feat: add Railway deployment target (#117)

Add --railway to setup-project.sh alongside --cloudflare, --node, and
--lambda. Railway deploys the same multi-stage Docker image as the
Node.js target, so the runtime code is shared: the railway platform
reuses the node snippets and node-server Dockerfile/compose, adding
Railway config-as-code on top.

- templates/railway/: railway.toml (Dockerfile build, /health check,
  start command, restart policy) and nixpacks.toml (pnpm + Node 22
  pins for the non-Docker build)
- setup-project.sh: --railway flag, .env.example with Railway
  reference-variable notes (DATABASE_URL via Postgres reference),
  README deployment instructions (dashboard setup, root directory,
  service variables, auto-deploy, migrations via railway run)
- No deploy workflow generated: Railway auto-deploys the connected
  GitHub repo, gated by the /health check
- CI: require templates/railway; no new snippets to type-check
- deployment-config-generator (Step 2d) and schema-intake skills,
  pipeline.config.json, and docs updated for the fourth target

Co-authored-by: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

Author: PAMulligan

.claude/CUSTOM-AGENTS-GUIDE.md

@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ Integration testing, contract testing, load testing for APIs.
 
 ### devops-automator (blue)
 Docker, CI/CD pipeline generation, deployment automation.
-- **When to use:** Setting up Docker, creating CI/CD, deploying to Cloudflare Workers, Node.js, or AWS Lambda
+- **When to use:** Setting up Docker, creating CI/CD, deploying to Cloudflare Workers, Node.js, AWS Lambda, or Railway
 - **Key capabilities:** Multi-stage Docker, GitHub Actions, wrangler deploy, PM2, health endpoints
 
 ---

.claude/agents/devops-automator.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ---
 name: devops-automator
-description: API deployment and CI/CD specialist for Docker, GitHub Actions, Cloudflare Workers, Node.js, and AWS Lambda deployments. Use when setting up deployment pipelines, configuring Docker, managing Workers deployments, deploying with SAM, or automating build processes.
+description: API deployment and CI/CD specialist for Docker, GitHub Actions, Cloudflare Workers, Node.js, AWS Lambda, and Railway deployments. Use when setting up deployment pipelines, configuring Docker, managing Workers deployments, deploying with SAM, configuring Railway services, or automating build processes.
 color: blue
 tools: Bash, Read, Write, Grep, MultiEdit
 ---

.claude/pipeline.config.json

@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@
     "noAnyTypes": true
   },
   "deployment": {
-    "targets": ["cloudflare-workers", "node-docker", "aws-lambda"],
+    "targets": ["cloudflare-workers", "node-docker", "aws-lambda", "railway"],
     "defaultTarget": "cloudflare-workers",
     "cloudflareWorkers": {
       "compatibilityDate": "2024-12-01",
@@ -96,6 +96,15 @@
       "framework": "sam",
       "provisionedConcurrency": 0
     },
+    "railway": {
+      "builder": "dockerfile",
+      "healthcheckPath": "/health",
+      "healthcheckTimeoutSeconds": 300,
+      "restartPolicy": "on-failure",
+      "restartPolicyMaxRetries": 10,
+      "managedPostgres": true,
+      "autoDeployFromGitHub": true
+    },
     "cicd": {
       "provider": "github-actions",
       "runTests": true,

.claude/skills/deployment-config-generator/SKILL.md

@@ -5,11 +5,13 @@ description: >
   build-spec.json. For Cloudflare Workers, generates wrangler.toml with bindings.
   For Node.js, generates Dockerfile and docker-compose.yml with PostgreSQL. For
   AWS Lambda, generates a SAM template (API Gateway HTTP API), esbuild bundling
-  config, and an OIDC deploy workflow. Always generates GitHub Actions CI/CD
-  workflow and .env.example. Keywords: deploy, deployment, wrangler, cloudflare,
-  workers, docker, dockerfile, docker-compose, aws, lambda, sam, api-gateway,
-  serverless, esbuild, oidc, cold-start, github-actions, ci-cd, pipeline, env,
-  configuration, infrastructure
+  config, and an OIDC deploy workflow. For Railway, generates railway.toml
+  (Dockerfile build, health check, start command) and nixpacks.toml. Always
+  generates GitHub Actions CI/CD workflow and .env.example. Keywords: deploy,
+  deployment, wrangler, cloudflare, workers, docker, dockerfile, docker-compose,
+  aws, lambda, sam, api-gateway, serverless, esbuild, oidc, cold-start, railway,
+  nixpacks, paas, github-actions, ci-cd, pipeline, env, configuration,
+  infrastructure
 ---
 
