Why doesn't my environment variable change take effect? - Vercel DevOps for Jira
When you use the Set Vercel Environment Variable automation action, the variable is written to Vercel immediately - but whether it affects your running app depends on how the variable is consumed.
Build-time vs. runtime variables
- Build-time variables are read while your project is being built and are baked into the output. In Next.js these are the
NEXT_PUBLIC_*variables inlined into the client bundle, and any variable read in build scripts (Webpack, Vite, etc.). Setting a new value has no effect until the next deployment, because the currently running build still contains the old value. - Runtime variables are read each time your code runs - for example a serverless or edge function reading
process.envon each request. These take effect on the next invocation, with no redeployment needed.
How to make a build-time change live
Follow the Set Environment Variable action with a Trigger Vercel Redeployment action in the same rule, and always put them in this order:
1. Set Vercel Environment Variable (writes the new value)
2. Trigger Vercel Redeployment (bakes it into a fresh build)Setting the variable after the redeployment means the new build will not include it - the value would only be picked up by the following deployment.
A few other things to check
- Right environment. The action targets a single environment (
productionorpreview). A value set forpreviewwill not changeproduction, and vice versa. - Right project. The action operates on the Vercel project you selected in the rule, which must be connected to the Jira project the rule runs in.
- Valid key. Keys must use uppercase letters, digits and underscores, and must not start with a digit. An invalid key is rejected.
- Plaintext only. Values are stored as plaintext in Vercel, so never use secrets here.
Still stuck? Reach out to our support team.
