service

This skill should be used when the user asks about service status, wants to rename a service, change service icons, link services, or create services with Docker images. For creating services with local code, prefer the `new` skill. For GitHub repo sources, use `new` skill to create empty service then `environment` skill to configure source.

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Updated: less than a month ago
In the catalog since: 1 Oct 2026
From: railwayapp/railway-skills

Get it through your agent npx skills add railwayapp/railway-skills@service

Skill instructions

Rendered from the published SKILL.md, 244 lines.

Service Management

Check status, update properties, and advanced service creation.

When to Use

User asks about service status, health, or deployments
User asks "is my service deployed?"
User wants to rename a service or change service icon
User wants to link a different service
User wants to deploy a Docker image as a new service (advanced)

Note: For creating services with local code (the common case), prefer the new skill which handles project setup, scaffolding, and service creation together.

For GitHub repo sources: Use new skill to create empty service, then environment skill to configure source.repo via staged changes API.

Create Service

Create a new service via GraphQL API. There is no CLI command for this.

Get Context

railway status --json

Extract:

project.id - for creating the service
environment.id - for staging the instance config

Create Service Mutation

mutation serviceCreate($input: ServiceCreateInput!) {
  serviceCreate(input: $input) {
    id
    name
  }
}

ServiceCreateInput Fields

Field	Type	Description
`projectId`	String!	Project ID (required)
`name`	String	Service name (auto-generated if omitted)
`source.image`	String	Docker image (e.g., `nginx:latest`)
`source.repo`	String	GitHub repo (e.g., `user/repo`)
`branch`	String	Git branch for repo source
`environmentId`	String	If set and is a fork, only creates in that env

Example: Create empty service

bash <<'SCRIPT'
scripts/railway-api.sh \
  'mutation createService($input: ServiceCreateInput!) {
    serviceCreate(input: $input) { id name }
  }' \
  '{"input": {"projectId": "PROJECT_ID"}}'
SCRIPT

Example: Create service with image

bash <<'SCRIPT'
scripts/railway-api.sh \
  'mutation createService($input: ServiceCreateInput!) {
    serviceCreate(input: $input) { id name }
  }' \
  '{"input": {"projectId": "PROJECT_ID", "name": "my-service", "source": {"image": "nginx:latest"}}}'
SCRIPT

Connecting a GitHub Repo

Do NOT use serviceCreate with source.repo - use staged changes API instead.

Flow:

Create empty service: serviceCreate(input: {projectId: "...", name: "my-service"})
Use environment skill to configure source via staged changes API
Apply to trigger deployment

After Creating: Configure Instance

Use environment skill to configure the service instance:

{
  "services": {
    "<serviceId>": {
      "isCreated": true,
      "source": { "image": "nginx:latest" },
      "variables": {
        "PORT": { "value": "8080" }
      }
    }
  }
}

Critical: Always include isCreated: true for new service instances.

Then use environment skill to apply and deploy.

For variable references, see reference/variables.md.

Check Service Status

railway service status --json

Returns current deployment status for the linked service.

Deployment History

Show the whole skill (124 more lines)

railway deployment list --json --limit 5


### Present Status

Show:
- **Service**: name and current status
- **Latest Deployment**: status (SUCCESS, FAILED, DEPLOYING, CRASHED, etc.)
- **Deployed At**: when the current deployment went live
- **Recent Deployments**: last 3-5 with status and timestamps

### Deployment Statuses

| Status | Meaning |
|--------|---------|
| SUCCESS | Deployed and running |
| FAILED | Build or deploy failed |
| DEPLOYING | Currently deploying |
| BUILDING | Build in progress |
| CRASHED | Runtime crash |
| REMOVED | Deployment removed |

## Update Service

Update service name or icon via GraphQL API.

### Get Service ID

```bash
railway status --json

Extract service.id from the response.

Update Name

bash <<'SCRIPT'
scripts/railway-api.sh \
  'mutation updateService($id: String!, $input: ServiceUpdateInput!) {
    serviceUpdate(id: $id, input: $input) { id name }
  }' \
  '{"id": "SERVICE_ID", "input": {"name": "new-name"}}'
SCRIPT

Update Icon

Icons can be image URLs or animated GIFs.

Type	Example
Image URL	`"icon": "https://example.com/logo.png"`
Animated GIF	`"icon": "https://example.com/animated.gif"`
Devicons	`"icon": "https://devicons.railway.app/github"`

Railway Devicons: Query https://devicons.railway.app/{query} for common developer icons (e.g., github, postgres, redis, nodejs). Browse all at https://devicons.railway.app

bash <<'SCRIPT'
scripts/railway-api.sh \
  'mutation updateService($id: String!, $input: ServiceUpdateInput!) {
    serviceUpdate(id: $id, input: $input) { id icon }
  }' \
  '{"id": "SERVICE_ID", "input": {"icon": "https://devicons.railway.app/github"}}'
SCRIPT

ServiceUpdateInput Fields

Field	Type	Description
`name`	String	Service name
`icon`	String	Emoji or image URL (including animated GIFs)

Link Service

Switch the linked service for the current directory:

railway service link

Or specify directly:

railway service link <service-name>

Composability

Create service with local code: Use new skill (handles scaffolding + creation)
Configure service: Use environment skill (variables, commands, image, etc.)
Delete service: Use environment skill with isDeleted: true
Apply changes: Use environment skill
View logs: Use deployment skill
Deploy local code: Use deploy skill

Error Handling

No Service Linked

No service linked. Run `railway service link` to link a service.

No Deployments

Service exists but has no deployments yet. Deploy with `railway up`.

Service Not Found

Service "foo" not found. Check available services with `railway status`.

Project Not Found

User may not be in a linked project. Check railway status.

Permission Denied

User needs at least DEVELOPER role to create services.

Invalid Image

Docker image must be accessible (public or with registry credentials).

Get it through your agent

Call the Graph-of-Skills MCP server's retrieve_skill_bundle tool and it returns this skill's text inside your budget.

{
  "tool": "retrieve_skill_bundle",
  "arguments": {
    "query": "service"
  }
}

New to this? Set up Graph-of-Skills or get a free key. The text on this page comes from its authors: how skills are sourced and what we check. If none fits your task, your agent can write a skill for your own library. To keep a skill from your own library on a machine, see how to install one of your skills.

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Source

Source repository railwayapp/railway-skills
Listing on skills.sh

From railwayapp/railway-skills via skills.sh

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