Teams
Teams are the organizational foundation of DeployStack, serving as dedicated workspaces where you manage all your MCP server deployments, cloud provider credentials, and environment variables. Think of teams as isolated containers that keep your deployment resources organized and secure.
Overview
In DeployStack, teams provide:
- Isolated Workspaces: Each team maintains its own separate environment for deployments
- Resource Organization: All your MCP servers, credentials, and settings are organized within teams
- Access Control: Team-based permissions ensure secure access to your deployment resources
- Multi-Project Support: Create up to 3 teams to organize different projects or environments
Every team acts as a complete deployment environment, containing everything needed to deploy and manage MCP servers across various cloud providers.
Getting Started with Teams
Automatic Team Creation
When you register for DeployStack, a default team is automatically created for you:
- Team Name: Uses your username
- Team Slug: A URL-friendly version of your username (e.g.,
john-doe
) - Description: Automatically set as "[username]'s team"
- Role: You become the Team Administrator with full control
This default team is immediately ready for use - you can start deploying MCP servers right away.
Team Limits
Each user can create and manage up to 3 teams total, including your default team. This means you can create 2 additional teams beyond your automatically created default team.
What Teams Contain
Teams serve as comprehensive containers for all your deployment resources:
MCP Server Settings
- All deployed MCP server configurations
- Server deployment history and status
- Custom server settings and parameters
- Deployment logs and monitoring data
Cloud Provider Credentials
- Render.com: API tokens and service configurations
- Fly.io: Authentication tokens and app settings
- Other Providers: Credentials for additional supported platforms
Global Environment Variables
- Node.js Environment Variables: Custom env vars for Node.js-based MCP servers
- Reusable Variables: Environment variables that can be applied across multiple servers
- Secure Storage: All environment variables are encrypted and securely stored
These global environment variables allow you to define common settings once and apply them to multiple MCP servers within the same team, streamlining your deployment process.
Team Management
Managing Your Teams
DeployStack provides an intuitive interface for managing your teams through the Teams dashboard.
Accessing Team Management
- Navigate to Teams: Go to the Teams section in your dashboard
- View Teams Table: See all your teams with their details
- Manage Teams: Click the "Manage" button next to any team you want to edit
The "Manage" button is available for all teams where you have administrative privileges.
Team Management Interface
When you click "Manage" on a team, you'll access a comprehensive management interface that includes:
- Team Information: View team ID, creation date, and last update
- Team Settings: Edit team name and description
- Default Team Protection: Special handling for your default team
- Team Deletion: Remove teams you no longer need (with safety protections)
Creating Additional Teams
To create a new team:
- Navigate to the Teams section in your dashboard
- Click "Create New Team"
- Provide a team name and optional description
- The system automatically generates a unique URL-friendly slug
Note: You can only create teams if you haven't reached the 3-team limit.
Editing Team Details
You can modify your teams through the team management interface:
Team Name Editing
- Regular Teams: You can freely change the name of teams you created
- Default Teams: Your automatically created default team name cannot be changed
- Protection Indicator: Default teams show a lock icon with an explanation
- Reason: This prevents confusion since your default team name matches your username
Team Description Editing
- All Teams: You can edit descriptions for any team you administer
- No Restrictions: This applies to both default and regular teams
- Optional Field: Descriptions can be left empty if desired
Visual Indicators
The interface provides clear visual feedback:
- Default Team Badge: Shows "Default Team" label for your original team
- Lock Icons: Appear next to fields that cannot be edited
- Explanatory Text: Describes why certain fields are protected
- Form Validation: Prevents invalid changes and provides helpful error messages
Team Naming and Slugs
- Team Names: Can contain spaces, special characters, and any readable text
- Team Slugs: Automatically generated URL-friendly identifiers
- Unique Slugs: If a slug already exists, the system adds a number (e.g.,
my-team-2
) - Permanent Slugs: Once created, team slugs cannot be changed
Team Ownership
- Team Owner: The user who created the team has full administrative control
- Owner Privileges: Can modify all team settings, manage resources, and delete the team
- Single Owner: Each team has exactly one owner (currently you)
Team Features
Current Structure
DeployStack teams currently operate with a single-user model:
- Each team belongs to one user
- You have full control over your teams
- No team sharing or collaboration features (planned for future releases)
Team Roles
Within your teams, you automatically have the Team Administrator role, which provides:
- Full access to all team resources
- Ability to deploy and manage MCP servers
- Permission to modify team settings
- Authority to delete the team
Note: Team User roles exist in the system for future multi-user team functionality.