 # Deployment Config Generator (Phase 5)
@@ -45,7 +47,7 @@ const spec = JSON.parse(
   await readFile('.claude/plans/build-spec.json', 'utf-8'),
 );
 
-const target = spec.deployment.target; // 'cloudflare-workers' | 'node' | 'aws-lambda'
+const target = spec.deployment.target; // 'cloudflare-workers' | 'node' | 'aws-lambda' | 'railway'
 const authStrategy = spec.auth.strategy;
 ```
 
@@ -347,6 +349,67 @@ permissions:
     --parameter-overrides "DatabaseUrl=${{ secrets.DATABASE_URL }} JwtSecret=${{ secrets.JWT_SECRET }}"
 ```
 
+### Step 2d -- Railway Configuration
+
+If target is `railway`, reuse the Node.js Dockerfile from Step 2b and generate
+Railway config-as-code. Canonical templates live in `templates/railway/`
+(`railway.toml`, `nixpacks.toml`). Railway builds the service from the
+Dockerfile, so the deployed image is identical to the local
+`docker compose up` image.
+
+```toml
+# api/railway.toml
+[build]
+builder = "DOCKERFILE"
+dockerfilePath = "Dockerfile"
+watchPatterns = ["src/**", "package.json", "pnpm-lock.yaml", "Dockerfile"]
+
+[deploy]
+startCommand = "node dist/index.js"
+healthcheckPath = "/health"
+healthcheckTimeout = 300
+restartPolicyType = "ON_FAILURE"
+restartPolicyMaxRetries = 10
+numReplicas = 1
+```
+
+No deploy workflow is generated: Railway auto-deploys the connected GitHub
+repo on every push, gated by the `/health` check. (CLI deploys from CI are
+possible with `railway up` and a `RAILWAY_TOKEN` secret, but not required.)
+
+Environment variables live on the Railway service (Variables tab), not in
+config files. Generate this reference table into the project README:
+
+| Variable | Value |
+|---|---|
+| `DATABASE_URL` | `${{Postgres.DATABASE_URL}}` (reference to managed PostgreSQL) |
+| `JWT_SECRET` | generated secret, 32+ chars |
+| `NODE_ENV` | `production` |
+| `LOG_LEVEL` | `info` |
+
+`PORT` is injected by Railway; the Node.js entry point already binds it.
+Remind the user of the one dashboard setting config-as-code cannot express:
+service **Root Directory** must be `api` so Railway finds `railway.toml` and
+the Dockerfile.
+
+Nixpacks alternative (`builder = "NIXPACKS"`) for building without the
+Dockerfile -- `nixpacks.toml` pins the toolchain:
+
+```toml
+# api/nixpacks.toml
+[phases.setup]
+nixPkgs = ["nodejs_22", "pnpm"]
+
+[phases.install]
+cmds = ["pnpm install --frozen-lockfile"]
+
+[phases.build]
+cmds = ["pnpm build"]
+
+[start]
+cmd = "node dist/index.js"
+```
+
 ### Step 3 -- Generate GitHub Actions CI/CD
 
 ```yaml
@@ -449,6 +512,8 @@ jobs:
       #     role-to-assume: ${{ secrets.AWS_DEPLOY_ROLE_ARN }}
       #     aws-region: ${{ vars.AWS_REGION }}
       # - run: cd api && pnpm run build:lambda && sam deploy --no-confirm-changeset
+      # For Railway: no deploy step -- Railway auto-deploys the connected
+      # GitHub repo on push, gated by the /health check (see Step 2d).
 
   deploy-production:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
@@ -525,6 +590,8 @@ Ensure the API package.json has all necessary scripts:
 | SAM template | `api/template.yaml` | AWS Lambda + API Gateway HTTP API stack |
 | SAM config | `api/samconfig.toml` | Stack name, region, deploy defaults |
 | esbuild config | `api/esbuild.config.mjs` | Single-file Lambda bundle build |
+| Railway config | `api/railway.toml` | Build, health check, start command, restart policy |
+| Nixpacks config | `api/nixpacks.toml` | Toolchain pins for the non-Docker Railway build |
 | CI/CD workflow | `.github/workflows/ci.yml` | GitHub Actions pipeline |
 | Deploy workflow | `.github/workflows/deploy.yml` | OIDC-based AWS Lambda deploy (Lambda target) |
 | Env template | `.env.example` | Environment variable template |

.claude/skills/schema-intake/SKILL.md

@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ continuing. Adapt follow-up questions based on responses.
 
