VapiAI · dhruva-reddy · May 2, 2026 · May 1, 2026
diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
@@ -747,6 +747,7 @@ npm run push -- <org>                              # Push all local changes to V
 npm run push -- <org> assistants                   # Push only assistants
 npm run push -- <org> resources/<org>/assistants/my-agent.md  # Push single file
 npm run push -- <org> <path1> <path2>              # Push multiple specific files (one state write)
+npm run push -- <org> --dry-run                    # Preview without applying any platform changes
 npm run apply -- <org>                             # Pull then push (full sync)
 
 # Testing

diff --git a/improvements.md b/improvements.md
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ you which stack PR closes the row.**
 | 2   | `apply` same-file conflict                               | `apply` drops concurrent same-file dashboard edits | #4         | Open (Stack G planned)            |
 | 3   | Rollback                                                 | Current undo can clobber newer live changes        | #4, #5     | Open (Stack H planned)            |
 | 4   | State schema content hashes                              | Architectural unlock for #1, #2, #3, #6, #7        | None       | Open (Stack F planned)            |
-| 5   | `push --dry-run`                                         | Cheapest operator-safety win                       | None       | Open (Stack C planned)            |
+| 5   | `push --dry-run`                                         | Cheapest operator-safety win                       | None       | RESOLVED 2026-04-30 (Stack C)     |
 | 6   | API-level optimistic concurrency                         | Server-side conflict rejection                     | Platform   | Deferred (Stack I, gated)         |
 | 7   | Voice edits drop pronunciation-dictionary attachments    | Silent regression on Cartesia + 11labs voice edits | #4         | Open (Stack G planned)            |
 | 8   | Dashboard prompt edits can in-place duplicate the prompt | Two stacked prompt versions = stitched output      | None       | Open (Stack D planned)            |

diff --git a/src/api.ts b/src/api.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,37 @@
-import { VAPI_BASE_URL, VAPI_TOKEN } from "./config.ts";
+import { DRY_RUN, VAPI_BASE_URL, VAPI_TOKEN } from "./config.ts";
 import type { VapiResponse } from "./types.ts";
 
+// ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+// Dry-run accounting
+//
+// In `--dry-run` mode, mutating requests (POST/PATCH/DELETE) are gated and
+// counted instead of executed. The end-of-run summary in push.ts reads
+// `getDryRunCounts()` to print "would create N, would update M, would delete K."
+//
+// GETs always run — drift detection (Stack G) and dry-run preview both need
+// to fetch current platform state.
+// ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+const DRY_RUN_COUNTS = { POST: 0, PATCH: 0, DELETE: 0 };
+
+export function getDryRunCounts(): { POST: number; PATCH: number; DELETE: number } {
+  return { ...DRY_RUN_COUNTS };
+}
+
+function formatBodyPreview(body: Record<string, unknown>): string {
+  // One-line preview: the first ~120 chars of the canonicalized JSON,
+  // truncated with an ellipsis. Helps the operator see *what* is being
+  // requested without dumping a multi-page payload per resource.
+  let preview: string;
+  try {
+    preview = JSON.stringify(body);
+  } catch {
+    preview = String(body);
+  }
+  if (preview.length > 120) preview = `${preview.slice(0, 117)}...`;
+  return preview;
+}
+
 // ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 // HTTP Client for Vapi API
 // ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -60,6 +91,20 @@ export async function vapiRequest<T = VapiResponse>(
 ): Promise<T> {
   const url = `${VAPI_BASE_URL}${endpoint}`;
 
+  if (DRY_RUN) {
+    DRY_RUN_COUNTS[method]++;
+    console.log(
+      `  🧪 [dry-run] would ${method} ${endpoint}  ${formatBodyPreview(body)}`,
+    );
+    // Returning a stable fake response shaped like a typical create response.
+    // For PATCH the engine ignores the return (other than for `.id`); for
+    // POST the engine writes the returned id into state. In dry-run the
+    // state file is never persisted, so the synthetic id is local-only.
+    return {
+      id: `dry-run-${method.toLowerCase()}-${Date.now()}`,
+    } as unknown as T;
+  }
+
   for (let attempt = 0; attempt <= MAX_RETRIES; attempt++) {
     await throttle();
     const response = await fetch(url, {
@@ -93,6 +138,12 @@ export async function vapiRequest<T = VapiResponse>(
 export async function vapiDelete(endpoint: string): Promise<void> {
   const url = `${VAPI_BASE_URL}${endpoint}`;
 
