Vercel "No Output Directory named 'dist' found" error with Sanity + NextJS

I can see what's happening here! This is a common confusion when setting up Sanity + Next.js on Vercel. The error you're seeing is related to Vercel's project configuration, not your actual project structure.

The issue is that Vercel is looking for a dist folder because it's been configured (or auto-detected) with the wrong build settings. When you deploy a Next.js application to Vercel, you should NOT be running sanity build as part of your deployment - that command is only for building a standalone Sanity Studio for self-hosting.

Solution: Update Your Vercel Project Settings

1. Go to your Vercel project settings (Project Settings → General → Build & Development Settings)

2. Set the correct Framework Preset: Select "Next.js" from the dropdown. This will automatically configure:

   • Build Command: next build (not sanity build)
   • Output Directory: .next (not dist)
   • Install Command: Automatically detected

3. If you've manually set an Output Directory, remove it or change it to .next

Why This Happens

• sanity build generates a dist folder containing a standalone Sanity Studio
• next build generates a .next folder containing your Next.js application
• The example repo you referenced has .gitignore entries for both because it may contain both a Next.js app AND an embedded Studio, but only the Next.js build is deployed to Vercel
• When deploying a Next.js app with an embedded Studio (typically at /studio route), you only run next build - Next.js handles bundling the Studio as part of your application

Quick Check

If your project structure looks like this:

/app or /pages  (Next.js routes)
/sanity         (Sanity schema/config)
next.config.js
sanity.config.ts

Then you're building a Next.js app with embedded Studio, and you should use Next.js build settings on Vercel, not standalone Studio settings.

After updating these settings in Vercel, trigger a new deployment and it should build successfully!