 **Question 6 -- Deployment Target**
 > Where will this API be deployed?
-> Options: Cloudflare Workers (default), Node.js / Docker, AWS Lambda
+> Options: Cloudflare Workers (default), Node.js / Docker, AWS Lambda, Railway
 
 **Question 7 -- Additional Requirements** (optional)
 > Any special requirements? (pagination style, rate limiting, soft deletes, etc.)
@@ -294,7 +294,7 @@ interface BuildSpec {
     sourceType: 'file' | 'interview';
   };
   deployment: {
-    target: 'cloudflare-workers' | 'node' | 'aws-lambda';
+    target: 'cloudflare-workers' | 'node' | 'aws-lambda' | 'railway';
     runtime: string;
   };
   auth: {
@@ -553,7 +553,7 @@ function validateBuildSpec(spec: BuildSpec): string[] {
 | `tdd-from-schema` (Phase 2) | Reads `endpoints` and `auth` to generate test cases |
 | `route-generation` (Phase 3) | Reads `endpoints` to scaffold Hono route handlers |
 | `api-authentication` | Reads `auth` to configure JWT/API key middleware |
-| `deployment-config-generator` | Reads `deployment` to generate wrangler.toml, Dockerfile, or SAM template |
+| `deployment-config-generator` | Reads `deployment` to generate wrangler.toml, Dockerfile, SAM template, or railway.toml |
 | `api-documentation` | Reads the generated OpenAPI spec or regenerates from build-spec |
 
 ### Triggering the Next Phase

.github/workflows/ci.yml

@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ jobs:
             fi
           done
 
-          for dir in templates/shared templates/cloudflare-workers templates/node-server templates/docker templates/aws-lambda; do
+          for dir in templates/shared templates/cloudflare-workers templates/node-server templates/docker templates/aws-lambda templates/railway; do
             if [ -d "$dir" ]; then
               echo "  $dir: OK"
             else

CLAUDE.md

@@ -4,15 +4,15 @@ This file provides guidance to Claude Code (claude.ai/code) when working with co
 
 ## Project Overview
 
-This is a **Claude Code-integrated API & backend development framework** providing specialized agents, skills, scripts, and schema-to-API conversion pipelines. Built with TypeScript, Hono (HTTP framework), Drizzle ORM, and PostgreSQL. Deployed to Cloudflare Workers, Node.js, or AWS Lambda.
+This is a **Claude Code-integrated API & backend development framework** providing specialized agents, skills, scripts, and schema-to-API conversion pipelines. Built with TypeScript, Hono (HTTP framework), Drizzle ORM, and PostgreSQL. Deployed to Cloudflare Workers, Node.js, AWS Lambda, or Railway.
 
 Nerva is the backend counterpart to **Aurelius** (frontend framework).
 
 The framework is designed for:
 - Schema-first API development (OpenAPI spec to working API)
 - OpenAPI-to-working-API conversion with TDD-mandatory development
 - Comprehensive testing (integration tests, contract tests, load tests with k6)
-- Deployment to Cloudflare Workers, Node.js (Docker), or AWS Lambda (SAM)
+- Deployment to Cloudflare Workers, Node.js (Docker), AWS Lambda (SAM), or Railway
 - Full product lifecycle support (engineering, database, testing, DevOps, operations)
 
 ## Project Structure
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ project-root/
 │   ├── cloudflare-workers/ # Wrangler config
 │   ├── node-server/        # Node.js server config
 │   ├── aws-lambda/         # SAM template, esbuild config, OIDC deploy workflow
+│   ├── railway/            # Railway config-as-code (railway.toml, nixpacks.toml)
 │   └── docker/             # Dockerfile, docker-compose
 ├── docs/
 │   ├── schema-to-api/      # Pipeline guide
@@ -58,7 +59,7 @@ project-root/
 
 ```bash
 # Setup a new API project
-./scripts/setup-project.sh my-api --cloudflare  # or --node / --lambda
+./scripts/setup-project.sh my-api --cloudflare  # or --node / --lambda / --railway
 