Resource Isolation
Each team maintains complete isolation:
- Separate Credentials: Cloud provider credentials are team-specific
- Independent Servers: MCP servers in one team don't affect others
- Isolated Variables: Environment variables are scoped to individual teams
- Secure Boundaries: No cross-team access to resources
Working with Teams
Step-by-Step Team Management
Editing a Team
- Navigate to Teams: Go to your Teams dashboard
- Find Your Team: Locate the team you want to edit in the table
- Click Manage: Click the "Manage" button in the Actions column
- Edit Details:
- Modify the team name (if not a default team)
- Update the team description
- Save your changes
- Confirmation: You'll see a success message when changes are saved
Deleting a Team (Non-Default Only)
- Prepare the Team: Remove all MCP servers and configurations
- Access Management: Click "Manage" on the team you want to delete
- Find Danger Zone: Scroll down to the "Danger Zone" section
- Click Delete: Click the "Delete Team" button
- Confirm Action: In the popup dialog, confirm you want to delete the team
- Final Warning: Read the warning about permanent data loss
- Complete Deletion: Click "Delete" in the confirmation dialog
Understanding Team Status
- Default Team Badge: Your original team shows a "Default Team" badge
- Lock Icons: Indicate fields that cannot be edited
- Member Count: Shows how many users are in each team (currently always 1)
- Last Updated: Displays when the team was last modified
Switching Between Teams
If you have multiple teams, you can switch between them to:
- Access different sets of MCP servers
- Use different cloud provider credentials
- Apply different environment variable sets
- Organize projects or environments separately
Managing Team Settings
For each team, you can:
- Update Team Name: Modify the display name
- Edit Description: Change or add team descriptions
- Manage Credentials: Add, update, or remove cloud provider credentials
- Configure Variables: Set up global environment variables
- Monitor Deployments: View all MCP servers and their status
Understanding Team Slugs
Team slugs serve as unique identifiers:
- URL Component: Used in dashboard URLs and API endpoints
- Permanent Identifier: Cannot be changed after team creation
- Conflict Resolution: System automatically handles naming conflicts
- Case Insensitive: Converted to lowercase with hyphens
Team Deletion and Consequences
⚠️ Critical Warning: Team deletion is permanent and irreversible.
Default Team Protection
Your default team cannot be deleted - this is a permanent protection:
- No Delete Option: The deletion section won't appear for default teams
- Safety Measure: Prevents accidental loss of your primary workspace
- Alternative: You can still edit the description and manage all resources
Protection Mechanisms
For non-default teams, multiple safety measures protect against accidental deletion:
- Active Server Check: Teams with active MCP servers cannot be deleted
- Confirmation Dialog: A modal dialog requires explicit confirmation
- Clear Warning: The interface clearly explains the consequences
- Two-Step Process: You must first remove all servers, then confirm deletion
Required Steps Before Deletion
To delete a non-default team, you must:
- Stop All Running MCP Servers: Ensure no servers are currently deployed or running
- Remove All Server Configurations: Delete all MCP server settings and configurations
- Access Danger Zone: Navigate to the "Danger Zone" section in team management
- Confirm Deletion: Click delete and confirm in the popup dialog
What Gets Permanently Deleted
When you delete a team, you lose everything associated with it:
- All MCP Server Settings: Complete server configurations and deployment history
- All Cloud Provider Credentials: Stored API keys, tokens, and authentication data
- All Global Environment Variables: Custom environment settings and variables
- Complete Deployment History: Logs, monitoring data, and historical information
No Recovery Options
Team deletion is permanent - there are no backups, recovery options, or ways to restore deleted teams. Once deleted, all data is gone forever.
Team Permissions
Your team permissions determine what actions you can perform:
Global Administrator Access
Global administrators have enhanced visibility into all teams across the system:
- Can view all teams created by any user through the admin user management interface
- Have read-only access to team information for administrative oversight and support purposes
Global vs Team Permissions
- Global Permissions: Control system-wide access (user management, global settings)
- Team Permissions: Control what you can do within your teams
Team-Related Permissions
teams.create
: Create new teams (up to your limit)teams.view
: View team details and resourcesteams.edit
: Modify team settings and configurationsteams.delete
: Delete teams (after removing all servers)teams.manage
: Full team management capabilities
Deployment Capabilities
Your team role affects your ability to:
- Deploy new MCP servers
- Modify server configurations
- Manage cloud provider credentials
- Set up environment variables
- Monitor deployment status
- Access deployment logs
Getting the Most from Teams
Organization Strategies
Consider creating separate teams for:
- Different Projects: Organize MCP servers by project or client
Resource Management
Within each team:
- Group Related Servers: Deploy related MCP servers in the same team
- Shared Credentials: Use the same cloud provider credentials across servers
- Common Variables: Leverage global environment variables for consistency
- Logical Organization: Use descriptive names and descriptions
Teams provide the foundation for organized, secure, and efficient MCP server deployment in DeployStack. By understanding how teams work, you can effectively manage your deployment resources and maintain clean separation between different projects and environments.