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App Builder

App Builder is how you go from an idea to a working app without writing code: you describe what you want in plain language, and Devs.ai generates the frontend, backend, and database in a live sandbox you can use right away—the same kind of isolated environment described in Sandbox. You iterate in chat beside a live preview, then connect GitHub, deploy, and share when you are ready.

The sections below summarize what you can build (aligned with the current product), then plans and limits (paywalls, entitlements, and naming).

📝 Note: Product names and limits can change. If a control is disabled or shows an upgrade prompt, follow the in-product messaging or ask your organization admin which plan you are on.

What App Builder offers​

Together, these capabilities match what App Builder ships today. For tooling, timeouts, and API-level sandbox behavior, use Sandbox.

  • Build from a prompt — Describe your app and watch it come together in real time, with a live preview next to the chat.
  • Pick a look and feel — Choose from a gallery of design styles to set the tone before you fine-tune details.
  • Connect a database — Use the built-in Supabase integration or an in-browser database for prototypes, without leaving the flow.
  • Secrets and API keys — Add credentials your app needs with masking and encryption so sensitive values are not exposed in the UI.
  • Google OAuth in your app — Wire third-party sign-in into the app you are generating, in a few guided steps (this is sign-in for the app you build, separate from how you sign in to Devs.ai itself).
  • GitHub — Push your project to a repository, pull updates, and switch branches without leaving Devs.ai, when your plan allows writes (not just browsing).
  • Deploy and share — Publish the app and control who can open it: a public link or organization-only viewers, depending on policy (see Share links and access).
  • Recover deleted apps — Soft-deleted apps go to a trash view so you can restore them later instead of losing work by accident.
  • Branding and policies — Tune how the experience looks and which rules apply before end users see it.
  • Agents in the app — Attach agents and pick models the app should call so the right automation runs behind your UI.
  • Presentations and slide decks — Build pitch decks, walkthroughs, and visual stories with AI, then refine them in the live preview.
  • Guided questions — When App Builder needs your input, answer structured questions in a short wizard instead of leaving details ambiguous.
  • Cost control on larger builds — For bigger features, review the plan, timing, and estimated cost before work starts (organizations on dollar-based billing).

If you only need a chat widget on an existing site, use Embedding an agent—that path is separate from full App Builder under Apps.

Organization admins can choose whether App Builder share links are reachable by anyone with the link or only by signed-in viewers in the same organization. The control lives in organization settings and applies to apps shared from your org. When you publish or copy a link, follow the labels in the product so you match what your admin allows.

Plans and the pricing matrix​

Some App Builder capabilities are tied to the pricing matrix for your organization. When a capability is not included in your plan, you may see:

  • A paywall or upgrade prompt when you try to use a gated action.
  • Read-only access to parts of the experience so you can still review context (for example, GitHub or deploy-related surfaces) without applying changes until you upgrade.

Exactly which rows in the matrix unlock which builder features is maintained in the product—use the matrix and upgrade prompts as the live source of truth.

Business plan naming​

Where the product previously referred to a Team plan in App Builder and billing contexts, the same tier is now labeled Business. If you see documentation or screenshots that still say “Team,” treat Business as the current name for that offering.

Areas that respect entitlements​

Depending on your plan, the following App Builder areas may be fully editable, read-only, or hidden behind an upgrade:

  • Branding — Visual identity and related settings for what you publish.
  • Policies — Rules and constraints that apply to your app or deployment.
  • Deploy approvals — Review steps before changes go live.

Organization admins still manage who can access App Builder at all; this page describes plan-level gates inside the builder, not the custom user permissions matrix itself.

GitHub and deploy flows​

Connecting to GitHub or moving through deploy and publish steps can each be gated separately. On lower tiers you might:

  • Browse or inspect GitHub or deploy configuration without being able to push or approve until you upgrade, or
  • Hit a paywall when you try to advance an automated step (for example auto-advance on deploy) that your plan does not include.

Upgrade prompts are aligned across these paths so you are less likely to configure something in one tab that you cannot complete in another.

Add agents and model pickers​

When you add agents to an app, the agent and model pickers only list combinations your organization is entitled to use. If a model or agent type is missing, it is usually due to plan, organization model settings, or admin configuration—not a bug in the picker.

Presentations and slide decks​

App Builder can generate slide decks—pitch decks, product walkthroughs, training visuals, and similar—in addition to full web apps.

Create a presentation​

  1. Open Apps and start a new App Builder project.
  2. Choose the presentations / slides template (or describe a deck in the prompt).
  3. App Builder generates the deck in the live preview next to chat.

Refine in the preview​

After the first draft, you can polish the deck without leaving the builder:

  • Double-click text on a slide to edit it with rich formatting.
  • Set text and highlight colors to match your brand.
  • Drag slides or blocks into place; the preview updates as you move items.
  • Hover guidance in the preview explains how to start editing when you are unsure where to click.

Iterate in chat for larger structural changes (new sections, different narrative, additional slides) and use the preview for fine-tuning copy and layout.

Guided questions when details matter​

When App Builder needs a decision only you can make—an ambiguous requirement, a design trade-off, or missing information—it can pause and ask structured questions inline instead of guessing.

  • One question at a time with clear Next and Back navigation.
  • Answer types include Single choice, Multi-select, or free text, depending on what the question needs.
  • Any question can be skipped; App Builder proceeds with its best judgment for that point.
  • Your answers are preserved if you navigate away mid-wizard and return.

This flow is available to all App Builder users. Small, one-line fixes usually run without the wizard so simple edits stay fast.

Cost and approval before larger builds​

For larger features—not quick one-line fixes—App Builder can show what it plans to do before any work runs. You stay in control of spend and scope on substantial changes.

What you see before accepting​

When the estimate appears, review:

  • Summary — A short description of what App Builder will build or change.
  • Steps — High-level steps it expects to follow.
  • Estimated duration — Realistic minutes for an AI-assisted build, plus an estimated finish time in your local timezone.
  • Estimated dollar cost — Shown only for organizations on the new dollar-based billing system. Treat it as an estimate, not a final invoice.

Accept or reject​

  • Accept — Work begins. Detailed tool activity and assistant messages for that turn live in a sub-chat you can open anytime; the main chat shows a compact status card (In progress or Done).
  • Reject — Nothing runs. Adjust your prompt or ask for a smaller scope and try again.

After a turn that changes your app completes, the done card may offer a quick way to test the result in the preview.

📝 Note: Cost estimates and upfront approval apply to organizations on dollar-based billing. Other billing models may not show dollar estimates; guided questions and presentations are not tied to billing.

Apps catalog and mobile​

Apps v2 on mobile has received focused polish: chat and preview panels behave better on small screens, long app names use an ellipsis instead of breaking the header, and several session and control issues are fixed. The Apps catalog on the web is still easiest to manage on a desktop browser when you are doing heavy layout or policy work.

  • Getting started — where to open Apps from the homepage.
  • Sandbox — how the preview and tools relate to the isolated environment.
  • Embedding an agent — embed a widget on your own site (different from full App Builder under Apps).
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