How Tokay sets up your app

Tokay turns source code into an explicit deployment plan before building it. We identify the parts of the application, fill in the setup the code already implies, and show you the decisions that need a person. After that review, the same recorded setup is used for every deployment.

Last updated July 13, 2026

The code describes the application

When code arrives by paste, git push, or GitHub, Tokay looks for the information needed to run it.

We identify deployable Services and whether each one is a web app, scheduled job, webhook, or background worker. We also detect the language, runtime version, framework, Service root, entry point, build command, and start command.

The same analysis finds environment variable names, supported database connections, system tools called by the code, and credentials that appear to be hardcoded in source.

One repository can describe several Services. Tokay presents those candidates separately so you can deploy the parts that belong in the application.

Review turns detection into configuration

Detection proposes a setup. You decide whether it is the setup Tokay should keep using.

The review shows each Service, its type, the values its code expects, and resources such as Postgres or Redis. A scheduled job also shows its schedule. When a pasted file needs a small change for safe deployment, Tokay shows the exact diff and waits for approval.

A required environment variable with no value blocks deployment instead of allowing a Service that cannot start to go live. Later pushes go through the same review, so new requirements surface before they affect the running version.

Deployment becomes predictable after setup

Once the configuration is accepted, Tokay does not reinterpret the application differently on each deploy. The same Service root, entry point, stack, and resource choices are applied until the code or configuration changes.

This separates useful judgment from routine operation. Detection helps with the first setup, while recorded configuration makes later builds and deploys repeatable.

Detection needs a runnable Service

Tokay opens configuration only for Services it can identify in the code. If no runnable Service is found, add or clarify an entry point such as server.js, app.py, or index.html, then push or analyze the code again.

This keeps the recorded Service root, entry point, and stack tied to working code instead of asking you to guess the runtime setup.