Vercel Deployment Failure: Prisma & SQLite Fix

Aug 12, 2025 by Luna Greco 47 views

Troubleshooting Vercel Deployment Failures: A Comprehensive Guide

Hey guys! Having trouble with your Vercel deployments? Don't sweat it! Deployment failures can be frustrating, but with the right approach, you can often pinpoint the issue and get your project up and running smoothly. This guide will walk you through a common Vercel deployment error, specifically focusing on Prisma and SQLite compatibility, and provide a detailed, step-by-step solution.

Understanding the Error: Prisma and SQLite Mismatch

The deployment logs you shared point to a specific problem related to Prisma and SQLite. Let's break it down:

[12:20:43.968] Error: Prisma schema validation - (get-dmmf wasm)
[12:20:43.969] Error code: P1012
[12:20:43.969]  [1;91merror [0m:  [1mNative type Text is not supported for sqlite connector. [0m
[12:20:43.970]    [1;94m--> [0m   [4mprisma/schema.prisma:19 [0m
[12:20:43.970]  [1;94m   |  [0m
[12:20:43.970]  [1;94m18 |  [0m  providerAccountId String
[12:20:43.970]  [1;94m19 |  [0m  refresh_token     String?  [1;[email protected] [0m

This error message, "Native type Text is not supported for sqlite connector," indicates that you're using the @db.Text native type in your Prisma schema (prisma/schema.prisma) while targeting SQLite. SQLite has limited support for column types compared to other databases like PostgreSQL or MySQL. It doesn't directly support a Text type like some other databases do.

Why is this happening?

You might have initially configured your Prisma schema for a different database (like PostgreSQL) that supports the Text type. When deploying to Vercel, which might default to SQLite or have SQLite configured, this incompatibility surfaces.
You might have explicitly defined Text for fields like refresh_token, access_token, and id_token without realizing the SQLite limitations.

Impact of this error:

Prisma is unable to generate the necessary database client, which is crucial for your application to interact with the database.
The deployment process fails because the prisma generate command, which is part of your postinstall script, exits with an error.

The Solution: Adapting Your Prisma Schema for SQLite

To fix this, you need to modify your Prisma schema to use SQLite-compatible data types. SQLite typically uses String or TEXT (case-insensitive) to store text data. Here’s how you can approach it:

Step 1: Open Your `prisma/schema.prisma` File

Locate the prisma/schema.prisma file in your project directory. This file defines your database schema, including models and their fields.

Step 2: Identify and Modify the Problematic Fields

Look for the fields that are causing the error, as indicated in the logs. In your case, it’s lines 19, 20, and 24:

refresh_token String? @db.Text
access_token String? @db.Text
id_token String? @db.Text

Replace @db.Text with a type that SQLite supports. The simplest and most compatible solution is to remove the @db.Text annotation altogether. Prisma will then infer the appropriate type for SQLite, which is usually String. So, modify the lines as follows:

refresh_token String?
access_token String?
id_token String?

By removing the explicit @db.Text, you're allowing Prisma to use its default mapping for the String type in SQLite.

Step 3: Example of Modified Schema

Here’s how your prisma/schema.prisma file might look after the changes (considering the relevant part of the schema):

model Account {
  id                String  @id @default(cuid())
  userId            String
  type              String
  provider          String
  providerAccountId String
  refresh_token     String?
  access_token      String?
  expires_at        Int?
  token_type        String?
  scope             String?
  id_token          String?
  session_state     String?

  user User @relation(fields: [userId], references: [id], onDelete: Cascade)

  @@index([userId])
  @@map("accounts")
}

Notice how the @db.Text annotations are removed from refresh_token, access_token, and id_token.

Step 4: Regenerate Prisma Client

After modifying your schema, you need to regenerate the Prisma client to reflect the changes. Run the following command in your project's root directory:

pnpm prisma generate

This command reads your updated schema and generates the Prisma Client, which includes the necessary database access logic.

Step 5: Commit and Push Your Changes

Commit your changes to Git and push them to your repository:

git add .
git commit -m "Fix: SQLite compatibility in Prisma schema"
git push origin main

This ensures that your changes are reflected in your Vercel deployment.

Step 6: Redeploy to Vercel

Vercel should automatically trigger a new deployment when it detects changes in your repository. If not, you can manually trigger a redeployment from the Vercel dashboard.

Additional Troubleshooting Tips

If you still encounter issues after following these steps, consider these additional troubleshooting tips:

1. Check Your Database Configuration

Ensure that your Vercel environment variables are correctly configured for your database. If you're using a different database in production (e.g., PostgreSQL), make sure the connection string is set up correctly.

2. Review Your Prisma Schema

Double-check your entire prisma/schema.prisma file for any other potential data type incompatibilities or errors. Pay close attention to any native types (@db.) you're using.

3. Examine Your Vercel Logs

Carefully review your Vercel deployment logs for any other error messages or warnings that might provide clues about the problem. The logs often contain valuable information about what's going wrong.

4. Test Locally

Before deploying to Vercel, try running your application locally using SQLite. This can help you catch any database-related issues early on.

5. Vercel Build Configuration

Sometimes, the issue might stem from how Vercel is building your project. In the logs, there's a warning about ignored build scripts. While this might not be the primary cause of the Prisma error, it's worth investigating. You might need to approve certain build scripts using pnpm approve-builds if they are essential for your deployment.

6. Prisma Version Compatibility

Ensure that your Prisma CLI version (6.13.0 in your case) is compatible with the Prisma Client and other dependencies in your project. While it's less likely to be the direct cause, version mismatches can sometimes lead to unexpected issues.

Conclusion: Conquering Vercel Deployment Challenges

Deployment failures can be a headache, but understanding the error messages and systematically addressing the issues will get you back on track. In this case, the incompatibility between Prisma's Text type and SQLite was the culprit. By modifying your Prisma schema and regenerating the client, you can resolve this specific problem.

Remember, the key to successful deployments is careful configuration, thorough testing, and a willingness to dive into the logs when things go wrong. Happy deploying!