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The app builder takes a plain-English description and produces a real, working app installed in your workspace. You open it by clicking Add App in the sidebar, then switching to the Build tab. (The Explore tab is where you add existing built-in apps and embeds: see Built-in apps and Embeds & links.) The build process has a shape worth understanding before you start, so you know what’s happening when you’re in the middle of it.

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The build loop

1

You write a prompt

A few sentences describing what the app does and who uses it. Specificity helps; over-specifying implementation doesn’t. See Writing initial prompts.
2

The app builder interviews you

A short Q&A — usually one to three questions — to fill in the gaps. The app builder asks only what it needs and skips what it can decide on its own.
3

The app builder returns a plan

A one-page summary of the app: what it does, who uses it, the core flows, the notifications. You can edit the plan in the chat or accept it and move on.
4

The app builder builds the app

A few minutes of work. You’ll see tasks progressing and a live preview. Some apps pause for your input — to approve a sensitive task, or to collect an API key for a service the app uses.
5

The app builder installs the app

The app appears in your workspace, ready to use. You can keep iterating in the same chat.

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What the app builder can build

Apps that fit inside the Assembly Studio portal model:
Client-facing apps that live in the Portal
Internal tools for your team
Apps that use Assembly Studio’s CRM, auth, notifications, and branding
Apps that store their own data (each app gets its own database)
Apps that call external APIs (with credentials you provide)
Apps that use AI features (routed through Assembly Studio’s AI proxy)

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What the app builder can’t build

Some categories are outside what the app builder is designed for. If you describe one of these, it will tell you up front and suggest an alternative.
Marketing sites, public landing pages, public forms, public directories. Apps you build live behind authentication — only signed-in internal users or signed-in clients can reach them.
The app builder produces web apps that render inside the Assembly Studio Dashboard and Portal. iOS, Android, desktop, and hardware integrations aren’t in scope.
Live video, voice, WebRTC, or sub-second collaboration. Your apps are interactive but not streaming-grade.
ML training, large-scale data processing, video transcoding, anything that needs more than a typical web app’s resources.
The Dashboard and Portal have a fixed sidebar with the app rendered in the main area. Apps that need to take over the full viewport or hide the sidebar won’t work.
If your idea is essentially the Messages app, the Payments app, or another built-in, the app builder will suggest the existing app from the Explore tab. You can still build custom if you want — it just won’t pretend the built-in doesn’t exist.

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Build time

Most builds finish in a few minutes. Larger apps with more flows and more integrations take longer. The build chat shows progress in real time, and you can leave the tab and come back without losing state.
Don’t try to build the entire app in one prompt. Start with the core flow, get it working, then iterate. Smaller builds finish faster, fail less, and give you something to test against earlier.

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Next

App templates

Starting points organized by category.

Writing initial prompts

What to include, what to leave out, and examples.