 # Run tests with coverage
 ./scripts/run-tests.sh
@@ -233,7 +234,7 @@ Autonomous 10-phase pipeline that converts an OpenAPI specification into a worki
 - **Schema-first** — OpenAPI spec drives database schema, types, handlers, and tests
 - **Contract testing** — generated tests validate API responses against OpenAPI spec
 - **Load testing** — k6 scripts generated for performance-critical endpoints
-- **Multi-target deployment** — Cloudflare Workers, Node.js, Docker, AWS Lambda with single config change
+- **Multi-target deployment** — Cloudflare Workers, Node.js, Docker, AWS Lambda, Railway with single config change
 - **Type safety end-to-end** — Drizzle schema to Zod validators to TypeScript types
 - Quality gate: 80%+ coverage, TypeScript strict, security audit, bundle analysis
 - Resumable: TodoWrite tracks progress across interrupted sessions
@@ -489,6 +490,7 @@ pnpm drizzle-kit studio             # Open database GUI
 ./scripts/setup-project.sh my-api --cloudflare  # New Cloudflare Workers project
 ./scripts/setup-project.sh my-api --node         # New Node.js project
 ./scripts/setup-project.sh my-api --lambda       # New AWS Lambda (SAM) project
+./scripts/setup-project.sh my-api --railway      # New Railway project
 ```
 
 ---

README.md

@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ A Claude Code-integrated API & backend development framework with TypeScript, Ho
 - **12 Development Skills** — Automated workflows for schema parsing, TDD, route generation, authentication, validation, documentation
 - **10-Phase Schema-to-API Pipeline** — Convert OpenAPI specs into fully working, tested API servers with a single command
 - **TDD-Mandatory Development** — Integration tests written before route handlers, hard gate enforced
-- **Three Deployment Targets** — Cloudflare Workers (edge), Node.js (Docker), or AWS Lambda (SAM) with one config change
+- **Four Deployment Targets** — Cloudflare Workers (edge), Node.js (Docker), AWS Lambda (SAM), or Railway (PaaS) with one config change
 - **Testing Stack** — Vitest, supertest, contract tests against OpenAPI, k6 load tests
 - **Schema-First Design** — Database schemas, types, and validators all derived from your API spec
 
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ cd Nerva
 pnpm install
 
 # Initialize a new API project
-./scripts/setup-project.sh my-api --cloudflare   # or --node / --lambda
+./scripts/setup-project.sh my-api --cloudflare   # or --node / --lambda / --railway
 
 # Start development
 cd api && pnpm dev
@@ -176,6 +176,7 @@ Full catalog: [`.claude/CUSTOM-AGENTS-GUIDE.md`](.claude/CUSTOM-AGENTS-GUIDE.md)
 | `templates/cloudflare-workers/` | Wrangler config with Hyperdrive |
 | `templates/node-server/` | Dockerfile + docker-compose with PostgreSQL |
 | `templates/aws-lambda/` | SAM template, esbuild config, OIDC deploy workflow |
+| `templates/railway/` | Railway config-as-code + Nixpacks build config |
 | `templates/docker/` | Extended Docker with Redis + pgAdmin |
 
 ## Part of the PMDS Framework Series

docs/onboarding/architecture.md

@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ Shell scripts for common development tasks:
 
 | Script | Purpose |
 |--------|---------|
-| `setup-project.sh` | Initialize a new API project (--cloudflare, --node, or --lambda) |
+| `setup-project.sh` | Initialize a new API project (--cloudflare, --node, --lambda, or --railway) |
 | `run-tests.sh` | Vitest test suite with coverage |
 | `check-types.sh` | TypeScript strict mode checking |
 | `security-scan.sh` | Dependency and code security audit |
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ Shell scripts for common development tasks:
 | `generate-openapi-docs.sh` | Build API documentation |
 | `generate-client.sh` | Generate typed API client for frontends |
 
-### Templates (5 directories)
+### Templates (6 directories)
 
 Starter configurations for different deployment targets:
 
@@ -81,6 +81,7 @@ Starter configurations for different deployment targets:
 | `templates/cloudflare-workers/` | Wrangler config with D1/KV/Hyperdrive bindings |
 | `templates/node-server/` | Dockerfile + docker-compose with PostgreSQL |
 | `templates/aws-lambda/` | SAM template (API Gateway HTTP API), esbuild config, OIDC deploy workflow |
+| `templates/railway/` | Railway config-as-code (Docker build, health check) + Nixpacks config |
 | `templates/docker/` | Extended Docker setup with Redis + pgAdmin |
 
 ## Pipelines

docs/onboarding/quickstart.md

@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ If you have an OpenAPI specification file:
 
 ```bash
 # Initialize the project structure
-./scripts/setup-project.sh my-api --cloudflare   # or --node / --lambda
+./scripts/setup-project.sh my-api --cloudflare   # or --node / --lambda / --railway
 
 # Open Claude Code and run the pipeline
 /build-from-schema path/to/openapi-spec.yaml