fast-forwards the checkout and env sets process environment variables. Two more opt-in conveniences: if the project has a motd/ folder of .txt files, one is shown (rotating) at startup; if it has scripts/build_version_tool.py, the build number is bumped on each start.

zstart viteapp                     # dev server on its configured port
zstart pyapp -Port 9000            # override the port
zstart viteapp -BindHost 0.0.0.0   # expose on the LAN
zstartd nextapp                    # detached: window opens, prompt returns

zkill — stop dev servers

zkill <project> [<project> ...] | all  [-Port N] [-KillAll]

Finds whatever is LISTENING on each project's dev port and kills it — along with its whole process tree, children first. That matters for auto-reloading servers (uvicorn/watchfiles, nodemon): their worker processes inherit the listening socket and would otherwise survive as orphans, serving stale code. -KillAll also hunts down stray node/python/next-server processes whose command line references the project folder. all targets every project that has a dev port — the one-shot "stop everything I've got running locally".

zkill viteapp                # free the port
zkill pyapp viteapp nextapp  # nuke everything
zkill all                    # stop every project's dev server
zkill nextapp -KillAll       # also kill orphaned runtime processes

zrestart — kill then start

zrestart <project> [<project> ...] [-Port N] [-KillAll] [-NoRestart] [-Detached] [-BindHost <host>]

The "it's wedged, bounce it" command: kill phase, then start phase with the same flags. -NoRestart makes it kill-only; zrestartd restarts detached.

Server deployment & operations

zdeploy — deploy to the server

zdeploy <project> [<project> ...] [-Note "message"]
zdeploy all [-Note "message"]

The core workflow, per project kind (projects with deploy.gitPull first git pull --ff-only so a merged PR isn't left behind):

• python / vite / nextjs — zip the local source (excluding .git, node_modules, envs, archives, junk, plus anything in deploy.exclude), free disk space on the server (docker prune; aborts if under 1.5 GB free), scp the zip up, unzip into remote.path preserving all server-side .env* files plus anything listed in deploy.preserve (staged keys, certs, seed data — files or directories), docker compose build + up -d, then verify the live site reports the new build version (see Enabling deploy verification). nextjs additionally waits for Postgres (db block) and applies migrations (migrations field). Zips are always deleted locally afterward.
• edge — uploads every top-level file in the edge folder (nginx.conf, compose, css, htpasswd, …), validates the new config with nginx -t before switching over, then recreates the proxy.
• docker — uploads the compose folder's files, docker compose pull + up -d. For stacks that run stock images (analytics, mail, etc.).

all deploys every project — edge kinds first, then the rest in config order — and stops at the first failure.

zdeploy viteapp
zdeploy pyapp -Note "fix billing banner"
zdeploy all -Note "weekly release"

zec2 — reachability check

zec2 [<project> ...]        # no args = every project with a domain

For each project: TCP connect, then an HTTP GET with the project's domain as the Host header, then the live build version. Fast "is it up?" answer with firewall hints when it isn't.

zec2online — health check with auto-recovery

zec2online [<project> ...]  # no args = every project with a domain

The heavier sibling: verifies each app over HTTP, compares the local build version against what the server is actually serving (a mismatch means "redeploy?" — or a stale cache), and if a site is down it SSHes in, runs docker compose up -d for the app and the edge proxy, waits up to 30 s, and streams compose logs and system diagnostics if recovery fails.

zrepair — fix server routing

zrepair <project> [<project> ...]

Validates the edge proxy's nginx config (if an edge project is defined), shows each stack's compose status, starts anything that's down, and smoke-tests the live domain. For the "deploy succeeded but the site 502s" class of problem.

zstop.ps1 — stop server stacks

zstop <project> [<project> ...]

docker compose down for the selected stacks on the server. Data volumes are preserved; zdeploy <project> brings a stack back. (PowerShell script only, no .cmd wrapper.)

Backups

zbackup — local backups

zbackup <project> [<project> ...] [-Tag "label"]
zbackup all                                # every project + this scripts folder
zbackup scripts                            # just this scripts folder ('scripts' is reserved)

Zips each project's source into paths.backupsLocal\<key>\<timestamp>_<key>[_tag].zip. If the project's .env declares a DATABASE_URL, a Postgres dump is bundled into the zip automatically — quoted values (Prisma-style), postgres:///postgresql+driver:// schemes, and URLs without an explicit port all parse. backend\.env is checked too, for frontend/backend split projects. -Tag labels the archive — handy before risky changes.

zbackup all                      # everything
zbackup pyapp -Tag "pre-migration"

zbackup_ec2 — pull backups from the server

zbackup_ec2 [<project> ...]     # no args = every project with a remote.path

For projects with a db block, runs pg_dump inside the server's db container. Also zips server-side data dirs (uploads/, archive/, dist/) when present, then downloads everything to paths.backupsEc2 and cleans up the remote temp files.

zsync — sync backups offsite

zsync                                       # new backup files -> paths.oneDriveBackups
zsync <viteproject> -Destination <path>     # npm run build, then mirror dist/ to path

The no-args mode copies only files that don't already exist at the destination (never overwrites, never deletes). The project mode is for mirroring a static build; it also honors $env:ZSYNC_DEST.

zbackup_and_sync.ps1 — both in one

zbackup_and_sync.ps1 <project> [<project> ...] | all

Runs zbackup, then zsync. This is what the scheduled task calls (with all).

setup_backup_schedule.ps1 — nightly automation

Run as Administrator once. Creates a Windows Scheduled Task that runs zbackup_and_sync.ps1 all daily at 2:00 AM.

