diff --git a/.github/workflows/spec-drift-watch.yml b/.github/workflows/spec-drift-watch.yml
index 5f2ddc7..be0ac9c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/spec-drift-watch.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/spec-drift-watch.yml
@@ -106,7 +106,11 @@ jobs:
             git worktree add --orphan -b "$STATUS_BRANCH" "$dir"
           fi
           cp "$RUNNER_TEMP/status-out.json" "$dir/spec-drift.json"
-          git -C "$dir" add spec-drift.json
+          # Vercel reads vercel.json from the commit it deploys, so main's
+          # setting never reaches this branch; without this file every status
+          # commit starts a preview build that fails (the branch has no app).
+          printf '%s\n' '{ "git": { "deploymentEnabled": false } }' > "$dir/vercel.json"
+          git -C "$dir" add spec-drift.json vercel.json
           if git -C "$dir" diff --cached --quiet; then
             echo "status unchanged"
             exit 0
diff --git a/vercel.json b/vercel.json
deleted file mode 100644
index 9a03e48..0000000
--- a/vercel.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,8 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "$schema": "https://openapi.vercel.sh/vercel.json",
-  "git": {
-    "deploymentEnabled": {
-      "spec-drift-status": false
-    }
-  }
-}