+  if (DRY_RUN) {
+    DRY_RUN_COUNTS.DELETE++;
+    console.log(`  🧪 [dry-run] would DELETE ${endpoint}`);
+    return;
+  }
+
   for (let attempt = 0; attempt <= MAX_RETRIES; attempt++) {
     await throttle();
     const response = await fetch(url, {

diff --git a/src/config.ts b/src/config.ts
@@ -85,16 +85,19 @@ const VALID_TYPE_ARGS = [
 function parseFlags(): {
   forceDelete: boolean;
   bootstrapSync: boolean;
+  dryRun: boolean;
   applyFilter: ApplyFilter;
 } {
   const args = process.argv.slice(3);
   const result: {
     forceDelete: boolean;
     bootstrapSync: boolean;
+    dryRun: boolean;
     applyFilter: ApplyFilter;
   } = {
     forceDelete: args.includes("--force"),
     bootstrapSync: args.includes("--bootstrap"),
+    dryRun: args.includes("--dry-run"),
     applyFilter: {},
   };
 
@@ -105,7 +108,8 @@ function parseFlags(): {
     const arg = args[i];
     if (!arg) continue;
 
-    if (arg === "--force" || arg === "--bootstrap") continue;
+    if (arg === "--force" || arg === "--bootstrap" || arg === "--dry-run")
+      continue;
 
     // --confirm <slug>: consumed by cleanup.ts directly. Eat the value here so
     // parseFlags' strict-arg check below doesn't trip on the slug.
@@ -238,6 +242,7 @@ export const VAPI_ENV = parseEnvironment();
 export const {
   forceDelete: FORCE_DELETE,
   bootstrapSync: BOOTSTRAP_SYNC,
+  dryRun: DRY_RUN,
   applyFilter: APPLY_FILTER,
 } = parseFlags();
 

diff --git a/src/push.ts b/src/push.ts
@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
 import { resolve } from "path";
 import { fileURLToPath } from "url";
-import { vapiRequest, VapiApiError } from "./api.ts";
+import { vapiRequest, VapiApiError, getDryRunCounts } from "./api.ts";
 import {
   VAPI_ENV,
   VAPI_BASE_URL,
   FORCE_DELETE,
+  DRY_RUN,
   APPLY_FILTER,
   BASE_DIR,
   removeExcludedKeys,
@@ -841,6 +842,9 @@ async function main(): Promise<void> {
   console.log(
     `   Deletions: ${FORCE_DELETE ? "⚠️  ENABLED (--force)" : "🔒 Disabled (dry-run)"}`,
   );
+  if (DRY_RUN) {
+    console.log("   Mode: 🧪 DRY-RUN (no API mutations, no state file write)");
+  }
   if (APPLY_FILTER.resourceTypes?.length) {
     console.log(`   Filter: ${APPLY_FILTER.resourceTypes.join(", ")}`);
   }
@@ -1230,11 +1234,18 @@ async function main(): Promise<void> {
   console.log(
     "\n═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════",
   );
-  console.log("✅ Apply complete!");
+  console.log(DRY_RUN ? "🧪 Dry-run complete (no changes applied)!" : "✅ Apply complete!");
   console.log(
     "═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════\n",
   );
 
+  if (DRY_RUN) {
+    const counts = getDryRunCounts();
+    console.log(
+      `🧪 Would create ${counts.POST}, would update ${counts.PATCH}, would delete ${counts.DELETE} (no API calls fired)`,
+    );
+  }
+
   // Summary - show what was applied vs total in state
   const totalApplied = Object.values(applied).reduce((a, b) => a + b, 0);
 
@@ -1275,16 +1286,26 @@ async function main(): Promise<void> {
     // Always flush state, even on partial failure — resources that already
     // received UUIDs from the API must be recorded so the next run does not
     // re-create them.
-    try {
-      await saveState(state);
-    } catch (saveError) {
-      console.error(
-        "\n⚠️  Failed to persist state file after apply:",
-        saveError instanceof Error ? saveError.message : saveError,
-      );
-      console.error(
-        `   Local state may be out of sync with platform. Run \`npm run pull -- ${VAPI_ENV} --bootstrap\` to recover.`,
+    //
+    // EXCEPT in dry-run mode: no real API calls fired, so the state file
+    // would be polluted with synthetic dry-run UUIDs. Skip the save entirely.
+    if (DRY_RUN) {
+      console.log(
+        "\n🧪 [dry-run] Skipping state file write (would have written to "
+          + `.vapi-state.${VAPI_ENV}.json)`,
       );
+    } else {
+      try {
+        await saveState(state);
+      } catch (saveError) {
+        console.error(
+          "\n⚠️  Failed to persist state file after apply:",
+          saveError instanceof Error ? saveError.message : saveError,
+        );
+        console.error(
+          `   Local state may be out of sync with platform. Run \`npm run pull -- ${VAPI_ENV} --bootstrap\` to recover.`,
+        );
+      }
     }
   }
 }