Utilities

zstart_docker — local compose stack

zstart_docker [-Build] [-Attached] [-Solo]

Brings up a docker compose stack from scriptsRoot\docker\docker-compose.yml (or docker-compose.solo.yml with -Solo). Checks that Docker Desktop is actually running and tells you how to unwedge it if not.

zsetup_mail.ps1 — provision mail accounts

zsetup_mail.ps1 -domain yourdomain.com [-mailHost mail.yourdomain.com]

Creates admin@ and noreply@ mailboxes (with generated passwords) in a docker-mailserver container on the server, then prints the exact DNS records (MX, SPF, A) and SMTP/IMAP settings to plug into your app.

ZHelpers.ps1 — shared library

Not run directly. Dot-sourced by the other scripts; provides config loading (Get-ZConfig, Get-ZProject), SSH helpers (Invoke-Ec2Step), the deploy/backup archiver (New-ProjectArchive), and process-kill helpers. Extend here if you're adding your own scripts.

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Enabling deploy verification

Why not just check for HTTP 200? Because a 200 proves nothing — a stale cached build serves 200 all day. These scripts verify a deploy by comparing build numbers: your app exposes its build version, the deploy expects to see the new number live, and a mismatch means the upload or Docker build failed (or you're looking at a cached build).

It's optional — deploys still work without it, ending in a WARNING instead of a PASS — but it's the difference between "the server answered" and "the code I just shipped is actually running."

1. Add a version file to your project

// build-version.json  (vite: in public/ · nextjs: in public/ · python: project root)
{ "productVersion": "1.0", "buildNumber": 42 }

2. Bump it during the server-side Docker build

The convention: each deploy's Docker build increments buildNumber by one, so the deploy script expects local buildNumber + 1 to show up live. One line in your Dockerfile does it:

RUN node -e "const f='public/build-version.json',v=require('./'+f);v.buildNumber++;require('fs').writeFileSync(f,JSON.stringify(v))"

3. Expose it

Vite / static sites — nothing to do: public/build-version.json is served at /build-version.json, which is where verification looks. (If your edge proxy blocks it from outside, set remote.containerName in config and verification reads it inside the container instead.)

Next.js — add an API route at /api/build-version:

// app/api/build-version/route.ts
import { NextResponse } from "next/server";
import bv from "@/public/build-version.json";

export async function GET() {
  return NextResponse.json({ build_version: `v${bv.productVersion}.${bv.buildNumber}` });
}

Python (FastAPI shown; any framework works) — expose /api/build-version:

import json, pathlib

@app.get("/api/build-version")
def build_version():
    bv = json.loads(pathlib.Path("build-version.json").read_text())
    return {"build_version": f"v{bv['productVersion']}.{bv['buildNumber']}"}

Python projects can go further with a scripts/build_version_tool.py supporting get / set / bump subcommands — if present, zdeploy bumps the version inside the running container, records it, and zstart bumps on every dev start.

Alternative: server-side health check (verify block)

Not every stack is published through the edge proxy — internal APIs, apps whose host port the firewall blocks, services waiting on a DNS record. For those, the old fallback (GET http://<server-ip>/) was worse than nothing: the edge proxy's default vhost answers with a 200 and the deploy "passes" even if your app never started.

Give the project a verify block instead, and zdeploy checks the app from the server itself over SSH:

"verify": { "port": 8005, "path": "/health", "expect": "\"status\":\"ok\"" }

port is the host port the app publishes on the server; path defaults to /; expect is an optional substring the response must contain (an app version string makes this equivalent to build-number verification). Python-kind projects use verify automatically when there's no build_version_tool.py — and projects with neither a domain nor a verify block are now honestly reported as NOT verified instead of green-lighting the proxy's default page.

zec2 and zec2online use these same endpoints to show what's live and flag local/server version drift.

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Adding a new project

1. Add a key under projects in zconfig.json — copy the sample of the matching kind and rename it.
2. That's it: zstart, zkill, zrestart, zbackup, zdeploy, zec2, zec2online, zrepair, zstop all accept the new key immediately.
3. A project whose deploy doesn't fit the python/vite/nextjs/edge/docker patterns needs its own Invoke-<Kind>Deploy function in zdeploy.ps1 — copy an existing handler; they're all variations on zip → upload → compose up → verify.

Troubleshooting

• "zconfig.json not found" — you haven't copied zconfig.example.json yet. Every script tells you this and exits.
• "Unknown project key" — the argument doesn't match a key in zconfig.json; the error lists the valid keys.
• "PEM key not found" — fix ec2.pemKey in zconfig.json.
• Deploy aborts with "less than 1.5 GB free" — the server's disk is full even after auto-pruning. Grow the volume, or SSH in and run sudo docker system prune -af.
• Deploy ends with a version WARNING — the new build isn't what's being served: check the Docker build output, and see Enabling deploy verification if you haven't set it up.
• Port already in use when starting — zkill <project> first, or just use zrestart.

License

MIT