diff --git a/pgpm/cli/src/commands/deploy.ts b/pgpm/cli/src/commands/deploy.ts
index 286920f7d..e2dfb91d1 100644
--- a/pgpm/cli/src/commands/deploy.ts
+++ b/pgpm/cli/src/commands/deploy.ts
@@ -128,36 +128,50 @@ export default async (
     });
   }
 
+  const project = new PgpmPackage(cwd);
+
+  // Determine package name based on context (similar to tag.ts pattern)
   let packageName: string | undefined;
-  if (recursive) {
+  
+  if (argv.package) {
+    // User explicitly specified a package
+    packageName = resolvePackageAlias(argv.package as string, cwd);
+    log.info(`Using specified package: ${packageName}`);
+  } else if (project.isInModule()) {
+    // We're inside a module, use the current module
+    packageName = project.getModuleName();
+    log.info(`Using current module: ${packageName}`);
+  } else if (project.isInWorkspace() && recursive) {
+    // We're in a workspace and recursive is enabled, prompt for package selection
     packageName = await selectPackage(argv, prompter, cwd, 'deploy', log);
+    if (!packageName) {
+      log.error('No package selected. Cannot deploy without specifying a target package.');
+      return;
+    }
   }
+  // If not in module and not recursive, packageName stays undefined which means deploy all
 
   const cliOverrides = {
     pg: getPgEnvOptions({ database }),
     deployment: {
       useTx: tx !== false,
-      fast: fast !== false,
+      fast: fast === true,
       usePlan: argv.usePlan !== false,
       cache: argv.cache !== false,
-      logOnly: argv.logOnly !== false,
+      logOnly: logOnly === true,
     }
   };
   
   const opts = getEnvOptions(cliOverrides);
-
-  const project = new PgpmPackage(cwd);
   
   let target: string | undefined;
   if (packageName && argv.to) {
     target = `${packageName}:${argv.to}`;
   } else if (packageName) {
     target = packageName;
-  } else if (argv.package && argv.to) {
-    const resolvedPackage = resolvePackageAlias(argv.package as string, cwd);
-    target = `${resolvedPackage}:${argv.to}`;
-  } else if (argv.package) {
-    target = resolvePackageAlias(argv.package as string, cwd);
+  } else if (argv.to) {
+    // --to specified without --package, use just the target
+    target = argv.to as string;
   }
   
   await project.deploy(
diff --git a/pgpm/cli/src/utils/module-utils.ts b/pgpm/cli/src/utils/module-utils.ts
index e6eba11d3..71d11ec3e 100644
--- a/pgpm/cli/src/utils/module-utils.ts
+++ b/pgpm/cli/src/utils/module-utils.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,9 @@ import { resolvePackageAlias } from './package-alias';
 /**
  * Handle package selection for operations that need a specific package
  * Returns the selected package name, or undefined if validation fails or no packages exist
+ * 
+ * Uses getModuleMap() which discovers modules by scanning for .control files,
+ * ensuring consistency with how core deploy discovers modules.
  */
 export async function selectPackage(
   argv: Partial<ParsedArgs>,
@@ -18,8 +21,10 @@ export async function selectPackage(
   log?: Logger
 ): Promise<string | undefined> {
   const pkg = new PgpmPackage(cwd);
-  const modules = await pkg.getModules();
-  const moduleNames = modules.map(mod => mod.getModuleName());
+  // Use getModuleMap() instead of getModules() for consistency with core deploy
+  // getModuleMap() scans for .control files, while getModules() uses pgpm.json patterns
+  const modules = pkg.getModuleMap();
+  const moduleNames = Object.keys(modules);
 
   // Check if any modules exist
   if (!moduleNames.length) {