diff --git a/tests/push-dry-run.test.ts b/tests/push-dry-run.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,118 @@
+import test from "node:test";
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process";
+import {
+  mkdtempSync,
+  writeFileSync,
+  rmSync,
+  cpSync,
+  symlinkSync,
+  existsSync,
+  mkdirSync,
+} from "node:fs";
+import { join, dirname } from "node:path";
+import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
+import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+
+// Stack C — push --dry-run regression coverage.
+//
+// `--dry-run` MUST:
+//   1. Be accepted at parse time (no "Unrecognized argument" error)
+//   2. Print the dry-run mode banner so the operator can't miss it
+//   3. NOT write the state file (a real run would; dry-run never does)
+//   4. NOT fire any actual API calls (verified indirectly by lack of API
+//      error output and by no state-file mutation, plus the "would PATCH/
+//      POST/DELETE" log lines)
+
+const __dirname = dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url));
+const REPO_ROOT = join(__dirname, "..");
+
+interface Fixture {
+  dir: string;
+  cleanup: () => void;
+}
+
+function setupFixture(): Fixture {
+  const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "vapi-dry-run-test-"));
+  cpSync(join(REPO_ROOT, "src"), join(dir, "src"), { recursive: true });
+  cpSync(join(REPO_ROOT, "package.json"), join(dir, "package.json"));
+  symlinkSync(join(REPO_ROOT, "node_modules"), join(dir, "node_modules"), "dir");
+  // Empty resource tree — push has nothing real to do, but parsing and the
+  // dry-run banner must still fire correctly.
+  mkdirSync(join(dir, "resources", "test-dry-run"), { recursive: true });
+  writeFileSync(
+    join(dir, ".env.test-dry-run"),
+    "VAPI_TOKEN=fake-token-not-used\n",
+  );
+  return {
+    dir,
+    cleanup: () => rmSync(dir, { recursive: true, force: true }),
+  };
+}
+
+function runPush(
+  cwd: string,
+  extraArgs: string[],
+): { code: number | null; stdout: string; stderr: string } {
+  const result = spawnSync(
+    "node",
+    ["--import", "tsx", "src/push.ts", "test-dry-run", ...extraArgs],
+    {
+      cwd,
+      env: { ...process.env, VAPI_TOKEN: "fake-token-not-used" },
+      encoding: "utf-8",
+      timeout: 20_000,
+    },
+  );
+  return {
+    code: result.status,
+    stdout: result.stdout || "",
+    stderr: result.stderr || "",
+  };
+}
+
+test("--dry-run is accepted at parse time without unrecognized-arg error", () => {
+  const fx = setupFixture();
+  try {
+    const res = runPush(fx.dir, ["--dry-run", "--bootstrap"]);
+    assert.doesNotMatch(res.stderr, /Unrecognized argument/);
+  } finally {
+    fx.cleanup();
+  }
+});
+
+test("--dry-run prints the dry-run banner so the operator sees it", () => {
+  const fx = setupFixture();
+  try {
+    const res = runPush(fx.dir, ["--dry-run", "--bootstrap"]);
+    // The banner mentions DRY-RUN explicitly so it's noisy enough not to be
+    // missed in a CI log scroll.
+    assert.match(res.stdout, /DRY-RUN/);
+  } finally {
+    fx.cleanup();
+  }
+});
+
+test("--dry-run does NOT write the state file", () => {
+  const fx = setupFixture();
+  try {
+    const stateFilePath = join(fx.dir, ".vapi-state.test-dry-run.json");
+    assert.equal(
+      existsSync(stateFilePath),
+      false,
+      "precondition: state file should not exist before run",
+    );
+
+    const res = runPush(fx.dir, ["--dry-run", "--bootstrap"]);
+    // Even with --bootstrap, dry-run must skip the state save. Bootstrap
+    // would normally write the state file with refreshed credentials/UUIDs;
+    // in dry-run we want zero filesystem mutation.
+    assert.equal(
+      existsSync(stateFilePath),
+      false,
+      `state file must not be created in dry-run; stdout=${res.stdout}`,
+    );
+  } finally {
+    fx.cleanup();
+  }
+});